Open letter to European Commission Biomass Action Plan and the European Biofuel Directive

Berlin, January 3, 2007

Dear Madam, dear Sir,

on January 10th, 2007, the European Commission is going to make an announcement about the review of the Biomass Action Plan and the European Biofuel Directive.

In December 2006, the European Parliament recognized that the lack of clear environmental standards and safeguards could have significant negative effects, such as an increase in tropical deforestation, agriculture intensification and biodiversity losses in Europe and abroad, while failing to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

For producer countries like ... read more

Posted on 09:05 PM in Agro Fuels, Human Rights, Indonesia, Land & Indigenous Rights, Publications, Rainforest, Environment & Climate, Watch's Open Letters
Tags: agrofuel ("biofuel"), European Union (EU), Indonesia, land rights, palm oil, plantations, rain forest destruction, environment and climate

(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

Joint letter on UPM-Kymenne’s cooperation with APRIL

December 20th, 2006

To:
Jussi Pesonen
President & CEO
UPM-Kymmene Oyj                                               

Dear Jussi Pesonen,

We, the undersigned citizens’ organisations, are deeply concerned about UPM-Kymmene’s on-going supplying of pulp from Asia Pacific Resources International Ltd (APRIL). APRIL’s operations in Riau Province, Indonesia, are causing irreplaceable destruction of nature and social problems.

UPM has been involved with APRIL nearly ten years. During this time main problems of APRIL’s operations — supplying fibre from natural forests, large-scale conversion of rainforests for pulp ... read more

Posted on 04:14 AM in Economy, Labor & Corruption, Joint Open Letters, Human Rights, Indonesia, Land & Indigenous Rights, Publications, Rainforest, Environment & Climate
Tags: biodiversity, Indonesia, carbon, land rights, plantations, rain forest destruction, Sumatra, environment and climate, economy and business

(Deutsch) Watch Indonesia! fordert Verzicht auf Biodiesel aus indonesischem Palmöl

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German version

Posted on 03:18 PM in Agro Fuels, Indonesia, Publications, Environment & Climate, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: agrofuel ("biofuel"), European Union (EU), Indonesia, carbon, human rights, palm oil, rain forest destruction, environment and climate

(Deutsch) Europas Energieprobleme nicht auf Kosten anderer lösen!

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German version

Posted on 12:08 PM in Agro Fuels, Human Rights, Indonesia, Land & Indigenous Rights, Publications, Rainforest, Environment & Climate, Watch's Press Releases & Statements
Tags: agrofuel ("biofuel"), European Union (EU), Indonesia, land rights, human rights, palm oil, plantations, rain forest destruction

(Deutsch) Geschichte bleibt tabu

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German version

Posted on 04:04 PM in Human Rights, Indonesia, Publications, Transitional Justice, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: dictator Suharto, Indonesia, human rights, transitional justice, truth commission

Pipit Rochijat’s Subversive Mythologies

Asian Folklore Studies, Volume 65, 2006: 21–44

The Suharto Era and Beyond

This article examines Indonesian émigré Pipit Rochijat’s attempts to adapt and renew the tales of the traditional shadow theatre, the wayang. The significance of Pipit’s subversive mythologies lies in the historical context in which these reinterpretations occurred: at the height of Suharto’s New Order regime in the mid 1980s. At a time when censorship and self-censorship had virtually crippled the critical impulse of Indonesian cultural ... read more

Posted on 02:15 PM in History & Overview, Indonesia, Publications, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: Indonesia, culture, New Order

(Deutsch) Indonesien ist der größte Palmölproduzent der Erde

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German version

Posted on 09:04 PM in Agro Fuels, Economy, Labor & Corruption, Human Rights, Indonesia, Land & Indigenous Rights, Publications, Rainforest, Environment & Climate, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: agrofuel ("biofuel"), labour, food security, Indonesia, Kalimantan / Borneo, carbon, land rights, military, palm oil, plantations, rain forest destruction, security sector, Sumatra, economy and business

NGOs present bleak RI report to European partners

The Jakarta Post, 11 November 2006

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Brussels, Belgium

Poverty and human rights abuses are still serious problems in Indonesia, with non-governmental organizations presenting a bleak report on both issues at a recent meeting in Brussels, Belgium.

The report, orchestrated by the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID), highlighted the worsening poverty in the country.

The latest government data show that at least 39 million Indonesians, 17.7 percent of the population, live ... read more

Posted on 11:11 AM in democracy, Economy, Labor & Corruption, Human Development, Human Rights, Indonesia, Publications, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: labour, poverty, Indonesia, human rights, NGO, debt, economy and business

South-East Asia’s Peat Fires and Global Warming

November 10th, 2006

-for immediate release-

Joint Press Release by Ecological Internet, Biofuelwatch, Watch Indonesia! and Save the Rainforest (Germany)

At Nairobi, governments are debating the future of the Kyoto Protocol and action to prevent the most serious impacts of climate change. So far, they appear to have ignored to address one of the greatest single sources of carbon emissions: the destruction of South-east Asia’s peatlands and forests. The annual emissions from annual peat and forest fires ... read more

Posted on 12:46 PM in Disasters, Joint Press Releases & Statements, Indonesia, Publications, Rainforest, Environment & Climate
Tags: Indonesia, carbon, plantations, rain forest destruction, environment and climate