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Article

26 Sep 2001

Author:
Mineral Policy Institute

BHP Walkout Leaves Threat Of Ok Tedi Environmental Refugees [Papua New Guinea]

The BHP Billiton agreement to exit its Ok Tedi mine leaves Australia facing a potential environmental refugee crisis less than one hundred kilometres from mainland Australia. BHP Billiton and the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government have agreed basic conditions for the company to get out of the Ok Tedi copper mine. At the same time damage from the mine is extremely severe and will last for the better part of this century. It is destroying food, fisheries and the forests which people living along the Fly River in PNG just to the north of Australia rely on.