LANDOWNERS to the PDL1 Hides in Hela have given the Government and relevant stakeholders seven day’s notice to outstanding royalty claims from 2014 and repatriation of a young man shot dead in Hela in June.
The grieving family and tribesmen of the late Matiabe Philip, 27, of the Tuguba Tagua clan in Hides, Hela Province met on Sunday to air their ongoing frustrations.
Part of their demands is for the Government to honor their outstanding royalty payments from the shipment of gas from hides and to repatriate the late Matiabe back home.
Matiabe was allegedly shot dead on June 16, about 200 metres from the Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas (PNG LNG) developer’s base camp in Hela, after spending the morning hunting with 16 others near the well heads in Hides.
His body was repatriated to Port Moresby and has remained at Bethel Funeral Home for almost four months.
The family said investigations into his death have now been completed and they are ready to return home for his burial.
Matiabe had recently married and left behind his newlywed expectant wife, parents, and extended family who have been mourning his death and waiting for him to be returned home.
Tuguba Tagua Clan and PDL1 Chairman Philip Ako said the family was now seeking assistance with the repatriation and any outstanding arrangements needed to bring Matiabe home.
Ako is also the late Matiabes father and landowner to the Hides Wellhead.
He said formal notice would be issued to all stakeholders on Friday to address the demands of the landowners, and given no response over seven days will result in the closure of the PNG LNG plant site in Hela.
The family is calling on PNG LNG operators, the Hela Provincial Government, Komo Hulia District Development Authority (DDA) and Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC) to address the issues on payments and further assist with the repatriation of Matiabe’s body .
The family said the prolonged stay of Matiabe’s body at the funeral home had been an unbearable experience and is incurring costs daily and they now want him returned home so he can be laid to rest with dignity.
With the investigations completed, the family is urging the relevant stakeholders to provide urgent assistance.
For the Ako family, the priority now is to bring their son home and allow his family, relatives, and community to mourn and bury him according to their customs.