April 12, 2000	atimes.com

Oceania Legal action starts over Ok Tedi mine MELBOURNE - Legal action is starting over the Ok Tedi copper and gold mine in Papua New Guinea (PNG) as landowners instruct solicitors Slater & Gordon to start the case. The landowners claim tailings waste from the mine, which is being dumped into the Ok Tedi and Fly Rivers, has destroyed their traditional lifestyle. BHP Co Ltd has a 52 percent stake in the Ok Tedi mine. On Tuesday, Slater & Gordon lodged a writ in the Victorian Supreme Court seeking unspecified damages and an order for reasonable tailings mitigation. Representatives of the landowners are in Australia to seek a solution to problems associated with the mine which began when the original tailings dam at the mine site collapsed in 1984. Four years ago, BHP settled claims with 30,000 PNG landowners over Ok Tedi. The settlement included compensation, dredging of the river and plans for future containment of the tailings. Ok Tedi Mining Ltd (OTML), which is 50 percent owned by BHP, said that it was concerned litigation over the 1996 settlement agreement for Ok Tedi would have adverse impact on consultation with PNG communities affected by the mine. OTML rejected claims that it was in breach of the 1996 settlement, which related to environmental mitigation options at the mine. Managing director Roger Higgins said the company had met all of its obligations under the settlement. (Asia Pulse)

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