German Bank Pulls Out of Controversial Indonesian Gold Mine Scheme

18th January 2008

Urgewald + Watch Indonesia!, press note

The Indonesian province of North Sulawesi is a biodiversity hotspot and harbors some of the world’s most spectacular nature areas. Northern Sulawesi is also home to a series of gold deposits, the largest of which is known by the name of Toka Tindung. Plans to establish gold mining operations here have met with widespread resistance both from local inhabitants and the Provincial government, who fear that the mines would disrupt ... read more

Posted on 08:47 AM in Economy, Labor & Corruption, Joint Press Releases & Statements, Indonesia, Mining, Publications, Environment & Climate
Tags: mining, Germany, Indonesia, protest action, government, Sulawesi, environment and climate, economy and business

Oil palm plantations? Carbon credits? Papua’s forests targeted

Down to Earth, November 2007

West Papua / forests:

Large areas of Papua’s rich and diverse forests are being targeted by Indonesian and overseas investors for conversion into oil palm plantations. At the same time, discussions are in progress to reserve large areas of Papua’s forest to generate carbon credits for trade on international markets. Decisions about these developments will very probably be made over the heads of the people who will be most directly affected by them: the indigenous ... read more

Posted on 11:46 AM in Agro Fuels, Human Rights, Indonesia, Land & Indigenous Rights, Mining, Papua, Publications, Rainforest, Environment & Climate, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: agrofuel ("biofuel"), mining, indigenous people, Indonesia, carbon, land rights, human rights, military, palm oil, Papua, plantations, Police, rain forest destruction, security sector, special autonomy, impunity, environment and climate, economy and business

What Future for Papua?

April 2007

Alex Flor, Marianne Klute, Petra Stockmann

The Helsinki agreement of 2005 marks the historic peace process for Indonesia’s westernmost province Aceh. After three decades of violence and repression, the long self determination conflict is in the process of being resolved. Both the Free Aceh Movement and the Indonesian government have made substantial concessions for this to happen. However, for the second most burning and long lasting self-determination conflict, concerning Indonesia’s easternmost region Papua, formerly ... read more

Posted on 01:52 PM in Human Rights, Indonesia, Land & Indigenous Rights, Mining, Papua, Publications, Environment & Climate, Watch Indonesia! in the Media, Watch's Studies and Reports
Tags: mining, indigenous people, Indonesia, conflict resolution, land rights, Megawati Sukarnoputri, OPM, Papua, law, reformasi, rain forest destruction, regional conflicts, special autonomy

(Deutsch) WestLB im Goldrausch

Sorry, this entry is not available in English.
German version

Posted on 11:19 AM in Indonesia, Mining, Publications, Environment & Climate, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: mining, Germany, Indonesia, protest action, Sulawesi, environment and climate, economy and business

(Deutsch) Weltgrößter Goldbergbaukonzern angeklagt

Sorry, this entry is not available in English.
German version

Posted on 11:05 AM in Indonesia, Mining, Publications, Environment & Climate, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: mining, Indonesia, criminal prosecution, Sulawesi, environment and climate, economy and business

Walhi Demands A Halt To Freeport Mine Operations

WALHI press release, October 11, 2003

Friends of the Earth Indonesia, (WALHI) demands the government halt operations at the Grasberg mine (known as Freeport) following a disastrous landslide on Thursday morning 9 October 2003. The Grasberg mine in West Papua is jointly owned by USA-based Freeport McMoran and UK/Australian mining company Rio Tinto Ltd.

“This event proves Freeport is not competent to handle the current high level of mining production. The government must immediately enforce a reduction in the Freeport production capacity” ... read more

Posted on 04:29 PM in Disasters, Indonesia, Mining, Environment & Climate
Tags: mining, Indonesia, disasters, Papua, government, environment and climate

Environmental Agreement For ECAs at The OECD Threatened by German Government Obstructionism

17 September 2001

LETTER TO GERMANY’S CHANCELLOR SCHROEDER

BACKGROUND:

Negotiations have continued for more than two years at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for an environmental agreement for Export Credit and Investment Insurance Agencies (ECAs). These negotiations represent an important first step toward binding, stringent, internationally accepted and common social, environmental and human rights standards for ECAs. ECAs are the world’s largest sources of public finance for destructive large-scale infrastructure projects in low income countries. They are responsible for ... read more

Posted on 04:59 PM in Joint Open Letters, Human Rights, Indonesia, Mining, Publications, Pulp & Paper, Environment & Climate
Tags: mining, export credit agency (ECA), Indonesia, human rights, pulp and paper, Papua, rain forest destruction, environment and climate

(Deutsch) Geiseln für das Weltgewissen

Sorry, this entry is not available in English.
German version

Posted on 03:53 PM in Human Rights, Indonesia, Land & Indigenous Rights, Mining, Papua, Publications, Rainforest, Environment & Climate, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: mining, Indonesia, land rights, human rights, military, OPM, Papua, protest action, environment and climate, independence, economy and business