ABG | Bougainville News | 16 December 2016The landowners received the notice during the Panguna Landowners Community Review which was conducted recently by Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) and the ABG Panguna Negotiation office.
Seen as a breakthrough and historical event, this year marks 27 years since the Bougainville Crisis ended. It has also provided an opportunity for BCL to begin a new chapter.
Press Release ABG website
The Acting Director of the Office of the Panguna Negotiation, Mr Bruno Babato thanked the people of Central and South Bougainville for kindly accepting and welcoming BCL and the team to precede its work in the region.
Babato said that the aim of the program was to verify and confirm the list of landowners with their account numbers so that transaction of payments would be made.
Mr Justin Rogers who is a consultant from the office of Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) informed the Landowners that BCL has pledged K13.9 million to them as an outstanding payment for the year 1990. That payment ceased then because of the Bougainville crisis.
The payment was supposed to be a 12 months pay for the year 1990 but BCL had extended that agreement to the year 2013.
The amount that was given by BCL is for the year 1990 to 2013, said Mr Rogers.
Mr Rogers urged the landowners to fully work and cooperate with ABG and BCL to settle that issue and focus on other programs or developments to be implemented in the future for the benefit of the landowners and Bougainville as a whole.
The Team completed Panguna Mine Access Road PMAR Association, Lower Tailings, Bolave Fish Owners and Mid Tailings. They are yet to conduct a meeting with other two associations, Small Mining Lease and the Upper Tailings next year January.