To: vds4 who wrote (9329 ) 9/10/2002 12:31:45 PM From: Al Collard Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 11802 TVI-t ...in the news:TVI Pacific partner gains Rapu Rapu financing Tue 10 Sept 2002 Mr. Clifford James of TVI reports RAPU RAPU PROJECT UPDATE The Rapu Rapu project, located in the province of Albay, Philippines, is a polymetallic mining project which a group of companies including Lafayette Mining Limited (the operator), a publicly traded Australian company, is developing. TVI retains 3.3 million unlisted share options with an exercise price of 20 Australian cents each, and a 2.5-per-cent net smelter return royalty (NSR) in the project. The following is a verbatim reproduction of a Lafayette news release issued on Sept. 6, 2002: QUOTE The directors of Lafayette Mining are pleased to announce that the company has placed 15% of its issued capital to a number of private, local and European investors at 5 cents per share to raise A$1.67 million. The Board acknowledges the assistance provided by ABN AMR0 Morgan in completing the raising. Managing Director, Andrew McIlwain said "Significantly this raising will provide the funds to continue the land purchase program and progress current indicative bank offers of finance for the Rapu Rapu project. In addition, the raising enables the commencement of the detailed engineering design work required to allow construction contracts to be let". "Subject to these issues being concluded as expected and to finalisation of discussions with banks and smelter groups, we have targeted March 2003 as the start date for commencement of construction of the company's Rapu Rapu polymetallic project." Commissioning of the Rapu Rapu Mine should be in the second quarter of 2004. When in production the Rapu Rapu Mine will be one of the largest mines operating in the Philippines and will produce approximately 10,000 tonnes of copper in concentrate, 14,000 tonnes of zinc in concentrate, 50,000 ozs of gold and 600,000 ozs of silver annually. Mr McIlwain said "We are very pleased by the degree of market support which the company has received, especially from our major shareholder, Lion Selection Group. The new management team is fully committed to ensuring an expeditious and successful transition through the financing and construction stages to production." R A Anderson, Company Secretary UNQUOTE In response to this news, Clifford M. James, chairman and chief executive officer of TVI Pacific, said: "The realizable value of TVI's NSR royalty in the Rapu Rapu project continues to increase as a production decision grows nearer. TVI is considering its best option for capitalizing on this interest, whether by monetizing it in the near term, or by waiting for actual production income to begin. Lafayette is making excellent progress in the development of Rapu Rapu, and we look forward to an announcement on the project's full financing and a production decision in the near future."