Newsletter articles

Down to Earth No. 39, Nov 1998

People's action to reclaim their land is gathering pace.

The protests in the weeks immediately surrounding the fall of Suharto were largely mounted by urban-based students, workers and professional groups. Land reform - if mentioned – came at the end of lists of demands for the removal of the president, moves against corruption and reduced food prices.

Down to Earth No. 38, August 1998

In post-Suharto Indonesia, the reform movement is pushing for a new, clean government and demanding that the nation's rich resources are returned to the control of the people. Down to Earth salutes the reform movement and supports the forces for democracy and ecological justice in their struggle for a better future!

Down to Earth No. 37 May 1998

European Union funding of the Gunung Leuser National Park and the Leuser Ecosystem is the target of criticism in an investigation by the UK-based NGO, the Rainforest Foundation, published in March 1998. The programme, to protect one of the largest tracts of rainforest in S. E. Asia, was one of three case studies in a report on the environmental and social impacts of European Commission funding in tropical areas.