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Hundreds of illegal miners killed in last four years
Illegal mining in offshore Bangka Belitung province has become a tragedy with about 700 people killed in the last four years
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Illegal mining in offshore Bangka Belitung province has become a tragedy with about 700 people killed in the last four years.
This is due to a lack of reliable equipment either in offshore illegal mining activities in the province, one of the world’s largest tin producers.
PT Timah’s president director Wachid Usman said in Jakarta last week the company’s dredging
ships were often surrounded by hundreds of small boats operated by illegal miners to collect tin
ore that leaked from the ships’ compressors.
Without sufficient equipment, the illegal miners dived up to 30 meters deep and often died due to lack of oxygen.
“We don’t have the exact data, but the local administration reported that about 700 people involved
in illegal mining activity have been killed in the last three to four years,” Wachid said in a recent hearing with lawmakers from the House of Representatives’ Commission VII overseeing energy and mineral resources.
PT Timah is the world’s largest integrated tin producer and dominates tin mining in Bangka Belitung.
The company conducts both onshore and offshore mining.
PT Timah said it was overwhelmed with the presence of illegal miners in the company’s offshore mining operations.
“We have used a siren and even asked the police and navy to guard our dredging ships, but we still fail to deter them,” Wachid said.
“Because there is bad weather in the north, we have moved our vessels south.
“But illegal miners followed us south. Later in April, when the vessels go back north, they will definitely follow us north,” Wachid said.
The operation of illegal miners continue to exist in the province despite the local government’s efforts to curb their activity.
Wachid believes that their presence is backed by local tin refiners who buy the tin ore at cheap prices.
During the hearing, Wachid said the company had not bought tin ore from illegal miners.
However, he said there was an indication that some private smelters had collected the tin ore from them.
Export data, published by Bangka Belitung regional administration, showed that Timah, which owns 473,800 hectares of concession areas, exported only 8,899 tons of tin in 2009, while privately owned smelters, which operate concession areas of only 16,884 hectares, exported 13,867 tons.
“It’s quite strange,” he said.
He added that from January to June 2009, tin ore production from Timah concession areas dropped drastically due to illegal mining.
The production increased significantly in September after the police conducted a raid on illegal mine operations.
Many illegal miners and tin ore collectors were arrested in the raid.
“But, in October, the tin-ore collectors began their operations again,” Wachid said.
“The key problem is with the illegal tin collectors. As long as they exist, the illegal miners will remain active,” he added.
Lawmaker Zulkieflimansyah asked Timah to review its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs.
“I am concerned that illegal miners exist because they have no other choice,” he said.
But Timah’s director for operation, Setyo Sardjono, said it was difficult to design CSR programs for illegal miners as they mostly do not come from Bangka Belitung.
“Most are from other regions, including Java and South Sulawesi.
“It seems that their activity was very well-coordinated as they arrived by airplane,” Setyo said.
Commission VII decided to further investigate the case.
