A Bougainville landowner group wants to reach a compromise with the autonomous government over re-opening the Panguna mine.
The government in the Papua New Guinea region wants to bring back Bougainville Copper Ltd to run the mine, but the Special Mining Lease Osikaiyang Landowners Association, which owns the mine site, and therefore the minerals in the ground around it, has teamed up with another miner, RTG.
The re-opening is viewed by both parties as the best way for Bougainville to achieve fiscal self reliance ahead of a vote on independence from PNG in June 2019.
The wrangling between both parties has intensified in recent weeks but the chair of the SMLOLA, Philip Miriori, says they want talks to iron out issues.
He spoke with Don Wiseman, who began by asking about recent comments by Bougainville President John Momis that Mr Miriori's landowner group is selfish and only thinking of itself.
Listen to the full interview here.
Panguna mine.
Photo: Wellington Chocolate Factory
Transcript
PHILIP MIRIORI: We are not selfish. We are the resource owners, SML. I represent 510 [owners] you know, and you also must know that we own the resources and of course we will talk for every Bougainvillean. We are not selfish, Don.
DON WISEMAN: You can say that you will look after other Bougainvilleans, but how? What are you going to do?
PM: They will have a say on whatever future we decide because the conflict that we went through, you know, that has changed the whole concept of just looking at the 510. ABG, you know, for the comment that Momis made - they are selfish. They have a conflict of interest. They are saying that they own BCL and they also want to give the minerals to themselves and BCL. And you know that is a massive conflict of interest. They are the regulators and they have to be neutral, you know.
DW: So there clearly need to be talks and I know that your group, you want to be able to sit down with the ABG and you are talking about some sort of mediation. So if you have mediation and you have compromise, what are you going to be prepared to compromise on?
PM: It's a concept that we are looking at to invite a mediator. And of course he has to be independent, impartial, he must not have any interest in Panguna mine, you know. And we need that mediator because we now see that ABG has a conflict of interest. This is something I believe is bad you know. ABG should be the government for the people.
DW: You can say they have a conflict of interest but you are talking about wanting to sit with them and compromise. It can't just be sitting down and everyone stating their own positions --everyone's got to be prepared to move otherwise it is a waste of time. So how will you move?
PM: OK We have this time frame, a very important timeframe for a referendum, 2019 - we need mediation because he will make sure we find a fair solution for SML [Special Mining Lease Osikaiyang Landowners Association], for ABG and for the rest of Bougainville. So you know there will be a win - win situation.
DW: Do you have a mediator in mind?
PM: No, no not yet. We haven't decided yet. This is something we have to work out with ABG and us.
To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following:
See terms of use.