Category Archives: Around West Papua

The Salim Group’s Secret Plantations in West Papua.

By admin | Published: May 2, 2016

There is strong evidence that the Salim Group has been acquiring and starting to develop oil palm concessions in West Papua province, which could result in the conversion of 117,000 hectares of forest and grassland to oil palm. The Salim Group is one of Indonesia’s biggest business conglomerates and it’s main agribusiness division, Indofood Agri […]

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Marap Indigenous Group claim back three oil palm plantation divisions in Arso.

By admin | Published: April 29, 2016

Indigenous land owners from the Marap people in Arso have used customary law to take back oil palm land owned by PT PN II as part of its Arso plantation, specifically the Core III, Core IV and Core V divisions. The action took place at Yamara village PIR 3, Manem sub-district, Keerom Regency, on Wednesday […]

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Nabire: Akudiomi village government forbids forest and marine resource exploitation.

By admin | Published: February 19, 2016

Akudiomi village in Yaur subdistrict of Nabire Regency (also known as Kwatisore village) looks out over the Cenderawasih Bay Marine National Park, and is home to whale sharks which are frequently visited by local and foreign tourists. Several days ago (10/02/2016) in the Akudiomi village hall, the village administration held a meeting with the community, […]

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Open Letter to President Joko Widodo – Stop the ‘Investment Creates Jobs’ Programme

By admin | Published: January 28, 2016

To Indonesian President Joko Widodo, State Palace Respectfully, Once upon a time, President Joko Widodo said he would put an end to uncertainty and commit to a sustained transition to create a way forward for an outstanding Indonesia, reaffirming the ideology of the Pancasila and Trisakti principles of Indonesia’s independence movement. Once upon a time […]

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Fifteen cases of Brimob violence in four years in Nabire oil palm plantation.

By admin | Published: December 2, 2015

Jubi 15/111/2015 The presence of a regional Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) unit in an oil palm plantation managed by PT Nabire Baru (NB) in Yaro sub-district, Nabire Regency, Papua, is proving to be a threat to the Yerisiam Gua indigenous community’s rights. That was the message conveyed by the secretary of the Yerisiam Gua indigenous […]

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In the last nine months four people have been criminalised for protesting against ANJ’s oil palm plantations.

By admin | Published: October 7, 2015

Within the last nine months, state forces have laid criminal charges against four of the local indigenous landowners whose land has been grabbed by oil palm plantations PT Permata Putera Mandiri and PT Putera Manunggal Perkasa, both subsidiaries of Austindo Nusantara Jaya Agri, owned by tycoon George Tahija. The four include Obet Korie (52 years […]

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South Sorong: Oil palm industry continues its rapid expansion.

By admin | Published: September 3, 2015

In mid-2013, there was no oil palm planted in South Sorong Regency. The logging industry had made an impact on the forest in the area, but the area was still covered by forest, much of it classified by the Indonesian Government as primary forest. By early 2014, two subsidiaries of the Austindo Nusantara Jaya Group […]

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How Oil Palm companies are threatening the livelihood of the Kamoro and Amungme indigenous peoples in Timika.

By admin | Published: August 23, 2015

By Santon Tekege*** [awasMIFEE note: This is an opinion piece by Santon Tekege, pastoral staff for the Catholic Diocese of Timika, where he looks at some of the issues surrounding PT Pusaka Agro Lestari’s oil palm plantation in Mimika Regency, not far from the city of Timika. Following mounting criticism of the company, notably by […]

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ANJ Agri case: prosecution demands prison sentences for indigenous protesters Obet Korie and Odi Aitago

By admin | Published: August 16, 2015

Speaking in front of the Judges’ bench in the Sorong District Court, state prosecutor Katrina Dimara accused Obet and Obi of having violated article 170 of the Indonesian Criminal Code, and asked the council of judges to hand down prison sentences – one year for Obet Korie and eight months for Odi Aitago, less the […]

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Trial starts for two people arrested on demonstration at PT Permata Putera Mandiri’s offfice.

By admin | Published: July 24, 2015

On 15th May this year, dozens of students and others from the Iwaro ethnic group from Metamani and Inanwatan in South Sorong Regency, staged a protest action with banners and speeches, blocking the offices of oil palm company PT Permata Putera Mandiri (PPM), on Jalan Ahmad Yani, Sorong City, West Papua Province. According to Simon […]

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