Inside the illegal people’s mines of Indonesia, where coal is seen as a ‘gift from God’
- In South Sumatra, more than 700,000 hectares of land are occupied by illegal mining operations run by community collectives of local residents
- It is back-breaking work and there are few safety measures. Deadly accidents happen. Yet workers feel they are part of a blessed community
It is August 2021 and the sun is scorching in Darmo. A glance at the weather report on a mobile phone confirms what everyone here is feeling. “Temperature: 33C”, it reads.
Some 13 coal mines have permits in South Sumatra, but with millions of tons of coal temptingly there for the taking, illegal mines have mushroomed in the province. More than 700,000 hectares of land are believed to be used for illegal mining across South Sumatra. In 2019, eight illegal mines were closed.
Mohammad Ripan, 56, is one of more than 4,000 people in Muara Enim who depend on the illegal mines, also known as “community mines” or “people’s mines”, which are usually run by community collectives of local residents who don’t own them legally but who work together to organise and operate them. He is a penakil, a local term used to describe a coal miner who mines for coal manually.
At the mine in Darmo, Ripan casually swings a pickaxe, breaking up lumps of coal into smaller pieces and scraping them into a sack. Shirtless and wearing tattered cotton trousers, sneakers faded from repeated washing and a World War Two-era Japanese cap, Ripan strives to meet a personal target of filling at least 100 sacks with coal every day. If he hits the target he makes about US$11 per day.