Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by Indigenous landowners who asked for a temporary injunction to prevent a Chinese company from dumping its mine and refinery waste into the Bismarck Sea.
Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by Indigenous landowners who asked for a temporary injunction to prevent a Chinese company from dumping its mine and refinery waste into the Bismarck Sea.
Over 1,000 Indigenous landowners are appealing a decision by Madang’s National Court that permits a Chinese mining company to dump toxic waste from a nickel mine and refinery into the Bismarck Sea.
In a very effective short film documentary, Indigenous villagers speak about everything they have lost and may yet lose as the Ramu nickel mine project affects their lands and their lives. A court is currently hearing the case of coastal clans who are trying to prevent the Chinese mining company from dumping toxic waste from the Ramu mine and refinery into the Bismarck Sea.
Five scientists have published an article in ScienceAlert , supporting Indigenous plaintiffs who are seeking a court injunction to prevent a Chinese mining company from dumping toxic mine waste into the Bismarck Sea.
The World Bank has stepped in to support the dumping of toxic waste from the Ramu nickel mine into the seas off Papua New Guinea after the European Union decided to pull its funding.
February 7 was the opening day of a trial that will determine whether a Chinese mining company can dump waste from its Ramu nickel mine and refinery into the Bismarck Sea. Plaintiffs in the case are Indigenous residents of coastal communities whose lives and livelihoods depend on the sea. They base their case on laws that guarantee their rights as landowners and provide protections for Papua New Guinea’s marine resources. The proposed dumping would occur within the Coral Triangle, which has the highest diversity of marine life on the planet.
Measured by the richness of its cultural and biological diversity, Papua New Guinea is the wealthiest of nations. As much as 10 percent of the world’s terrestrial species flourish in its tropical rainforests, and many of these species are found nowhere else.
It’s been high drama since Rai Coast residents went to trial on September 21, asking the court for a permanent injunction against a Chinese company’s plan to dump its mine and refinery waste into the sea. Since March, Ramu NiCo Management (MCC) has been under a temporary injunction that halted construction of a pipeline from its Rai Coast nickel and cobalt refinery into the Bismarck Sea.
While Indigenous land owners prepare for their day in court, hoping to prevent the Chinese mining company CMCC from dumping waste from its nickel mine and refinery into the sea, the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government keeps changing its laws to remove legal barriers to the Ramu mine.
Indigenous land owners, students, and citizens in Madang province have been vigorously protesting an amendment to the Environmental Law that denies their right to appeal decisions made by the Ministry of the Environment and Conservation. All forms of protest against the amendment have been banned and criminalized by the government.
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