Parliza Hendrawan, Palembang – The bad old practices of the New Order dictatorship of former President Suharto are still being applied in some government agencies in Indonesia.

Despite repeated pledges by the government that it will put an end to the massive forest fires sweeping across Riau, Kalimantan and Sumatra, which have been widely blamed on big and usually politically connected wood pulp and palm oil companies clearing land ahead of the planting season, the choking haze blanketing a large swathe of South-East A

Environmental activists say that in order to avoid legal liability for the massive forest fires sweeping across Riau, Sumatra and Kalimantan, big palm oil and wood pulp companies pay local people to start fires that conveniently spread onto their concession areas providing a cheap way to clear land ahead of the planting season.

The government and other circles have agreed to restrict the room to maneuver for non-government organisations (NGOs) that disrupt national sovereignty. Not only that, they could also face criminal charges.

These moves are linked with a black campaign against palm oil plantations taking place at the moment.

Man: They make a big fuss when there’s a disaster, after that they forget about it

Kid: Once again... for the sake of humanity, who’s responsible Mr?

Man: The one up there!

Environmental and community activists say that the 32-kilometre long giant sea wall being built off Jakarta’s north coast to protect the capital from flooding by high tides, which will also include a massive land reclamation project and the building of 17 artificial islands, will spell almost certain ecological disaster for Jakarta which is curr

A month after Indonesia ratified the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution – supposedly a turning point in ending the annual haze problems that create havoc in Indonesia and neighboring Singapore and Malaysia – massive forest fires are again generating thick haze in Riau and other parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Man: Responsibility isn’t just about compensation Mr! (hand reads humanity)

1st Man: Look out, carbon emissions!

2nd Man: Look out, promise emissions!

Smoke reads: Natural disasters, volcanic eruptions, flash floods, politics, corruption, Constitutional Court bribes, Upstream Oil and Gas Regulator bribery, political parties, election witness fees...

Sign reads: 2014 Festival of Democracy (2014 legislative and presidential elections)

Man: It’s a level 3 alert!

Water reads: Natural Disasters. Sack reads: Budget.

The Election Supervisory Committee is to summon officials from 10 ministries over allegations of the misuse of social aid funds to assist victims of natural disasters that it believes have been siphoned off for election campaigning.

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency a total of 5,650 or an average of 514 people per year lost their lives due to disasters such as flooding and landslides from 2003 to 2013.

1st Man: He’s coming here to inspect the situation yeah?

2nd Man: No fool, he’s off to a party meeting

Document reads: ‘Iron-Sand Mining Project Permit’

Vicky Anggriawan, Jakarta – Scores of people from a number of difference social organisations that are part of National Papua Solidarity (Napas) held a protest action in front of the PT Freeport Indonesia central office in Jakarta.

Kid: Every dry season the floods get forgotten, before there was talk about overcoming the floods, but it was just ‘will’, only now that Jakarta’s flooded, its all ‘will-will-will’ again. So who’s to blame Dad? The government?

Man: No! The water! Stupid!

The “Lapindo(s) Beauty Spa” as it is jokingly called, referring to the massive Lapindo mud flow disaster in East Java blamed on drilling by a company linked to Golkar Party chairperson and business tycoon Aburizal Bakrie (right), continues to dog his 2014 presidential ambitions with two victims receiving widespread media coverage as they near th

Speaking in Bogor before setting out for the UN Sustainable Development Conference in Rio de Janeiro, President Yudhoyono appealed to global leaders to move toward a green economy saying Indonesia had adopted an environmentally sustainable model of economic growth where its forests were prized and protected.

Man: Optimistic?

Flood waters read: Corruption, mafia, violence...