Nonggorr joins fight against tailings pipe

 THE plaintiffs’ legal team fighting the proposed deep sea tailings pipeline (DSTP) was given a further boost with the inclusion of Dr John Nonggorr.

Nonggorr led five landowner plaintiffs – Caspar Angua, Martin D Yagau, James Singai, Kamanang Namur and Paul Kamang – through their evidence.

In court yesterday, they were all cross examined by lawyers for Ramu NiCo and the state.

According to an email update from Tiffany Nonggorr of Nonggorr William Lawyers yesterday, the five landowner plaintiffs “all stood up to the pressure well and made statements at the end to the effect that they did not want their land and sea destroyed by DSTP”.

Lawyers for Ramu NiCo and the state also indicated that they did not want to cross examine landowners Bill Koi and Simon Sil and witnesses Mark Arongo and Dr Richard Pyle, a deep sea reef specialist and ichthyologist.

The affidavits of the four witnesses were then all tendered to the court and received into evidence without the witnesses going into the box. 

At 1.30pm yesterday, the judge delivered a lengthy written decision on the plaintiffs’ application to join a further 998 landowners as represented plaintiffs in the proceedings.

The request was granted, bringing the total number of landowner plaintiffs to 1,081 in the proceedings. 

Today, the plaintiffs would continue the case with the start of the scientific evidence by ecologist Dr Phil Shearman, oceanographer Dr John Luick and marine geochemist Dr Gregg Brunskill.  

Hearing would begin at 10am.