Papua New Guinea's Mining Minister Puka Temu has defended the government over last year's police operation to evict so-called illegal squatters from the Porgera gold mine in Enga province.
NGOs like MiningWatch Canada say the government and the owners of the mine, Barrick Gold of Canada, are neglecting their duty to relocate landowners living on the mine area among toxic waste.
The NGO shares similar concerns as Amnesty International over Barrick's support for last year's police operation, calling it a gross violation of human rights.
But Dr Temu says the government made a decision to take action to protect the investor's interests and engaged police to remove squatters.
"They include all the illegal settlers. They shouldn't be at the mine site, and they're causing a lot of law and order problems. They're going in the legally occupied mine site - a very risky exercise. Some of them have died. It's not only a law and order issue, it's a health hazard we cannot tolerate."
