Abi Kusno Nachran
Encyclopedia
Abi Kusno Nachran was an Indonesia
n rainforest
preservation activist.
, born in the rainforest of Kalimantan Tengah in Borneo
. As a young man, he left his village to study. After dropping out of school, he worked in the municipal government of Pangkalanbun, where he participated in the widespread corruption and was also involved in the cover-up of illegal logging operations.
After a pilgrimage to Mecca
, he began to feel ashamed of his behavior. He traveled the countryside and found that the forest of his childhood, among others, was destroyed. Nachran began fighting for the preservation of rainforests. As a journalist, he wrote articles against forest destruction and made inquiries against illegal loggers and dealers. He received multiple death threats. In November 2001, he was able to ensure that ships with 54,000 cubic meters of illegally harvested timber were seized.
20 days later, he was attacked in Pangkalanbun by 20 men with machete
s and severely injured. His body was found in a pool of his own blood, and, believed to be dead, he was taken to a mortuary. By moving a toe on his left foot, he was able to move the shroud away and provide proof of his vitality. He was then taken to a hospital. The Indonesian doctor who treated him and studied in Hamburg
and suggested that he be operated upon there. To come up with the €15,000 for the operation, Nachran sold his property and got the remainder from donors, with the hospital waiving a portion of the fee. Even after the surgery, he remained weakened by his injuries.
Nachran continued his struggle, becoming a member of the Indonesian parliament in Jakarta
. In 2003, he again traveled to Germany to receive the Dr.-Goetze-Geo-Preis.
In July 2006, Abi Kusno Nachran was killed in a traffic accident
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
preservation activist.
Life
Abi Kusno Nachran was a DayakDayak people
The Dayak or Dyak are the native people of Borneo. It is a loose term for over 200 riverine and hill-dwelling ethnic subgroups, located principally in the interior of Borneo, each with its own dialect, customs, laws, territory and culture, although common distinguishing traits are readily...
, born in the rainforest of Kalimantan Tengah in Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. As a young man, he left his village to study. After dropping out of school, he worked in the municipal government of Pangkalanbun, where he participated in the widespread corruption and was also involved in the cover-up of illegal logging operations.
After a pilgrimage to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, he began to feel ashamed of his behavior. He traveled the countryside and found that the forest of his childhood, among others, was destroyed. Nachran began fighting for the preservation of rainforests. As a journalist, he wrote articles against forest destruction and made inquiries against illegal loggers and dealers. He received multiple death threats. In November 2001, he was able to ensure that ships with 54,000 cubic meters of illegally harvested timber were seized.
20 days later, he was attacked in Pangkalanbun by 20 men with machete
Machete
The machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the English language, an equivalent term is matchet, though it is less commonly known...
s and severely injured. His body was found in a pool of his own blood, and, believed to be dead, he was taken to a mortuary. By moving a toe on his left foot, he was able to move the shroud away and provide proof of his vitality. He was then taken to a hospital. The Indonesian doctor who treated him and studied in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and suggested that he be operated upon there. To come up with the €15,000 for the operation, Nachran sold his property and got the remainder from donors, with the hospital waiving a portion of the fee. Even after the surgery, he remained weakened by his injuries.
Nachran continued his struggle, becoming a member of the Indonesian parliament in Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
. In 2003, he again traveled to Germany to receive the Dr.-Goetze-Geo-Preis.
In July 2006, Abi Kusno Nachran was killed in a traffic accident