Illegal Mining Persists in Banka
A problem many mining companies, even foreign ones, have is illegal mining on the perimeters of their concessions. President Director of State miner PT Timah, Restu Widiyantoro, has acknowledged that the state-owned mining company is facing serious difficulties in curbing illegal mining activities, which have intensified significantly across its operational areas following a high-profile corruption case involving several individuals, including Harvey Moeis. “Currently, most of the company’s operational areas are no longer directly controlled by PT Timah. We recognize this, and it’s something we must address moving forward,” Restu said during a hearing with Commission VI of the Indonesian House of Representatives in Jakarta, as quoted by Antara, on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. According to Restu, the majority of mining operations surrounding PT Timah’s concession areas are illegal. However, since many of these operations involve local communities, enforcement actions have been challenging.