ACT NOW! community members took to the streets in Brisbane today to deliver more than 500 protest letters to the directors of mining company Highlands Pacific.

Highlands Pacific is a part-owner of the Ramu nickel mine in Papua New Guinea that plans to dump millions of tons of toxic mine waste into the sea - a practice that would not be permitted in Australia.

ACT NOW! members are also concerned that Highlands Pacific has not condemned human rights abuses against landowners concerned about the mines impacts. 

A group of landowners currently have a court injunction stopping the Ramu dumping going ahead but the plaintiffs have been subjected to violence, threats and other intimidation. 

Highlands Pacific is not the only Australian listed mining company on the radar for ACT NOW!

Newcrest Mining is facing a legal suit over the pollution of the Watut river by waste from its Hidden Valley gold mine. The pollution has caused vegetation die-back and flooding and has destroyed landowners gardens. While Newcrest has admitted sedimentation problems in the river it has not commented on allegations of toxic acidification and consequent health problems for local people.

Meanwhile, Marengo Mining from Perth is also planning to dump the waste from its Yandera copper and gold mine into the sea. This is also provoking concern, not least because the Yandera mine is only a few kilometres from the Ramu mine and will dump its waste into the same area of sea.

Marengo is also under fire because it has signed a partnership agreement with Chinese Nonferrous Metal Industries which has a very poor environmental and human rights record in Africa.

CNF is also the pioneer of Chinese funded Special Economic Zones in Africa and the Chinese are currently funding a similar project in PNG. Special Economic Zones are best known for their sweat-shop style factories, environmental problems and workers abuses.