The Akali Tange Association Inc. (ATA) is a local human rights organization duly incorporated in 2004 under the laws of Papua New Guinea. The Association was incorporated by a group of like-minded relatives of the deceased, survivors of sexual and non-sexual assaults and the general public of the Porgera Valley in the remotest highlands of Papua New Guinea.
ATA currently has 10,000 plus members originally from the Porgera Gold Mine’s Special Mining Lease (SML), Leased for Mining Purposes Areas (LMP) and membership being extended to provincial and nationwide. The main purpose being to unveil the mining policies, legal requirements and civil suits to bringing about peace and justice to protect the rights of people within the vicinity of mining areas, Enga and the country at large.
So far, it has documented published reports and advocated on the gross human & environmental rights abused by the Barrick Gold Corporation, a Toronto based mining giant. The Association has been vocal on the gross human rights violation issues in Porgera for the last two decade despite Barrick’s prolonged delay in responding to the allegations.
Apart from its core function as human rights advocate, the Association further provides counseling and guidance to its victimized clients and other HIV/AIDS victims with its allies (Anglicare-PNG & Local Porgera Family and Sexual Violence Unit of the Porgera Police). The Association now proposes to work cohesively and in an amicable manner with the Porgera Joint Venture to evaluate the allegations, about improving the human rights and social and environmental outcomes of Porgera Gold Mine project.
MISSION STATEMENT: The ATA’s mission is to serve as a fair, trusted, and effective human rights activist to ensure that the allegations of negative human rights impacts caused by Barrick – PJV and its allies are evaluated in a transparent, accountable and reliable manner and where merit, ensure that the PJV OGM provides remedies that are rights-compatible, culturally appropriate and in satisfactory manner. Most importantly, ATA intends to become party to the existing Barrick’s OGM to ensure that the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights are implemented without flaws and omissions.
ATA Executive team
Mr. James Jimmy Wangia – CEO & Founder
James is the founder and the current CEO of the Association. He has founded this association soon after his biological brother Late John Wangia was shot by PJV Security Guards in 2004 at the Anawe Waste Dumpsite whilst he was collecting firewood.
Since then, he has been vocal on the gross human rights abuses caused by the PJV. He was the sole funder of this organization from the day it was incorporated.
His dreams are to see that the perpetrators of these gross human rights violations are held accountable for their conducts and the Barrick Gold Corporations as the employer of the perpetrators to provide remedies to the custodians of the deaths, survivors of the assaults, tortures and rapes or the gang rapes.
Contacts:
Phone: +675 71939837
Email: jameswangia@yahoo.com/ akalitange_association@yahoo.com
Mr. McDiyan Robert Yapari – Public & Executive Officer
Mr. Yapari is Author of most of ATA’s reports including; The Porgera’s Human Rights Violations Issues and the Way Forward; The Factsheets of Porgera and others. He is a member of the Association and is instrumental in advocating, documenting & reporting of Gross Human Rights Violation Issues caused by Barrick Gold Corporation at Porgera Gold Mine.
McDiyan Robert Yapari was born in Testres Village, Kandep Enga Province, in 1985 and has attended local schools and later to the University of PNG and has taken Business Administration. He has been operations manager, project coordinator and has held many other senior positions with various companies before become the Executive Officer of the Association.
His curiosity in becoming human rights advocate developed when his uncle, Late John Wangia was killed at a waste dump site by PJV Security Guards using high powered riffle while he was a school aged kid. Further, his only biological brother Jerry Yelo Yapari was also crushed by rocks deliberately pushed by the PJV Security Guards at the PJV Open Pit whilst Late Jerry was searching for gold bearing ores. Late Jerry died sometimes later after being admitted in a hospital at Porgera. These and other similar unwarranted deaths, assaults and rapes/gang rapes by Barrick Gold Corporations’ Security Guards had forced him to the position where he is now.
Due to his outburst in reporting gross human rights violations, he was imprisoned by the Barrick hired PNG Police Mobil Squads to cover up for the unwarranted conducts of Barrick where he spent thirty (30) houses in jail.
This has never stopped him from his advocacy work. During his time behind bars, he wrote to Barrick Gold Corp’s Senior President, Mr. Peter Sinclair and said, “Even if I am left in this place to rot and die, my heart, thoughts and physical body will still advocate, till I see justice being prevailed in Porgera.”
Contacts:
Mobile: +675 71112610
Email:mc.yapari@gmail.com/ akalitange_association@yahoo.com
Mr. Langan Muri – Chairman
Mr. Muri is the Chief and paramount landowner of Anawe Village in the outskirt of the Porgera Gold Mine’s Special Mining Lease Area (SML).
He has worked with PJV for more than twenty (20) years but after noting the gross human rights violations caused by the operators of the mine, he has resigned to take up the post as the Chairman of this organization and fight tooth for a tooth and eye for an eye with Barrick.
Also, he is a well known and respected leader in the community and district levels. He is also the chairman of the Wagge Andabare Incorporated Land Group and PPL 260 & 277 Landowners Associations. His leadership as a chairman of the ATA has brought many changes to the organization in the likes of separating and appointment of women factions under the leadership of Ms. Lely Kesa, the partnership with the Anglicare (PNG) and Porgera Family and Sexual Violence Unit of the Local Porgera Police.
Contacts:
Mobile: +675 71822317
Email: langanmuri16@gmail.com/ akalitange_association@yahoo.com
Chief Lote Sanda – Deputy Chairperson and Founder
Chief Lote is the principal landowner of the Porgera Station and the Porgera Gold Mine’s Anawe South Waste Dump (Leased for Mining Purposes) Areas. He has been very instrumental in advocating against the Barrick Gold Corporations gross human rights violations.
Despite his illiteracy as a weakness, he hires consultants, PNG Local Lawyers and other elites to push the human rights advocacy work in Porgera. He is very vocal and a very well respected Leader.
In his speeches, he says that he is not fighting for money bag nor for fame but to see JUSTICE, hence; this association uses his visionary speeches as its Motto: “Now a Case to Compensate and Justice to Prevail in Porgera Valley.”
Contacts: Phone: +675 73946985
Email: akalitange_association@yahoo.com