ASX-listed Oropa recently made a placement of 10 million shares through Patersons Securities Limited to raise $400,000.

The additional funds will be used to advance Oropa"s new drilling program which starts mid this month at the Sambung Prospect in the North Block of the Pungkut 7th Generation Contract of Work (CoW) in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia. Pungkut is 75% owned by Oropa, 25% by PT Antam Tambong.

Funds from the placement will also be allocated for regional exploration in the Cotract of Work areas, project evaluation, administration expenses and ongoing working capital needs.

Initial drilling will focus on a large IP anomaly nearby to and upslope of the Sambung 100,000 ounce gold-inferred resource. This drilling will form part of a 5500 metre program to test a number of geological and geophysical targets along the 2.5km Sihayo - Sambung trend to increase the existing inferred global resources of 710,000 ounces gold at Sihayo 1 North and Sambung.

Oropa has negotiated a contract with a new drilling contractor in Indonesia using recently constructed special purpose man portable drilling equipment. Oropa has secured an option to purchase these rigs after leasing them for a number of months.

The initial program is expected to last up to 6 months utilizing one rig, with a second rig to be mobilized to site in June. Drill sites at Sambung have already been prepared for at least seven holes to be drilled into a large IP anomaly located some 250 metres upslope of the Sambung inferred gold resource.

This initial program is designed to test the potential for additional gold resources at Sambung. The IP anomaly is believed to be related to hydrothermal alteration associated with mineralization. After completing the Sambung program the first rig will be moved to Sihayo 1 North to drill nearby to the resource.

Exploration will continue focusing on increasing understanding and generating targets to the south and north of the Sihayo-Sambung resources, with the aim to increase this resource base in its immediate vicinities. Regional exploration will continue in the highly prospective South Block with the aim of generating significant conceptual targets.

Oropa also has interests in Golden Valley, Mulgabbie and Mt Keith Gold Project in Western Australia.

In India it has interests in Block D-7 Diamond Project, Raipur West Diamond Prospect, Krishna River Valley Diamond Prospect, Krishna River Delta Diamond Prospect.