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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.

Policies and practice: favouring big business over communities

DTE 93-94, December 2012

In this article we highlight some of the influences at work inside Indonesia which are contributing to the ongoing transfer of land from communities to corporations. These influences include national and local government policies, laws, governance and practices, whose provisions for supporting indigenous peoples and communities’ rights and livelihoods have been deprioritised in favour of large-scale, commercial ‘development’ projects. The result is a growing disparity between rich and poor, worsening imbalance in the control over agrarian resources and more and more conflicts between communities, private sector and the state.

Why systemic agrarian conflicts are continuing to break out across the land

DTE 93-94, December 2012

By Noer Fauzi Rachman*

The systemic agrarian conflicts referred to in this article are protracted conflicts arising from opposing claims made on particular pieces of land, or over natural resources and community-owned areas or territories, by giant corporations in the business of infrastructure, production, resource extraction and conservation, and where each opposing side is taking direct or indirect action to negate the claim of the other.

Indonesia’s ‘One Map Policy'

DTE 93-94, December 2012

An interview with Kasmita Widodo, director of Indonesia’s Participatory Mapping Network JKPP and head of BRWA, Indonesia’s Ancestral Domain Registration Agency.

The international landgrabbing picture: an update

DTE 93-94, December 2012

Last year DTE reported on the global land-grab phenomenon and its connection to the 2008 financial crisis, the global food price spike of 2007/2008 as well as the ongoing climate change & energy crisis.[1] Since then, more analysis of data on land deals has become available which fills in some of the detail in the picture. In this update, we take another look at the global rush for land with a focus on investors and their obligations to the people affected by land-grabbing.

When Indigenous Peoples fight for their land rights

DTE 93-94, December 2012

A protracted land conflict in Aceh involving communities, a plantation company and a struggle for authority between central and regional authorities.

By Zulfikar Arma, Aceh’s Indigenous Peoples Network (JKMA).

DTE letter to UK press on the visit of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
 
Letter to UK press, 31st October 2012
 
Sir,
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visits the UK this week. Indonesia has made strides towards democracy since the 1998 fall of Suharto and UK companies are increasing their investments in its burgeoning market. However human rights violations continue to abound in Papua where the right to freedom of expression is not upheld. Over 60 violations including stabbings and fatal shootings have taken place this year alone.

Indonesian President to receive ghoulish Halloween welcome
TAPOL and Down to Earth
Media advisory, October 24, 2012

Demonstrations planned for Wednesday, 31 October 2012