Thousands of Bougainville residents support lawsuit against mining giant
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 those 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 w...