Tuesday, December 21, 2010

You make it, you undo it, says judge

By PATRICK TALU

 

NATIONAL Court judge Justice Ambeng Kandakasi said that all the landownership disputes and memorandum agreements issues in relation to the current PNG LNG project has been solely created by the government and the government must find a way forward to resolve these issues, The National reports.

He made the remarks yesterday at the Waigani National Court while suggesting a way forward planning to deal with all the PNG LNG-related issues before Christmas.

Kandakasi, who was to preside over several motions filed by Juha PDL9 landowners and Tuguba Tribe of Hides PDL1 yesterday in relation to the disbursement of the so-called seed capital and the MoA grants for the PNG LNG project, told counsel representing the landowners and the State that a better option was a forward planning as to how best the issues could be resolved.

He suggested to counsel of both parties that they should convene a special meeting to discuss a strategy with him that would put to rest all the issues.

If the discussion was successful, it would then pave the way for an alternative dispute resolution for the issues.

“The government had invited the investors and created opportunities and also created the problems.

“The government has to find solutions to all the problems created before problems related to the PNG LNG project get out of hand,” Kandakasi said.

He warned that if the issues were not settled as promised by government, things would get out of hand and fuel frustrations.

Kandakasi was of the view that all matters related to outstanding MOAa and the seed capital for the LNG project area landowners should be resolved before Christmas.

He would meet the counsel representing the state departments and the plaintiffs’ tomorrow afternoon before reaching an agreement whether to resolve all the issues through alternate dispute resolution or through the court.

 

 

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