THE Hiwa/Koma tribe (ILG-No 9025) in the PNG-LNG site in Tari, Hela Province (PDL 1) has claimed that they have been left out from the landowner identification and benefit haring process in the last 30-plus years.
This is according to the Chairman Andagali Kurubugo and they have submitted a submission before Prime Minister James Marape with the National Executive Council (NEC) to consider the submission and include them in them
Mr Kurubugo, who is residing at Pepik village in Anglimp South Waghi district in Jiwaka Province, said it took him more than three decades to fight on behalf of his people and he want justice to prevail for his people.
He said they had been excluded in the ministerial determination and missed out on beneficiaries sharing process in the last 35-years and wants the (NEC) to consider their submission and include them in the beneficiaries sharing process.
“I started this fight in 1989, when I was 37-years old and now I’am 89-years old and my body is tired but the truth will never die out,”
“The Department of Petroleum did not look at us and worked with the developer and we missed out because our submission were overlooked since day one,”
“The tribe was not recognized as a beneficiary in the ministerial determination of March 13, 2019, thus they remain committed to resolve this matter peacefully, lawfully and constructively,” Mr Kurubugo said.
He said the state had acquire the land through land act and claimed that the state functional responsible authorities supported the opponent.
Mr Kurubugo said the documents were submitted to the (NEC) and it was before the cabinet to see and conclude it at the (NEC) level.
He said the Hiwa/Koma tribe followed the process to fight the battle in the governance system in every courthouse in the country and did not pick up illegal guns to intimidate but the system physically, emotionally and financially crushed systematically, favoured a minority selected clans. “We have the 1991 land titles commission decision and original state record of K33,260.00 was paid directly to Hiwa/Koma for compulsory land acquisition,” he sai