Porgera Alliance

Category: Killings, Rapes, Mine-related Deaths and Arbitrary Detentions

  • Human Rights Report Confirms Rapes by Security Guards at Barrick Mine in Papua New Guinea

    see: http://www.miningwatch.ca/en/human-rights-report-confirms-rapes-security-guards-barrick-mine-papua-new-guinea

    Ottawa) A report released today by Human Rights Watch confirms allegations of gang rapes and other human rights abuses by security guards of Barrick Gold“™s Porgera Joint Venture (PJV) mine in Papua New Guinea (PNG). This important report represents but the latest attempt to raise public awareness about these long standing abuses at the mine. Until now, Barrick and the personnel of the PJV mine have responded to numerous credible attempts to alert the company to the abuses of its security personnel with denial and, frequently, by attempting to discredit those who raised the issues.

    “We already alerted Barrick in 2005 to serial killings being perpetrated by PJV”™s security guards before Barrick took over the mine from Placer Dome” says Jethro Tulin of Akali Tange Association, a local human rights group. “We sent Vince Borg and Grey Wilkinson of Barrick Gold a letter and deposited our report called “˜The Killing Fields of Porgera Joint Venture”™ in the office in Port Moresby so that Barrick would know what was going on.” Pressure by members of Akali Tange Association and Canadian media attention, among others, contributed to an investigation by the PNG government of the alleged killings in 2006, but that report has never been released.

    Since 2008, Jethro Tulin has been travelling to Canada yearly to speak in front of Barrick”™s board of directors and shareholders at the company”™s annual general meeting. At these meetings Mr. Tulin has consistently raised the alleged killings and rapes by the mine”™s security guards, only to hear Barrick”™s directors assure shareholders that these allegations are false. Mr. Tulin has been accompanied in Canada by Mr. Mark Ekepa, the chairman of the Porgera Landowners Association for landowners living within the mine”™s lease area. Mr Ekepa too has repeatedly challenged the local mine management and Barrick Gold to acknowledge abuses perpetrated by the mine”™s security forces and take action on behalf of victims. Both men have met with senior Barrick executives in Toronto on two occasions.

    In response to a letter in May 2008 from Mr. Ekepa to Barrick”™s then-President and CEO Greg Wilkins, the Porgera mine manager responded to Mr. Ekepa saying, “we found your public allegations of our employees “˜gang raping”™ Porgera Land Owners”™ women to be most distasteful, to say the least, as you know these allegations to be untrue.”

    “I have done what I could for many years to raise the abuses by the mine”™s security forces with Barrick Gold executives, shareholders, and Canadian civil servants and members of parliament and my own government officials,” says Mark Ekepa, “As recently as June 5th 2010 I wrote to the mine manager about the rapes of three young girls by PJV engaged members of mobile squads.”

    While Barrick denounced allegations by local Porgeran leaders, the company also declined to investigate the activities of its security forces, even in the face of a three year investigation into the alleged killings and rapes by senior researchers from human rights institutions at Harvard and New York Universities. These researchers testified about their findings before a Canadian parliamentary committee in 2009 and 2010, and filed a substantial report in 2009.

    “Barrick has chosen for many years to ignore the urgent warnings the company has received in both written and verbal form about serious human rights problems associated with its security forces at the Porgera mine,” says Catherine Coumans of MiningWatch Canada. “This new report by Human Rights Watch appears to have finally moved Barrick to take some actions that may prevent abuses in the future.  We hope that Barrick is now also prepared to consider reparations for people who have been harmed by its security guards and will be more open to dealing with other environmental and human rights concerns at the Porgera mine.”

    Coumans further notes, “The Canadian government has also ignored information it has received about the human rights and environmental concerns at Barrick”™s operations in PNG. Porgerans have met with civil servants of CIDA, Foreign Affairs, and Trade a number of times starting in 2008 and raised these issues directly with them. Nonetheless, in 2010 CIDA provided $158,241 for a Barrick reforestation project in Peru, with more payments to come. With the defeat of Bill C-300 the Canadian government can continue to ignore complaints about human rights abuses and reward tax payer dollars to projects at the mine sites of Canadian companies against whom serious accusations have been made.”

    – 30 –

    For more information contact:
    Catherine Coumans, MiningWatch Canada, catherine(at)miningwatch.ca tel: 613-569-3439
    Jethro Tulin, Akali Tange Associaiton, Papua New Guinea, jctulin(at)gmail.com tel: 675 72817336
    Mark Ekepa, Porgera Landowners Association, Papua New Guinea, emarktony(at)gmail.com tel: 675 71234467

    For a copy of the Human Rights Watch report see: http://www.hrw.org/node/95776
    For a copy of the Harvard and New York University report see: http://www.business-humanrights.org/Documents/CanadaParliamentarytestimonyreBarrickPJV/

  • Latest Rape in Porgera

    LATEST INCIDENT

    Date of Incident: January 19, 2011

    Name of Victim: Elssie Kumbi of Anawe village Porgera, Enga Province Papua New Guinea

    Location of incident: Mines Lime plant site, Kumbipara,

    Nature of Incident: Brutality and torture in an attempt to rape causing severe internal and external damage to body

    Incident: In the evening of January 19, 2011, Helsy Kumbi aged 26 years went into the bush near the mines lime plant area to collect native vegetables that creep by the waters. All of a sudden a Barrick Security Guard on duty at the mines lime plant ran after her as she ran for help into an abandoned home. However there was no one there to help her. She was forced to have sex, and she refused and the offender kidnapped her and burnt her genital areas with hot rods repeatedly.

    The offender is arrested and in jail, medical report obtained, police report yet to be obtained.

    Information/evidence gathered by David Mandi ““ Chairman ATA and preliminary report by Jeffery Simon


  • Massive Arrest – Porgera

    Dear Editor,

    This morning, the Porgera Mine Police arrested 45 local Porgerans
    along the riverine tailings while they were panning gold. This local
    landowners live in the Special mining Leased area (SML). Their homes
    have not been relocated since the mine granting the Special Mining
    Lease and the licence to mine. This people’s land ones used for food
    gardening was taken by the mine, their traditional gold panning sites
    were covered by the waste debris and sentiments from the mine, The
    mine royalty obtained quarterly is insufficient amongst the growing
    population. This people have no ways to cater wants and needs
    especially food and drinking water. Thus this entire community is
    obliged to go into the nearby mine waste tailing sites to obtain golds
    to be redeemed for cash.

    This morning as usual the entire villagers set to the tailing mouth to
    find gold and suddenly group of mine machinery police fully harmed
    arrested man women kids including school students along the waste
    tailing river and are locked up in cell. The remaining tribesman are
    demanding the mine management to release the 45 arrested. The
    villagers are blaming the mine for creating an artificial environment
    which is conditioning the people go panning gold in the mine and be
    arrested, raped, tortured and even get killed by the mine security
    force.

    The situation is at tense and more shall be reported tomorrow.

    Regards

     Koyapal Napapen


  • Police swoop on Barrick employees

    by Joshua Arlo, Post Courier (PNG), January 18th, 2011

    POLICE have begun arresting terminated employees of the Porgera Joint Venture (PJV) implicated in alleged sexual assaults against women and other serious crimes, with many more terminations and arrests expected in the coming weeks.

    Acting Police Commissioner Tony Wagambie and PJV announced this yesterday, stating that this is a result of a three-month investigation by a special police team set up last year by then Police Commissioner Gari Baki in the Porgera District and an internal investigation conducted by the PJV in line with the mine’s zero tolerance policy regarding employee behaviour of any kind of violence or human rights abuse against women and men.

    Those terminated also include employees who knew about the assaults but failed to report to authorities, as well as those who allegedly misled investigators.

    PJV said it expected its employees who saw or heard about such acts to immediately report to the appropriate authorities.

    Mr Wagambie has warned he will not tolerate any kind of violent and criminal behaviour against women “on his watch” and perpetrators will be brought to justice.

    “Enough is enough. These arrests send a strong warning to those who would assault the most vulnerable members of our communities ““ women and young people ““ that their actions will not be tolerated,” he said.

    “The warning is clear ““ respect the human rights of others and follow the laws of this land, otherwise we will find you and we will bring you to justice without fear or favour,” He said after receiving solid intelligence on these matters from the mine mangers of Barrick Gold and their independent investigators, the police moved in quickly to identify the alleged offenders.

    “The mine took immediate actions after the disturbing results of an internal investigation into allegations of assaults and other serious crimes,” said Barrick executive general manager Mark Fisher in a joint statement from Barrick Gold Corporation and Mineral Resources Enga.

    “We have terminated employees who were found to have breached out strict code of conduct regarding employee behaviour.”

    He said PJV asked police to investigate when it received credible allegations in June last year. PJV also asked Ila Geno, the former Chief Ombudsman Commissioner and a former police commissioner to conduct an independent inquiry into alleged violence against women and report the findings directly to police.

    Barrick also conducted a thorough internal investigation which involved a 15-member independent investigative team.

    This team spent several months at the mine interviewing more than 650 employees and conducting a comprehensive investigation of staff and procedures.

    “We have been working in close co-operation with the PNG police and we will continue to provide information and support to aid in their criminal investigation,” Mr Fisher said. “We condemn these alleged crimes in the strongest possible terms and wish to see anyone involved brought to justice under PNG law.”

    Meanwhile, Mr Wagambie has revealed that investigations into other reported cases, including alleged abuses by police in the same area were continuing.

    “No-one is above the law, even members for the Constabulary. Make no mistake – we are coming for them too. The best course of action for anyone who has information about these matters, or who has witnessed assaults or sexual assaults on women and young girls is to come forward now and report these matters to police.

    “Don’t be afraid to report these things ““ staying silent helps nobody.”

  • latest killing and open fire shot out by Barrick private security force

    photo provided by Porgera Landowners Association

    One more unlawful shooting to death of an indigenous landowner at the Porgera Joint Venture Barrick mine site yesterday evening resulted in indigenous landowners confront Barrick.

    Related to the same shooting incident, of relatives of the late victim protest at the mine site Community Affairs Office today at about 12 o”™clock demanding remorse for unlawful shooting and Barrick’s private security guards further discharged live bullets against harmless locals at a public place. Amongst the victims of that second shooting involved Nixon Mangape, the chief land owner and chairman of Porgera Development Authority. According to eye witness, Barrick’s private security police shot at Mr. Mangape while he was in the crowd to control the situation. Mr. Mangape received a bullet wound at his back.

    Porgera Landowners Association claims it”™s not the first shooting and use of live bullets. Numerous complaints are with the PNG government, the UN Human Rights Commission that include investigative reports from various reputable institutions around the globe. Shooting to death of defenseless landowners is serious human rights abuses.  Therefore, the Porgera Landowners Association calls on the PNG government and local NGOs to urgently investigate the shooting and to allow law to take its course at with the police man who are involved with regular police.

    Further details of the report will follow suit.

    The incident also led to confrontation with the local communities and the Manager of Porgera Development Authority at PDA office at Porgera Government Station where Barrick’s private security police were in search of empty bullet shells and images from the scene of crime. The
    Barrick fully armed private police were in pursuit to destroy their evidence. (Attached images of empty shells used and Barricks private police at the mine gate).

    I now call for immediate investigation on the killings and the related incident. The Prime Minister and the Mining Minister must immediately take ownership of the issue because they have failed to resettle the (SML) Special Mining lease landowners.

    —————————–
    Mark Tony Ekepa
    Chairman – PLOA

  • Three girls raped at Porgera Mine site

    photo of children in tailings waste near Barrick's Porgera mine in PNG. (note: this is not a photo of the girls who were raped).

    We have received a complaint that three young girls at the age around 14 years were taken into PJV Yoko 2 camp on the 18th June 2010 and raped by PJV engaged police mobile squads.

    Also the victims have reported the matter at the Paiam Police Station on the 19th June 2010 OB no#6288/10 with full details of the transporting vehicle.

    Forced rape and violation against woman is serious crime in PNG and such unethical behaviours desire urgent investigation. We at ATA condemn the actions with term strongest possible terms and call for full investigation and appropriate actions taken with law.

    read full Akali Tange Association Statement.
    read statement from the Porgera Landowners Association on the rapes.

  • PNG TO PROTEST TO CANADA: Porgerans respond to accusations about their advocacy abroad

    At the outset, we write to establish our facts surrounding the sudden outburst by Member for Lagaip Porgera Hon. Philip Kikala in Parliament questioning about the rights of four Porgera villagers recent visit to Canada.

    The four villagers from Porgera where not there in Canada, trying to sell fabricated stories against Barrick Gold of Canada. We have outstanding issues that needed immediate attention and needs to be addressed by Barrick gold, the 95% owner of the Porgera Joint Venture mine in Porgera.

    The allegations against Barrick about killings, rapes, forced evictions are not framed allegations to make easy money. The Government of Papua New Guinea and Barrick are respectively blamed for these crimes of gross human rights violations and the matter has been on the government and Barricks table for sometime. Untied Nations Human Rights Commission has full knowledge of the human rights abuses and closely monitoring while the UN Special Rarpportuer on Human Rights is investigating the matter.

    In 2004 for the first time Enga Governer Hon. Peter Ipatas raised the issue of killing armless villagers by Barrick security guards at the floor of parliament and some two years after, the current Foreign Minister brought the same issue up.

    In 2006 the Government of Papua New Guinea did conducted an investigation headed by Dr. John Luluaki from University of Papua New Guinea, and Hon. Philip Kikala was the deputy chairman of that committee. That Porgera Investigation Committee Report has never been made public or tabled in Parliament. In 2009 the Government of Norway divested 230 million Canadian dollars after finding Barrick”™s discharge of tailings direct into the environment was irreversible to damages caused at the Porgera mine site. On 7th April 2010 the National Court in Wabag convicted a Barrick security guard for murder and dismissed the convict”™s grounds of self-defense.

    From that conviction the court never found the usual Barrick response to allegations of killings at the Porgera mine site was on self defense or any excuse for that matter. What about more than 32 killings suppose law had taken its course?

    A group of experts from University of Harvard USA, New York State University USA and University of Alaska have testified before the Canadian House of Commons Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs about the human rights abuses and environmental violation at the Porgera mine site. These groups of people from reputable institutions in North America conducted their independent investigation on our request and not otherwise claimed by Hon. Kikala. At all times, Hon. Kikala knew well and his superise out burst desires a lot of explanation to the people.

    In addition to these investigated testimonies and court rulings, the Porgera Landowners Association presented a petition to the National Government of Papua New Guinea last September 2009 raising the same issues of resettlement and human rights abuses. The government has allowed the petition to lay flat since.

    Based on the established facts, Barrick must not continue to deny and use Hon. Kikala while the PNG government must not play a cheap politics with tread of protest note and prosecute villagers who speak out.

    The issue of resettlement and human rights abuses is over-due and needs to be urgently addressed. The impacts from the mine operation over 20 years is so enormous that these issues need to be adequately dealt with rather than, play with power and money as the yard stick to take cover. Lives of people are at steak as a result of bad mining practices and far below best international standards.

    Barrick and PNG government cannot take cover under law and order problems to force evict landowners who otherwise deserved to be resettled. Amnesty International did a great job to produce a report after thorough investigation and that report compels the government and Barrick act. Yet, Barrick and the government are seen to be above the law with defying of a National Court Order on force evictions. The court orders Barrick not to accommodate and fid state security personnel”™s. The state to provide relief with food, shelter etc. It”™s over a year and the order is not being honored.

    Thus we appreciate the rights to foreign investors doing business in extractive industries in remote setting through out the country and on the other hand, companies like Barrick must respect the rules of host communities and uphold international best practice standard as preached to be practiced in Porgera but not otherwise.

    The Porgera delegations travel to Canada was not an easy right as claimed by the Hon. Member. The delegation spoke at various forums including with members of House of Commons speaking out the truth about the continuous human rights and environmental rights violations by one of Canadian company”™s. These issue a serious and needs immediate attention being the reason behind the four villagers in Canada and not trying to squeeze some easy money out of Barrick with fabricated stories.

    It is now a challenge to the current PNG government to due diligently addresses the issues at Porgera once and for all with the stakeholders. The parliament that Hon. Kikala stood up and spoke and for the Foreign Minister to write protest note is for the people and by the people. The very grassroots people who mandate that parliament are affected, not the company Hon. Kikala is trying to protect?

    Mark Tony Ekepa

    Chairman

    Cc: NBC
    Cc: ABC
    Cc: EMTV
    Cc: Post Courier
    Cc: The National
    Cc: The Toronto Star, Canada
    Cc: The Mail and Globe, Ottawa Canada
    Cc: The Sydney Morning Herald

  • Indigenous Leaders from Papua New Guinea Accuse Barrick Gold of Abuses

    Four members of the Ipili tribe of Porgera in Papua New Guinea (PNG) have travelled to Canada to demand that Barrick Gold address serious human rights abuses and environmental destruction related to Barrick’s Porgera Joint Venture gold mine. Two of the Ipili are landowners and also part-owners of the Porgera Joint Venture mine.

    Long-standing allegations of killings and rapes of civilians by security forces at Barrick’s PNG mine have been confirmed recently by the findings of a team of investigators from Harvard University who reported to Canadian Parliamentarians in 2009. “We have been trying to raise awareness of these killings and rapes by Barrick’s security forces for many years,” said Jethro Tulin of the Akali Tange Association, a local grassroots human rights organization. “Finally our allegations are being confirmed but Barrick is not supporting our calls for an investigation of these killings nor offering compensation to the families of those who have been killed or raped.”

    Last year Barrick supported a massive military action in villages inside Barrick’s mine lease area. This military crack-down led to the forcible eviction of many citizens and the burning down of some 300 of their homes. “My house was burned down,” said Mark Ekepa, chairman of the Porgera Landowners Association and part-owner of the mine. “Barrick was complicit in the actions of the police and military and should be actively calling for an investigation as Amnesty International has recommended in its report of the house burnings.”

    In 2009, the Norwegian Government divested its Pension Fund of shares in Barrick Gold as a result of findings by the fund of massive environmental damage downstream from the mine caused by the dumping of toxic mine waste into the local 800-kilometre long river system. “Our river system has been severely contaminated and is no longer safe for drinking water or for harvesting food,” said Jeffery Simon, a member of the Akali Tange Association. “This is causing a lot of hardship for villagers who rely on the rivers.”

    Contamination of local water sources, lack of available land for food production, and unsafe living conditions of villagers living within the mine lease area have all become untenable. “We have made it clear to Barrick many times, most recently in our meeting with Barrick last week in Toronto, that all residents in the mine lease area must be resettled according to international standards,” said Anga Atalu, one of the landowners living  in the mine lease area, “but Barrick is refusing our request.”

    “The situation at the Porgera Joint Venture Mine  in terms of environmental destruction and human rights abuses in which Barrick is alleged to be complicit is only possible because the Papua New Guinea government is weak and not doing its job to protect its citizens and its environment” said Catherine Coumans of MiningWatch Canada. “This is a common problem in developing countries and the effective impunity of Canadian companies in these situations can only be addressed by legislation, like Bill C-300, that would allow these citizens of Papua New Guinea to file a complaint and seek sanction in Canada for the abuses they are suffering.”

    Contacts:

    Mark Ekepa, Chairman, Porgera Landowners Association: emarktony(at)gmail.com
    Jethro Tulin, Executive Officer, Akali Tange Association: jctulin(at)gmail.com (647) 669-4529 (cell)
    Catherine Coumans, MiningWatch Canada: catherine(at)miningwatch.ca (613) 569-3439

  • Jethro Tulin’s testimony read to Barrick shareholders at their 2009 Annual General Meeting

    Jethro Tulin’s testimony read to Barrick shareholders at their 2009 Annual General Meeting

    April 29th, 2009
    My name is Jethro Tulin and I hold a proxy from Mr. David Wurfel.

    Mr. Munk, I am an indigenous Ipili from the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. I have traveled half way across the world to speak out against the grave human rights and environmental conditions my people face because of your Porgera mine. I came to this meeting last year as well, telling your shareholders and Barrick’s Board of Directors about the situation in Porgera, but all questions from shareholders were censored from Barrick’s webcast of the meeting.

    Since I spoke at this meeting last year, there have been 5 more killings of indigenous community members by your security guards and more women have been raped by your security guards. These issues are now being investigated by the Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial killings at the United Nations.

    The toxic waste you continue to dump into our 800 kilometer long river system (which would be illegal in Canada) has caused the Norwegian Government to divest its pension fund from more than 230 million Canadian dollars worth of shares in Barrick Gold and to report that its decision was based on its “assessment that investing in the company entails an unacceptable risk of the Fund contributing to serious environmental damage.”

    Now, under the influence of your company, the Papua New Guinea government has imposed a virtual State of Emergency in Porgera. When I came to Canada last week I received reports from Porgera that landowners who have spoken out against your mine are now being targeted. This week, and while I am standing here before you, their houses are being burnt down and they are fleeing for fear of their life.

    Days after your Annual Meeting last year I met with your Senior executives Peter Sinclair and Vince Borg, and a commitment was made to establish dialogue and find a way to address the issues. But this dialogue has never taken place. Instead the human rights and environmental abuses we have been suffering for many years have continued.

    Mr. Munk, your mine has destroyed our land, our water, our safety and our ability to feed ourselves. We know that we can no longer live on our ancestral land. We know that we must leave our place so that our children can have a future. But rather than offer us fair terms for our relocation you are calling for military action and our houses and lands are being torched.

    My questions for you, Mr. Munk, are on behalf of the Porgera Alliance, a coalition of human rights activists and Porgera landowners:

    1. Will Barrick immediately call on the government of Papua New Guinea to stop the burning of houses and the threats against landowners being perpetrated by its mobile forces and platoons against Porgerans on your mine”™s Special Mine Lease Area?

    2. Will Barrick agree to move the more than 5,000 families who live within your mine lease area in a way that is fair and will provide us an opportunity to be healthy, to feed our families, and to educate our children?

    3. Will Barrick finally pay fair compensation to the families who have lost their loved ones to the guns of your security forces, to the rape victims, to the families who have lost members in your open pit and in the waste dumps and who have drowned in your river of tailings?

    4. Will Barrick finally carry out the recommendations of the 1996 CSIRO report and stop dumping mine waste into our river?

  • Reckless Killings at Porgera Gold Mine Site

    The Akali Tange Association makes this press release after continuous reckless killings of local indigenous peoples in and around the Porgera mine gold mine site. The latest victim to fall in the hands of Barrick”™s Porgera security guards was 15 year old Gipson Umbi from Weigima village, located just few metres from the open pit. Our investigations have established that at around 7.00pm, Barrick security guards open fired on the local villages using high powered assault raffles, M16 and shot guns on the harmless villages. The reckless use of excessive force has resulted in instant shot to death of the late Gipson Umbi. In the last few weeks, three more locals have been recorded death under mysteries circumstances at the mine site. The death toll connected to Porgera mine operations has now gone beyond an excusable level, more than 60 have death so far and something urgent needs to be done by the National government and Barrick.

    It is not the question of illegal or legal, the situation on the ground is reckless use of excessive force against harmless indigenous peoples by agents of a multi international company. Every inch of crimes committed at the Porgera mine site is aided and abided by Barrrick. Barrick is well known for framing stories in this kind of situation by excusing for self defence related to their brand of so published propaganda, illegal mining by locals. There is no definition for that word is not found in any dictionary nor a confident court of law has set a case law. Barrick is fully responsible for what”™s going wrong at Porgera; Barrick is liable for all the crimes against harmless local”™s peoples.

    The National Government and Barrick Gold Corporation are fully aware about the acute situation on the ground in Porgera and yet pretend they know little or take cover by passing the buck on each other. The indigenous local communities in Porgera and around Enga a now fat up with the monkey tricks. We have now reached a point where one more life lost under any circumstance at the Porgera mine site will not be tolerated. Therefore, we call on the company to act immediately to address the situation and allow the law to deal with the person responsible for pressing the trigger.

    ______________________
    Jethro C. Tulin
    Public & Chief Executive Officer
    Akali Tange Association Inc &
    Porgera Alliance