Dear Bret, This is one posting from you that I'll be most happy to respond. > Perhaps the more pertinant question is where are the timber and agricultural > coporations responsibly for setting the fires? Do they not care about the health > and well-being of the people of Indonesia, or are they only taking advantage of > an extended El-Nino caused dry season in which to cheaply clear land for > intensive (and very profitable) logging and agricultual operations? To begin with Indonesia has not moved out of the agricultural-based industry yet. Unlike Malaysia where MNCs from all over the world have set up plants here, thereby creating skilled labour & capital investment. Asia is not the same as the EU or North America. Indonesia's problem is the rigid requirement for foreign investors to be tied up with a family member of their political masters, in order to do business. This was pointed out in 'Doing Business in Asia' by the EIU, London. > Not only have these large multinational corporations put literally millions of > people at serious health risk, but in an effort to conceal their narcisism they > have been busy placing the blame of the fires on the native people who > "...lacking the appropriate understanding of the fire regimine and climatic > change have allowed the fires to burn out of control." The fact of the matter is > that the vast majority of the fires were intentionally set by large corporations > hoping to clear as much land as possible, regardless of the externalities of > their actions. Secondly, these companies are there at the invitation of the Indo government to set up JV with Indo companies. Some of them are there to set up forest & oil palm plantations. No doubt some have been reckless in clearing the forest but not all of them are MNCs. To associate MNCs with environmental devastation is at best misleading. This is very much a hangover of socialist political theory. > The NGO's you chastise will be there, once again, Say when? After Christmas? > to try and help Indonesia's > indigenous peoples cope with the selflishness and greed of corporate opportunism. I will write to you again on a private note about this as the info can be somewhat sticky & sensitive. God bless & thanks for writing. Nelson Wong MTC
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