The Ok Tedi mine is a major producer of copper concentrate for the world smelting market. It is situated at the headwaters of the Ok Tedi ("ok" means "river" in the local Faiwolmin language) in the remote Star Mountains of PNG's Western Province. The Ok Tedi mine is operated by Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML).
There is another point of view.
This is the infamous copper mine that is 52% owned by Australia's BHP and rapidly becoming one of the worst environmental disasters of this century. Papua New Guinea is an area of outstanding biological significance, a biodiversity "hotspot", with thousands of square kilometres of virgin rainforest. The Fly river is the 23rd largest river system in the world and boasts the full range of mountain-to-reef tropical habitats. The OK Tedi copper mine has devastated a vast area of mountain rainforest, caused huge landslides that have silted the river, created a vast plume of sediment smothering offshore reefs but worst of all, injected terrifying volumes of cyanide and heavy metals into the river-to-reef ecosystem. Just like Australia's guilt with East Timor, Australia continues to rape, pillage and plunder our nearest neighbour for our own greedy resource hungry people. Shame on Australia. When the toxic plume of sediment begins to impact on our far northern section of the Great Barrier Reef, perhaps then someone will take notice.
Some photos.
[url]http://www.pbase.com/fmanseau/ok_tedi[/url]