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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.

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).

How much land?

DTE 93-94, December 2012

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.

An Indonesian coal company on the London Stock Exchange

DTE 91-92, May 2012

Campaigners are calling for the UK government to tighten up the rules for companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. A new report, launched in February 2012, includes a case study by DTE on the newly created Bumi plc.

Big plans for Papua

DTE 91-92, May 2012

In our special edition newsletter on Papua published in November 2011, DTE drew attention to the long and sorry history of top-down resource exploitation in Papua. Now, a whole raft of new development plans are being pushed through, under the government’s nation-wide effort to speed up development (MP3EI), launched last year. An additional layer of plans specifically for Papua is being promoted by UP4B, a special unit to speed up development in Papua.

Indonesia taken to task over MIFEE

DTE 89-90, November 2011, Special Papua edition

The United National Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has written to the Indonesian government to express concern about the impacts of the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate project (MIFEE) on the indigenous peoples affected by this agro-industrial mega-project.