House endorses govt's decision to bar tin concentrate export

The House of Representatives (DPR) on Thursday endorsed the government?s decision to issue a new ruling on tin concentrate export which aims to help curb illegal mining and help avoid the state tin firm PT Timah from collapsing.

The existing ruling, which was issued by the minister of industry and trade in 1999, permits the export of tin concentrate. Meanwhile, the new ruling will turn tin concentrate into a strategic commodity whose trade will consequently be supervised by the government.

The minister of industry and trade expects to issue the new ruling by the end of this month.

In her hearing with the House commission in charge of energy and mineral resources on Thursday, Trade and Industry Minister Rini S. Suwandi said the new ministerial decree will allow only the export of tin metal. She explained that presently only publicly listed PT Timah and another state tin miner, PT Kobatin, can produce that commodity. They operate in Bangka-Belitung province.

The House commission said in the hearing it endorsed the minister?s move because the new ruling will bring to an end the activities of illegal miners who can only produce tin concentrate.

The government?s decision to issue the new ruling was to address complaints from PT Timah that widespread illegal tin mining in Bangka had caused it suffer huge losses. The company argued the flooding of the illegally mined tin on the world market had caused a drastic fall in international tin prices. (Leo)