I first wrote a month ago about the shenanigans in Balikpapan Bay which, thanks to land speculation and massive investment, largely from South Korea, will enrich local businessfolk and higher echelon government officials at the expense of the environment and local aspirations.
The following email from Stanislav Lhota is an update.
Dear All,
There is more news in the media (in bhs. Indonesia) about Pulau Balang Bridge, and all is bad ...
This article is basically a compilation of several similar media releases. On 12th March Governor Awang Faroek of East Kalimantan attended Agrinex Internasional Expo 2010 in Jakarta, where he was lobbying to find investors for Pulau Balang, besides other problematic projects, such as further extensions of palm oil plantations.
The other news concerns the ferry Somber, which has ceased operation due to the land ownership conflict. Balikpapan local government tried to buy the land but there was already an agreement. The Governor recently refused to intervene, stating that according to the tata ruang provinsi (Provincial Spatial Plan) transport will be directed to Pulau Balang, so there will be no further investment to improve the ferry transport.
Stanislav Lhota, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Dept. Zool., Univ. of South Bohemia & Usti nad Labem Zoo
Stan is planning to launch a website soon, possibly in blog format, which will give much more information, including environmental studies, than I can offer here.
If the Indonesian government is serious about being a world leader in environmental protection, a claim which cynics such as myself believe is a political smokescreen, then they should examine the background to the proposal to drive a major road through a national park and coastal mangroves and listen to the voices which elect them as well as the views of internationally eminent scientists such as Stan.
His publications are available here and you can also support him by email.
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