MANILA, Philippines - Armed men raided a major copper-and-gold mine project controlled by Anglo-Swiss and Australian companies in the southern Philippines, burning a drill rig, the owners said Monday.
Australia-listed copper developer Indophil Resources NL said in a statement the Tampakan project, which it says contains the largest undeveloped copper-gold deposits in Southeast Asia, came under attack Sunday, but that no one was injured.
The gunmen burned a drill rig and escaped. Police were investigating, Indophil said.
The same mine, which is slated to produce around 200,000 to 250,000 tons of copper from 2013, was attacked on Jan. 1 by communist rebels, who burned two buildings and seized weapons from company security guards.
The New People's Army has stepped up its 40-year-old Maoist insurgency since quitting peace talks with the Philippine government four years ago.
They usually target military and police outposts to seize badly needed weapons and extort money from business establishments.
The US and European governments consider them terrorists and have moved to cut off their funding.
The Tampakan project is owned 62.5 percent by Anglo-Swiss miner Xstrata PLC and 34.23 percent by Indophil, with Philippine partners holding the balance. - AP