Indonesian walking 700 kilometers backward to save forests

Bekasi (Indonesia), Aug (AP) An Indonesian man is walking more than 700 kilometers (430 miles) backward from his home in eastern Java to the country's capital to raise awareness about deforestation. Medi Bastoni began his arduous expedition on July 18 from his village on the slope of Mount Wilis, a dormant volcano in East Java province that has been affected by deforestation.

The 43-year-old is expected to arrive in the capital, Jakarta, on Friday and hopes to meet President Joko Widodo and ask him to re-plant trees in Mount Wilis. This isn't his first backward walk. Bastoni completed a 73 kilometer (45 mile) walk last year from East Java's town of Tulungagung to the peak of Mount Wilis in a similar effort to raise awareness of the issue. (AP) IND

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