Bougainvillean residents say Rio Tinto is responsible for the large scale environmental and social harm. Photo: 123rf
There are now 4500 Bougainvillean residents backing a legal suit against mining giant Rio Tinto.
This is an additional 1500 people from the autonomous Papua New Guinea region joining the action since it was filed in May this year.
Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama said the lawsuit was disappointing and was pursued by people acting against Bougainville's interests.
The government was not backing it in any way, shape or form, he said.
The claimants are seeking billions of dollars in compensation from Rio Tinto which operated the Panguna copper and gold mine in the 1970s and 1980s, before it was forced to shut by civil war.
The mine was at the heart of that war which brought death and devastation to Bougainville over a 10-year period, until 1997.
They say Rio Tinto, which was the majority shareholder in Bougainville Copper Ltd (BCL) at the time, is responsible for the large scale environmental and social harm that resulted from what was one of the biggest mines in the world.
A former senior Bougainville political leader, Martin Miriori, who is the lead claimant of the class action, said the "large increase in claimants demonstrates the strength of feeling among local people that Rio Tinto and BCL must make amends for decades of environmental devastation."
He said "this issue will not go away, as the legal action has attracted strong support, and reminded the world of the destruction caused by the mine operator's reckless actions".
A first court hearing is set for Port Moresby on 10 October, 2024.
Rio Tinto responds
In a statement the miner said: "We can confirm that Rio Tinto has been served with a class action proceeding that has been filed by Martin Ronald Miriori in the National Court of Justice of Papua New Guinea against Rio Tinto Limited and Bougainville Copper Limited. We are reviewing the details of the claim. As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are unable to comment further at this time.
"In relation to the independent Panguna Mine Legacy Impact Assessment, we are awaiting the final results in order to understand the environmental and directly connected social and human rights impacts of the Panguna Mine since mining ceased in 1989. This work has been ongoing since 2022 and we will engage with parties as a member of the Oversight Committee on next steps."
Panguna open pit copper mine in Bougainville. S Photo: 123RF