Early day motion tabled by primary sponsor Michael Clapham (Labour), on Tuesday, 12 December 2000, in the House of Commons. It is signed by 47 members in total.

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RIO TINTO PLC AND UK MERCENARIES

That this House is greatly concerned to learn that in a class action complaint filed in the USA courts, the London-based mining conglomerate, Rio Tinto, stands accused of having acted in concert with the Government and Military Forces of Papua New Guinea to force the re-opening of the Panguna Copper Mine on Bougainville Island, that the PNG Government contracted the London-based (British Virgin Islands-registered) Sandline International, a firm of mercenaries, to recapture Bougainville and restore Rio Tinto's mine, and that in 1997 Lt. Col. Tim Spicer of Sandline secured a $36 million PNG contract to recapture the mine with a mercenary force; notes that Sandline had shipped weapons to Sierra Leone in 1995, investigated by this House in the 'Arms for Africa' affair; and urges Her Majesty's Government to institute a full public inquiry into this disgraceful affair, and to report back to the House.

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Secondary information

Type

Early day motion

Reference

89 

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Mining Sandline Private military and security companies Class actions Rio Tinto Group Papua New Guinea

Link

View this Early day motion on www.parliament.uk