The National Court has ordered the Ok Tedi mining company to stop dumping waste into the adjacent Ok Tedi River - a move that would effectively shut down the mine, ABC reports.
Communities in the South Fly River area, in southwest PNG 500 kilometres downstream from the mine, filed a writ claiming the dumping of waste and tailings into the nearby river system is illegal. Justice Gibbs Salika has ordered the dumping stop. The court also ordered bank accounts, including an ANZ account, be frozen, and details of transactions disclosed. Lawyer for the South Fly community leaders, Samson Jubi, says the interim order is long overdue. "Everybody wants that mine to be shut," he said. "Enough is enough. We have suffered enough." The order will be served to Ok Tedi on Monday. An Ok Tedi spokeswoman said the company had "no comment at this time". The matter will return to court on February 12. ABC/ PNGFacts Comments are closed.
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