Freda River Mine project accord must remain committed to agreed terms and conditions

The National Letters

THE September 2018 signing of Freda River Mine Project Accord by developer PanAust and landowner groups as reported in this paper was good news for the Government.
West Sepik Governor Tony Wouwou said in part: “… the accord committed all parties to ensuring peaceful and constructive cooperation” and… “everyone must work together to resolve differences amicably and without disruption to the project”.
Let’s hope they all remain committed to the terms of this accord.
I have three points to raise here.
First is the issue of ownership of underground resources.
Who owns the oil, gas and minerals on customary land?
Is it the landowners, the Government or the developer?
The truth is: landowners own the land but not the underground resources.
This is because there are man-made laws that deny them full rights to their resources.
Hence they don’t get a fair share of the proceeds.
When the job is done, the developer packs up and leaves behind land and environment reshaped.
A change of law will make a world of difference in favour of the landowner communities.
My second point is on Sepik River.
Governor Wouwou made no mention of a tailings dam or Sepik River to be the passageway for shipment of mineral ores.
He said a tailings pipeline would be built across the border in East Sepik.
The people of Angoram and Ambunti-Dreikikir, whose survival depends on the pollutant-free Sepik River, are denied their rights to discuss risks that Frieda Mine poses to the Sepik River.
The simple villagers are unaware of the imminent risks they are about to face.
Despite the ignorance, there is a real possibility of serious environmental impacts that Freda River Mine activity can cause.
There is no guarantee that what happened to Fly River won’t happen to the Sepik River.
I raised this matter in mid-October 2017 which was immediately supported by environmental scientist Alphonse Roy.
He presented some related factual information based on his two ‘Early Warning Study Proposals’ which he presented to Angoram district administrator and others.
My appeal to the developer once again is to meet and listen to Sepik River leaders.
Get firsthand information on how this river has been their lifeline for many generations.
They want to know how prepared PanAust is in terms of:

  • Provision of alternative water services;
  • fish stock preservation; and,
  • health services in communities along the Sepik River to mitigate the impacts brought on by intentional and accidental mine rejects.
    Thirdly, can the Government quickly confirm if PanAust has been taken over by major shareholder, Guangdong Rising Assets Management – a Chinese state-owned company?
    If so, what is the guarantee that they will make Sepik River the safest?

MM Ondassa
Taurama
NCD