Source: The Loggers Time

Mining Minister Byron Chan is continuing to bury his head in the sand and ignore overwhelming local, national and international opposition to experimental seabed mining. New Zealand says the mining is too risky and has refused a resource consent application while the 6 million members of the Pacific Conferences of Churches say they don't want the Pacific to be the guinea pig for this untried new technology... but Byron Chan doesn't care and is happy for his electorate to suffer the consequences and hopes a few solar light kits will buy their silence!

Solwara 1 will go ahead

THE Solwara 1 Project will go ahead as planned, Mining Minister Byron Chan said.

During a visit to his electorate recently, he told locals in Namatanai to prepare themselves for spin of benefits which the project would bring.

“As the minister for mining, but more so as your member for Namatanai, I pledge myself to protect and serve you and I urge you to prepare yourselves when the world’s first undersea mining kicks off in the near future,” Chan said.

He thanked Prime Minister Peter O’Neill for having confidence in him to be appointed as the mining minister. Chan’s electorate houses the Lihir gold mine, Simberi and now the seabed mining.

He said the former Somare government, which issued the mining license to Nautilus Mineral Ltd over 10 years ago, did it without proper consultation nor without any benefits tied to the project for the host provinces, East New Britain and New Ireland.

“It is this government of O’Neill-Dion that the benefits derived from the Solwara 1 Project of our marine time provinces,” Chan said.

His visit to the area attracted people from the seabed mining areas including; Naujama, Panaras, Patlangmat, Bimun, Neliut, Nargaragalap, Kulot, Tembin, Kontu, Lamou, Ugana, Messi, Danu, Damplet, Kalili, Komalu, Konakagogo, Kokola and 20 other villages.

Meanwhile, Chan delivered over 240 solar lighting units for eight west coast central LLG wards of which 240 families received the units. He delivered a school truck for Kolube Primary School at Konogogo village.

The total solar lights delivered so far was 1410 to families from Konoagil, Namatanai, Matalai and Central LLGs respectively.

The other LLGs which would later receive the solar lights to include Tanir, Nimamar and LLG’s in Central Namatanai.