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Mining, oil & gas

Sand mining destroys community resources

Down to Earth No. 51, November 2001


The mining of coastal sands for export is blighting the livelihoods of small-scale fisherfolk in Riau.

Sand mining in the coastal waters of Riau is taking a heavy toll on the marine environment and the peoples who depend on it. Riau province, eastern Sumatra, is closest to the biggest consumer of the sand - Singapore. Companies, backed by Singaporean buyers, use dredges that excavate sand at a rate of 6,000 cubic metres a day.

In Brief... DTE 51 - November 2001

Down to Earth No 51 November 2001

Stop Exxon Mobil! Free Kautsar!

The Aceh Community Democratic Resistance Front (FPDRA) is circulating a petition to free an Acehnese activist detained for speaking out against the US-based oil and gas multinational, Exxon Mobil. The petition also calls for a halt to Exxon's operations in Aceh.

Kautsar was arrested on July 11th by the local Aceh police force when he was on his way to a demonstration organised by a coalition of 13 organizations known as KARA (Aceh Community Action Coalition).

The London Declaration

Released for publication on September 20, 2001

* Refuting the unsustainable claims of the mining industry
* Opposing current models of "engagement"
* Demanding full recognition of community rights

We - twenty four representatives of communities and groups affected by mining from Asia-Pacific, Africa, India, South and North America - met in London from May 18-23rd 2001, to compare the impacts of mining on the lives of communities and ecosystems and to share strategies on how to confront the industry.

Communities and companies

Down to Earth No 50 August 2001

Violations of community rights are still continuing as companies and regional governments try to maximise income from the country's mineral resources. At the same time, mining companies are complaining about the "legal vacuum" hampering their operations in Indonesia.

Large-scale mining in Indonesia is in 'legal limbo', as the protesting companies see it, because their contracts, signed during the Suharto era, are being nibbled away by the demands of local governments newly empowered by regional autonomy.

Aceh: Lawsuit accuses Exxon Mobil of complicity in abuses

Down to Earth No 50 August 2001


The US-based oil giant Exxon Mobil is being challenged in an American court over its implication in human rights abuses committed by Indonesian troops in the war-torn territory of Aceh.

The lawsuit launched against Exxon Mobil on June 20th argues that the company must be held accountable for its part in the Indonesian military's reign of terror in Aceh, during which massacres, incidents of torture, murder, rape and "disappearances" have been carried out with impunity.

Papuans reject autonomy, call Freeport/Rio Tinto to account

Down to Earth No 49 May 2001


The shooting of demonstrators, killings in police detention and increased military presence are making the prospects for peace in West Papua even more remote.

Group 4 security company called in by Caltex in Riau

Down to Earth No 49 May 2001


The US-based oil company Caltex Pacific Indonesia has called in the international security firm, Group 4, to deal with problems at its conflict-ridden oil operations in Riau province, Sumatra.

Caltex, a joint venture between Texaco and Chevron, is Indonesia's biggest oil producer, with a current output of around 690,000 barrels per day.

During the past months the company's operations have been hit by strikes, protests over land, employment and environmental impacts (see DTE 48).

In late Febr