Mathias Hariyadi

Recent massive flooding carried huge quantities of timber into a lake that covers more than 100 square kilometres, threatening colonies of endemic bilih fish. The government is mapping the accumulations. Entire villages have disappeared, while evidence grows that the disaster is linked to illegal logging.

The Ministry of the Environment has launched an investigation into corporate responsibility for the devastation caused by violent floods and landslides. Some 50,000 of the 340,000 hectares of forest have been logged. For Environment Minister Hanif, there will be serious repercussions. A further review is underway regarding permits. The death toll rises to 753, while experts are calling for a declaration of national disaster.

A young Muslim man in a relationship of "mutual respect" with a Christian woman has gone before the Constitutional Court to challenge Article 2 of the Marriage Law because of its ambiguity. Currently, the Civil Registry Office only register marriages performed by religious authorities. Two justices are calling for laws to better respect rights.

A new serious landslide in Central Java province has caused at least 18 deaths and numerous missing persons. Rescue efforts are hampered by a deep fracture in the ground, and new rains could widen the area affected by the disaster. Climate change and geological conditions are putting the entire country at increasing risk.

Indonesia is the world's largest producer of this raw material and the crossroads of discussions on its environmental sustainability. Over the last year, prices have fallen by more than 17%, but operators in the sector are optimistic about the biofuel market. Forty-one per cent of Indonesian plantations are owned by small farmers.

Despite accusations of human rights violations, Indonesia’s incumbent president presented the National Hero title to Suharto’s children. The official narrative cites the role the late strongman played in expelling the Japanese in 1945. The same title was also awarded to the late Abdurrahman Wahid, a symbol of democracy and pluralism, and the late trade unionist Marsinah, who was killed during the Suharto years.

The Ministry of Human Rights is intervening in the struggle of the Batak people of Sihaporas against a paper mill that is threatening their traditional lands. Local Churches had previously filed a complaint requesting action. For Minister Natalius Pigai, “any business or industrial entity must respect the interests of local people”.

Some 374 delegates have gathered in a synodal spirit in Jakarta from all the country's dioceses, in continuity with Pope Francis’s visit. For the president of the Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Antonius Subianto Bunjamin, no one should go unheard. A missionary Church cannot be built “if we remain closed to the Spirit”. For the outgoing nuncio, Archbishop Piero Pioppo, the vitality of the Indonesian Church ought to be an example for Europe.

Appeal launched to AsiaNews by Bishop Bernardus Bofitwos Baru and addressed to President Prabowo and the commander of the armed forces. Last week, more than 15 people died in an army attack on the village of Soanggama, which is in the hands of separatists. A conflict fuelled ‘by investors' interests and the exploitation of natural resources’. The warning to priests: do not be afraid to denounce the ‘armed wolves’.

The first priest and then also the first bishop from this ethnic group in North Sumatra, he died at the age of 91. He led the archdiocese for 33 years from 1976 to 2009, fostering the growth of a deeply inculturated Catholic community. A friend and hope of the poor, he was already very attentive to environmental issues twenty years ago.

Indonesian authorities have declared a state of emergency in Cikande after unprecedented levels of Cesium-137 were detected at the Modern Cikande Industrial Estate. Nine workers were exposed to the radioactive isotope, while scores have families have been evacuated. The government has deployed special decontamination units and launched an investigation into the possible causes, which may be linked to scrap metal imports from the Philippines.

Hailed as a "great success" by the president, the US$ 10-billion programme has become the centre of controversy because of 103 incidents of poisoning in 16 provinces. Often run by the military, the kitchens and the programme’s long distribution chains facilitate bacterial contamination. In some cases, shark meat is included in the menu. Experts note that the programme suffers from “systemic failure”, while discontent is also growing over its confidentiality clauses.