MRDC

Locals face anxiety and fear

In a phone conversation last night, Isaac Haboro said tremors can still be felt and there are still rumblings underground.

He said all this is new to the people and fear is driving many away from village, which is even riskier.

“There are loud noises like thunder rumbling, underground. We don’t know what this is but people are scared and running away. Some are going by motor/canoe over the lake, others are taking the road. But this is risky. And the more we’re left in suspense, more people will flee to their death,” he said.

Western people refuse MRDC to manage 33% equity

They are querying that the 33% equity given to them by the passing of the 10th Supplementary Act and NEC Decision 402/2014 does not mandate the Mineral Resource Development Corporation (MRDC) to manage it.

Representing the landowners of the mine villages, Community leader Nick Bunn said the NEC Decision 402/2014 directed that the 33% should be distributed between the mine villages, Provincial Government and CMCA and nominate their holding companies that will hold the equity on their behalf.

Government has not used landowner royalties

This was the message from Minister for Petroleum and Energy, Nixson Duban, following the launching of the process to begin opening of ‘Beneficiaries Clan Accounts'.

Contrary to media publications and allegations that the royalty funds for the landowners have been used by the Government and other state agencies, Duban said the funds awaited the completion of the Ministerial Determination which has been done already.

He said the Government was committed to paying the royalties however, there remained legal cases to be sorted out before certain groups can be paid.

Ok Tedi mine landowners thank O’Neill for mine shares

“This is a first of its kind hence, an announcement of historical significance to the landowners and the people of Western Province and Papua New Guinea as a whole,” Mineral resources Star Mountains Limited (MRSM) chairman Bill Menim said.

“The Board of Directors of MRSM, representing the 10 landowning villages around the Ok Tedi Mine would like to thank the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill for the decision made to offload its 33% equity shares in the Ok Tedi Limited to the respective landowners and the people of Western Province.

Crocodile Prize Award gets sponsorship boost

The competition was established in 2010, aiming to encourage creative and critical writing in Papua New Guinea.

It also aims to provide Papua New Guineans with access to home-grown literature.

The funding will go into sponsoring one of seven categories in the competition, which is the ‘Women in Writing’ category.

The six other categories are Short Story, Illustrations, Book of the Year, Essays and Journalism, Heritage and Children’s writing.

UPNG graduates thank MRDC for support

We see that MRDC has been in the fore front in making huge sound investments for the resources owners and for the benefit of the country as a whole”.

Those were the words of Bisiape Paul, one of nine young men and women from Southern Highlands and Hela Provinces who proudly walked away with their Bachelor’s Degrees at the 61st University of Papua New Guinea Graduation (UPNG) ceremony last week thanks to the support of the Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC) and its subsidiaries.

MRDC Cup ends with joint winners

At the kick off, Tarangau opened the score line in the first fifth minute of the match with a grubber that sent their winger sliding in to bury the footy at the right end corner to lead 4-0.

But Hohola Flies persisted when they responded seconds before the half time signal with an amazing short ball to send in their fullback running through Flies defense and grounding the ball for a four pointer to level the scores at 4-4.

In the second half the game grew more aggressive when the spectators cheered on their teams.

Food relief supplies for drought stricken Tabubil

The company supplied up to one hundred and fifty thousand kina (K150, 000) worth of non perishable food items to the area to assist the ten landowner villages surrounding the mine.

The current El Nino weather which forced the temporary closure of the Ok Tedi Mine is taking a toll on the people in the area with vital food supplies usually brought into the area by ships, unable to reach the people due to the low water level at the Fly River.