Govt asked to honor Supreme Court?s decision on export ban

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) has asked the government to immediately lift mineral ore export restriction after the Supreme Court accepted an appeal to annul the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministerial Decree No. 7/2012 on the restriction, Investor Daily reported Friday.

?With the Supreme Court?s decision, the government can no longer ban export of unprocessed mineral products,? Bambang Sujagad, the vice chairman of Kadin for industry, technology and research, told the press on Thursday.

He said that Kadin urged the energy and mineral resources ministry, which issued the regulation, would honor the Supreme Court?s decision.

The ministry issued the regulation on export restriction early last year to prevent over exploitation of mineral resources before the government fully banned export of unprocessed mineral products in 2014 as part of the full implementation of the new mining law.

Miners can export unprocessed mineral products with a special permit, which is issued by the government after the miners meet a number of requirements. As the result, many miners are unable to meet their commitment to their overseas buyers because they are unable to obtain permits. (*)