Locals block road, locked in staff

By JUNIOR UKAHA
A GROUP of landowners are at loggerheads with a mining company over contractual issues surrounding the exploration of resources on their land.
The Wale-Babuaf people of Wampar in the Huon-Gulf  district, Morobe, have stopped Morobe Mining Joint Venture (MMJV) and its contractors from entering their land and do any work.
Frustrated villagers numbering more than 100 walked into the Finjip base camp in the Portal site around 5am on Monday and locked a group of workers inside the facility after the workmen refused to vacate the facility.
A number of expatriates were reportedly among the group locked up.
Millions of kina worth of heavy machinery and vehicles, including accommodation facilities and other logistics, were grounded by the locals who planted tanget (local ceremonial plant) at various locations to stop construction work. 
The landowners had shut down the camp and closed off the road at Buasis point after their petition to MMJV, the operator of the Wafi-Golpu gold mine, was not addressed.
The petition among other things called for all sub-contract work to be given back to the landowners and for outside contractors engaged by MMJV to immediately vacate the area.
The Wale-Babuaf landowners own land at the Portal site to the Tunnel area, a stretch of land about 8km where construction works are going on.
Anunga Yawising, deputy chairman of landowner company Wale-Babuaf Development Ltd, said they would not open the road and allow work to proceed until the “right people” came and received their petition at Buasis.
“I won’t meet with you,” Yawising told a mediation team from MMJV and police that went to negotiate.
“I want to see new faces. I want to see your bosses.
“The road will be reopened if you come and receive my petition here.”
MMJV Wafi-Golpu community engagement superintendent Rodney Clark told the villagers that they could protest and hold signs but they must not break the law.
He said he understood their situation but had no authority to deal with it as the decision would come from the top management.
Mumeng police station commander Sgt Paul told the locals that police understood their concerns but holding people against their will amounted to taking hostages and depriving them of their freedom, which was against the law.
He added that they had broken the law by creating a roadblock.
The villagers were angry with police saying they were not neutral and were taking sides with the developer and attempting to suppress their rights and concerns.
After an hour of tense negotiations, the locals agreed to release the remaining holed up MMJV workmen and free a police hired vehicle that was impounded.
The National visited the Finjip camp and noted that the work men were safe but they were concerned about their security.
The locals reiterated that the tanget would not be removed until their demands on their petition were resolved.