Release: Oropa: Gold mineralisation in drilling at Tambang Hitam

* vein textures suggest better grades may occur at depth

* large portion of the vein system remains untested

Oropa is pleased to announce that drilling testing of the Tambang Hitam epithermal gold prospect has intersected high gold values.

Tambang Hitam, located in the South Block of the 75% Oropa - owned Pungkut Project, North Sumatra, Indonesia comprise a number of epithermal veins identified in surface mapping that persist over 400 strike metres.

Diamond drill hole THDD001 intersected the Hitam Vein at 105 metres down hole, over a 1 metre width where the vein asayed 3.93g/t Au.

Diamond drill hole THDD002 located in the South of THD001 intersected the vein at 76 metres down hole, where it assayed 10.1g/t Au over 1m from 76 metres, within a zone of 4m @2.75g/t Au from 76m. Another zone was also encountered below the Hitam vein, where an intersection of 7m @ 0.79g/t Au from 82m was made.

These results are very encouraging and, for a firt-pass scout drilling exercise, prove that the Tambang Hitam epithermal vein system is both mineralised and holds excellent exploration potential.

The Exploration Upside

Although each epithermal deposit is unique, in very general terms these types of deposits are fromed by gold - bearing, hot fluids that rise up along faults or fractures. As these fluids rise and cool,gold is deposited togehter with silica to form mineralised vein systems. By the time fluids reach the surface they can be relatively cool, with most of the precious metals such as gold and silver already being deposited at depth, resulting in erratic and often low grades in the near -- surface environment.

Very high grade zones of mineralisation can form at higher temperature ranges within the vein systems, in areas where natural spaces or voids occur within the host rocks such as the intersection of structures. These are commonly referred as Bonanza Zones.

From field observations at Tambang Hitam, it appears that veins intersected in drilling and observed in outcrop formed at relaitvely low temperatures, probably close to what would have been the surface when the system was active.

This implies that the majority of gold carried by the system may have already deposited at depths below that currently being tested by Oropa's initial drilling, with the obvious implication of better grades at depth.

Higher grades encountered in earlier surface sampling (such as 20m @ 6.47g/t Au in trenching and up to 27g/t Au, 438g/t Ag in rock chips) indicate that the system does support high gold grades, but probably also reflect the erratic nature of gold distribution in the upper portion of the epithermal system.

Future exploration activities at Tambang Hitam will focus on exploring for high grade Bonanza Zones. The discovery process involves drilling the down-dip extents of the Hitam vein in zones of higher depositional temperatures, where Bonanza Zones are more likely to occur.

Whilst a more comprehensive drill investigation is warranted at Tambang Hitam, Oropa has limited this initial phase of investigation to a further two holes (with assays yet to be returned for these holes) prior to moving the drilling to other targets in the immediate area.(end of release)