Author Archives: admin

Grabbing land locally, changing climate globally: the winners and the losers in West Papua’s plantation boom

By admin | Published: November 9, 2016

The potential impacts of climate change have long been a major concern around the Pacific reason, where, for example, many small islands are vulnerable to sea level rise. In recent years, the human rights situation and political status of West Papua has also been attracting more and more attention in the region. A conference in […]

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Yerisiam Gua Women: Our lives depend on sago

By admin | Published: November 8, 2016

[awasMIFEE note: This is a translation of an article by Zely Ariane which was published by tabloid Jubi on 29th October, based on a similar article published by Suarapapua.com in May. As part of a response to a complaint to the RSPO, the company has since initiated a process of dialogue with the community, and […]

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Stop Military business and respect the rights of indigenous Papuans.

By admin | Published: July 22, 2016

Translation of a Press Release from a Coalition of Civil Society Organisations On 16th July 2016 soldiers from the sub-district military command in Muting, Merauke Regency, came to look for Agustinus Dayo Mahuze, the chair of the Mahuze clan in Muting village, at his house. Their intention was to invite him to meet with the […]

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Indigenous people of Maybrat oppose PT ANJ’s ambitions

By admin | Published: July 1, 2016

PT Austindo Nusantara Jaya Tbk, owned by the Tahija family, is currently planning to expand its oil palm business in areas administered by the Maybrat Regency, through a subsidiary company called PT Pusaka Agro Makmur (40,000 hectares). PT ANJ Group already operates an oil palm business in the Maybrat area and across the regency border […]

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New companies threatening the Papuan forest: Number 1 Pacific Inter-link.

By admin | Published: June 12, 2016

There is currently some momentum for change in the palm oil industry, aiming to reduce its disastrous environmental and social impact. In Papua, some of the biggest companies, such as Sinar Mas, Musim Mas and Wilmar, have all abandoned plantation plans after signing up to ‘no deforestation’ policies. ((in the case of Wilmar, the abandoned […]

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An appeal not to issue Cultivation Rights Title to the Korindo Group in North Maluku.

By admin | Published: June 2, 2016

[Korindo, the South Korean timber and plantation company which has caused so many problems on it’s plantations in Merauke and Boven Digoel, Papua, is also facing opposition from communities confronted with a new plantation in Gane Bay, on the island of Halmahera in Maluku. This is a translation of a press release issued in Jakarta […]

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Is the government about to take action to save Papua’s forests?

By admin | Published: May 27, 2016

There are positive indications that President Joko Widodo’s recent promise to place a moratorium on new oil palm permits across Indonesia may soon become reality. Statements from key figures in the Forestry and Environment Ministry suggest that one of the main aims of this new policy is to stop the same kind of decimation of […]

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Indigenous people and activists demonstrate against oil palm expansion in Sorong

By admin | Published: May 24, 2016

[awasMIFEE note: as the indigenous people of Sorong, Nabire, Merauke and elsewhere around Papua continue to resist oil palm expansion, there now appears to be some hope that the government is responding. It appears that President Joko Widodo’s comments last April that he was preparing a moratorium on all new oil palm permits are being […]

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Brimob and how the Yerisiam Gua people’s sago groves were cleared.

By admin | Published: May 13, 2016

Sima, 11 May 2016 – During a discussion on Monday 9th May community representatives were asked if they agreed with PT Nabire Baru’s statement that police mobile brigade (Brimob) were stationed on the company’s premises because the community had requested their presence. They instantly replied that they didn’t. “How could we have asked for them? […]

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Forest in the Kalasou Valley threatened by oil palm.

By admin | Published: May 9, 2016

Forest belonging to the Moi indigenous people in the Kalasou Valley, Sorong Regency, West Papua Province, is currently under threat, targeted by an oil palm plantation company. The Bupati of Sorong, Stepanus Malak, issued location permit 221/2011 on 23rd December 2011 to oil palm company PT Mega Mustika Plantation (MMP), covering an area of 9835 […]

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