The governor of Papua New Guinea's Enga province has echoed the national government in condemning the deterioration of law and order around vital economic projects.
A call by Peter Ipatas late last week for government to provide security around the troubled Porgera Gold mine in his province has been answered.
The government has issued a callout to the Defence Force to both Porgera and nearby Hela region where landowner tensions are obstructing the LNG gas project.
Governor Peter Ipatas says the mob of illegal miners who went on a violent rampage at the Porgera mine last week have no respect for the law and must be dealt with swiftly.
"The mine has been given a special mining license to mine. And it is for the government and the people of this country to respect corporate citizens. Those illegal miners, as a result of their conduct, have stopped operations and, in turn, that affects public interest, that's revenue for the state as well as revenue for the province and Porgera Valley."
Peter Ipatas
