Carbon funds bypass Asian indigenous peoples

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http://atimes.com/atimes/World/WOR-01-220914.html



Carbon funds bypass Asian indigenous peoples
By Amantha Perera
Sep 22, '14

BALI, Indonesia - When she talks about the forests in her native Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo, Maridiana Deren's facial expression changes. The calm, almost shy person is transformed into an emotionally charged woman, her fists clench and she stares wide-eyed at whoever is listening to her.

"The 'boohmi' (earth) is our mother, the forest our air, the water our blood," says the activist, who has been taking on mining and oil industries operating in her native island for over a decade.

Deren, who counts herself among the Dayak people, works as a nurse and has had numerous run-ins with powerful, organized and rich commercial entities. They have sometimes been violent - she was once stabbed and on another occasion rammed by a motorcycle.

After years of taking on wealthy corporations, Deren is now facing a new opponent, one she finds even harder to tackle - her own government.