The Alliance of Solwara Warriors have spoken out about the recent calls made by the Mining Minister on the return of interest in Seabed Mining in the country stating that they do not desire to see mining activities commence in the country. Spokesperson of the Alliance, Jonathan Mesulam, in an interview with PNG HAUSBUNG stated that now there is no telling of the potential environmental damage that might occur. He said that with this project being the first of its kind in the world, he admits that there is no precedent case that the country’s top tier can learn from to assess possible impact on people’s livelihood. At the same time, he stated that there is no legislative framework in place to regulate offshore mining. “As a country we don’t have any laws, regulation on off-shore or seabed mining.” “So, there is no legislative framework in the country and abroad.” Following the International Seabed Authority (ISA) summit last month in Jamaica, Mesulam stated that there is still raging debate the regulatory framework on the topic but there no consensus as to date. He said that now that people are coming to understand the potential environment risk in seabed mining, people will be able to make more informed decisions on the subject. “Since the ISA Conference that we attended, it seems that a large number of countries supporting the call for moratorium or temporary ban on seabed mining.” Mesulam futher highlighted the economic implications as the country heavily depends on marine resources as it supports local economies and fisheries contributing to the national budget every year. “Those are the 3 reasons why the Alliance will be going against the government’s decision to grant deep sea exploration licenses.”