Juha groups told to resolve conflicts

A NEWLY-formed landowner company from the Juha area in Southern Highlands, believes it has found the right partners to pursue its objectives.
Proponents of Juha Energy Resources Ltd (JERL) claimed the newly-incorporated company represented the interests of villagers from the PDL9 area of Juha.
JERL officials were about to hand over their submission requesting a portion of the seed capital (about K120 million) handled by the Department of Commerce and Industry (DCI) when another group objected to their claim.
The group that intervened claimed to represent the Tuguba clan, who owned land where the Hides project was located.
They said they did not know about JERL and why they were applying for money from the seed capital made available by the government.
Acting secretary for DCI John Andrias, who was present to receive JERL’s submission, was forced to call off the presentation, which would have also marked the formal launch of JERL as an umbrella landowner
company.
“I was here on behalf of the secretary and minister to receive the proposal and witness the launching but since there was an objection, the occasion can be called off,” Andrias explained the situation to the two parties.
He advised the executives of JERL and the landowners to resolve their dispute before returning to the department.
JERL chairman Habilu Tami said the company was formed in line with the Kokopo umbrella benefits sharing agreement and the only legitimate umbrella company for Juha PDL9 on the Hela side of the LNG project sites.
He said JERL had reputable partner companies with technical and financial capacities like Emmo Holdings and Moresby Casino Five Star Hotel to drive their aspiration.
Moresby Casino five star hotel is owned by a Korean group that is building the hotel and casino at 4-Mile in the the capital.
Tami assured objecting parties that their grievances would be addressed.
It is understood some of the landowners were questioning why the group had become involved with the landowner company, and whether such involvement was in line with the aims of the seed capital funds provided by the government.