Indonesia: Protests on Java against forest destruction by the expanding cement industry

In Indonesia, resistance against the cement production complex of the Indonesian company Semen Indonesia which willl destroy the Kendeng karst forest area in uphill Java, has been growing. Patmi, a woman from one of the villages in the district of Tambakromo traveled to the capital Jakarta to join protests against the forest destruction for the cement production. She died on March 21^st, possibly of a heart attack, after days of sit-in protest in front of the Presidential Palace in Jakarta. More and more activists in Jakarta and other major cities in the country cast their feet in cement and staged similar sit-ins, in solidarity with Patmi and the Kendeng people. The protesters are asking for solidarity from the international community to support this struggle, particularly in the face of a possible go-ahead for the cement production by the President in early April 2017. This Project happens in a context of an unprecedent and massive land and water grab for energy and material consumption in the region, through the setting up of "corridors" for infrastructur development, cutting deep into the remaining forests in the region. For more information, see attached a short article and obituary in English, dedicated to Patmi, written by Hendro Sangkoyo: http://wrm.org.uy/other-relevant-information/the-poetic-and-haunting-death-of-patmi-of-mt-kendeng-java-indonesia/