INDONESIANS AGAINST COAL

Coalition demands end to coal use
JP, February 13, 2009 (Asia News Daily)

"…[ Greenpeace ] has demanded that the government stop using coal to generate electricity in the country, saying its adverse effects outweighed its benefits…

"Greenpeace said the people around Cilacap coal-fired power plant in Central Java had suffered from respiratory problems and loss of income from the damage to rice fields and the decline in fish populations."

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"They demanded the power plant be shut down immediately…[A Greenpeace survey showed] almost 90 percent of respondents living near the power plant suffered acute respiratory infections, especially children and old people…

"Greenpeace, the Anti-Coal Coalition and the Cilacap People’s Aspiration Committee (KAM Cilacap) ended a two-day event in Cilacap on Thursday, aimed at promoting clear energy in the region.

"The Cilacap plant started operating in 2006 with a capacity of 600 megawatts. It supplies the Java-Bali electricity grid…[Negotiations] for compensation for damages caused by the coal power plant in three villages and the Griya Kencana Permai housing complex [where locals claim suffering] have not been fruitful…"