Bougainville Copper says yet to be notified about any Panguna halt

Bougainville Copper

27/12/2017 24:56

Dec 27 (Reuters) - Bougainville Copper Ltd  BOC.AX  said on 
Wednesday it is yet to be notified by the government of the 
Pacific Island of Bougainville of any moratorium on the Panguna 
mine, once one of the world's biggest copper mines. 
     The company said it was seeking clarification from 
Bougainville's Department of Minerals and Energy Resources 
regarding reports of a statement from Bougainville President 
John Momis regarding an indefinite moratorium on exploration and 
mining in Panguna. 
     The quarter of a million people of Bougainville are 
tentatively scheduled to vote on independence from Papua New 
Guinea in June 2019, and revenue from the reopening of the 
Panguna mine is essential for the otherwise impoverished island. 
The mine has been shut for nearly three decades by a civil war 
on the island.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N1KG2JB 
     
 
 (Reporting by Devika Syamnath in Bengaluru; editing by Richard 
Pullin) 
 ((Devika.Syamnath@thomsonreuters.com; +91 80 6749 1130; Reuters 
Messaging: Devika.Syamnath.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) 
 
Keywords: PAPUA MINING/BOUGAINVILLE