' Globe says Manhattan awaits vote on Peruvian mine
Manhattan Minerals Corp MAN
Shares issued 39,527,349 May 9 2002 close $1.150
Friday May 10 2002
In the News
The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday, May 10, edition that residents in and
around the town of Tambogrande in Peru will vote in a referendum on June 2 on
whether or not they would support the construction of a gold mine that will require
relocating one-quarter of the town or about 1,600 homes. The Globe's Allan
Robinson writes that the proposal by Manhattan Minerals has run into strident and
sometimes violent opposition. Critics fear it could disrupt or even destroy the
agricultural basis of the economy. "They want to experiment with us on coastal
mining," says Front in Defence of Tambogrande president Francisco Ojeda
Riofrio. There are fears that agriculture could be hurt by environmental
contamination from the mine waste and cyanide used to extract the gold. "It's quite
surprising the Tambogrande Defence would support a referendum prior to the
availability of a study on the environment," says Manhattan chairman Lawrence
Glaser. The Environmental Impact Assessment is not expected to be completed
until late June. Mr. Riofrio estimates that more than 80 per cent of the people in
the area oppose the mine, while Mr. Glaser says the opposite.
(c) Copyright 2002 Canjex Publishing Ltd. canada-stockwatch.com '
Here's a link to the raw story from globeandmail.com, from searching with 'manhattan' - globeandmail.com
... here i'll just paste the whole thing in, they won't mind -
' Manhattan gold mine in Peru faces vote
By ALLAN ROBINSON MINING REPORTER
Friday, May 10, 2002 – Print Edition, Page B5
TORONTO -- Residents in and around the town
of Tambogrande in northern Peru will vote in a
referendum on June 2 on whether or not they
would support the construction of a gold mine
that will require relocating one-quarter of the
town, or about 1,600 homes.
The proposal by Manhattan Minerals Corp.
of Vancouver has run into strident and sometimes
violent opposition.
Critics fear it could disrupt or even destroy the
agricultural basis of the economy.
"The perception of the population is that the
project would be the beginning of a long-term
process of conversion from an agricultural to a
mining zone," said Jose de Echave, a spokesman
for Cooper Accion, a Lima-based
non-governmental organization.
"They want to experiment with us on coastal
mining," Francisco Ojeda Riofrio, the president of
the Front in Defence of Tambogrande told a
conference on Canadian mining at York
University yesterday. The conference was
sponsored by the Centre for Research on Latin
America and the Caribbean- and Ottawa-based
Mining Watch Canada.
"The holes are going to be all over," he said.
"What kind of life can you live next to a hole?"
The project includes diverting a river and
extracting gold from an open pit mine in an area
known for its heavy rainfall. There are fears that
agriculture could be hurt by environmental
contamination from the mine waste and cyanide
used to extract the gold.
"It's quite surprising the Tambogrande Defence
would support a referendum prior to the
availability of a study on the environment and the
socio-economic impact of the project," said
Lawrence Glaser, chairman and chief executive
officer of Manhattan.
The Environmental Impact Assessment is not
expected to be completed until late June, Mr.
Glaser said. "The people working on the EIA are
the most credible consultants in the world," he
said.
Mr. Riofrio, who said his family has received
death threats because of his opposition to the
mine, estimates that more than 80 per cent of the
people in the area oppose the mine, based on
surveys.
About 100,000 people would be eligible to vote
in the referendum.
Mr. Glaser said most of the people who would
be directly affected by the mine, and who would
be relocated, support the project.
The feasibility study is one condition required for
Manhattan to earn a 75-per-cent interest in the
two-stage project. Phase One is estimated to
cost $125-million (U.S.). The ore contains gold,
copper and zinc.
Centromin Peru SA, the country's mining
agency, would own the remaining 25 per cent.
Manhattan said more than 600 people have
attended 25 workshops it has held to explain the
project. ' |
