The people of Indonesia & their culture, politics, economy and environment - Inside Indonesia: The peoples and cultures of Indonesia

Pollution

Buried under the weight of a recycling crisis

When paper waste imports started began 20 years ago most Bangun residents sold their farms to work as waste collectors for paper mills. Now many are dependent on waste sorting

Moving toward a circular economy

The complexity of plastic waste in Indonesia

The waste emergency

Government, producers and the public must all cooperate to tackle Indonesia’s waste problems

Review: Palm oil and patronage

An investigation into the transboundary haze and the palm plantations in Indonesia

Haze of democracy

Schools were closed for over a month due to the forest fires - Ardiles Rante/Greenpeace

Elections are fuelling the forest fires in Central Kalimantan

Undercutting Kalimantan's future

Forest conversion in Kalimantan is a local, national and global concern

Big business, big damage

Bioprospecting is threatening Bunaken National Park

Sun, sand and smoke

Air crashes, riots, smog, and a currency crisis dented tourist arrivals in 1997. But, says ANNA KARIN EKLÖF, newly rich Asian tourists will save the industry in the long term.

Indorayon's last gasp?

Popular protest closes a huge paper and pulp mill in Sumatra, but others go on polluting

Pesticide policy in Indonesia

What sort of attempt is being made to control the use of pesticides?

Jakarta's rubbish nightmare

Mountains of garbage and nowhere to put it

Polluting Bali

Environmental groups protest a power plant at Lovina

Water, land, and Suharto

Review: Both books illustrate the way the Suharto family exploited Indonesia

Latest Articles

Essay: Testing out my Bahasa Indonesia

Jul 09, 2024 - PATRICK J MAHONY

We need to learn more about each other. If we do, we will find that in many ways we have much in common

Asbestos danger

Jul 08, 2024 - GWYN ROBERTS

What can be done to prevent suffering in Indonesia?

Obituary: Stop telling, start listening

Jul 04, 2024 - DUNCAN GRAHAM

Owen Podger’s guide to aid-giving

Essay: What remains of the 1998 tragedy for the post-1998 generation

Jun 26, 2024 - ALVINO KUSUMABRATA

Hearing about my mother's experiences in May 1998 became a pivotal moment that has shaped my life.

Obit: Bob Muntz, 1947-2024

Jun 24, 2024 - HELEN PAUSACKER

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Lontar Modern Indonesia

A selection of stories from the Indonesian classics and modern writers, periodically published free for Inside Indonesia readers, courtesy of Lontar.