PNG landowners threaten to shut down mine

10:42 am on 17 August 2017

Traditional landowners in Papua New Guinea's Eastern Highlands province say they want to shut down operations at the K92 mine because a memorandum of understanding has not been adhered to.

Over the weekend 200 landowners agreed in principle to shut down operations at the Mt Kora mine as the company had failed to do things like awarding a contract to the landowner company, the Balimoia Development Corporation, or fund a variety of community projects.

Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea.

Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea. Photo: RNZI / Annell Husband

The Post Courier reported the chair of the Balimoia Interim Landowner Association, Neneti Tesai, saying all parties would have to go back to the drawing board to revise the MOU and press the developer to meet its obligations.

Neneti Tesai said the landowners made it clear operations could continue at the mine after the MOU was modified and accepted by all parties.