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Newsletter articles

DTE's quarterly newsletter provides information on ecological justice in Indonesia.

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The Bahasa Indonesia list offers links to selected articles from each newsletter issue.

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DTE publications

Indonesia and Down to Earth - a 50th edition editorial

Down to Earth No 50 August 2001


Please note: this editorial was prepared before the change of president. To see our statement on this change please click here.

Indonesia today faces an uncertain future. President Wahid is expected to be forced out of power any day and, under a future President Megawati Soekarnoputri, democratic reform could be stopped in its tracks.

The fight against illegal logging

Down to Earth No 50 August 2001


The campaign to stop illegal logging has become a key focus for Indonesia's new forestry minister, but the problem is immense and can only be properly tackled, say NGOs, by a complete overhaul of forest management in Indonesia.

Illegal logging has reached unprecedented levels in post-Suharto Indonesia, with up to 56.6 million cubic metres of logs being felled without permits each year.

Oil palm investments opposed

Down to Earth No. 49, May 2001


The government's plan to expand oil palm plantations could founder because it fails to address the underlying question of community rights to farmland and forests.

Oil palm remains a central plank of Indonesia's economic recovery strategy despite growing social unrest arising from disputes over plantation land.

Forest destruction fuelled by debt, poverty and greed

Down to Earth No 49 May 2001


The Wahid government is making last-minute efforts to comply with demands for forest reform agreed last year with its international creditors. Many NGOs feel these efforts will not be enough to stop the rampant destruction in Indonesia's forests. They suspect that the reform process is being driven by the priorities of the creditors who want conservation and "sustainable" management, but also debt repayment.

Export credit finances destructive, debt-laden projects

Down to Earth No. 49, May 2001


A new NGO report has drawn attention to the role of export credit lending agencies in pulp and paper mills and other projects in Indonesia, which have led to increased deforestation and abuse of people's rights.

Aceh: Exxon Mobil shuts down

Down to Earth No. 49, May 2001


In March the US-based oil company Exxon Mobil announced it was suspending operations at its Aceh oil and gas fields due to the deteriorating security situation. It is no coincidence that only days later, the Jakarta government announced it would step up military operations in the conflict-ridden territory.

Exxon Mobil announced the temporary shut-down of operations in Aceh on March 9th.

Group 4 security company called in by Caltex in Riau

Down to Earth No 49 May 2001


The US-based oil company Caltex Pacific Indonesia has called in the international security firm, Group 4, to deal with problems at its conflict-ridden oil operations in Riau province, Sumatra.

Caltex, a joint venture between Texaco and Chevron, is Indonesia's biggest oil producer, with a current output of around 690,000 barrels per day.

During the past months the company's operations have been hit by strikes, protests over land, employment and environmental impacts (see DTE 48).

In late Febr