Gas Landowners want PM O’Neil and Finance Minister Marape to be present

Frustrating spokesman for   the protesting landowners Maya Ikini said that they will not accept any government delegations unless Prime minister and Minister for Finance James Marape are in the delegation. He said since yesterday there were no operations at the project site and the well pads. Other Members of Parliament have been told by the landowners to wait for the Prime Minister and the minister for finance to arrive before further talks will be carried out.

“We will not listen to secretary and Managing Directors of any departments,” Ikini said. Ikini reiterated that James Marape and Peter O’Neil are not landowners and they must speak or act on behalf of the land owners. Mr. Ikini has advised landowners of the pipeline, Moran and Kutubu to fall in the same course of actions. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill will not be going to talk to the thousands of landowners who say they have shut off the gas to ExxonMobil's conditioning plant in the highlands province of Hela.


The royalties deal was signed in 2008 however according to reports the landowners have waited more than two years for their unpaid royalties, which was due after the first shipments of LNG left the province in 2014. The landowners are now owed more than one billion kina, or more than $400,000, and are demanding that the Prime Minister to speak to them in person. Petroleum and Energy Minister Nixon Duban led the delegation of parliamentarians due to visit landowners today. He says the government has the situation under control.