House questions delay of tin ore export ban

The House of Representatives (DPR) has planned to hold a hearing with Minister of Industry and Trade Rini Soewandi to ask her why the government will ban tin ore exports from June 15 and not May 6 as originally planned.

Agusman Effendi, vice chairman of DPR?s Commission VIII in charge of energy and mineral resources, said the minister must have accommodated complaints from certain parties before deciding to delay the tin ore export ban.

?She should not listen to exporters only,? Agusman was quoted as saying by Suara Karya daily.

Rini said recently her decision to delay the export ban aimed to give Bangka and Belitung residents enough time to find new forms of livelihood. Thousands of residents on the two islands were illegal tin miners, the minister argued.

Rini said the islands? governments were planning to build smelters for their residents and that they needed enough time for it.

The government decided to ban tin ore exports so as to boost world tin prices.

Oversupply of tin ore on the world market had caused state tin miner PT Timah Tbk nearly bankrupt. (*)