Source: The National

RAMU NiCo’s Kurumbukari mine in Madang has been forced to close after a group of villagers damaged properties worth millions of kina on Monday.

Five Chinese employees were injured after the armed villagers stormed into the office area of the KBK mining site of Ramu NiCo, damaging equipment and facilities, according to a company source.

Acting provincial police commander Senior Inspector Ben Neneo has sent a police team, including officers from the Criminal Investigation Unit, to Ramu to investigate. The incident happened around 8.30am.

“Five Chinese employees got injured with one receiving 14 stitches,” the source said. Nine excavators, one fuel truck and a lighting vehicle were burnt. Also damaged were mining equipment, fixed maintenance equipment, instrumentation plant, laboratory, offices for community affairs and mine site and the mobile maintenance workshop.

Equipment damaged included computers, printing machines, office furniture, windows and doors, radios and telephones.

The source said the company management immediately launched an emergency plan to ensure the safety of its staff and properties.

It called for police reinforcement from Madang.

“While ensuring personnel and property safety, we informed the Madang provincial government, police and the Chinese Embassy in PNG, Mineral Resources Authority and Joint Venture Partners for support and assistance,” the source said.

Ramu NiCo president Wang Jicheng visited the KBK mine on Monday to assess the damage.

He instructed the company management team to ensure that normalcy to the mine site was restored.

The company wants to find out what provoked the attack but preliminary investigations reveal that illegal migrants to the mining area were unhappy with the company’s recruitment policy.

The company in the past few weeks has been pushing for pre-vocational training for the landowners.

It was trying to secure skilled and competent workers from outside “to occupy the increasing skills gap requirement so the project production is increased”.

“We will continue to establish a mutual understanding and relationship with the project landowners for their long-term benefit and that of the project shareholders,” the company source said.