TCR : 10:00:35:12
Smartphones, gadgets, electronic devices, laptops, and cell phones use tin from BANGKA and BELITUNG.
But not many people know that the extraction of one kilo of tin in a mine can cause great harm, and possibly even death.
COM
TCR : 10:01:10:24
North of Jakarta, a real tin rush is taking place in the islands of Bangka and Belitung:
The ground is perforated by over a dozen thousands miners in truly horrendous conditions.
Indonesia may be the the first exporter of tin worldwide,
but the human and environmental toll is heavy in order to extract this component that is being used to weld our electronic devices.
In a cell phone alone, there are seven grams of tin.
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TCR : 10:49:04
Rusdanila is 45, she comes from Sumatra. Tin mining employs her whole family, and each of them has his own role to play in the process.
With her children, she sorts out the precious crystals of black tin ??? held together with sand, which are called cassiterite.
But it's a man's job to dig this mixture of sand and ore from the ground.
TCR : 10:02:12:12
Rusda : That's we do every day, my husband works at the tin mine with my son-in-law, looking for treasures,
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TCR : 10:02:30:09
Yanto : This machine is used to suck sand and tin,
While the other one sucks water.
So we first spray the water
and then we vacuum the sand with this hose
which sprays it over there.
The engine is down, there is a problem with the coupler,
it's going to take us between 15 and 30 minutes to fix it.
That's the problem when you have a faulty machine.
It's the second time it breaks down today...
Everything breaks down!
COM
TCR : 10:03:17:15
In those artisanal mines, men go as deep as fifteen meters down, without any protection.
Like Yanto, Rusdanila's husband, most miners work illegally, without any operating license.
There are apparently between 50 and 100 000 illegal miners in Bangka, and they produce much more tin than formal sector firms.
(MP) DECRYPTEUR
TCR : 10:03:41:14
In my opinion, the percentage of illegal mines in BANGKA and BELITUNG accounts for nearly 60 or 70 % of the production.
If the government doesn't take immediate action against illegal miners,
and doesn't stand up to the destruction of the forests,
if nothing gets checked from a legal standpoint,
and if the government doesn't think about the post-mining era, Bangka and Belitung will get poorer and poorer.
COM
TCR : 04:20:20
Bangka is a city of under a million people, but its mines attract many Indonesians who keep coming every day from the nearby islands.
Once they make it to the city, fishermen, farmers, traders become miners, hoping to find the mineral deposit that will make them rich.
Yanto and his family moved here two years ago. Before, they would sell fish at the market, but they didn't make enough money to get by.
So they also decided to try their luck with tin.
They rent this house nearby the mine.
TCR : 10:05:03:18
Dinner's ready!
Rani, are you coming to have dinner with us?
Coming.
Yanto :
TCR : 10:05:33:13
It's true that this is hard work, and it's just enough to get by, but it's difficult to make more money as a miner.
On average, we extract from 8 to 10 kg of tin a day.
There are other possibilities, but you know what the wages are like in Indonesia ...
If you work in a plant in Bangka, you make 1,50 dollars a day.
Here at the mine, we can make up to 3 and 4 dollars a day, and it's enough to eat.
In my case, I have 5 kids, and they're all going to school, so I have to pay for tuition until high school...
Rusdanila :
TCR : 10:06:36:05
We get different wages depending on what we extract.
When we make a lot of money, we can afford meat, proteins,
but when we don't make a lot, we just buy the minimum, like tofu, tempé (soy beans), vegetables ...
COM
TCR : 10:07:04:20
Tin has being extracted in Bangka for over 300 years.
Up until 1998, PT Timah, the powerful Indonesian mining company had the monopoly over the commercial exploitation of the mines.
For the last ten years that illegal miners and private companies exploit this production site, but they already account for more than 60% of the production.
Timah is now seeing its profits falling.
Agung Nugroho, the spokesman for this state company, is aware of the consequences of this situation for the business.
TCR : 10:07:33:22
We dig, we own our mines, we pay all the taxes that this type of business entails, before and after digging.
We can't control illegal mines, it should be the authorities' job.
If we catch someone who's digging in our concession, the only thing we can do is to call the police.
COM
TCR : 10:08:11:03
Helpless to control illegal mines on the land, the authorities are now facing a new challenge: tin mining at sea.
Yudi is 25, he is also a migrant from Sumatra, who came to seek opportunities in Bangka.
TCR : 10:08:27:13
I've worked for almost ten years in the mines and I know the risks of the business.
It's particularly dangerous when you're buried,
it only happened once to me, I was traumatized,
I was afraid of going down for a month.
COM
TCR : 10:08:48:10
Despite his accident, Yudi hasn't give up. Every day, he's going offshore to extract a few kilos of tin.
TCR : 10:09:02:23
My wages as a miner depend on what I find.
I dig on average 10 kg of tin every day.
It's just enough for me to get by.
COM
TCR : 10:09:31:08
(On the engine)
In Bangka, tin is getting harder to find in the ground, so the private companies, as well as the illegal miners, take it one step further: they search the offshore seabed.
Officially, dredging is forbidden in a zone of less than 4 miles from shore, but the miners operate at a few hundred meters from the beaches with their handmade equipment.
-TCR : 10:10:02:13
.To be left alone by the police, the community bribes a middleman and gives him part of the tin.
- TCR : 10:10:37:18
On his makeshift barge, Yudi is teaming up with a diver. He is using an old compressor, hooked to a plastic tube, to supply him with oxygen.
(after diving)
TCR : 10:11:03:12
He is going to dive a few meters down, in these murky waters, at zero visibility. Blindly, he needs to suck the seabed, digging deeper and deeper to reach the tin laying in the lower layers.
In case of problem, the diver has no way to communicate with the outside.
Yudi checks the tin content in the sand, and tells him if the quality of the deposit is good, using the pulses of the pump's motor.
He also makes sure that tin, heavier than sand, stays on the barge.
(when he is scraping)
TCR : 10:11:40:14
This type of dredging offshore is extremely dangerous. Every year, tens of illegal miners die of this risky business.
TCR : 10:11:47:18
Accidents are the same on the ground or at sea.
The only difference, is when you are at sea,
you are under water and if there is a landslide,
you can't see it and you can't run away.
That's the danger at sea. You can die from it. This is when the seabed collapses.
The danger also comes from the compressor, because the oxygen we are breathing is not pure oxygen. Since it's coming from the compressor, it's dangerous for the lungs.
COM
(On the bubbles)
TCR : 10:12:27:17
Every day, Yudi and his colleague risk their life for a few kilos of tin. Tin that is entirely illegal, officially forbidden for sale.
At Rusdanila's mine, it's the end of the day: the family gathers their loot before selling it.
TCR : 10:12:49:19
Today, my wife gathered approximately 4 kg.
I hope the price will be higher than yesterday.
Yesterday, the price was 3 dollars per kilo; I hope that today it will be at 3.50 dollars.
The price of tin changes all the time, sometimes it's high, sometimes it's low. We are unfortunately affected by the market prices, but if the price is not good, we bring our tin home.
COM
TCR : 10:13:18:07
Even though it is forbidden to buy tin from illegal mines, Iskandar has the choice between several collectors:
That's how we call these illegal dealers, who supply illegal tin to private melters.
They play a central role in this industry and take advantage of the laisser-faire attitude of the authorities and of the corruption that is poisoning the island.
TCR : 10:13:43:01
If you don't take it, I will have to sell it somewhere else.
I am sorry, I don't take that one, it's too red.
COM
TCR : 10:13:56:19
The ore is too red, not pure enough, not fine enough.
Iskandar will try his luck with another dealer.
Only one collector has accepted to testify on the basis of anonymity.
TCR : 10:14:15:09
I was caught by the police once because I had sold tin from an illegal mine offshore, and I didn't have a license, which is forbidden. I was taken to the police station and was held for the day. I called my boss, and he negotiated with the police to get me out. I heard that my boss bribed the policemen so I could get out of jail quickly.
The boss knows the price of tin on the internet, if the global price drops, the boss spends less to buy, if the global price goes up, the boss spends more to buy.
COM
TCR : 10:15:05:15
In 2012, Indonesia has exported 98 000 tons of tin. It supplies 40% of international demand.
However, the price of ore, determined at the London Metal Exchange, remains extremely volatile and often lower than the operating costs.
In order to influence the price and make more money, the Indonesian government has recently imposed several embargoes on his exports.
For now, tin brings Indonesia less than 28 million dollars per year.
A drop in the ocean for a country of 240 million people. But more than that,
a ridiculous amount next to the social and environmental cost which gets higher every day.
- TCR : 10:16:04:17
Ratno Budi leads the local branch of Walhi, the largest Indonesian NGO that deals with environmental issues. In Bangka, this NGO focuses on the adverse consequences of tin extraction.
This afternoon, he goes through the island to build awareness among the miners on the dangers they face.
TCR : 10:16:22:17 ???
Uday : hello, did you get a lot of tin ?
This device is used to measure the level of radiation produced by the ore that is mixed in with tin.
That's the normal rate, around 0,07 micro-Sievert / hour and we will check if the numbers change when in contact with tin.
If the numbers keep growing and if the rate gets above 1 micro-Sievert, than the risks for health and the risks to suffer a disease such as cancer are fairly high.
It's quite high and it keeps getting higher !
The tin needs to be checked because it also contains other mineral ores that are dangerous and that shouldn't be left near the children, because it is a real danger.
In the last ten years, we noticed that there are more and more people with cancer in Bangka and Belitung, whether it is brain cancer or other forms of life threatening cancers.
Zulima : So we won't be allowed to extract tin is that right ?
Is it dangerous ?
Uday : One thing is sure, is that we will have to be careful with the children.
Are you aware of the risks
of working in a tin mine ?
Him : work... The biggest risk is to not make any money.
You can spend 2 or 3 weeks there, 1 month...
For example, here, it's been one week that we are in the mud...
Uday : There is no tin ?
Him: there is some, but you have to dig deep, at least 4 meters deep.
Zulima : The land slides all the time.
Him: But you spend a lot of time in the mud.
Uday : So you are afraid of landslides and of being buried, you are scared for your life, but you say that you don't know the risks for your health.
Zulima and him : Not at all, we know nothing about health risks.
Zulima : How can we avoid them ?
Uday : The best thing to do would be not to bring the children in the mine,
then not to stock the tin and sell it as quickly as possible,
clean yourself before going home to avoid that the ores mixed to tin gets in contact with the body and with the children.
Zulima : Well, we didn't know about that ...
COM
TCR : 10:19:49:02
The landslides are the biggest danger.
When the ground collapses, very few people survive. Asmunir is a survivor.
TCR : 10:20:02:20
Are you still hurting here?
Yes.
And if I press here?
There is a tingling
And if I stop pressing?
I don't feel anything.
TCR : 10:20:14:17
On a Thursday, I left for the mine around seven in the morning. I was with a friend.
While I was working, the ground collapsed all of a sudden, it fell over me.
First my leg was buried, then half of my body was covered with earth, I called for help and at this point I was completely buried.
Then the other miners arrived, they dug me out and pulled me out of the ground. This leg was completely twisted and my right leg was bleeding profusely. When they saw that, my colleagues said that I should be rushed to the hospital.
COM
TCR : 10:21:25:21
In Bangka, there is no official data on the victims of mining accidents, but according to several NGOs, there would be at least 80 deaths per year. This number is constantly on the rise.
Asmunir will not go back in the mine, he now earns a living as a carpenter.
The environment also pays a heavy toll for the extraction of tin.
Massive deforestation, water pollution, soil degradation, collapse of the fish stock in the sea, just to name a few ...
Six years ago, the biologist Eddy Nurtjahya was asked by the government of Bangka to revegetate the grounds of this abandoned mine. He had planted there ten different species of trees.
TCR : 10:22:20:03
I am really disappointed to see that this research hasn't been successful.
I thought that this plantation would last for 20, 30, 40 years, and it's been only six years and everything is gone.
But there is nothing I can do, we have very little help, everybody thinks that mining extraction is more important than soil preservation.
Everyone is out there to make money.
In order to extract tin, they wash the soil, so there is no nutriment left.
COM
TCR : 10:23:00:15
(stick to the sound) In order to be rejuvenated, the soil would need some earth and some fertilizers. This is a complicated and expensive process, which is not being done.
As a biologist, Eddy Nurtjahya is also worried for the seabed. Tin mining destroys the ecosystem, whether it is being performed by small illegal rafts or by the dredging vessels owned by the major official companies.
TCR : 10:23:25:18
The consequence of dredging offshore, is that the water becomes murky, and it gets to the corals and the seaweed, because the sun doesn't penetrate any more in the sea,
Since there is little sun for photosynthesis, they die in the murky water.
It also affects fish, plankton, everything is affected by the mines.
It will take centuries, thousands of years before everything gets back to normal, as it was before.
COM
TCR : 10:24:04:19
Less than ten years ago, the clear waters of Bangka and the fine sandy beaches would attract divers from all over the world. The Parai, one of the most famous hotels in Bangka, has witnessed, helpless, the destruction of its environment. Andrizal, the hotel manager, remembers the day when everything changed.
TCR : 10:24:23:03
Our tourism is based on diving, snorkeling and fishing
But you can't do this anymore
The dredging boat was at 200 meters from shore, and it entirely destroyed the coral and the quality of water
All the tourists used to come here
The hotel occupancy rate has dropped significantly, the Parai has lost 90% of its tourists.
It's a big blow for us
(Senator) DECRYPTEUR
TCR : 10:25:02:16
In the mining areas, the destruction of the environment is quite impressive, and the government should rather think about expanding tourism, because that brings the region alive in a more sustainable way.
But in reality, for BANGKA and BELITUNG, and mostly for Bangka, no action has been taken by the government to find some alternatives to the post-mining era.
In Belitung, the primary focus is on tourism.
In Bangka, the sea is destroyed. It must be saved immediately and the mining exploitation has to be checked.
In Belitung, the dredging at sea is forbidden, which is not the case in Bangka.
COM
TCR : 10:26:01:00
One of the major achievements of Ratno Budi and the NGO Walhi is that they put an end to the exploitation of the mines offshore in Belitung, the island nearby Bangka.
Walhi has organized a demonstration gathering over 10 000 people, bringing together the fishermen and locals.
In October 2011 for the first time, the people won the case against the major mining companies in Belitung.
TCR : 10:26:34:09
Uday :
The big success of this campaign is that the government has promised not to deliver any more licenses for mining exploitation,
and that he has also promised that there wouldn't be any more mining activity.
COM
TCR : 10:26:55:18
Walhi has joined the Friends of the earth, an NGO represented in over 72 countries, in order to wage his fight in an international level.
TCR : 10:27:04:13
Uday :
Our goal is that the public from around the globe understands, knows, and gets the right information on the existing links between the production of tin in Bangka and Belitung and the international companies which are using this tin.
For example, we did a survey and discovered that Samsung, Apple, Philips, etc. are using tin from Bangka and Belitung.
What we really need is the guarantee that the world's population
and the companies using tin that is produced here finalize a legislation that will ensure a better future to Bangka and Belitung,
and that these islands no longer depend on the mining industry.
????
COM
TCR : 10:28:14:06
At (thousands of kilometers) 10 000 km from here, the European Union is currently working on a draft law aiming at enforcing greater transparency tthe oil, gas and mining sectors.