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Ramu Nickel Alert: Rai Coast Environmental Activist violently attacked by 'the company men'
Mr Simon Warr, coordinator of the Rai Coast Environment Foundation was attacked and forcibly removed from the grounds of the Divine Word University early on the morning of Tuesday, the 2nd of November 2005 while being interviewed by "National" Newspaper Journalist Mr Kevin Pamba. He reported being taken by 5 men including two executives of landowner associations set up by the company, against his will and by force, to the offices of Highlands Pacific,/Ramu Joint Venture in Madang and verbally harassed, questioned, interrogated, and physically bashed. He states one of the key interrogators was also a Madang-based Highlands Pacific (Ramu Joint Venture) Co-ordinator.
Highlands Pacific’s Managing Director, Ian Holzberger agreed that Warr arrived at the offices with two landowner executives but had no definitive comment on the allegations of physical and verbal abuse. He stated that he was relying on reports given to him of the incident that contradicted allegations that Warr had been physically assaulted on company premises. He also distanced the company from the incident saying that they were no longer the majority owners fo the mine. It was recently announced in the news that Highlands Pacific has signed a deal with the Chinese Metallurgical Construction Group who, by all accounts now own the mine.
Mr Holzberger confirmed that Mr Warr arrived at the office with two landowner executives and subsequently held discussions with the executives, two Ramu Joint Venture employees, a state solicitor, a policeman and a journalist who is understood to be Kevin Pamba. Mr Warr had originally scheduled a meeting in order to present the views of those in the community opposed to the proposed mine which, Mr Pamba, in one of his earlier newspaper columns had supported. Allegations have been raised over the conduct of Mr Pamba as it is not clear how those linked to the mining company could have known of the time or location of this meeting without being informed by Mr Pamba. His presence from the time that Mr Warr was forcibly removed from the grounds of the Divine Word University until Mr Warr and Mr Pamba were returned back to the university two and a half hours later makes his role in the incident even more questionable. Mr Pamba did not return numerous calls requesting his comments upon the incident.
Mr Warr sustained injuries including a bleeding nose, dislocated jaw, and injuries in the back of head from physical attacks where he reports being punched and kicked by both the men in the car and security guards at the Highlands Pacific Office.
Mr Warr is one of the spokespersons for what appears to be a growing movement of local people, who are amongst thousands of villagers both along the coastal region where the company intends to dump the tailings from the mine waste. Petitions signed by hundreds of people from villages that range from the coastline resource owners to the river communities downstream of the mine that fear for their life along the river once the mine's pollutions from the mine site flow into their river.
According to his reports, his interrogators were trying to force him into withdrawing the petitions of thousands of landowners opposed to the mine's proposed impacts, that his local environmental group had auspiced and demanded that he apologise to the government and the Chinese company president. He also stated he had been interrogated him over who was funding or behind him.
Mr Warrs stated that he refused to withdraw the petition, and that he had no right to do so without consulting his people. He stated in his interview with MPI "I told them that I haven’t been authorized by people to withdraw anything at this time. You have to go back to the village and consult all these people and hear them out, and then you can do what you need to do. As a spokesperson I haven’t been authorized, I told them I have no power or rights to make any decision unless my people tell me what to do. " He also confirmed that he had not made any retraction or admission as was claimed in the National Newspaper on Friday.
The National newspaper, by whom Mr Pamba is employed, h ran a story on Friday trying to discredit those in the local community who are raising issues over the mine's impacts. The National is owned by Malaysian forestry company Ribinau Hijau, which has become notorious for in relation to ongoing allegations of its involvement in shady dealings and human rights violations in the PNG forestry sector.
Tihis update is based on a number of reports of the incident that were gathered by the Mineral Policy Institute, the most important of which are provided below. MPI spoke to Ian Holzberger, Managing Director of Highlands Pacific Head Office in Brisbane. Numerous and consistent attempts were made to contact Mr Kevin Pamba and while Mr Pamba’s journalistic colleague at Divine Word confirmed that Mr Pamba had received MPI’s requests for comment upon the incident, and would call us if he wished to comment, he has not returned yet returned any messages.
Appendix: Transcripts of source documents follow:
1. A Transcript of an ABC Pacific Beat Interview with Simon Warr from the Rai Coast Environment Foundation
2. A Report of The incident from the Police Station
3. A submission to the Media Council of PNG regarding the incident and the conduct of National newspaper reporter, Kevin Pamba by Simon Warr.
4. Notes of investigations by MPI on 4th November, 2005 (including discussion of incident with Highlands Pacific managing director, Mr Warr and Mr Pamba's colleagues. Mr Pamba was not available for comment.
PNG: Opponent of Ramu nickel project assaulted 02/11/05
Interview by Jemima Garret, ABC Pacific Beat with Simon Warr,
Rai Coast Environment Foundation Coordinator
Some people supported the Ramu Nickel mine bashed me up because I represent my people, the local resource owners expressing their views that we don’t want the company to dispose its waste into our oceans, so it raised an inconvenience so that’s why they bashed me up.
How badly injured were you?
Badly to my nose, with blood, bleeding, and I dislocated my jaws, so now it is painful, but now I am still worried about had happened to me yesterday.
What makes you think that it was supporters of the mine?
I think because of the petition that have written and sent to the companiy’s President, so that has stopped the development, that is what they said, that is why they bashed me up,
Because I have stopped the company from operating to the President and other company officials and would like me to apologise to the President and other company officers
And they would like me to readvertise my advertisement saying that the company can go on with the operation .
How many people were involved in this attack.
More than five people came across, caught me and then they bashed me up.
Now your main objection to the mine and processing plant that will be put in because of the Ramu mine is the submarine disposal of the waste. Just what impact do you think it will have on your coast there?
The company’s environmental plan said there would be no problem with putting the waste into our oceans but then a group of scientists commissioned by the Lutheran Church did a study and their study has shown us that our marine life could be very badly destroyed after some years so we are afraid. We are not saying no to the company from operating but we are against STD, against the mine dumping its waste into our salt water, and we believe it would affect out livelihoods also. Stating on the reports issued by the PNG Fisheries Authority, we are saying that we don’t want them to dispose of their waste in our ocean.
This project has been through a long consultation process with the landowners and the PNG Government, Are you saying this process is flawed?
What I am saying is that, on behalf of my people, that we are not trying to stop the company from operating this mining but at least they need to find some safe way they can put this waste, but not letting them put the waste into your oceans.
How many people feel the same as you do about the use of submarine disposal for the tailing from the processing plant.
Especially all the resource owners along the coast, the Rai Coast from the refinery to where the plant is up to the pipeline area called Astrolabe Bay coast, and also the Madang lagoon people.
REPORT OF THE INCIDENT FROM THE POLICE STATION
Following is Simon Warr’s (unedited) statement which he had presented to the Madang police station, to substantiate his complaint of alleged assault and threat…
Tuesday 02nd -11- 05
On Monday 31st at about 10: am – 11:am, I rang Kevin Pamba’s house and Kevin’s wife answered the phone. I told her (Mrs Kevin) that I want to make an appointment to meet Kevin Pamba for an interview sometimes tomorrow (Tuesday) if possible. In her response she told me that 9:00 am tomorrow would be fine because she saw it on his time table sheet.
In the evening at 7:00 pm – 7:30 pm I rang and Kevin Pamba himself received the call and he told me that 9:00 am tomorrow is okay. I (Kevin Pamba) will be waiting for you in front of the library building (DWU).
With that appointment and arrangement I (Simon Warr) went to the DWU library and met him under the ficus tree near the library building at 9:00 am (Tuesday 02-11-05). Kevin Pamba interviewed me in front of DWU post office boxes, and after 5-6 minutes later the LOA officers drove in with a grey taxi. David Tigavu took the lead with Steven Saud and three others (total of 5 men).
Kevin told me that these are land owners Association officers coming. David Tigavu, Steven Saud and 3 others came rushing towards Kevin and I asking me: “Are you Simon Warr?” And I said, “Yes.” They started asking questions, discriminating and making comments on me and telling me, “Your life is in our hands and your life is worth nothing to us and the company, government, we can kill you today, government and the company have lawyers and money to play around with.”
After that they pulled me towards their taxi grabbed me and threw me into their taxi, and drove off to the Highlands Pacific Group Ltd office. They pulled me out of the taxi and pushed me in to their office gate and started punching me. The Guard Dog security officers on duty that time did punch me first.
After punching they pushed me into their office and started questioning me forcing me to tell who funded advertisement fees, BRG and WWF are behind you, and they said, “these NGOs fuck your ass and use you as their tools boy to make their profit. MRDC Ramu Project coordinator, Mr Reuben Pokanan, said “you have to understand that your petition stop the project from operating. We are not very happy with you because you wrote the letter direct to the CMCC president, that means you are stopping the project which is affecting all the people.
Can BRG and WWF fund the roads and other projects and services to serve the people in the remote villages?
What we want you to do today is to go back to the media and withdraw yourself as the spokesperson and withdraw all your ad and petition.
I replied, I have no power or rights to say anything today on behalf of all these people. That’s why I want you all to ..go and talk to the people in the village and hear from them yourselves, starting from Rai Kos, Astrolabe Bay, Madang Lagoon people and Ramu River people, and Madang Lagoon people and Madang islands eg Bagbag, Karkar, Manam and Long Island. What I say is what voiceless resources owners says and what voiceless resource owners say is what I say.
SUBMISSION TO THE MEDIA COUNCIL OF PNG
Dear PNG Media Council
My name is Simon Warr and I am presenting this complaint to you for your
consideration and possible actioning.....I have always believed that there was such
a thing as media ethics and media independence, but my experiences of late had
forced second thoughts on me...
One of PNG’s Most Promising Journalists Watched Everything That Happened.
My name is Simon Warr and I am a spokesperson for the many people of the (mostly)
coastal, off-shore islands and Ramu river people throughout Madang province who are
opposing the proposed Ramu Nickel mine. Mr Kevin Pamba, a lecturer at the Divine
Word University’s school of journalism, is a regular columnist cum agent for the
National newspaper here in Madang. Last Monday’s (24 October 2005) weekly column,
the “Notebook” in the National newspaper by Mr Pamba, carried an obviously strong
pro Ramu Nickel mine bias. Following that story, the coastal, island and river
people for whom I am a spokesperson, immediately urged me to give/present to Mr
Pamba their (land owners’) side of the story for possible publication in order to
provide the balance that professional and ethical journalism normally requires. I
got in touch with Mr Pamba right away to organised for an interview, which interview
did not occur until the following week.
On Monday 31 October 2005, I confirmed with Mr Kevin Pamba for an interview at 9:00
am the very next day (Tuesday). At 9:00 o’clock that Tuesday morning, I met Mr Pamba
just outside the Divine Word University (DWU) library building where we started
doing the interview. About 5 minutes into the interview a greyish car loaded with
about five men drove into the DWU main gate and then headed for the library
building, straight to where we were doing the interview. Mr Pamba pointed out
to me that it was the Ramu Nickel mine land owner association (LOA) executives who
were in the car. What follows is an account of how the car-load of land owner
association (LOA) executives, their boys, and security guards man-handled, abused
and interrogated me both verbally and physically for no less than two and a half
hours, as Mr Kevin Pamba (one of PNG’s most promising journalists) watched
everything. Many who have heard my account allege that Mr Kevin Pamba could most
probably have had a hand in setting this all up.
Two of the five men in the car happened to be Mr David Tigavu (the Kurumbukari LOA
chairman) and Mr Steven Saud Pasom (the coastal pipeline LOA chairman). When the car
pulled up beside me and Mr Pamba, the men got out of the car and came straight for
me asking, “Are you Simon Warr?” and when I replied, “Yes,” they stormed me with
verbal abuse/threats etc such as: “Are you aware that you have committed a very
serious crime? Do you understand that you are blocking the biggest development ever
in Madang from getting off the ground? You good for
nothing, stupid, uneducated idiot…..Don’t you realise it had taken us and the
company and the government, many many years to get the Ramu Nickel project this far?
Who on earth do you think you are to discredit so many years of hard work? Show us
your qualifications, your background, your degrees, your credentials etc to prove
that you know what you are doing rather than being a mere puppet used by others for
their own gain…. Who do you think you are to write to the president of
the MCC company in China? You know what? You are nothing, your life is nothing, the
company and the government have ‘long hands’ to catch up with you and can even kill
you. We can kill you and it won’t matter, your life don’t matter one bit! How dare
you stop the biggest development that will benefit Madang and the entire country
(PNG). You won’t get away with this. Now tell us who is setting you up to do all
this? Who is funding all these, who is behind all these?” “The people (land owners)
can never put up thousands of kina to fund all your activities, all the adverts, all
the computer work. Now, if you are wise you will withdraw right now from being
spokesperson for the people whom you are allegedly speaking out on behalf of. And
also you better retract all that you had done/said so far, if you are wise. Come on
say so, Kevin will have your retraction reported, come on say it, say it………you must
apologise to the Chinese Embassy, apologise to the president of the China
Metallurgical
Construction Corporation and the company as a whole, apologise to the
government…….. Now get into the car right away or we’ll cut off your balls.” As a
couple of the men grabbed my bag from me its contents (notebooks, papers, biros,
personal items etc..) scattered all over the lawn in the process…..the verbal
abuse continued on…..
All of the above interrogation continued for no less than two and a half hours
everywhere I was taken. I refused to get into the car and tried explaining that I
was in the middle of an interview with a journalist, but I was pulled by the hands
and dragged toward the car….the whole lot of them together literally dragged and
lifted me off the ground and hurled me head-first into the car, which resulted in me
hitting my head into a side-door of the car, hurting my head and neck in the motion.
When I was in the car all the men got in and Mr Kevin Pamba got in as well. The
car-load of them drove very slowly all over town and eventually (after about 30
minutes) reached the Highlands Pacific Ltd Madang office premises in New Town. The
car pulled to a stop just into the main gate at the Highlands Pacific Ltd’s
premises. There I was pulled out and before I was able to collect myself, two
uniformed (Guard Dog) security guards started bashing me up. One of them came from
the back and threw a solidly clenched fist (jab) from my left side into my nose,
which resulted in a stream of blood rushing from my nose. The severe bleeding from
the nostrils continued for no less than five (5) minutes as the verbal and physical
abuse continued. The guards and the other men threw fists at me and they kicked me
in the side as well as from the back. All these resulted in a battered up and
bleeding nose,
dislocated jaws, bruises in the face, and sharp pains.
I was taken into the Highlands Pacific Ltd company office where I was interrogated
even further, for about forty five minutes or so. And then I was taken back to
Divine Word University, in the company of Mr Kevin Pamba as well as Mr Steven Saud
Pasom (LOA chairman of the Coastal pipeline). When the three of us were dropped off
at the university (DWU), I was again ordered to issue a retraction and/or apology of
what I had published/said (on the people’s behalf) in all earlier public statements
(through the mass media), so that Mr Pamba can have the retraction apology notices
recorded and published. I refused outright to do so, arguing that I was NOT speaking
on behalf of myself but for the people who were opposed to the proposed mine, which
was why if there was ever any retraction or apology notice forth-coming, then it had
to come from THE PEOPLE and NOT from me……Despite all the assault, abuse and the
threats, I did NOT issue a retraction nor an apology notice. What began as an
interview aimed at giving the land owners’ side of the story, turned out to be
two and a half hours of verbal and physical assault, abuse, and threatening,
executed by two LOA chairpersons, their boys and a couple of security guards. Mr
Kevin Pamba, one of PNG’s most renown journalists/columnists and a journalism
lecturer in one of PNG’s (up and coming) premier institutions of learning, happens
to be an eye witness to all that had happened during the two and half hours that
Tuesday 1st November 2005.
I had filed a report with the Jomba (Madang) police on Wednesday 2 November 2005.
Police docket number 50/11. And I have been visiting a village clinic for treatment
since that Tuesday afternoon till this day and do have records. Due to threats I had
received on Tuesday I could not visit the town hospital/clinics thus my visits to
the village clinic.
I write to you at the Media Council to lodge a complaint against Mr. Kevin Pamba in
this incident. While I do not know Mr. Pamba, many times I have enjoyed reading his
insightful and informative columns. I have nothing personal against him. But in this
incident he has shamed himself and I feel the media professionals.
I leave it over to you. Thank you.
Simon Warr
NOTES ON INVESTIGATION INTO ATTACK ON SIMON WARR BY MPI
Date: 04/11/05
Time: 10.00
Call to: Divine Word University Journalism Department
Answered by Pamba's journalistic colleague 1 (name politely withheld) . He stated that the incident had been blow out of proportion with people calling claiming Mr Pamba had been involved in kidnapping of Mr Warr was ridiculous. He did admit that there had been a minor incident but refused to clarify what that had been any further. To his knowledge Mr Pamba had interviewed someone but the interview had taken place over the phone.
Time: 12.32
Call from: Pamba's colleague 2 (name politely withheld) , Divine Word University Journalism Department returning call
Stated he would pass your message on to Mr Pamba but there has been a tribe of Australian journalists ringing up and making accusations that Mr Pamba was involved in a plot to kidnap Mr Warr.
Time: 12.55
Call to: Madang office of Highlands Pacific:
Spoke to woman who stated that: “We are not in the position to speak about this issue in the Madang office. We have been told not to do that. We must safeguard the company’s interest and are not in a position to make a comment.”
She was not able to confirm or deny whether Simon Warr had been on the premises. I asked for the number of Highlands Pacific, Port Moresby number which she gave me: 321 7633. She then hung up without responding when I asked for her name.
Time: 13.11
Call to: Highlands Pacific, Port Moresby
Stated my name and where I was calling from. Stated that we wanted their perspective on allegations that had come to our attention regarding the bashing of a local community leader from the Rai Coast that was linked to the offices of Highlands Pacific. I was told the Managing Director, Mr Ian Holzberger was not in the Port Moresby office, but currently in the Brisbane office. I could, however, speak to the corporate office manager, Mr Andrew Yauieb but was told that he was not currently in the office either. I queried whether Mr Yauieb was qualified to speak on this matter on behalf of the company and was told that that would still have to be confirmed. Mr Yauieb would be back in the office after 1pm. I requested that he call me back.
Time: 13.30
Call to: Highlands Pacific, Brisbane: 07 3239 7800
Spoke to Ian Holzberger, Managing Director and asked if he knew about the allegations regarding the bashing of a local community leader from the Rai Coast that has been linked to the offices of Highlands Pacific. Mr Holzberger confirmed that he knew a little of the story but that the company would never be involved in nor condone heavy-handed tactics. He was aware that there was a meeting at the Ramu Joint Venture offices involving Mr Warr and two landowner executives. Mr Warr came to the offices with two landowner executives and then met with these executives witnessed by a state solicitor, a policeman – both of whom are attached to the Lands Title Commission, two Ramu joint venture employees (both Community Relations officers) and a journalist. Before this meeting took place, the Ramu Joint Venture employees, the state solicitor and the policeman had had a meeting.
It was Mr Holzberger’s understanding that during their meeting Mr Warr made a number of undertakings to the landowner executives and then left the meeting with the landowners.
I enquired whether Mr Holzberger was aware of Mr Warr being physically or verbally assaulted before or during his time at the Madang offices. Mr Holzberger said that he could only speak for the time he was in the Joint Venture offices and was himself relying upon people there for this report. There had been a policeman, a solicitor and a journalist present. Mr Holzberger did not believe that Mr Warr was assaulted at the Ramu Joint Venture offices. He stated that the company is not involved in this incident in any way and reiterated that they would never condone heavy-handed tactics. He stated that Highlands Pacific is no longer the manager of the Joint Venture and that they believed their company had undertaken their work with integrity. He noted that Highlands Pacific has a voice at the Joint Venture table and strong commitments to environmental issues.
Time: 14.15 approx
Received email confirmation from Mr Holzberger of his comments.
Time: 14.30
Call to: ,Divine Word University Journalism Department
Colleague no 2 was not in but the man who took the call said that Kevin Pamba had been in that morning but had now gone. I was given Pamba's colleague (2)s phone number. The man on the phone also confirmed that there was a message for Kevin Pamba on the board from me.
Time: 14.40
Call to the home of Mr Pamba's colleague (2).
Spoke to Pamba's colleague (2) who told me that he had called Kevin Pamba and passed on my message and that he has also informed Mr Pamba that we would be running a story on the incident.
made a few additional calls to Mr Pamba's colleague and Mr Pamba's home but could not manage to reach him.
Interview with Simon Warr, 4.30 Friday 4th November
They (two landowner chairman- David Tikaribu took the lead) bashed me outside the front of the office building but inside the gate. After they bashed me then they pushed me inside. They were criticizing and discriminating against me outside, told me I have committed big trouble. They questioning me.
Then took me inside the building, it was an office of some kind, there were I think about 5-6 people. Two LOA chairmen, a policeman, somebody who was a lawyer, and three or four other people, the Madang based co-ordinator of Highlands Pacific and other people who I think are landowner executives whose names I do not know.
The Kurumbikari chairman and the Madang based Highland Pacific Coordinator were the main people questioning me. Steven Showd questioning me, in the beginning he was the one who was questioning me a lot and criticizing me. One police men was there, somebody who looks like a CID or lawyer was also there. They said I was stuffing up the work the government is doing in the province.
The police man talked to me and told me that what you done is .. you are destroying the whole process because the state has approved
You came in late and you are stopping this development.
Kevin Pamba was with me from the start till our meeting ended. He was just staring at me and didn’t say anything.
They were tried to make me withdraw my petition and withdraw myself as a spokesperson, they told me we want you to go back to the media and apologise to the state, to the general public and to the Chinese company’s president saying that you withdraw yourself and your petition.
I told them that I haven’t been authorized by people to withdraw anything at this time. You have to go back to the village and consult all these people and hear them out, and then you can do what you need to do. As a spokesperson I haven’t been authorized, I told them I have no power or rights to make any decision unless my people tell me what to do.
They told me “no you have to go back and withdraw this petition,”
They questions about who was funding me and the advertisements that I published, who is behind supporting and advising me, and then they told me that there are NGOs like (names politey withheld) using you like their slaves so you have to withdraw yourself.
They told me that we were so angry about you because your petition totally stopped the company. What you trying to do is stop the company, why did you write directly to the company. Just because of this petition the ADB is not going to fund the company for the operation of the Ramu Nickel mine. That is why we are not very happy with you.
Also they told me just because of you, this little man who knows nothing, you have created all these problems, You are not special so you have to go back and withdraw these things.
They asked who is behind me and I said the local resource owners.
After that the Chairman of the coastal pipeline authority and the news reporter dropped me off at Divine Word.
National newspaper stated “It now appears that the individual has admitted that his stance has been on behalf of other so far unrevealed persons.” What are they referring to? Who is behind you? Are there people who ‘have not been revealed’
No it is not that, what I meant is that the coastal pipeline people and the proposed limestone mining area who opposed the Ramu nickel people, I am working for my people, it is my people who are behind me.
For more information, please contact:
Igor O'Neill
Workphone: +62 21 794 1672
Mobile: +62 81 286 12 286
Created: 03 Nov 2005 | Last updated: 03 Nov 2005
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