PT Timah Permitted to Buy People's Tin, Here's Coordinating Minister Yusril's Reasoning
The government has permitted PT Timah (Persero) Tbk (TINS) to purchase people’s tin in the Bangka Belitung Islands. This is being done to resolve legal issues and calm the situation in PT Timah’s operating areas.
The decision is based on the outcome of a joint coordination meeting led by Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, at the Kemenko Kumham Imipas office in Jakarta on Tuesday (18/8/2026).
Yusril said the government is taking developments in the regions very seriously. Following the incident in which a PT Timah representative office in East Belitung Regency was set on fire, the government decided to seek a solution to the problems that have arisen.
“It has been agreed that PT Timah is justified in continuing to purchase tin held by the community, which can then be stockpiled by PT Timah,” Yusril said during a press conference, as quoted on Wednesday (19/8/2026).
According to Yusril, PT Timah has reserve funds available to purchase tin produced by the community. However, he stressed that this can only be done temporarily. The policy will only apply until the government issues a Presidential Regulation on tin governance.
“Of course, going forward, we cannot allow this to continue indefinitely,” he said.
The government has also begun drafting the regulation, which has been submitted to President Prabowo and the State Secretariat.
Furthermore, while waiting for the regulation to be completed, the meeting also decided to form a small team led by Deputy Coordinating Minister for Law and Security Otto Hasibuan to formulate policy steps and the legality of purchasing tin from the community.
“Until the completion of the Presidential Regulation concerning tin matters,” Yusril said.
Yusril also explained that the policy of purchasing tin from the community is intended to address the reality on the ground. He argued that if the law were applied rigidly, it would lead to the arrest of people who do not necessarily have malicious intent.
“Those arrested would be our own people, and they do not necessarily have bad intentions. They just want to earn a living, digging a bit of tin here and there, without a mining permit, without anything. Sometimes they even dig on other people’s vacant land for a kilo or two of tin,” Yusril said, while acknowledging that many illegal mining activities do occur.
“Now, if we do not provide a policy framework to address this issue, all the people will be arrested,” he added.
The new Presidential Regulation on tin is also needed to ensure more orderly and proper governance. Yusril also said the regulation is necessary so that the problems in the Bangka Belitung region do not drag on without resolution.
“We should not enforce the law rigidly, without understanding the background of the problems occurring on the ground. I do not want to be a cruel person, enforcing the law arbitrarily,” he said.