Government and SOPAC ignoring communities
Press Release: Government and SOPAC ignoring communities Papua New Guinea's major NGOs say their government and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community are continuing to ignore the wishes of Pacific people in their rush to allow experimental seabed mining. "Most impact communities in PNG are still strongly against experimental seabed mining" says Rosa Koian from Bismarck Ramu Group, who has travelled extensively through New Ireland and New Britain talking to local people. The PNG government has not provided a promised response to a community petition with over 20,000 signatures opposing ESM, which was presented to Mining Minister Byron Chan last year. Instead the government last week held meetings with SOPAC, a division of SPC, to discuss new laws to allow ESM. "We know SOPAC is being paid by the European Union to push the agenda of the foreign owned mining industry", says Effrey Dademo from community advocacy group ACT NOW! which helped organise the petition.