Indonesia

Indonesia has great natural wealth but many of its citizens live in extreme poverty. Democratic progress has been made since the resigation of former president Suharto in 1998, but many civil society organisations feel that far too little progress has been made towards sustainable management of the country's resources, and ensuring that Indonesia's diverse communities have a real say in decisions which affect their future.

Down to Earth No.85-86, August 2010

Indonesia is now the world's largest exporter of thermal coal - supplying power stations and generating electricity in India, China Europe and many other countries around the world.

Down to Earth No.85-86, August 2010

What is the coal relationship between Indonesia and the UK? How are ordinary people connected - from consumers and shareholders in the UK to communities suffering the impacts of coal-mining in Indonesia? This article is the result of some initial investigations into those links.

By Carolyn Marr, DTE

Down to Earth No.85-86, August 2010

The case of Rio Tinto, BP, the Bakrie Brothers and Kaltim Prima Coal.

By Andrew Hickman, DTE

It is a sad fact that more than 10 years after the fall of Suharto and the establishment of democratic rule in Indonesia corruption, collusions and nepotism, known in Indonesian as KKN - remain key problems and challenges faced by Indonesia today.

Down to Earth No.85-86, August 2010

The following is extracted from a special report by Roger Moody of Nostromo Research, for Mines and Communities. The full report is at www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10299.

The world's second most-populated country was, until recently, believed to contain the world's fourth largest reserves of coal.

Down to Earth No 52 February 2002

BP currently joint owns and manages Indonesia's biggest coal mine. It has 50% of the shares in PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC), a massive open cast mine near Sangatta, East Kutai district, East Kalimantan province. The Anglo-Australian mining giant, Rio Tinto, owns the other 50%. KPC is currently embroiled in a power struggle with the local authorities as, under the initial agreement, this foreign-owned company must sell off 51% of its shares to Indonesian parties [1].

Down to Earth No. 43, November 1999

In South Kalimantan province, coal mining - involving Australian companies - is continuing to disrupt the lives of local communities. In Hulu Sungai Utara district, the district head, Suhailin Muchtar said that both legal and illegal coal mining activities had damaged the environment. PT Adaro Indonesia's coal mine (part-owned by Australia's New Hope) operates in this district.