The Boot on our Necks

All around the planet widespread ideological folly on the neoliberal bandwagon is targeting environmental activists systemically via government and big business. But Indigenous land rights activists are fighting back, and looking to the global community for support in their struggles.Last week activist and protest organiser Heri Budiawan, aka Budi Pego, from Banyuwangi in East Java was sentenced to ten months in prison for displaying a communist logo on a protest banner. The law under which Budiawan was convicted is an old relic from Indonesia's notorious Suharto era in which up to one million alleged communists were massacred. Budiawan is the first person to be convicted under this particular law post-Suharto  - but probably not the last, environmental and human rights activists warn.Guests: Andreas Harsono, Human rights Watch Indonesia Researcher (hrw.org/asia/indonesia); Usman Hamid, Amnesty International Indonesia Director (amnestyindonesia.org)Links:Banyuwangi People's Forum Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago (AMAN)  Indonesian Forum for Environment/FOE (WALHI)Earth Matters #1125 was produced by Nicky Stott.