All sides say it will be years before mine on Bougainville can resume production
The death of the self-styled king of Bougainville, rebel leader Francis Ona, may have rekindled hopes that the world's largest copper mine can be reopened, but it could be a long time before work resumes.
The Panguna mine, which is owned by Rio Tinto's Australian subsidiary Bougainville Copper, has been shut since 1989, when secessionists on the island east of Papua New Guinea forced its closure.
News of Ona's death last week at the age of 52 in his jungle hideout saw the Australian firm's share price leap, but then fall back as political leaders and mining executives cautioned against an early return to production.
Panguna has been out of action since the rebels demanded a greater share of the mine's revenues, much of which the Papua New Guinea government siphoned off.
The mine once provided 17 per cent of the government's revenue and 45 per cent of the country's export income.
