The new plaintiff in a case against the Chinese owners of Papua New Guinea's Ramu nickel mine is warning the company that unless it stops threatening his clanspeople he'll file contempt of court charges.
The warning follows an assurance to landowners by the Metallurgical Corporation of China that it won't construct a controversial marine tailings pipeline until a new legal application for an injunction on the project is heard.
A campaigner with the advocacy organisation Act Now, Effrey Dademo, says the company has been threatening those of its employees who are also local landowners involved in the legal challenge to the project.
"What we've heard is that the company has threatened them in terms of saying that if they do not withdraw from the proceedings that they would be sacked from their jobs, yes."
Effrey Dademo says the landowners are resolved to continue with the case, which is due back in court on Friday after a two-week adjournment.
