THE Buli village in the Maba subdistrict, East Halmahera, is practically surrounded by mines. Around 10 kilometers to the north of the village’s center is the heart of Aneka Tambang’s (Antam) nickel mine. To the south of the village, Antam had built a US$1.6 billion-nickel ore smelter.

Buli is an isolated village on a small island in North Maluku. Traveling there from Jakarta involves an almost 12-hour journey, first flying via Manad