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PNG government takes control of Ok Tedi mine, repeals laws protecting BHP from legal action over pollution
Papua New Guinea's government has rammed legislation through parliament giving it complete ownership of the controversial Ok Tedi mine…In a deal with the then government in 2001, BHP divested its majority share of the mine to a charitable trust called the PNG Sustainable Development Program, and in return was granted legal immunity…The bill cancels PNGSDP's shares and issues new shares to the state, giving it complete ownership…In a separate bill, parliament passed legislation making the BHP Billiton now liable for environmental damage caused by the Ok Tedi mine…Parliament's move to repeal BHP's legal immunity from prosecution has received a mixed response…BHP Billiton says it is confident it can not be sued by Papua New Guinea for environmental damage caused by a mine it used to own...[and that] the PNG Government's decision to remove [its] legal immunity shows a lack of good faith and makes the country a more risky place to invest.