Law and order at LNG site needs attention

THE law and order issue at the LNG project site in Hela needs to be urgently addressed by the landowners, the Government and ExxonMobil, according to former Nipa-Kutubu district administrator Robin Pip.
It follows a roadblock set up by landowners from PDL1 (Petroleum Development Licence 1) in the Komo-Margarima district.
They want the Government to pay their outstanding K20 million.
Pip, also a former community affairs officer with ExxonMobil, said these issues should have been addressed before the gas production.
He said the government should have identified the genuine landowners and pay their royalties and equity accordingly.
Meanwhile, Komo-Margarima MP Manasseh Makiba presented a petition to parliament last Friday from the landowners reminding it to start the clan-vetting project and pay out the K35 million promised to them.
Makiba said the landowners of PDL 1, 7 and 8 wanted the government to address clan-vetting urgently and pay the K35m that was agreed to be paid to the landowners in a Memorandum of Understanding in August, 2006.
“The K35m and the clan-vetting was later approved in an NEC 2010/2016 decision allowing for the K35m to be paid out to the landowners and the clan-vetting to begin a week after,” he said.
“The NEC decision also tasked the Attorney-General to file applications at the National Court to set aside restraining orders. However, since then nothing has eventuated,” he said.