Ramu landowners want land matters settled before signing of MoUs

By JAYNE SAFIHAO
DISPUTES over land matters in the Ramu nickel project area must be dealt with first before any agreements are signed, according to landowners.
They are from the Ramu NiCo project sites including Kurumbukari in Usino Bundi, inland and coastal pipeline and Basamuk in the Raicoast area, Madang province.
They were reacting to a media statement by mining minister Byron Chan regarding the review of memorandums of agreement in mining projects.
Chan provided an update on the nine operational mines’ memorandum of agreement reviews.
He said there had been good progress on many of the reviews.
Of the nine listed, Ramu had its initial memorandum of agreement signed in 2000 with its last review done last year, after almost a decade.
Bundi spokesman Joe Koroma said the previous Somare government had failed to appoint any lands titles commission to hear landowner issues.
“The project was more or less given to the Chinese on a golden platter leaving landowners in the cold,” he said.
Those in dispute over Portions 109 and 110, the current refinery and wharf site in Basamuk, were told by the commission chairman Joe Gabut, Benedict Batata and Kutt Paonga that the portions could not be heard by them as they were under “government lease”.
The landowners of these portions want Chan to refrain from fast-tracking any MOA reviews as  there were still outstanding issues and matters to be dealt with.
They want Chan to defer the review planned for April 16-20 to a later date. They want him to respond to their petition.
The first commission hearing for the Ramu NiCo project was in 2005 by the late Patrick Nasa.
The current commission is now into its final stages of completing land disputes affecting Kurumbukari, Coastal and Inland Pipeline.
The Basamuk  portion 109 and 110 will be contested in court.