Prestea (Western Region), 13 Nov, 1998 -

The Heman Stool Council of the Heman Wassa Fiase traditional area in the Western region, has appealed to the government to permit a new company, Prestea Gold Resources which is owned by the workers, to start underground mining at Prestea. In a petition signed by Nana Kyei Panyin the Fifth, Nana Abinaa Apee the Third, Tufuhene, and Nana Bukroh Dia-Asempah, Gyasehene, the council said this will relieve the former workers of Barnex (Prestea) Limited from further hardships. The petition, copied to the Speaker of Parliament, Ministry of Mines and Energy, and the Western regional Minister, said the Stool Council had taken note of the willingness and preparedness of the workers to prove that underground mining at Prestea is still viable. It stressed that unless the workers are encouraged and supported to take over underground mining, there will be a complete social and economic dislocation at Prestea and the surrounding communities. In solidarity with the workers, the council said it had decided to suspend the payment of royalty for one year and expressed the hope that its gesture would help the company to stand on its feet.