Digging their graves

Thousands of illegal gold miners in North Sulawesi have overrun the leasehold of the Australian company Aurora Gold. Every few hours, under hundreds of shanty tents and lean-tos scattered across the hills, they pour mercury from metal flasks into soil that they have dragged in sacks down rutted tracks behind bullocks. The mercury separates gold from sludge, giving the miners and their powerful backers a handsome income. But some of an estimated 200 tonnes of mercury this year will enter their bodies. Chronic mercury poisoning can result in an agonising death. Much of the rest will be washed down into Manado harbour, one of Indonesia's top tourist destinations. There are no regulations, and no in-depth investigations have been made. The government estimates that thirty tonnes of gold, four million tonnes of coal and 2800 carats of diamonds, all illegally mined, are being exported each year. The hundreds of millions of dollars being reaped from this pillage, officials say, are going to some of Indonesia's top serving or retired military officers. Surna, director-general of mines, says his department's efforts to curb the illegal industry are opposed by some powerful people. 'Many three-star generals call me and say please be nice with this company or that company,' he says. 'They say, be careful... don't play around.'

Lindsay Murdoch, The Age (Melbourne) 1 July 2000

Aceh's patients

Aceh's only mental institution has seen more than a 100% increase in the number of patients admitted since the outbreak of new conflict in late 1998. 'This institution has a capacity of caring for 180 mentally ill persons. Two years ago, at the most we had 100 patients. But now the number of patients has reached 250,' said Dr Muhammad Idris Ibrahim of the Banda Aceh Central Mental Institution. Most new patients come from the districts most affected by violence - Pidie, North and East Aceh. Seventy percent are men. Most patients pay only Rp 1000 (A$0.25) a day and the hospital is seriously short of staff and funds. 'Free Aceh, Free Aceh!', 'Where are those soldiers, I will kill them all!' patients shout. Dr Ibrahim fears what will happen if the conflict escalates once more.

Detikworld 24 August 2000

Badminton gold

Clapping and chanting 'Ole, Ole,' Indonesian fans cheered their men's doubles pair to an Olympic gold medal, beating the South Koreans. The South Koreans and British, two teams that had never won an Olympic badminton medal, picked up a bronze apiece. Tony Gunawan and Candra Wijaya, top-ranked in doubles, broke a 3-3 tie after a 79-stroke rally, then went on to win the first game 15-10. After a scare in the second, which they lost 9-15, they broke a 4-4 tie in the third and steadily built up a lead to win 15-7 and take home Indonesia's only gold.

Associated Press 22 September 2000

Radioactive kampong

Residents of a kampong in Tangerang, west of Jakarta, have been exposed to radioactive waste for at least nine years. The PT Ultra Prima Cemerlang factory uses thorium nitrate in its production of socks for pressure lamps (petromax). Instead of sealing the waste thorium nitrate in thick concrete boxes, management ordered it buried in plastic bags in the football field behind the factory. Each year the company that owns the factory, PT Tasuma, imports 40 tons of the highly radioactive substance from China - it makes the sock glow brighter and last longer. Officials found that radiation levels in the factory were 2-14 higher than the allowable maximum. 'The profit from making lamp socks is very small', said Freddy Halim from PT Tasuma. The company was charged for waste removal, but has not been fined. About 200 similar factories use thorium nitrate in Indonesia.

Tempo 1 October 2000

Unpaid protesters

A group of people who were promised Rp 30,000 (US$3.42) each for participating in a demonstration outside parliament in Jakarta became angry and smashed up the car of the man who recruited them when he failed to pay. The protesters, who were in a group called Gema Lapar (Hunger Echoes), had been instructed by a businessman to complain about the recent 12% increase in fuel prices. When the money was handed out, there was not enough for everyone. Realising the promised payment was not forthcoming, the unpaid protesters ran amok and attacked the organiser's green Toyota Kijang van, which was parked in the parliament compound. The protesters, mostly jobless people, said they were angry with the guy who recruited them.

Indonesian Observer 4 October 2000

'Alternative Nobel'

An Indonesian human rights lawyer shares this year's Right Livelihood Awards, known as the Alternative Nobels. Lawyer Munir was awarded one quarter of the 2.0 million Swedish crown (US$ 204,600) cash award for his 'courage and dedication in fighting for human rights and the civilian control of the military.' The three other recipients were Ethiopian scientist Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher for his role in international negotiations to safeguard biodiversity and the traditional rights of farms, Turkish environmentalist Birsel Lemke, and United States plant geneticist Wes Jackson. Jakob von Uexkull, a Swedish-German who sold his valuable stamp collection to fund the awards since 1980, said the aim was to honour people whose achievements for humanity were not covered by the existing Nobel prizes.

Reuters 6 October 2000

Stand up to the Swoosh

Jim Keady was lying on the dank cement in slummy Tangerang, an industrial suburb of Jakarta. His head was throbbing and he was faint from hunger. Keady, a professional US footballer turned Catholic moral theologian, had volunteered to live for a month on the typical wages - about US$1.20 a day - of an Indonesian factory worker sewing shoes for Nike. After a month, Keady had lost 25 pounds. The experience confirmed, he says, that

'Nike is paying a starvation wage in Indonesia. I know - I starved on it.' The goalkeeper at St John's became a crusader while writing a paper on the connection between moral theology and sport. When he refused to endorse Nike products, he says he was asked to resign from the college football team.

Andrew Hsiao, The Village Voice [New York] 10 October 200