Blog Entry

Porgera Stories – Justice Foundation for Porgera

Jamie Kneen

National Program Co-Lead

(Courtesy of Frederick Ipara) This video was done by the customary landowners of the area occupied by the Porgera Gold Mine located in Porgera District, Enga Province, Papua New Guinea. The current operator of the mine is Barrick (Niugini) Ltd, a subsidiary of the Canadian mining giant Barrick Gold. The mine has been in operation for well over 25 years by now. Over the years, the mine had done catastrophic damage to the people and the environment, but the company and the government have failed to address those issues. Barrick had been criticized in Africa and elsewhere in the world, accused of reckless mine operations destroying people's lives and environment. Barrick is now trying to apply for a mining licence known as Special Mining Lease (SML), and the government, through the Mineral Resource Authority, is believed to be facilitating the renewal proposal. The landowners, through Justice Foundation for Porgera (JFP), have objected to the renewal proposal. This video is a first hand account of the Porgera Valley at present, and shows why Barrick should not be granted the renewal of the SML.