Sumatra

 

Down to Earth No. 45, May 2000

Environment minister Sonny Keraf says the fate of PT Indorayon's North Sumatra pulp mill will be decided by June at the latest. The long dispute has become another test case. How far is the Indonesian government willing to ignore community opposition to damaging projects in order to reassure foreign investors?

Down to Earth No. 45, May 2000

Indigenous communities whose forests have been plundered by logging companies are demanding compensation for the damage. Deprived of the protection they enjoyed under former President Suharto, the companies are having to take them seriously.

Down to Earth No. 45, May 2000

Coastal communities are being impoverished by large-scale illegal fishing operations; the country's coral reefs are badly damaged and its mangroves are rapidly disappearing. Indonesia's coastal resources are facing a grave crisis. The question now is whether the government of President Wahid has the political commitment to stop the devastation.

Down to Earth No 43, November 1999

AMAN, the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago, was created as a result of the Indigenous Congress held in Jakarta in March. Since then, this first national indigenous peoples' organisation has begun to make its presence felt in a number of ways.

Regional meetings of AMAN have been held in several places between July and September.

Down to Earth No. 43, November 1999

Indonesia's new democratic government led by President Abdurrahman Wahid has inherited many serious problems from its predecessors, not least the crisis in natural resources and the plight of millions of rural and indigenous peoples who depend upon them.

Down to Earth No. 42, August 1999

Down to Earth No. 42, August 1999

Almost all of the 48 parties which contested Indonesia's June elections have failed to show the commitment to community rights and the environment that is needed for the sound management of the country's natural resources.