Sonk clarifies equity signatories

By JACKLYN SIRIAS
KUMUL Petroleum Holdings Limited managing director Wapu Sonk explained to some agitated beneficiary groups that those signing the documents were just representing them.
It followed a commotion outside the venue of the signing on Thursday in Port Moresby when some groups from the LNG project claimed they should be the ones signing the documents for the financing of the equity.
“They are just signing so you can get your benefits.  It does not give them any rights or benefits of the Kroton Equity,” Sonk said.
“The formal recognition process is something that the Government will look at. We are only looking at the Kroton Equity signing process to protect beneficiaries.”
Sonk said once the agreement was signed, whatever benefits that came would go straight to them and not to those signatories.
A row began when the KPHL stakeholder relations manageress Esther Yuyuge read out a list of names of representatives from the plant site area in Central who she said were representing the people from Boira, Porebada, Papa and Lealea at the signing.
But councillors from the four villages claimed that they were the elected representatives chosen by the villagers to do the signing.
Boira councillor Vavine Dai said since the beginning of the LNG project, they had been facing similar issues.
“We were told by the KPHL to go back to our village and elect the representatives to do the signing. And that was exactly what we did,” she said.
“I do not know how the Government can resolve this issue. Everything that is related to LNG has to come through us (councillors) before the villagers because we stand as a mouthpiece of the government to the people.” she said.
Another group of landowners from the LNG pipeline site – Southern Highlands, Hela, Gulf and Western – claimed they were eight different segments which the LNG pipeline ran through.
Thus they said they must have eight representatives.