Photo: Panguna Mine
The Autonomous Bougainville Government will not allow foreign investors on Bougainville to breach its laws to exploit its people and resources.
Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama made this statement following the Bougainville Executive Council’s decision to refuse the mineral license applications by joint-venture entities involving Wyndale Holdings Pty Ltd and its local partners.
The Bougainville Executive Council (BEC) is the authority on Bougainville that grants mineral exploration license applications upon advise from the Bougainville Mining Advisory Council.
The first application was for a mineral Exploration License over Eivo/Torau areas and the second was an application for an Artisanal Mining License over the Jaba middle tailings to lower tailings areas.
For the Eivo/Torau areas the BEC made the decision to refuse to grant an Exploration License to Paruparu Joint Venture Limited (PJVL); PJVL is a joint venture involving Wyndale and local company Karatapo Resources Limited.
President Toroama also announced that the BEC has also endorsed the decision by Mining Minister Robin Wilson not to grant an Artisanal Mining License to Bakeuroro Joint Venture Limited (BJVL). BJVL is a joint venture between Wyndale and local company Bakeuroro Investment Limited along the Java mid tailings to lower tailings areas.
Wyndale is a private Australian company with links to Australian Mr. Nickolajs Zuks who claims to have been issued mining licenses by the Autonomous Bougainville Government.
President Toroama revealed the government’s decisions were purely based on application of law, wherein the applicants failed to meet the application requirements provided for under the Bougainville Mining Act 2015.
President Toroama warned that the ABG will not be entertaining companies and individuals who use duplicitous means to exploit Bougainville’s mineral resources.
The President further cautioned investors to be wary of being misled and that the ABG will not be held liable for losses incurred as a result of fraudulent misrepresentations.
