Dharma Tani, J Resources unit to develop Gunung Pani gold mine

The newly elected leadership of KUD Dharma Tani Marissa village cooperatives, which holds an IU mining permit for a 100-hectare Gunung Pani gold concession in Pohuwato Regency, Gorontalo, vowed to team up with PT Puncak Emas Gorontalo (PEG), an indirect subsidiary of IDX-listed gold mining firm PT J. Resources Asia Pasifik Tbk.

The statement was made by Uns Mbuinga, who was elected as the new chairman of Dharma Tani during an annual meeting of the village cooperatives on Tuesday, which was attended by some 1,070 members and local administration officials.

Uns, a senior politician from the Golkar Party, said that since 2014 Dharma Tani has formed a joint venture with PEG to develop the Gunung Pani gold concession. The village cooperatives, he added, decided to team up with PEG because the company has experience in developing gold mines in a number of areas, and its parent PT J Resources operates mines near Gunung Pani.

The Gunung Pani concession has been the center of dispute as ASX-listed One Asia Resources claimed the rightful partner of Dharma Tani, a claim reportedly supported by some members and former leaders.

Uns acknowledged that Dharma Tani in the past formed partnership with One Asia Resources, but it was ended in December 2013 after the village cooperatives considered the Australian company to be only interested in developing the gold mine for its own benefit.

Amid the lengthy dispute that includes legal proceeding at the local court, the government suggested Dharma Tani to hold annual meeting of its members to decide which mining firm would be its partner in developing the Gunung Pani concession.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak