Conflict of fishermen vs tin miners in Rebo Beach, Bangka Island: Dispute in the Sungailiat special economic zone

Mining of natural resources could spark conflict between fishermen and tin miners in the Bangka Belitung Islands, an archipelagic area that is rich in tin resources. Conflict also arises in Rebo Beach, Bangka Regency, in which the fishermen’s fishing area is threatened by tin offshore mining. This article describes the life of fishermen in Rebo Beach, Bangka District. Also, analyze the conflict between fishermen and miners in Rebo Beach related to the development of SEZ Sungailiat. The method employed was qualitative research, with data collected from both Bangka Belitung provincial and district government offices, as well as direct observation of offshore mining at Rebo Beach and the adjacent beaches in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of Sungailiat. Rebo local fishermen have been protesting the operation of dredging ships in their waters area which creates environmental damages, while the miners also have strong economic purposes. The central government urges the provincial government to erect SEZs, in which the provincial government choose Sungailiat as one of its planned SEZs. The conflict should be solved for the sake of the development of the Sungailiat Special Economic Zone.