ENGLISH VERSION:
Message from the Director of Kalaweit, to the Indonesian President, Joko Widodo
My name is Chanee, I come from Europe, but I have lived in Kalimantain for 17 years , in the central province of Palangkaraya.
I'm proud to have obtained Indonesian nationality 3 years ago, because I really love Indonesia.
But Mr President, allow me to convey to you today my anger.
I'm not angry just because my son has a respiratory infection, like hundreds of other children. I'm not angry just because thousands of people have difficulty in breathing, or because they cry and pray to be able to see the sun. I'm not angry just because the forest in Kalimantan is in the process of being destroyed.
Mr President, I'm angry because all of this suffering exists because of the palm oil industry. The decisions of both the previous governments and the current government, are at the root of this problem, which occurs every year, and today is even further aggravated by El Nino.
Earlier in June I had identified, from the sky, dozens of fires, burning in peat swamps to allow the expansion of palm plantations. At that time, before the smoke haze made headlines, these fires could still be extinguished.
But this didn't happen. The helicopter water-bomber arrived 2 months later. The teams on the ground can do little once the fires have spread, especially as they burn in peat.
The owners of the land in which fires occur will not be punished.
It's not me who'll teach you, Mr President, that corruption, nepotism, and intimidation, are common to support the expansion of palm plantations.
When you have, Mr President, made the decision to create new channels in the central province of Kalimantan, you have simply aggravated the situation even further. These channels will drain water from the forest, creating even drier conditions to exacerbate and accelerate the next fires.
Mr President, I'm angry, not simply as an activist for the environment, but also as a father, husband, and someone who really loves Indonesia.
Slowly, the leaders of these fires steal our health.
Is this what you want Mr President? For the Palm Oil Industry?