The Autonomous Bougainville Government sees the Panguna reopening process and negotiations as its highest priority.
It also foreshadowed “emphatic” action against non compliant would–be miners.
Speaking at Kokopo on Wednesday this week during the Joint Supervisory Body meeting between the ABG and the National Government, ABG President John Momis said they hoped the issue will be treated as a special agenda item in all future JSB meetings until the matter is concluded.
A meeting between the ABG and the national government technical officers (Joint Technical Officials Meeting) which was held two days before the JSB meeting recommended that a Joint Panguna Review Co-ordination Group be established.
The ABG was preparing itself and the landowners to negotiate on this matter.
A full brief by the ABG and the National Government on the progress of the Panguna re-opening process and negotiations was presented to the JSB meeting.
The brief detailed the administrative actions taken jointly by the ABG and appropriate national government departments to deal with the Panguna re-opening process.
Among the conclusions recorded by the JSB, the establishment of the Panguna Co-ordination Committee was noted, fully endorsing the work streams and the cooperative relations between the ABG and the National Government.
The JSB also agreed that the National Government would commit its support to the reopening process.
President Momis also said that the ABG was working on its own mining legislation, and the drafting instructions had been approved for a Bill for a Transitional Mining Act.
He said this step was being taken to emphasise that it is the ABG that sets mining policy for Bougainville, and that all stakeholders must obey the law.
“This includes foreign companies, some of which have failed to even consult the ABG or lawful authorities in PNG about their mining related activities in Bougainville.
“This ABG legislation will hopefully put a stop to this practice in an emphatic way,” President Momis said.
(Post Courier, October 19, 2012)