Indonesian NGO launches global campaign
Last February, at the invitation of JATAM (the Indonesian Mining Advocacy Network) and JATAM Kaltim (JATAM East Kalimantan), UK researcher Andrew Hickman saw for himself the impacts of coal mining in and around Samarinda, East Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). Andrew works for LMN member group Down to Earth. He came across a ‘coal rush’ that is stripping bare the hills and forests, while the province’s mineral riches are shipped to foreign countries day after day, “with little thought for the consequences”.
On the 8th March 2010, JATAM launched its ‘Deadly Coal’ campaign, to highlight the extent of the damage caused by Indonesia’s coal industry. By taking people on a ‘Toxic Tour’ the organisation aims to alert public opinion to the poisonous effects this industry is having on local livelihoods and the environment.
Among the companies keen to mine coal in Kalimantan is BHP Billiton.
See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10012.