In order to gain sand for land reclamation along the coast, a hill on Karimun Island is cut down.

At first glance the kampong, located around hundred kilometres south of Singapore in the Riau Archipelago, seems remarkably out of touch with the metropolis. Fishermen here say that they sell their catches to a Chinese man who runs an ice factory on the village.

Shipbuilding and repair are Batam’s main industries. Shipyards are usually situated on newly built pieces of land where the coastline is shifted into deeper waters and bigger ships can access.

In less than twenty years, due to the spread of electronic manufacturing and ship building industries from Singapore, Batam grew into a city of over a million inhabitants migrating from various parts of Indonesia. A tofu factory in worker’s kampong Tua Belian is a typical small business that produces for the city.