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.

Joint briefing by WDM, LMN, WALHI, FoE Australia and DTE

October 2014

For centuries, the indigenous Dayak peoples of Indonesian Borneo lived from the abundant forests and rivers that blanketed the
region. Now, BHP Billiton is planning to build a series of massive coal mines that would destroy primary rainforest, deprive indigenous peoples of their customary land, and pollute water sources relied on by up to 1 million people.

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Press Release by Down to Earth and London Mining Network

London, Tuesday 22nd October 2013

The board of controversial mining giant BHP Billiton is set to be slammed at its AGM by an Indonesian activist over seven coal concessions collectively covering an area of more than 350,000 hectares in the relatively unspoilt rainforest centre of the island of Borneo. Part of this project overlaps the transnational Heart of Borneo conservation area, described by the Asian Development Bank as “the lungs of Southeast Asia".

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.