International Financial Institutions

Down to Earth No. 42, August 1999

A new approach to lending is needed among Indonesia's creditors which addresses the problems of poverty, the abuse of human rights and the degradation of natural resources.

Down to Earth No. 42, August 1999

A long-running land dispute between oil palm plantation company PT London Sumatra and indigenous Dayak landowners has resulted in large-scale military and police repression in East Kalimantan.

Down to Earth No. 42, August 1999

The resumption of plans for logging and oil palm plantations on the biologically and culturally unique island of Siberut show how current 'reform era' measures still allow powerful elites to profit at the expense of indigenous communities.

Down to Earth No. 42 1999

The Central Kalimantan Mega-project, or 'PLG', as it is known in Indonesia, has been an unmitigated disaster. The ecology and biodiversity of a vast area has been devastated; indigenous communities have lost their resources and livelihoods; and the transmigrant families who were brought in to work on the project remain dependent on government assistance as their harvests fail repeatedly.

Down to Earth No. 42, August 1999

Down to Earth No. 41, May 1999

Farmers, workers, indigenous peoples, fisherfolk, NGOs, students and academics are coming together to formulate people-centred, environmentally sound development strategies to replace the obsolete, bankrupt and abusive money-centred practices of the Suharto era.

Down to Earth No 40, February 1999

A number of factors are forcing the pace of reforms in forestry policy in Indonesia: many logging concessions have expired or will do so soon; the devastating 1997/8 forest fires; the corruption revealed in the aftermath of Suharto's resignation; the pressure for increased revenues from the forestry and plantation sectors from the economic crisis; loan conditions imposed by international donors; the ITTO's goal of sustainable logging by 20