Indonesia’s state-controlled tin company PT Timah has asked the government of Myanmar for a mining licence as it seeks to boost revenue and reserves, its chief executive told Dow Jones Newswires. “We expect to start operations in Myanmar from next year after we secure the mining licence,” Timah Chief Executive Officer Sukrisno said. Timah plans to build a smelter in Myanmar, Mr. Sukrisno said, without providing further details.
Myanmar is thought to offer considerable potential for tin production, as it is on the main SE Asian alluvial tin belt which continues through Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, but has not yet been explored or mined intensively like the other countries. Mine production of tin-in-concentrate was officially reported as only 534 tonnes in 2011, in contrast to Indonesia’s production of over 100,000 tonnes.
