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.

Extract from a report by Richard Solly, Co-ordinator, London Mining Network, November 5th 2013

Go to full report on LMN's website

In the days when Don Argus was Chairman of BHP Billiton, the company’s critics could rely on getting a metaphorical kick in the throat from a man not noted for courtesy. Jac Nasser is as smooth as silk but his answers to the same criticisms are just as unsatisfactory.

October 24th, 2013

Extract from 'Initial reflections on the 2013 BHP Billiton AGM', by Andy Whitmore, on behalf of the London Mining Network

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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".

A new report and three videos by the World Development Movement (WDM) follow a joint visit with DTE to Kalimantan to investigate the impacts of UK-financed coal-mining on the ground.

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.