Will Papua New Guinea’s safest city survive the closure of Ok Tedi mine?

The mining town of Tabubil, in Papua New Guinea, is facing the closure of the nearby Ok Tedi copper mine, an operation that currently employs nearly 2,000 people, most of them locals.

Despite the controversies that suitably surfaced from the way the mine began operating in the late nineties, today Ok Tedi has made of Tabubil a model town for the country. It not only enjoys good services and community facilities, but it is also considered the safest place in the nation.

Tabubil’s roads and houses are well maintained; it has a well-resourced hospital, an international school and even a small international airport.

Radio Australia, however, questions whether all that will happen to the city in 12 years, when the mine is scheduled to close down.

Listen to the interview with Ok Tedi Mining Ltd CEO, Nigel Parker, here.

Image: Ok Tedi mine, Wiki Commons.

 

 

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