Pacific

PNG's Ok Tedi mine still operating as court papers yet to be served

12:47 pm on 28 January 2014

The giant Ok Tedi mine in Papua New Guinea is still operating as normal because it is yet to be served formal court orders that were made by the National Court on Friday.

Lawyers for the plaintiff have told the Post Courier they were having difficulties in serving the orders but they would be served today.

The National Court ordered OTML to stop dumping waste into the Fly River system - a move that would effectively shut down the mine.

The court also ordered that company bank accounts be frozen after allegations were made that money earmarked for local development had been misused.

Meanwhile the opposition leader, Belden Namah, has hailed the court decision as a win for the landowners whose lives have been adversely affected by the pollution from the mine.

He says the decision is a reminder developers must adhere to PNG's environmental laws.

He also blasted the O'Neill government for taking over OTML saying it was greedy.

He says the state and the government should be independent and only play the role of regulator and tax collector.