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Newsletter articles

DTE's quarterly newsletter provides information on ecological justice in Indonesia.

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DTE publications

A charter for change

Down to Earth No. 38 August 1998

Famine kills thousands, military make things worse

Down to Earth No. 37 May 1998

The famine in the central mountains of West Papua has claimed thousands of lives this year. Recent information from the area tells how the Indonesian military are making matters worse, while Jakarta ignores the tragedy.

Villagers in the remote, rugged terrain of the central highlands of West Papua are continuing to starve.

East Kalimantan burns and starves

Down to Earth No. 37 May 1998

The forest fires are back. In East Kalimantan, the worst hit area so far, tens of thousands of hectares are burning out of control. The fires -- mostly deliberately set by big business -- and the continuing effects of the drought are bringing famine and dispossession to local communities whose once rich resources have been plundered and destroyed.

The push for indigenous rights

Down to Earth No. 36, February 1998

Indigenous representatives from different parts of the archipelago have demanded that the Indonesian government respect their rights. A joint visit to Jakarta in October is a sign of the growing momentum of the indigenous movement in Indonesia.

Famine grips West Papua

Down to Earth No. 36 February 1998

The highland region of West Papua is in the grip of the worst famine in living memory. Thousands are dying of starvation and disease. The effects of the prolonged drought have been exacerbated by apparent government indifference, lack of transportation for relief supplies and inappropriate "solutions" to the crisis.

The 1997 fires: Responsibility rests with Suharto

Down to Earth No. 35, November 1997, Forest Fires Special Supplement

1997 will be remembered as a year when greed and folly led to international pollution on an unprecedented scale. Indonesia's fires, burning in some places since June, have devastated vast swathes of forests and farmland and have endangered the health of tens of millions of people across at least six countries.