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Laws & regulations

Court action on Monsanto's GM cotton gets underway

Down to Earth No 50 August 2001


Indonesian NGOs objecting to a government decree allowing the planting of Monsanto's GM cotton are taking the agriculture minister to court in an attempt to have the decree annulled.

The NGO Coalition for Biosafety and Food Safety has launched a court action to annul Decree No. 107/2001 which allows the limited release of genetically modified cotton in South Sulawesi province.

Regional autonomy from Suharto to Wahid

Down to Earth No. 46, August 2000

The idea of devolving authority to regional centres has been around for a long time. Indeed, incipient movements for autonomy and regional independence were strong in the first years of after independence, but clumsy CIA support triggered the centralist policies of the Sukarno regime. (Kahin, A.R. and Kahin, G.McT., 1995. Subversion as Foreign Policy: the Secret Eisenhower and Dulles Debacle in Indonesia. The New Press, New York).

Action on mud imports

Down to Earth No 44, February 2000

After months of official inaction over the import of waste mud from Singapore, environment minister Sonny Keraf has finally taken action which may halt the shipments.

New fisherfolk network takes action

Down to Earth No.

Indigenous Peoples' demands for change

Down to Earth No 43, November 1999

AMAN, the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago, was created as a result of the Indigenous Congress held in Jakarta in March. Since then, this first national indigenous peoples' organisation has begun to make its presence felt in a number of ways.

Regional meetings of AMAN have been held in several places between July and September.

Tough challenges ahead for new government

Down to Earth No. 43, November 1999

Indonesia's new democratic government led by President Abdurrahman Wahid has inherited many serious problems from its predecessors, not least the crisis in natural resources and the plight of millions of rural and indigenous peoples who depend upon them.

Forestry Act fiercely opposed

Down to Earth No. 42, August 1999