To Those Shareholders of RTZ and Bougainville Copper Limited. > From the silent landowners of the down stream Jaba River,Southwest > Bougainville. > > Apart from the huge hole that was dug in Panguna in the land which own by > Panguna landowners,we the landowners of the most heavily polluted Jaba > river taillings area would like to remind the major shareholders of > Bougainville Copper of the following. > > 1.Pay up our original demand of PNG K10 billion to cater for compensation > of damages of many kind that was done by RTZ/BCL,Australian Government and > PNG Government since 1960 to 1997.This claim must be met before any sort > of mining negotiation take place. > > 2.After the compensation is paid,we demand that all mining powers be > transfer to the Government of the people of Bougainville,thus the > Autonomous Bougainville Gopvernment.Any major resource development must > come under the direct powers of the Autonomous Government of Bougainville. > > 3.We would like to see that any major mining operation or any other major > resource development takes place under an Independent Sovereign > Bougainville State. > > This will make it easier for Bougainville to choose the right resource > development partners instead of outsiders who are bent on profit making > but have no respect and hourner for landowners. > > [With RTZ/BCL establisment on Bougainville] > > They [RTZ]Came in the 1960s with teargas to impose their one sided,selfish > and irresponsible mining policies down the throat of Bougainville > landowners.The shareholders,RTZ,BCL,PNG Government and Australian > Government have to be removed by and with guns because they came the same > way to impose their reign over Bougainville against the will of the > resource owners and the rest of Bougainville people. > > We would like to remind all the shareholders of BCL that we the landowners > of the Southwest Bougainville for this matter are the biggest loosers in > the sense that we have lost thousands of hectors of the best agricultural > land forever.Our land lies under the billions of tons of polluted sand > dumped in the Jaba river by BCL ever since the mine started. > > Whoever shareholder you are, can you come over to Panguna,Jaba > river,Empress Augusta Bay,Torokina South west Bougainville and see for > your self.Tell us one mining Company that is allowed to dump toxic waste > to any river system and agricultural land in Australia,Europe,USA or > elsewhere,please feel free to come aned talk about this with us. > > BCL Sahreholders in Europe and elsewhere apart from our land and > environment along the Jaba river that was destroyed we lost millions of > dollars worth of best species of tropical hardwood.Today it lays under the > tons of toxic sand,when we raised the concern about the hardwood[trees] > nobody ever listerned.Today we are facing the reality of the BCL's > irresponsible behavior towards our environment.We find it very hard to > find good quality timber to build our houses for our growing > population.Who is going to pay for our lost timber resources? Today Jaba > river naturally digs its way through billions of tons of toxic sand,the > sand is been carried down stream further blocking many small streams that > flows to Jaba river.These small streams blocked by tons and tons of sand > have no way of flowing out,it forms lakes up land and eventually > submerging hectors and hectors of good land. > > Therefore we have a on going environmental disaster,we don't know who is > going to fix this problem?.We never invited RTZ to come and operate the > mine in such a way that their oepration are carried out in an > environmently disasterous way.Shareholders of BCL in Europe and elsewhere > if you worried about your share values lost during the period Panguna mine > had closed,we believe that as shareholders you should claim your lost > money from RTZ/BCL and PNG Government,because as we see it from our point > of view it was the Company,[BCL]and PNG Government who were not willing to > renew the selfish oriented BCL and Landowners agreement. > > This was the real issue which our late Supreme Leader Francis Ona tried to > negotiate but BCL,PNG and RTZ refused to accept late Francis Ona's request > to redrawn the mining agreement. > > Sharholders in Europe,how would you feel if some Company come along and > without much consultation with you forces you to lend your land for them > to carry out billion dollar business? At the end of the years they pay you > with peanuts after they been earning millions of dollars each year on your > land?.Is it common sense that they pays you in peanuts after using your > land and resources?. > We the people of Bougainville are on the same scenario as above parable.We > the people who have lost our land,Timber,environment etc forever,we were > getting paid PNGK20,000. per year as royalty per head of family.Do you the > shareholders think we were paid fairly for the destruction of our > rescources and envronment forever?. > > We believe our claim of PNGK10 billion is justified even of the money is > recieved our land will never be returned to its original glory. > > > MR BLACKSTONE Oraru, > Jaba Downstream Landowners Spokepeerson.
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