DATE
H.E. Rt. Hon. Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare
The Prime Minister
Department of Prime Minister and National Executive Council
Morauta House
Po Box 639
Waigani National Capital District
Papua New Guinea
Fax: +675-323-3943
betha_somare@pm.gov.pg
Your Excellency,
I write in solidarity with the customary landowners who live on the Rai Coast and along the Ramu River, whose lands and waters could be disastrously contaminated by toxic waste from CMCC’s Ramu nickel and cobalt mine and refinery, under the current license agreement.
For the sake of democracy and Indigenous Peoples’ rights under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, I urge your government to repeal the May 28, 2010 amendments to the Environment Law, which deny land owners the right to defend their property and the natural resources they depend on for life and livelihood. These amendments violate your Fisheries Management Act, which states, “The rights of customary owners of fisheries resources and fishing rights shall be fully recognized and respected in all transactions affecting their resources.”
Scientific studies by the Scottish Association of Marine Science, the Lutheran Church, and the Mineral Policy Institute all conclude that if CMCC dumps its mining and refinery waste into the sea as currently planned, ocean currents could spread the toxins along the entire northern coast. All marine life and key tuna fisheries in the Bismarck Sea would be endangered, and the livelihoods of coastal communities would be imperiled. Please exercise the Precautionary Principle and honor your own May 15, 2009 statement to the Coral Triangle Initiative, in which you pledged to “manage our healthy marine environment carefully in the face of the many development pressures…and…achieve our development objectives without further harm to our marine resources.” To fulfill this pledge, your government must revoke CMCC’s permit for deep submarine tailings placement.
I am also concerned that CMCC’s Ramu mine will increase siltation in the Ramu River and contaminate the waters that 300,000 people in the Ramu River watershed depend on for drinking, washing, and agriculture. I urge you to require that CMCC implement industry best practices to prevent and monitor siltation and contamination of the Ramu River during construction and operation phases of the Ramu mine.
The incalculable dangers to your people and to Papua New Guinea’s enviable natural resources and biological diversity far outweigh any short-term gains from such a high-risk project as CMCC’s Ramu mine and refinery. Please reconsider and take immediate steps to safeguard your greatest treasures, the health of your people, your lands, and your waters.
Sincerely yours,
YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS
cc:
Benny Allen
Minister for Environment and Conservation
Po Box 6601 Boroko
National Capital District
Papua New Guinea
Email: infotech@daltron.com.pg
Sir Arnold Amet, Governor
Madang Provincial Government
PO Box 2139
Madang
Papua New Guinea
Email: arnoldamet@datec.net.pg
Madam Luo
CMCC Director
Ramu Nickel Mine
Po Box 1229
Madang
Papua New Guinea
Email: luoshu@mccgrd.com
Aldo Dell'ariccia
EU Ambassador to PNG
European Union
Po Box 76
Port Moresby
Papua New Guinea
Email: aldo.dell'ariccia@ec.europa.eu
