Illegal tin mines are still active because "collectors" are roaming around

Local fishermen revealed that this activity had disappeared when there was a large-scale raid after the revelation of the tin corruption case that emerged, especially when a tin entrepreneur from Central Bangka, Tamron alias Aon, was detained Attorney General, February 6, 2024.

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The mining activity is considered illegal because Pangkal Pinang has been designated as a zero-mining area. This is stated in the Local Regulation (Perda) of Pangkal Pinang Number 1 of 2012 concerning Regional Spatial Planning. This is reinforced by the Local Regulation of Pangkal Pinang 7/2019 regarding the Maintenance of Public Order and Security.

Executive Director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) Bangka-Belitung, Ahmad Subhan Hafiz, stated in Pangkal Pinang on Friday night (April 26, 2024) that irresponsible or illegal tin mining results are still being collected by collectors. Therefore, there is a high likelihood of illegal mining practices still occurring in Bangka-Belitung, especially in Pangkal Pinang, as collectors are still free to operate.

From the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Regulation (ESDM) Number 24/2012 regarding Amendments to the ESDM Ministerial Regulation Number 28/2009 concerning the Organization of Mineral and Coal Mining Services, there is no legality or regulation that allows the practice of collectors. This means that collectors are classified as illegal activities.

In a holistic sense, the phenomenon shows that the disclosure of the corrupt tin mining case that caused state losses of Rp 271 trillion has not been comprehensively executed. So far, the legal process that has been ongoing is considered only targeting the elites or policymakers who are at the lower end of the tin mining chain.

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On the contrary, law enforcement has yet to touch the middle and upper parts of the chain. The middle and upper parts have become the operation areas of collectors or illegal miners.

"In order for the disclosure of this case to truly become a momentum to save the environment of Bangka-Belitung, the legal process must be carried out thoroughly from the upstream, middle, to downstream of the tin mining chain. If not, illegal mining practices will never disappear," he said.

More suspects

So far, the Attorney General's Office has designated 21 suspects since October 2023, including five suspects who were newly designated on Friday (26/4/2024). The suspects are former officials of PT Timah, businessmen or owners of smelters - facilities for tin mining processing, parties which attempted to obstruct the investigation, and former government officials in Bangka-Belitung.

"We hope that among the hundreds of people being examined by the Attorney General's Office, there are collectors who will also be targeted as new suspects. The aim is to provide the greatest possible deterrent effect so that illegal tin mining practices can truly be eradicated (stopped)," said Hafiz.

Hafiz stated that currently, the environmental burden in Bangka-Belitung has reached 70 percent. In addition to the factor of illegal tin mining, other factors that contribute to environmental damage are extractive industries, such as large-scale monoculture plantations and industrial plantations (HTI).

We hope that of the hundreds of people being questioned by the Attorney General's Office, there will be collectors who will also be targeted as new suspects.

"If there is no strong intention to make changes here, environmental destructive factors will continue to occur. It will worsen environmental damage that threatens the sustainability of living space or civilization in Bangka-Belitung," said Hafiz.

Suspect from the government

Of the five suspects newly named by the Attorney General's Office this Friday, one of the suspects is the Acting Head of the Bangka-Belitung ESDM Service with the initials AS. Acting Governor of Bangka-Belitung Safrizal ZA, when met in Pangkal Pinang, Wednesday morning, said that his party fully supports the Attorney General's efforts to thoroughly investigate the tin corruption case.

"We cannot intervene with law enforcement (the Attorney General's Office) in the ongoing investigation process. What I can confirm is that whoever is involved in the tin corruption case must be held accountable," said Safrizal after attending a Public Consultation on "Preparation of the Strategic Environmental Study for the Medium-Term Regional Development Plan (KLHS RPJMD) of Bangka-Belitung 2025-2029."

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On the other hand, Safrizal assures that the wheels of local government will not be disrupted even though the Attorney General is targeting government clusters in the investigation of the case. This is because the wheels of government are running in accordance with the applicable system. In other words, if government officials are caught, their tasks and functions will still be continued by officials or employees under them in the relevant agency.

"The government system operates the wheel of governance, not individuals. Therefore, even if the governor or secretary of the region is replaced, the wheels of governance will still continue. Moreover, if only the department head is replaced, the wheels of government in the related agency will not be disrupted," said Safrizal.

Head of Public Relations of PT Timah, Anggi Siahaan, when responding to Kompas in writing, Friday evening, said that, in principle, PT Timah will continue to coordinate with all parties in an effort to improve and improve the governance of mining or the tin business.

"The company supports efforts to improve and improve (tin) governance carried out by the state," he said.