“We, the indigenous people of Yowied Village reject corporations coming on to our land in Tubang District for the following reasons: there is not so much land around Yowied Village. Our lives are dependent on what our environment can provide. Where will the future generations go?” The sign is tied with coconut leaves, a signal […]
The forest villages of Merauke are as remote as it is possible to imagine in the twenty-first century. Nowhere in Indonesia is further from Jakarta – 3700 kilometres as the crow flies. 662 km of forest and a high mountain range separate Merauke from the Papuan capital, Jayapura, which is also the focus of most […]
On 29th September, Romanus Mbaraka, the Bupati or Regency Leader of Merauke, travelled to Kampung Wambi in Okaba District, to try to convince local people that plantation development did not necessarily have to be a bad thing. Hundreds of people from surrounding villages came to hear him speak. A local journalist with tabloidjubi.com also travelled […]
After up to 100 local people occupied PT Mayora’s office in Merauke last week, FORMASI SSUMAWOMA managed to get an audience with Merauke Regency Leader (Bupati) Romanus Mbaraka to discuss their opposition to PT Mayora and PT Astra. During the two-hour discussion they heard some encouraging words from the Bupati, who agreed to sign an […]
An action at PT Mayora’s offices on Monday passed off peacefully. Marind people were protesting the company’s strategy of entering an area before developing proper plans, creating a climate of fear amongst the community. This fear had been heightened when the company had accused the people of being separatists and members of the OPM. Here’s […]
Around 100 people from the SSUMAWOMA Malind Woyu Maklew Intellectual Forum are currently occupying PT Mayora and PT Astra’s company offices on Jalan Ternate, Merauke City. The occupation started at 11.00 local time, involving youth and community members from the Malind Muli Woyu Maklew sub-ethnic group, from villages such as Wamal, Dokib, Wambi, Dodalim and […]
Kampung Yowid, like other villages in Tubang and Ilwayab districts, has taken a determined and united stance against plantation companies, which have recently been moving in to the area. But now indigenous leaders in Kampung Yowid have been intimidated into signing a document from PT Mayora, one of Indonesia’s leading food brands, which is trying […]
Over the last few months, a series of meetings have taken place in villages around Merauke to discuss development plans, within the framework of local adat, or customary law,. In each one, a resolution has been made, a clear rejection of all investment. The document below, from a new grouping of Marind intellectuals called FORMASI […]