Disgruntled landowners are now camping outside the closed gates to the Hides LNG project site in Hela Province after the Government team yesterday failed to convince them to reopen the gate to the conditioning plant.
Loop PNG was reliably informed by a source on the ground that landowners are sleeping in front of the closed gates but the place is quiet.
Two police mobile squads from McGregor and one from Tomaringa, totalling almost 80 personnel, are providing security to the ExxonMobil-run facility.
“We are just here to provide security for employees and company properties in case they are attacked,” said a policeman, who wished to remain anonymous.
Petroleum and Energy Minister Nixon Duban, and Finance Minister and local MP James Marape, led a high powered delegation to Hides but failed to negotiate the re-opening of Hides 4, which is located at PDL 7.
This is where natural gas is sucked out from the ground.
The landowners want the National Government to pay them their royalties first before they let work resume at the LNG site.