Indonesian president signs ban on mineral exports

Indonesia’s president signed a regulation implementing a mineral ore export ban that comes into effect on Sunday, but details will not be released until later, said the country’s energy and mines minister.
“The president has signed a government regulation to implement the 2009 law on the mineral export ban … the details of the concentrates will be announced later,” said energy and mines minister Jero Wacik after a marathon late night meeting with the president and other cabinet ministers. “Starting at midnight on January 12, 2014, raw ore will definitely not be exported,” Wacik said.
The Southeast Asian nation is the world’s biggest exporter of nickel ore, refined tin and thermal coal and home to the fifth largest copper mine and top gold mine.