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.
Snapshots of corporate control over land in Indonesia
Many of Indonesia's wealthiest business players control extensive landholdings for large-scale projects such as oil palm and pulpwood plantations, mining, oil and gas, logging, tourism and property. Some of the country's highest earning conglomerates, including the Bakrie Group and the Royal Golden Eagle Group have interests in several sectors which demand large areas of land.
Messages for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono whose UK visit was marked by a demonstration on October 31st. The demonstration was organised by groups including DTE, TAPOL, Survival International, the UK-based NGO Forum for Indonesia andTimor-Leste and their supporters.
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.
Andrew Hickman of Down to Earth spoke of the destructiveness of the company’s coal project in Kalimantan, Indonesia. He was told that the company was still studying possibilities and would not go ahead with any major project during the coming year...
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