Abstract Archive

The long-term committed efforts of grassroots ban asbestos campaigners in Indonesia have transformed the national dialogue from one accepting asbestos industry rhetoric about the “safe use” of asbestos – a Group 1 carcinogen – to one calling for interim health protections prior to an eventual ban on all use. This progress did not go unnoticed by asbestos vested interests; in retaliation, the industry implemented strategies to quash the activities of campaigning groups and lock the Indonesian government into treaties obligating it to maintain the status quo under which the import, use and sale of asbestos-containing goods remains legal. [Read full article]

Amicus Curiae Submissions

Sep 16, 2025

In recent weeks, international groups have submitted key evidence to the Central Jakarta District Court which is hearing a case brought by asbestos vested interests, represented by the FICMA trade association, against individuals and groups that petitioned the Supreme Court for its endorsement of measures imposing mandatory warning labels on asbestos-cement roofing products. After the Supreme Court upheld this petition (2024), FICMA launched a ferocious legal attack on the petitioners claiming massive financial damages. This letter deconstructs one of FICMA’s principle arguments, namely that failure by the UN to list chrysotile (white) asbestos as a hazardous material supported industry propaganda that exposure to asbestos was “harmless.” [Read full article]

Indonesian Court Supports Consumers’ Asbestos Lawsuit

Feb 20, 2025

A statement issued on February 13th conveyed news of yet another win by Indonesian campaigners against asbestos vested interests. After six months of hearings, motions and deliberations, Chief Judge of the Central Jakarta District Court Marper Pandiangan threw out legal arguments by the asbestos manufacturers association (FICMA) which had sought huge damages from civil society groups following a March 2024 Supreme Court ruling mandating warning labels for asbestos roofing products. FICMA has until the middle of March to file an appeal. [Read full article]

In Defense of Ban Asbestos Campaigners

Dec 5, 2024

Last week, global ban asbestos groups issued a joint press release in defence of Indonesian activists at the Independent Consumer Protection Institute (LPKSM), the Yasa Nata Budi Foundation and the Indonesian Ban Asbestos Network (INABAN) working to protect the population from deadly exposures to asbestos. In a blatant disregard for occupational and public health, the Fiber Cement Manufacturing Association – a powerful and well-resourced trade association representing the interests of the asbestos industry – is suing the campaigners for “massive damages” after a Supreme Court ruling upheld their petition to mandate labelling on asbestos products. [Read full article]

Industry Attacks Consumers Historic Win Against Chrysotile Asbestos

Oct 14, 2024

Just when you thought you had seen it all, you realize you were wrong. The lengths to which asbestos pushers will go to continue to ride the asbestos gravy train truly knows no bounds. This year, an asbestos trade association – Indonesia’s Fibre Cement Manufacturers’ Association (FICMA) – is trialing a new legal stratagem designed to: counteract a Supreme Court ruling unfavorable to the asbestos sector and cower campaigners brave enough to challenge the industry’s dominance. The audacity of this legal manoeuvre is breathtaking and, to my knowledge, totally unprecedented. The FICMA lawsuit, which targeted the consumers’ protection organization that had petitioned the Supreme Court to mandate Government action on the asbestos hazard, is claiming substantial damages from the NGO for loss of future profits. [Read full article]

Victory in Indonesia!

May 1, 2024

As a result of a Supreme Court ruling, it will now become obligatory for all asbestos-containing products sold in Indonesia to feature warning labels in Bahasa, the country’s official language. This landmark decision was issued further to a petition submitted in December 2023 by the Independent Community Consumer Protection Institute, the Yasa Nata Budi Foundation – a consumer advocacy body – and the Local Initiative for OSH Network. Celebrating this victory, campaigner Muchamad Darisman said: “By granting our request, the Judges took a giant leap forward in safeguarding the lives not only of workers but also of members of the public and consumers. It is essential that the Government and all relevant authorities take prompt action to implement the Court’s ruling...” [Read full article]

Urgent Appeal to the People of Colombia

Jun 7, 2019

As the end of the Colombian Congress’ deliberations on banning asbestos approaches (the current Congressional session ends on June 20, after which all proposed legislation not yet enacted will become void), an urgent appeal to Colombian citizens entreating their support for the country to ban asbestos exports as well as domestic usage has been sent by Indonesian asbestos victims and activists from the Indonesian Ban Asbestos Network – INA-BAN. Indonesia is a prime market for Colombian asbestos exports, where it is mostly used in the production of asbestos roofing; with frequent natural disasters occurring in the country this poses a potent threat to emergency responders, relief workers and affected communities (Para la versión española ver: Llamado Urgente a la Población de Colombia). [Read full article]

Indonesian National Seminar - Asbestos: Poison Scattered in the Disaster Nation

May 20, 2019

Key stakeholders from civil society and the Indonesian government made valuable contributions to the proceedings of a national asbestos seminar held in Jakarta on May 9, 2019. The event, which was organized jointly by the Indonesian Ban Asbestos Network and the International Labour Organization, Jakarta, provided the opportunity for reports by civil servants, occupational health and safety specialists, emergency responders, personnel from regional and international agencies and ban asbestos campaigners working on the asbestos frontline in a country which is one of the most disaster-prone in the world; in 2018, Indonesia experienced 2,372 disasters affecting 3.5 million people. [Read full article]

Confronting Indonesia’s Asbestos Challenges

Oct 17, 2018

Recent efforts by grassroots groups and medical associations to address Indonesia’s asbestos challenges are discussed in this article with a focus on a medical seminar held in Jakarta on October 13, 2018 to raise awareness of asbestos-related diseases. During that session, medical experts from Indonesia and Korea reviewed the categories and causes of asbestos-related diseases and discussed state-of-the-art protocols for making diagnoses of these diseases. Concluding the seminar, Professor Jeung Sook Kim, a Korea specialist, highlighted the importance of cooperation between NGOs and scientists in the campaign to ban asbestos. [Read full article]

Press Release calling for an Asbestos Ban in Indonesia

Jul 30, 2017

A press release issued in the aftermath of an international ban asbestos mission to Indonesia held between July 25 and 28, 2017, highlighted the “Urgent need for banning asbestos in Indonesia to avoid large increases in lung cancer rates and other asbestos related diseases in coming decades.” In meetings and workshops with trade unionists, asbestos sufferers, medical professionals, academics, and government officials, Canadian Prof. Yv Bonnier Viger detailed the tragic asbestos legacy in consuming countries and issued dire warnings of the price to be paid for Indonesia’s asbestos use. “Only 7 countries use more than 50,000 tonnes [of asbestos] per year – including Indonesia.” [Read full article]

Indonesian Asbestos-Related Disease Workshop

Jan 5, 2015

In December 2014, Indonesia’s Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Korean Environment Corporation (KECO) conducted a workshop entitled: “Seoul Initiative Indonesia Workshop: Improving Health Officers’ Competencies on Measuring Workplace Environmental Ambient Level and Diagnosing Asbestos Related Diseases in Indonesia.” The objective of this initiative was to improve the knowledge of health officers and other stakeholders about diagnosing asbestos-related diseases and workplace environmental monitoring. Resulting from the workshop, an asbestos research project has been set up with the KECO; data collected will inform the national asbestos policy and regulatory regime. [Read full article]

Workshop: Dangerous Asbestos Trade in Asia

Dec 16, 2013

Last month, Korean and Indonesian activists met in Jakarta to hold a joint workshop on the hazards of asbestos use in Asia. The meeting, which was organized by asbestos victims' groups, ban asbestos activists, academics, safety and health campaigners and environmentalists, addressed the health consequences for workers and people living near asbestos producing or using facilities; the first reports of diagnoses of cases of asbestosis in Indonesian workers were released. In addition, discussions were progressed about measures for raising the public profile of asbestos hazards in Indonesia and elsewhere in Asia. [Read full article]

The Road to an Asbestos-Free Indonesia

Sep 19, 2013

Since the formation of the Indonesian Ban Asbestos Network in 2010, activities have been ongoing to raise public, occupational and medical professional awareness of the asbestos hazard. A recent asbestos initiative was an informal evening seminar held on September 5, 2013 on Bali entitled "Asbestos in our Homes and Workplaces." Keynote speaker Alex Ryan said that the purpose of the meeting was to raise awareness of the hazard posed by Indonesia's use of this carcinogen. Judging by the questions asked by participants, it was clear that there is a serious information vacuum regarding the threat posed by asbestos to workers and the public. [Read full article]

Indonesia Mobilization on Asbestos

Oct 23, 2012

September 2012 was a productive month for the ban asbestos movement in Indonesia. There were a number of activities by the Local Initiative for OSH Rights and Social Network (LION), as well as other institutions in the Indonesian Ban Asbestos Network (Ina-Ban). As well as continuing outreach efforts to raise asbestos awareness at a local street market in Bandung, the campaigners reported the results of medical tests, sent to Korea for examination, to workers from the PT Trigraha asbestos factory in Cibinong. Unfortunately, three of the five people tested have been diagnosed with asbestosis. [Read full article]

Indonesian Mobilization on Asbestos

July 24, 2012

This month has been a productive time for Indonesian ban asbestos campaigners as it provided the opportunity not only to raise public awareness of the asbestos hazard but also to register the protest of civil society about the decision of the Quebec Government to fund a new asbestos mine. On July 15th 2012, the first activity in the "Asbestos Hazard Alert Campaign 2012" stimulated a great deal of public and press interest. On July 18 and July 20 public protests were held against the new Quebec asbestos mine, a mine which will ship deadly asbestos to Asian countries, including Indonesia, for decades to come. [Read full article]

Indonesian Campaign to Ban Asbestos

May 14, 2012

Even as asbestos use increases in Indonesia, efforts are being made by civil society groups to generate public, occupational and institutional awareness of the risks posed by the consumption of this acknowledged carcinogen. The formation of the Indonesian Ban Asbestos Network (Ina-Ban) marks a new beginning in the national asbestos debate which, for the first time, includes the voices of those prepared to challenge the status quo. At home and abroad Ina-Ban has engaged in political missions, outreach projects and information initiatives as it campaigns for an end to asbestos use. [Read full article]

Community Activism in Indonesia

Jul 25, 2011

On July 21, 2011 months of preparation, consultation and discussion culminated when 25 groups of participants from 15 schools in Bandung, Indonesia took part in an "Asbestos Danger Media Competition" held on the campus of a senior high school. This drawing contest was organized by the Indonesian Ban Asbestos Network and the Indonesian Red Cross-West Bandung to help raise awareness of the asbestos hazard in Indonesia, a country which has seen an explosion of asbestos consumption in recent years. Indonesia is now the world's fifth biggest market for chrysotile (white) asbestos. [Read full article]

Raising Asbestos Awareness in Indonesia

Apr 20, 2011

Initiatives being progressed by a new coalition in Indonesia - the Indonesian Ban Asbestos Network (Ina-Ban) - are adding new voices and new sources of information to the national asbestos dialogue. This week, a package of information and campaigning materials has been launched on the occasion of Earth Day in Bandung, Indonesia. In the weeks to come, an Asbestos Media Competition is being launched to spread asbestos awareness amongst younger people. Entrants are being asked to submit graphic material which conveys the message that asbestos is a killer! Prizes will be awarded towards the end of this year. [Read full article]

Asbestos Action in Indonesia

Oct 17, 2010

On October 17, 2010, a new alliance was launched in Indonesia to progress the national campaign to ban asbestos. The Indonesian Ban Asbestos Network (Ina-Ban) is composed of health and safety activists, environmental campaigners and trade unionists from local groups such as Local Initiatives on OSH Network (LION), Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) and the Federation of Construction, Informal and General Workers (FKUI). The ceremony to announce the formation of Ina-Ban was the first item on the agenda of the 2010 meeting of the Asian Ban Asbestos Network [Read full article]

Indonesian Villagers Destroy Asbestos Houses

Jan 30, 2008

In November 2007, anti-asbestos demonstrators set fire to some of the 204 asbestos-cement houses in Banda Aceh donated by the Bakrie Family Institution (BFI) as part of the tsunami reconstruction effort. The houses had been built along the Deyah Raya beach with roofing, ceiling and walls containing up to 20% asbestos. Demonstrators invaded the offices of the BRR, the Aceh Nias Rehabilitation & Reconstruction Agency, damaging office furniture and protesting the use of such a hazardous material. Efforts by the BRR to convince local people that residing in these units is safe have failed and most of the homes remain unoccupied. [Read full article]