0:00:03 > 0:00:09We're right on the Equator, according to my handy little gadget here,
0:00:09 > 0:00:15and we're in western Indonesia - we think this island is the first bit of land
0:00:15 > 0:00:21between here and Africa that way, and now we are going to begin our journey across Indonesia.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26My equatorial journey across Indonesia will take me
0:00:26 > 0:00:30through some of the most beautiful but endangered parts of the planet,
0:00:30 > 0:00:32as well as areas of violent conflict.
0:01:02 > 0:01:07My first stop, the Batu Islands, are 60 miles away from their neighbour, Sumatra.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Very few ferries make the journey here,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13leaving the people here isolated from the outside world.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27My guide Amalia explained they don't get many visitors here.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31Hello, hello!
0:01:35 > 0:01:37They're very excited.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Very excited, the first time maybe they see foreigners.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43- The first time?- Think so.
0:01:43 > 0:01:50Really? It's quite surprising in a way, because it really is so stunningly beautiful here!
0:01:51 > 0:01:57At first glance, the islands are a palm-covered tropical paradise, surrounded by coral lagoons.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00It would be perfect for tourists, if only they could get here!
0:02:03 > 0:02:08With little contact with the outside world, the people here live a subsistence lifestyle.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13One of their main sources of food is fish, and the men took me out to find dinner.
0:02:18 > 0:02:19THEY SHOUT
0:02:19 > 0:02:22THEY SING
0:02:22 > 0:02:26We were off to do some fitabo, the local method of fishing.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32You fitabo, I will fitabo,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35we will fitabo together.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51Come on! We've got to catch up! Can we join you here?
0:02:57 > 0:03:01You're just deliberately soaking us now. Stop that!
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Fitabo involves all the men from the village surrounding a lagoon
0:03:10 > 0:03:15and then herding the fish towards the shore in an ever-decreasing circle.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20A fish! A fish! A fish!
0:03:20 > 0:03:21It actually worked.
0:03:21 > 0:03:27Our main catch were the brightly coloured parrot fish, whose colours match the coral they graze.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37They may have caught enough fish for the evening meal,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40but there was no escaping the isolation and poverty.
0:03:40 > 0:03:45Many of the children will leave the island to find work when they're old enough.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51In the evening, the men gather and sing
0:03:51 > 0:03:55of how those who leave must never forget the islands they come from.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36We woke to news of a tragedy in the village.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47A child. A small child, I think, Amalia?
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Has died in the village.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54Nobody was sure what illness the young boy had died from.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58There was no doctor in the village and there would be no coroner's report.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02In this hot and humid climate, burials take place at once.
0:05:02 > 0:05:08Obviously, there is a much higher rate of infant mortality here
0:05:08 > 0:05:10than there is in the West.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15Do you think it's more accepted that children will die before they become
0:05:15 > 0:05:19- young adults in this sort of area of Indonesia?- Yeah.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21The health system doesn't work here.
0:05:21 > 0:05:28They accept, for example, like the child now die because they don't know what kind of sickness he got,
0:05:28 > 0:05:34so they said that maybe he got curse, a curse in the way that they don't know what kind of sickness,
0:05:34 > 0:05:40so they just say that, but in medical term, maybe the child got a fever.
0:05:50 > 0:05:56The islands may look like paradise, but life here is hard and can be desperately short.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00The nearest medical help is a long boat trip away from the village.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17Indonesia is the most populous Muslim nation on the planet,
0:06:17 > 0:06:23but the villagers here are Christians, like 8% of the 240-million-strong population.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32The mother of the boy was a young widow who had lost her husband just a year before.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53That night, we had to say goodbye to the villagers,
0:06:53 > 0:06:59to rendezvous with a small cargo boat that would take us east to the Batus' giant neighbour, Sumatra.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02It doesn't look very big.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06We're supposed to go right across to Sumatra on this,
0:07:06 > 0:07:11which is going to be a journey between 15 and 17 hours.
0:07:33 > 0:07:39It was a traditional wooden boat which usually carries fish, fruit and livestock.
0:07:39 > 0:07:40There were no cabins.
0:07:40 > 0:07:46We were to spend our night under the stars sleeping on a wooden deck.
0:08:02 > 0:08:08A bit achey - not great, not horrendous,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10just a bit rough.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20The crew seemed to have had a better night's sleep than I did,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23judging by the beating they gave me at dominoes.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Oh, no!
0:08:33 > 0:08:35Yet again, I lose!
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Have we been playing for money?
0:08:42 > 0:08:44No? Phew.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51I had a horrible feeling I had just spent all our budget.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02We landed in Sumatra at Padang,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04a port just south of the Equator.
0:09:10 > 0:09:16Indonesia is made up of more than 17,000 islands, and hundreds of ethnic groups.
0:09:16 > 0:09:21Since independence from the Dutch, the country has endured decades of dictatorship.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23But for the last eight years,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25it's been a fragile democracy,
0:09:25 > 0:09:30as the government struggles to keep this disparate nation together.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34We headed north by road towards Bukittinggi and the Equator.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47The scenery becomes increasingly dramatic as the road climbs through
0:09:47 > 0:09:52the hills of west Sumatra, with jungle-covered mountains and volcanoes.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Bukittinggi is more than 900 metres above sea level.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Its name means "high hills".
0:10:07 > 0:10:10The town's hub is the market.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Indonesians live much of their lives outside -
0:10:13 > 0:10:18they shop at street markets and eat at street stalls called warungs.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Amalia took me to one to try a local delicacy.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Really quick,
0:10:30 > 0:10:32looks good.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35This is satay padang.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43- This is intestine, try it. Very nice. - Hang on.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46- It's what?- Intestine.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48- Intestine.- Of beef.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51And this is a delicacy? OK...
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Still hot? How is it?
0:10:56 > 0:10:58It's still hot.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02It's not that bad -
0:11:02 > 0:11:04it could grow on me.
0:11:10 > 0:11:17I'm not sure what the slightly jelly-like substance in the middle is, though. What would that be?
0:11:17 > 0:11:19The contents of the intestine?
0:11:19 > 0:11:21- Yes, maybe.- Oh, no!
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Go on, finish it, you got three intestine!
0:11:31 > 0:11:35Meat in the market is so fresh, it's still clucking.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37You wouldn't know it walking round here,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40but Indonesia has been badly hit by bird flu,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43with one of the highest number of cases in the world.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48We've got one in here that's being... Ooh, chopped to pieces by the look of it...
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Seven members of one family died elsewhere in Sumatra.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56We were assured Bukittinggi hadn't been affected.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01Have you noticed your sales being affected at all,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04any of the shoppers concerned about the bird flu?
0:12:04 > 0:12:08AMALIA TRANSLATES
0:12:08 > 0:12:11I'm not worried about bird flu,
0:12:11 > 0:12:16I'm not worried about bird flu, but it affected my chicken sales.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21- It has affected my chicken sales... - In the past, not so much now. - Yes, not so much now.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Are people getting maybe a little bit complacent about it, then,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27- as it's still a threat, isn't it? - Yes, it's still a threat.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32Have you been given any advice by the government about how to prevent bird flu?
0:12:35 > 0:12:44Yes, the government give, er...precaution training to them, how to give a vaccine, etc.
0:12:44 > 0:12:52He says that people might be afraid, but we are here from 6am until 6pm
0:12:52 > 0:12:56- dealing with chicken.- And they're OK so far.- And they're OK so far.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Amalia, what are we doing now?
0:13:01 > 0:13:06Well, she's checking which chicken that has an egg,
0:13:06 > 0:13:10so after that once they've found it and then they have to try it.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Put your finger in the chicken bum.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22- Put my finger in the what?- In the chicken bum.- In the chicken's bum?
0:13:22 > 0:13:24And why would I want to do that?
0:13:24 > 0:13:29So you can know whether there's an egg or not in the chicken.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32- It's fun, isn't it? - Oh, it's fun, that sounds fun,
0:13:32 > 0:13:38a fun day for me consists of putting my finger up a chicken's arse, for sure.
0:13:38 > 0:13:39Come on, try it!
0:13:44 > 0:13:45Is anything there?
0:13:45 > 0:13:49- There's nothing there, no! - Nothing there in the chicken bum.
0:13:54 > 0:14:00- Smell it.- I don't want to smell it! - Smell it, Simon, smell it!
0:14:01 > 0:14:07I was keen to get on and see some of Indonesia's slightly more exciting wildlife.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11So I took a flight east to see one of the world's largest populations of orang-utans,
0:14:11 > 0:14:16on Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Borneo's the next major island along the Equator.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24I knew the rainforest on the Equator, a home to the orang-utans,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26is under threat from loggers.
0:14:26 > 0:14:32To be certain of meeting orang-utans I needed to take a detour south of the Equator,
0:14:32 > 0:14:37and headed towards a national park considered one of the island's great treasures.
0:14:37 > 0:14:37- Zacky?- Yeah.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40- Hello.- I'm Zacky.- Simon.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43- Zacky.- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you too.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47We meet up with Zacky, a zoologist from Orang-utan Foundation International,
0:14:47 > 0:14:52an organisation dedicated to protecting the primates from extinction.
0:14:52 > 0:14:58He was taking us to Tanjung Puting National Park,
0:14:58 > 0:15:02where hundreds of orang-utans have found sanctuary.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04The last count,
0:15:04 > 0:15:076,000 individuals there.
0:15:07 > 0:15:126,000 orang-utans in the park, so we'll definitely see one at least?
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Yeah, I guarantee that!
0:15:18 > 0:15:24More and more of the Borneo forest is being chopped down every year.
0:15:24 > 0:15:29It's estimated that Indonesia as a whole has lost three quarters of its native woodland.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33And as loggers chop down the trees, orang-utan numbers are collapsing.
0:15:34 > 0:15:39The park is one of the few remaining protected areas of this extraordinary island.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44To give you some idea, the UK has just over 30 native species of trees.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Borneo as a whole has more than 5,000.
0:15:47 > 0:15:53But the current rate of forest loss in this country is the worst in the world.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Are we arrived?
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Yeah, we are here now at Camp Leakey.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03Fantastic, it really does look like paradise.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Look, there's somebody coming to meet us.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18- Can we go?- Yes, sure, sure.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22Is it OK for us to have food in our pockets, or water?
0:16:22 > 0:16:28Yeah, they're looking for water or something, but I can handle him and you go.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32I just run off and leave you to look after him?
0:16:38 > 0:16:39Oh...
0:16:39 > 0:16:43Well, he managed to get that from me quite quickly.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47Yeah, he makes sure it's food or water.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51- So have you got to try to recover all the water now?- Yeah.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55- Are you just gonna take it off him? - Give him one and then make sure....
0:16:55 > 0:16:58He doesn't want to have the plastic bag.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Shall we get the plastic bag back?
0:17:00 > 0:17:03You can get the plastic bag.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05No, you can get it back!
0:17:05 > 0:17:09- It's OK.- Can we have that back? Thank you very much.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12You are absolutely incredible.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Can we take the top off for you, at least, so you can have a drink?
0:17:16 > 0:17:20No, he's done that, he doesn't need our help.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Give us the plastic back.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26You don't want the plastic. Go on, spit it out, spit it out!
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Thank you, you make me feel like Dr Doolittle!
0:17:34 > 0:17:38The reception was a reminder that we were now in their territory.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56The literal translation of "orang-utan" is "man of the forest".
0:17:56 > 0:18:01This is an area where you feed them.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11HE CALLS
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Presumably they're calling them down now.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24And here they come.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35Many of these apes have been rehabilitated into the wild,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38but there's not enough forest and wild fruit to support them,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41so the Foundation puts out food to help them survive.
0:18:41 > 0:18:46Orang-utans used to be spread across south Asia.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50Now they're only found on Sumatra and here on Borneo.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03Oh, this is really quite breathtaking...
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Somebody has got a weapon.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26We'd made the cardinal mistake of guests, and outstayed our welcome.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31- OK, now she's getting really cross with us.- Yeah.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Our cameraman, Fred, bore the brunt of the attack.
0:19:50 > 0:19:55Now she's getting really cross with us. She's had enough!
0:19:55 > 0:19:58It's getting almost tempting to throw something back.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Ooh!
0:20:06 > 0:20:09I think it's time for us to go!
0:20:17 > 0:20:22The Foundation also looks after around 120 orang-utan orphans.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28How old are these little ones?
0:20:28 > 0:20:31About nine months.
0:20:31 > 0:20:32And what are their names?
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Leah and Lesley.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Leah and Lesley.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42You poor thing! Most of these orphans have the same story.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47The dwindling forests are no longer big enough to feed the orang-utan population.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54Their mothers were forced into the open, leaving them vulnerable to hunters and loggers.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58Baby orang-utans are spared because they're valuable as pets.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00These are the lucky ones who've been rescued.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10Look at all of them! They can't wait!
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Simon, you can take one.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28OK, do they want me?
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Beautiful, pretty.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Yes, thank you very much.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36And who's this?
0:21:36 > 0:21:38- Osborne.- Osborne.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54So, Zacky, why are we taking the orang-utans on a group outing?
0:21:54 > 0:21:59This forest is like a practice for them to the real forest,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01to the real jungle,
0:22:01 > 0:22:05like this...forest they can practise for climb, for...
0:22:05 > 0:22:08So you want to reintroduce them into the wild?
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Yep, yep.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17Oh, this is what she wants.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Here we go.
0:22:20 > 0:22:21Off you go!
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Many are ready to go back to the wild,
0:22:32 > 0:22:37but the Foundation is running out of safe forest where it can release them.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43So where have all of them come from?
0:22:43 > 0:22:49Well, most from central Kalimantan,
0:22:49 > 0:22:54from logging concession, from palm-oil plantation -
0:22:54 > 0:22:57the big, big problem, the big, big threat,
0:22:57 > 0:23:04that destruction area from palm-oil plantation.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07That's number one.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12The government has clamped down on illegal logging for lumber,
0:23:12 > 0:23:17but now the great problem is the destruction of the forest
0:23:17 > 0:23:20to make way for palm oil, a new supercrop.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24Conservationists claim this huge plantation, with its smoking factory,
0:23:24 > 0:23:28has been partially built on land which is inside the boundaries of the National Park.
0:23:31 > 0:23:36Stephen Brend is another zoologist working for the Orang-utan Foundation,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39who's campaigning to stop more park forest being cut down
0:23:39 > 0:23:43to make way for massive palm-oil plantations.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45So what exactly is it?
0:23:45 > 0:23:49Palm oil's this miracle crop,
0:23:49 > 0:23:53vegetable oil, it's in 10% of all UK supermarket products.
0:23:53 > 0:23:5510%?!
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Often when you see something that says "fried in vegetable oil", they'll mean it's palm oil.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03It's in biscuits, it's even in ice cream, it's in cosmetics
0:24:03 > 0:24:07and it could end up in your petrol tank if the demand for bio-diesel booms.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16This is... This is the fruit.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20This is palm oil.
0:24:23 > 0:24:28This very thing is what the problem is all about. But it's not that.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31What the problem is that the return per tree is so small,
0:24:31 > 0:24:37to make it economical, they grow palm oil in multi-thousand-hectare plantations,
0:24:37 > 0:24:42and where the palm-oil trees go used to be rainforest.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47It is a wonder crop, and it's incredibly useful,
0:24:47 > 0:24:52and we've got to use it, but it's where we grow it and how we grow it.
0:24:52 > 0:24:58Indonesia has every right to the money that can be got from harvesting this fruit,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01but it shouldn't be done at the expense of the National Park.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12Government officials are currently reviewing the boundaries of the park.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16It could mean the loss of a further 300 sq kilometres to palm oil,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19an area nearly the size of the Isle of Wight.
0:25:21 > 0:25:26Stephen thinks it could mean a further 500 orang-utans losing their habitat.
0:25:28 > 0:25:34But while the battle over the future of the Park continues, small-scale logging still goes on.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36So Stephen, what's going on here?
0:25:38 > 0:25:40Well, this is a logging rail -
0:25:40 > 0:25:44this is how people move logs out of the National Park.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48- Legally, or illegally?- It's in the National Park - it's illegal.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52This is the area that's in dispute of the National Park -
0:25:52 > 0:25:55and so we're getting the sense that local people are saying,
0:25:55 > 0:26:00"Look, this is going to become a palm-oil plantation anyway, let us get the wood out."
0:26:00 > 0:26:03It's a very difficult situation to try and control.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07- I can hear the...- You can hear it in the background.- ..the chainsaws.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14You think we can get to it this way, Zacky?
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Yeah, a little bit far, but we can try.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25We decided to follow the noise.
0:26:30 > 0:26:31Let's hope they're friendly.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Have you had a hard day today?
0:26:55 > 0:26:59How many trees have you managed to cut down today?
0:27:00 > 0:27:03- TRANSLATION:- We have cut down two trees today.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Two trees today?
0:27:06 > 0:27:11Do you think these trees belong to your village or do they belong to the National Park?
0:27:11 > 0:27:16- TRANSLATION:- This here - the trees belong to the village.
0:27:18 > 0:27:23The men, who claimed they didn't know they were doing anything wrong,
0:27:23 > 0:27:26say they supply the wood to local businesses.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31Do you think there will be any trees left when your kids grow up?
0:27:31 > 0:27:33- TRANSLATION:- We don't know.
0:27:33 > 0:27:38We'll have to see.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43If companies keep cutting down trees, obviously all the trees will go.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51It's just the same message - palm oil robs us of the forest - it's the same thing.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55He didn't use the word "rob", he just said the trees go, I'm using the word "rob".
0:28:17 > 0:28:20The Equator cuts right across Borneo,
0:28:20 > 0:28:25and the road taking us east was bordered by what's left of the once mighty rainforests.
0:28:25 > 0:28:30The ravaged landscape was a stark reminder of what the future may hold for the National Park.
0:28:32 > 0:28:37But man hasn't just been destroying the native habitat and species here.
0:28:37 > 0:28:42In recent years, the people in Borneo have been turning on each other.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45The main ethnic group here are the Dayak head-hunters.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49There's eight million here on this equatorial island,
0:28:49 > 0:28:52some living primitively in the forest, others in towns and villages.
0:28:53 > 0:28:58I was heading east from the National Park to the town of Palangkaraya,
0:28:58 > 0:29:00in the centre of Borneo.
0:29:00 > 0:29:06The Dayaks here confirmed their fearsome reputation a few years ago when they went on the rampage,
0:29:06 > 0:29:11attacking another ethnic group, the Madurese, immigrants to the island.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15Jihan, who worked as a journalist in the town during the attacks,
0:29:15 > 0:29:18wanted to bring me here and show me around.
0:29:18 > 0:29:23This is the first road I took, and the first body that I found
0:29:23 > 0:29:27was located right in that side of the road.
0:29:27 > 0:29:28- First body?- Yes,
0:29:28 > 0:29:32and...
0:29:35 > 0:29:39it was quite terrifying, quite shocking for me,
0:29:39 > 0:29:43cos it's kind of hard to comprehend, seeing a body without a head.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46Did you feel personally threatened?
0:29:46 > 0:29:53Somehow, I didn't, I didn't really care what my ethnicity at the time,
0:29:54 > 0:29:58until later on, I realised I still had a little bit of Madurese blood,
0:29:58 > 0:30:03when someone, one of the Dayak leaders kind of like identified me and saying,
0:30:03 > 0:30:07basically, like giving me a notification,
0:30:07 > 0:30:12or sort of like a warning saying, "You're not one of our targets,
0:30:12 > 0:30:15"but, at the same time, we cannot guarantee your safety."
0:30:15 > 0:30:22The Madurese came to Borneo as part of the Indonesian government's policy of transmigration -
0:30:22 > 0:30:27a system of moving people from the overcrowded islands of the south
0:30:27 > 0:30:29to less-populated land in the north.
0:30:29 > 0:30:36The policy led to clashes over land and culture, particularly between the Dayaks and the Madurese.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44A mob of Dayaks came down here and hunt down the Madurese
0:30:44 > 0:30:49and try to demolish anything that belongs to Madurese,
0:30:49 > 0:30:57just to make sure that no more identity of the Madurese left in this one particular place.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05For the Madurese who managed to take shelter and seek refuge at the military base,
0:31:05 > 0:31:10or the police stations, the most important in their mind - just leave this place.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13- Get out.- Just get out, definitely.
0:31:13 > 0:31:19Between 1997 and 2003, the Dayaks killed thousands of Madurese.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22Nobody knows the true number.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26Eyewitnesses said many were cannibalised after their deaths.
0:31:38 > 0:31:43We were invited to a Dayak village to meet some of those involved in the fighting.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01We found them in a celebratory mood.
0:32:01 > 0:32:06They were holding a Tiwah, a religious ceremony dedicated to the dead.
0:32:14 > 0:32:19We were welcomed as honoured guests and asked to take part in the dancing.
0:32:31 > 0:32:38Something curious is about to happen, I can see.
0:32:51 > 0:32:57After the dance, one of the elders, Robert, agreed to tell us about the attacks on the Madurese.
0:32:57 > 0:33:03What is the problem the Dayaks have with the Madurese? What was the cause of the conflict?
0:33:03 > 0:33:11TRANSLATION: The Madurese behave as they pleased, gambling, cock fighting.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13That was the start of it.
0:33:13 > 0:33:18They always carried their weapons and used them in arguments.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20What happened during the conflict,
0:33:20 > 0:33:24can you explain a little bit more about it, what was the conflict about?
0:33:24 > 0:33:28TRANSLATION: They attacked us first, killing two people from our village.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32If you are good to us, then we will be very good to you.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36If you treat us badly, then we will treat you worse.
0:33:38 > 0:33:43Was my sword here involved in the fighting at all, would this have been used?
0:33:48 > 0:33:54TRANSLATION: This is the Dayak traditional weapon, which we have used for a long time.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59When we had our fight with the Madurese, we used it.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Many Madurese were beheaded with these swords.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05We chopped off their heads with these swords.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09So were you actually involved in the fighting?
0:34:09 > 0:34:12Not directly, but I was giving out orders.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14My son was involved in the fighting.
0:34:14 > 0:34:19And what was your son's involvement, what did your son do?
0:34:19 > 0:34:26What I did at the time, I forbade my son to join.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29The Madurese had killed his best friend.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36If they were Madurese, my son did not hesitate to kill them.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40Off with their heads.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46If they were Madurese, he had to kill them.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48It was payback time.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52We destroyed everything, including their livestock.
0:34:59 > 0:35:05You've already prepared breakfast for us! You are being too kind!
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Robert wanted to show us the other side of Dayak culture,
0:35:08 > 0:35:12the great hospitality given to strangers who aren't seen as a threat.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15I thought it was just going to be a meal,
0:35:15 > 0:35:19but he'd decided he wanted to make me a Dayak by adopting me into his family.
0:35:19 > 0:35:24They consider us as family, that's why they want us to take part here.
0:35:51 > 0:35:58I was anointed with chicken's blood, which is meant to bring me good health and good luck.
0:35:58 > 0:36:03Rice was placed on my head, representing power and food for the community.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15Thank you, thank you!
0:36:16 > 0:36:21What are my responsibilities now as your adopted son?
0:36:25 > 0:36:28TRANSLATION: Your responsibility is just to remember us here -
0:36:28 > 0:36:31we want you to remember us - your father and mother.
0:36:33 > 0:36:38I did have 11 children, now 12 with this one.
0:36:46 > 0:36:53I had mixed feelings leaving the Dayaks. They had been fantastically welcoming to me,
0:36:53 > 0:36:59but they also weren't ashamed to admit they'd killed settlers on Borneo who they'd fallen out with.
0:37:13 > 0:37:18Borneo isn't the only island where conflict is destroying lives.
0:37:21 > 0:37:27I was leaving from the port of Balikpapan on Borneo's east coast, just south of the Equator.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32I think our boat is this way.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43It looks huge!
0:37:43 > 0:37:46The ferry is one of the craft which knits together this nation
0:37:46 > 0:37:49of different islands, races and religions.
0:37:56 > 0:38:01Conditions look a bit rudimentary inside.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03Hello!
0:38:04 > 0:38:08Having spent a night on deck during our last sea trip,
0:38:08 > 0:38:12I wasn't looking forward to the overcrowded sleeping arrangements on this one.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15I'm not sure if we're supposed to be sleeping in here.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23Upstairs?
0:38:24 > 0:38:26It's like a cross-channel ferry.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36- Whoa!- Look at this!- Do we have a bit of luxury travel?
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Not bad. Look at it.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43Much nicer than I expected! Oh!
0:38:43 > 0:38:46What a relief!
0:38:46 > 0:38:52It turned out my cheap ticket entitled me to a luxury cabin for the night!
0:38:52 > 0:38:54This is really quite nice!
0:39:12 > 0:39:14The ferry was taking us to Palu,
0:39:14 > 0:39:17a town just off the Equator on the island of Sulawesi.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28It's an island of dramatic mountains, and a striking coastline.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32But its beauty contrasts with bloody religious conflict.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42PEOPLE CHANT PRAYERS
0:39:44 > 0:39:50Like the rest of Indonesia, the vast majority of people living on Sulawesi are Muslims.
0:39:55 > 0:40:00But it also contains significant numbers of Christians and other religious minorities.
0:40:00 > 0:40:06In recent years, clashes between Muslims and Christians have claimed more than 1,000 lives.
0:40:06 > 0:40:13There have been recent bombings in Palu and, as I drove into town, the atmosphere was still tense.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17The problems started in 1998, when the national government had collapsed
0:40:17 > 0:40:19and Indonesia was in chaos.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23Local political rivalries split along religious lines.
0:40:23 > 0:40:28Street fights over political power escalated until entire communities were being massacred.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34Elias, a university lecturer, agreed to show us about.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38He's Muslim, but a large part of his family is Christian.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41Elias has got this truncheon.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45Are you carrying this because of security?
0:40:45 > 0:40:47Yes, for protecting myself.
0:40:47 > 0:40:52Before, I am not afraid anything here because I have many family here,
0:40:52 > 0:41:00- but, since the things... - Since the attacks? - ..since the attack, I am afraid.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06This is one of the churches.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10Was... Someone put the bomb here.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14Oh, there's a police point just over here.
0:41:16 > 0:41:21- The police are guarding the churches now, are they?- Yes.- Right.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28Elias took us to the pork market,
0:41:28 > 0:41:33a place where only Christians would shop.
0:41:33 > 0:41:39A bomb attack here a few months before had killed nine people, including Elias's Christian uncle.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42Is the policeman coming with us as well?
0:41:51 > 0:41:53- The bomb was right here?- Yes.
0:41:57 > 0:42:01Can you explain what happened that day?
0:42:01 > 0:42:06TRANSLATION: Shoppers had started pouring into the market.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17When the bomb went off, I was standing over there.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26It was all so sudden, I was so shocked.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28I did not know what had happened.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31I couldn't hear anything. I went deaf.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34Were you injured at all?
0:42:36 > 0:42:38Yes, I was injured on the leg.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50The police were now guarding the market.
0:42:52 > 0:42:57Who do you think was responsible for the attack and what was the motive?
0:42:57 > 0:43:02TRANSLATION: I think Muslim and Christian communities live here in harmony,
0:43:02 > 0:43:05but there are people who don't like to see that,
0:43:05 > 0:43:10and those people want to start a conflict between Muslims and Christians.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17Killings have been carried out by both sides.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21We were taken to an area for Muslim refugees from the fighting.
0:43:21 > 0:43:28- So where are we going now? - We are going to Sophia's house.
0:43:28 > 0:43:30Sophia, who is she?
0:43:30 > 0:43:33She is a victim of...also conflict -
0:43:37 > 0:43:42she lost her husband and her extended family, so it's around maybe 50 family members.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44- 50?!- 50 people in the family.
0:43:46 > 0:43:50Sophia, can you explain to me what happened during the conflict?
0:43:52 > 0:43:56- TRANSLATION:- They tied our men like animals, so when one fell, they all fell.
0:43:56 > 0:44:02We watched our husbands while they were beaten. I asked, "What are you going to do with my husband?"
0:44:02 > 0:44:05"Shut up," one man said. Then they kicked him.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09All of the males, including boys, were targeted.
0:44:09 > 0:44:11Many were never seen again.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14Sophia thought her son would be killed if discovered.
0:44:18 > 0:44:23When I was trying to escape, I put girls' clothes on my son, so they didn't know he's a boy.
0:44:26 > 0:44:30The Christian militia stopped us and asked if they were boys or girls.
0:44:30 > 0:44:34I replied, "I have two children, and both are girls."
0:44:36 > 0:44:38I have no idea why they killed my husband.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45We saw lots of bodies floating in the river.
0:44:45 > 0:44:50My children said, "Let's wait here. Who knows, we may find Dad's body."
0:44:54 > 0:44:58But all the bodies were naked and headless - you couldn't tell who was who.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03How do you feel about Christians, after what you've gone through?
0:45:05 > 0:45:09After the fighting, after we lost everything we had,
0:45:09 > 0:45:12I do think there's a gap between us now.
0:45:12 > 0:45:16Now when I see Christians, I feel very deep hatred.
0:45:20 > 0:45:24Peace deals have been brokered, but none so far has fully held.
0:45:24 > 0:45:28In a nearby town, three Christian girls were attacked and beheaded
0:45:28 > 0:45:30as they walked to school.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41We left the mainland and headed for a more peaceful part of Sulawesi.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45We sailed north, back towards the Equator and the Togians,
0:45:45 > 0:45:48a group of coral and volcanic islands.
0:45:48 > 0:45:54The seas here are rich with marine life, and some of it came to welcome us.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01Come on. Watch the dolphins.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04They're just riding in front of the boat.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12Amazing little things.
0:46:31 > 0:46:33We were staying with the Bajo people,
0:46:33 > 0:46:39one of several ethnic groups known as sea gypsies who live on the waters around Indonesia.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42As most of the country strives to modernise,
0:46:42 > 0:46:46they do their best to live apart and cling to their traditional way of life.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52PEOPLE WHOOP, DRUMS BEAT
0:47:13 > 0:47:17We're being welcomed in the pouring rain,
0:47:17 > 0:47:21and they're doing a sort of martial arts demonstration that I'm told
0:47:21 > 0:47:24is meant to prove they can protect us -
0:47:24 > 0:47:28it's not meant to frighten us away, as I originally thought.
0:47:35 > 0:47:40The culture and economy of the Bajo people is derived from the water around them.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47We left the village, and set out in their small traditional wooden boats
0:47:47 > 0:47:51to go and see them where they excel - in the sea.
0:47:53 > 0:47:58Their livelihood is derived from fishing and scavenging the seabed.
0:48:01 > 0:48:05With us were the younger members of the community.
0:48:05 > 0:48:11The children must learn to become divers if the Bajo are to have a future.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13I think it's time for a swimming lesson.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16Mine, not theirs.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31These children are already expert swimmers.
0:48:31 > 0:48:37Bajo tradition is that newborn babies, just a few days old, are dropped into the sea
0:48:37 > 0:48:42by their fathers, to introduce them to the environment which plays a crucial part in their lives.
0:48:52 > 0:48:57The kids here are a little bit too good in the water. They keep using us as a climbing frame.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00I've been kicked in the face twice by small urchins.
0:49:17 > 0:49:23All of this play means that by the time they're adults, the children will be highly skilled divers.
0:49:29 > 0:49:33The men hold their breath underwater for up to five minutes at a time.
0:49:33 > 0:49:40They go to the bottom to harvest a slug-shaped creature called a sea cucumber,
0:49:40 > 0:49:43which is closely related to anemones.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49Fish are caught with homemade spear guns.
0:49:49 > 0:49:52It's really quite a sight, just beneath the boat
0:49:52 > 0:49:59because the divers are just hanging motionless in the water with their spears
0:49:59 > 0:50:02waiting for a fish to swim by in front of them.
0:50:02 > 0:50:06It's just amazing, just watching them just waiting there -
0:50:06 > 0:50:08it's a totally inhuman thing to do really,
0:50:08 > 0:50:12just hanging around underneath the water without requiring air.
0:50:17 > 0:50:22I decided to follow the men under and try and stay with them, as they hunted for fish.
0:50:36 > 0:50:42But a city lad like me was never going to last long with men who grew up in these waters.
0:50:50 > 0:50:55The exotic fish they catch mainly go to Japan and China.
0:50:55 > 0:51:00Export firms have encouraged the Bajo to use hoses carrying pressurised air
0:51:00 > 0:51:04to allow them to stay underwater for longer to increase their catch,
0:51:04 > 0:51:06but this has led to deaths from the bends
0:51:06 > 0:51:11and there are now dozens of men in this community who are permanently disabled.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22Oyster, big oyster.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24A huge one.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29Anything inside?
0:51:39 > 0:51:43It's really picked up suddenly.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46Suddenly it's got choppier so...
0:51:46 > 0:51:50We don't want to risk the boat sinking with the camera.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01Whoa! I think I weigh a bit too much.
0:52:15 > 0:52:18Quite a lot of water is sloshing into the boat.
0:52:18 > 0:52:22It's going into their sago, and in here...
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Is there a danger of the boat sinking?
0:52:29 > 0:52:33- Yes?- It's nearly sinking. - You think we're sinking now?!
0:52:39 > 0:52:43We decided to try and outrun the coming storm.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52- For- BLEEP- sake!
0:52:53 > 0:52:55I thought these boats were supposed to be stable!
0:52:59 > 0:53:02There's quite a bit of water coming in now, guys.
0:53:02 > 0:53:06We made it to calmer waters, but the small boats weren't built
0:53:06 > 0:53:10to carry my heavy western frame, and it was still going down.
0:53:12 > 0:53:14There's a boat coming to rescue us,
0:53:15 > 0:53:22but they still think we're too overloaded, so I'm going to get out. Goodbye! Agh!
0:53:25 > 0:53:31A more reliable passenger vessel calls daily at one of the neighbouring islands.
0:53:44 > 0:53:45If we'd carried on east,
0:53:45 > 0:53:49the journey would have taken us through the Moluccas Islands,
0:53:49 > 0:53:51the last bit of Indonesian land on the Equator.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53But there was a problem.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57Christian-Muslim clashes, and a militant independence struggle
0:53:57 > 0:54:00meant we were forbidden by the government from going there.
0:54:00 > 0:54:05So the ferry took me north across the Equator to the town of Gorontalo.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09I thought our Indonesian adventure was over... but I was wrong.
0:54:09 > 0:54:12We arrived right in the middle of a major flood.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15Heavy rain had been falling all night.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24The river is right up, just underneath the bridge now.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29The water is absolutely raging underneath here.
0:54:29 > 0:54:33You see the power lines just here, that are hanging into the water?
0:54:35 > 0:54:39The houses by the side of the river on the riverbank
0:54:39 > 0:54:43are clearly over the first-floor window there.
0:54:46 > 0:54:52This doesn't feel a very stable or safe place to be at the moment, so we're going to go across.
0:55:02 > 0:55:07The flooding had ripped through the town, and the only way for us to get out was to wade.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15It's just an utterly bizarre situation,
0:55:15 > 0:55:21where we really are walking past all these houses which are completely flooded.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26Really, this country,
0:55:26 > 0:55:28it's been through...
0:55:28 > 0:55:31they had floods here a week ago,
0:55:31 > 0:55:36there's a huge volcano that's about to erupt in Indonesia,
0:55:36 > 0:55:39they had mud landslides.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51The current is very strong here.
0:55:58 > 0:56:00What are you talking about? Football?
0:56:00 > 0:56:04Soccer?
0:56:04 > 0:56:08- Italy?- England.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11THEY CHEER
0:56:11 > 0:56:14Very popular!
0:56:14 > 0:56:19David Beckham yes, I've heard of him. Michael Owen, yes.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21An excellent footballer.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24England, England!
0:56:24 > 0:56:27Don't you worry about the flood, just concentrate on the football!
0:56:27 > 0:56:29Everything will be OK!
0:56:34 > 0:56:37Whoa!
0:56:37 > 0:56:39I can really, really feel it.
0:56:42 > 0:56:44No, you have a cigarette! That's OK.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52It's really, really strong, just to warn you!
0:57:20 > 0:57:25The flooding across Sulawesi had claimed more than 200 lives,
0:57:25 > 0:57:29and 4,500 people were evacuated from Gorontalo.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40Well, we've made it out of the flood waters,
0:57:40 > 0:57:42now we need to get to the airport
0:57:42 > 0:57:47and then this should really be the end of our journey across Indonesia.
0:57:47 > 0:57:51We had wanted to go further east and visit other places on the Equator,
0:57:51 > 0:57:56but the Indonesian government said we couldn't - we weren't allowed - too much conflict,
0:57:56 > 0:58:01and so this is really where our journey across Indonesia ends.
0:58:10 > 0:58:15I'd had an incredible journey through idyllic islands,
0:58:15 > 0:58:18threatened rainforests, and met some amazing people.
0:58:20 > 0:58:27From Indonesia, the Equator crosses 11,000 miles of Pacific Ocean before it hits land again.
0:58:27 > 0:58:32So my next destination, as I follow the Equator around the world,
0:58:32 > 0:58:34is the Galapagos Islands.
0:58:50 > 0:58:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd - 2006
0:58:54 > 0:58:58E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk