Reilly Kanamon | Social justice
advocate | via The National
WE do not know why it was so difficult for the mining minister
to respond to concerns from maritime communities in the Bismack Sea
regarding seabed mining issues.
Since the new miner Deep Sea Mining (DSM) Finance started
pursuing the reopening of the Solwara project, the communities
opposed it.
All for the same reasons previously with Nautilus Minerals in
2019 and successive years.
The communities have expressed views in the media and through a
community objection lodged at the Mineral Resource Authority in
February, demanding a ban on explorative seabed mining licences in
PNG.
PNG is not desperate for seabed mining.
We have many mineral deposits on the land for another
century.
It is a shame our minister responsible is ill-informed on the
potential impact of seabed mining in our ocean.
Generations will suffer when the pristine ocean we once enjoyed
for the tuna stocks and rich marine life will be reduced to
nothing.
Seabed mining is profit-driven for the benefit of miners and
industrial countries more than for the local Bismarck
communities.
If we can not manage mine waste from Porgera and Tolukuma mines,
the precise risk of seabed mining is unknown but detrimental as per
scientific knowledge we have.
Our Pacific Island leaders are opposing DSM for the good of the
Pacific oceans, yet our minister and government seem to show poor
indecisive leadership by allowing miners interest over the health
and wealth of our ocean.
The New Zealand Government has made its stance clear to protect
the Pacific Ocean from seabed mining.
Yet here in PNG, the Minister for Mining said that the
Government was pursuing Solwara 1 talks for seabed mining (The
National, March 24).
There needs to be a serious investigation into why the State is
promoting the interest of exploitative mining over our peoples
rights to the protection of their environment and way of
living.
Whose interest will seabed mining serve?
Does the Government of PNG have the capacity and expertise to
mitigate the negative impacts in our oceans after the miner leaves
our shores?
We need matured decision-makers in Parliament who can look
beyond the life of mining and see what will become of the future
generation from selfish profit interests.
I am from a province in the Bismarck Sea and my people will also
see the impact of seabed mining, not the mining minister or Prime
Minister who never grew up in a maritime province in the Bismarck
Sea.
Our future generations will remember this government and the
minister who allow.....