Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior was escorted out of Indonesian waters today after the government refused to let the ship dock in Jakarta. The activist group said the Indonesian navy prevented the ship from restocking on food, water, and fuel prior to being evicted.
Greenpeace intended to use the Rainbow Warrior to support its campaign to raise awareness about deforestation and the impact of climate change. The Indonesian government said the group failed to clarify the purpose of the ship’s visit and therefore denied entry.
Greenpeace blasted the move.
“The government’s refusal in allowing entry for the Rainbow Warrior casts a dark shadow on Indonesia’s reputation as a robust and genuine democracy where peaceful freedom of expression is observed and guaranteed,” it said on a statement on its blog. “Worse, given the Rainbow Warrior’s strong track record in environmental campaigning, the government’s stance serves to fuel concerns that the permitting system is being abused to serve the interests of those who stand to gain from the destruction of the environment.”
Logging and industrial conversion of forests for oil palm, timber, and pulp and paper plantations are leading drivers of deforestation in the country. Indonesia recently surpassed Brazil as the world’s top deforester, losing more than 1 million hectares of forest per year.
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