Ministry Blasts ‘Illegal’ Freeport Mining
The increasingly frustrated Indonesian Ministry of Forestry has issued a second warning to mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia for not obtaining a permit to mine in protected forest areas. London-listed Rio Tinto helped to finance expansion of Freeport’s massive Grasberg mine in Indonesian-occupied West Papua and continues to profit from it. Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan [...]
London Calling deplores the gilding of Tata’s tarnished image
New York-based Rainforest Alliance has certified Tata (Tetley brand) teas as “sustainable”. The first products carrying this highly sought-after stamp of approval will be selling in the UK before April, and throughout the world over the coming few years. Yet, Tata is on record as violating Indigenous Peoples’ rights, threatening the integrity of rainforests, and [...]
Open Appeal to ANZ, Standard Bank and BNP Paribas: Stay away from the Toka Tindung gold mine on Sulawesi!
London Mining Network has signed a letter, written by Dutch-based NGO Banktrack, expressing concern about the apparent interest of BNP Paribas, ANZ and Standard Bank in offering financial support for the development of the gold mining operation Toka Tindung on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The mine is owned bytwo subsidiaries of London-listed Archipelago Resources, [...]
Conflicts over mining: the illusory boundary between “legal” and “illegal”
It’s widely believed that “illegal” mining is only undertaken by small groups of entrepreneurs or artisanal operators. If, and when, the state cracks down on their operations, the culprits are removed (sometimes with considerable violence, as in Brazil and Indonesia) to be replaced by registered and “more responsible” companies. But the reality is often more [...]
BHP retains ownership of destructive coal project in Kalimantan
Last year, the world’s biggest mining company announced it would sell out of a major coal project in the rainforests of Indonesian Kalimantan. Don’t for a moment think that BHP Billiton was influenced by criticisms of its role in boosting global greenhouse gas emissions, or the destruction that the mine would inevitably wreak. The decision [...]
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