The government has yet to provide detailed rules on how tin produced by artisanal and small-scale miners should be absorbed. Where are they supposed to sell their tin?
Egi Ariski, an artisanal tin miner in Gantung District, East Belitung Regency, Bangka Belitung Islands, hopes that Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 79 of 2026 concerning the Acceleration of Tin Mining Governance Improvement will provide legal certainty and trading order for traditional miners. According to him, the situation, which began to turn conducive following the miners’ protest on August 7, 2026, must serve as a momentum to ensure consistent tin trading systems.
This certainty, Egi noted, is crucial because many families in East Belitung rely on tin mining as their source of income. “We hope the government truly pays attention to the fate of the miners. Let the hardship and anxiety of a few weeks ago not repeat itself. We want to work peacefully and make a living for our families,” Egi said, as quoted by Antara on Thursday, September 10, 2026.
President Prabowo Subianto enacted Presidential Regulation Number 79 of 2026 on Tin Mining Governance Improvement on August 31, 2026. The 12-article regulation governs the restructuring of mining business license areas in the Bangka Belitung Islands—including PT Timah’s concessions and artisanal mining—service fees for mining services, the purchase of artisanal tin, and guidance for artisanal mining.
Previously, hundreds of artisanal tin miners protested in front of PT Timah’s office in Pangkalpinang on October 6, 2025. They protested due to difficulties in selling tin after several collectors were arrested during an illegal mining crackdown.
Miners also demanded higher purchasing prices, the dissolution of the task force, and the restoration of collectors’ access to buy tin. At the time, PT Timah’s purchase price was IDR 260,000 per kilogram, but after various deductions, miners only received IDR 115,000.
“We are not against the law, but the people’s safety and welfare are for us the highest law,” said Muhammad Rosidi, Action Coordinator of the United Artisanal Mining Alliance (Aliansi Tambang Rakyat Bersatu), on October 8, 2025.
Executive Director of the Center for Energy Security Studies for Sustainable Development at Universitas Indonesia, Ali Ahmudi Achyak, views that Presidential Regulation Number 79 of 2026 has not fully resolved tin mining governance issues. One issue yet to be strictly regulated is the criteria for artisanal mining whose production must be purchased by PT Timah.
“While it cannot be called perfect, at least there is a regulatory bridge so that several matters related to the management of the mining sector, especially tin, have a reference,” Ahmudi said when contacted on Thursday, September 10, 2026.
According to Ahmudi, the government needs to clarify rules providing legal certainty for mining products while bridging the interests of the community and the corporation. More detailed regulations, he noted, are necessary to ensure artisanal mining does not slip back outside the system.
Besides providing certainty for miners, the regulation can clarify corporate responsibilities in absorbing artisanal mining production. Article 5 of Presidential Regulation Number 79 of 2026 states that PT Timah may purchase artisanal tin by considering quantity, quality, fair market prices, and artisanal mining levies.
However, according to Ahmudi, the regulation has not detailed the pricing mechanism. Without a clear pricing scheme, he worries illegal tin sales will recur. “Principal matters like this should be regulated if the government is serious about reforming tin governance and trading,” he said.
Director of the Mining Law Study Center, Bisman Bahtiar, highlighted provisions making PT Timah’s purchase of artisanal production optional. According to him, this condition creates market uncertainty for licensed miners.
Yet, he noted, certainty of market access is vital for communities to remain on the legal path. “They risk falling back into the black market. So legalization without market certainty is ineffective in halting illegal practices,” he said.
Bisman encourages the government to build an official and traceable trading supply chain, from artisanal miners to final buyers. PT Timah can act as the main offtaker for legal production at fair prices, giving miners an incentive to stay within legal channels.
Publish What You Pay Indonesia National Coordinator Aryanto Nugroho suggested the government build a fair and transparent artisanal mining trade ecosystem. According to him, this ecosystem includes setting transparent reference prices announced periodically, alongside mandatory minimum absorption quotas for valid People’s Mining License (IPR) holders.
Furthermore, the government must ensure transaction and payment mechanisms are free from broker cuts or exploitative practices. Artisanal miners need to be granted access to alternative legal buyers, such as private smelters, provided all buyers implement strict supply chain standards.
According to Aryanto, without opening buyer options and enforcing strict supply chain rules, the presidential regulation risks solving issues only on the corporate side. “Meanwhile, artisanal miners are left facing market uncertainty and struggling alone in the gray zone,” he said.
At the regional level, the Bangka Belitung Islands Provincial Government previously enacted Regional Regulation Number 3 of 2026 concerning the Implementation of Delegated Authority for Mineral and Coal Mining Management. One part of this regulation governs IPRs to drive economic growth and improve community welfare.
“Through this regional regulation, the public can legally mine tin ore in mining areas designated by the government,” said Bangka Belitung Islands Governor Hidayat Arsani, as quoted by Antara.
In the initial phase, IPRs will be implemented in East Belitung, South Bangka, and Central Bangka Regencies. Hidayat hopes this policy can serve as a solution to various artisanal tin mining issues, including illegal activities and smuggling.
Based on data from the Bangka Belitung Islands Energy and Mineral Resources Office, the area of people’s mining areas (WPR) in those three regencies is approximately 2,150 hectares. Meanwhile, WPR proposals for Bangka, West Belitung, and Belitung Regencies are still being processed at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, with a total proposed area of around 8,000 hectares.
Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Director General of Mineral and Coal Tri Winarno asserted that tin purchased by PT Timah originates solely from production within the company’s concessions. Meanwhile, tin supplied by artisanal mines will still be purchased, but through strict verification.
If smuggling or illegal practices occur, he stated that these fall under the jurisdiction of law enforcement. Therefore, he asked all parties to wait for the governance reform process to run for one year. “After a year, there must be governance improvements,” he said when contacted on Thursday, September 10, 2026.
Source: Tempo