JAKARTA – Indonesia plans to move away from clearing forests for new rice fields after achieving self-sufficiency in the staple ahead of schedule, although the government has yet to clarify what the shift means for projects already under way in South Papua and Kalimantan.
Hashim Djojohadikusumo, President Prabowo Subianto’s younger brother and special envoy for climate and energy, told a sustainability forum in Jakarta on Oct 6 that the government had hit its rice self-sufficiency target three years early without needing to plant the two million ha of food estates it had planned.
But the Forestry Ministry said the shift was not yet clear-cut, pointing out that it sees Hashim’s remarks as affirming a policy of meeting food needs by raising productivity and making better use of existing land, in line with efforts to protect forests.
“A distinction needs to be made between new expansion plans that require the clearing of forest areas, activities that are already under way, and increasing production on agricultural land that is already available,” Ristianto Pribadi, the ministry’s head of public relations and international cooperation, told The Straits Times in a text message.
“Therefore, we cannot yet say that all activities in the two regions will automatically stop, nor confirm when they will stop,” he said, adding that this was for the Agriculture Ministry and other relevant agencies to spell out, referring to work in South Papua and Central Kalimantan.
At the Indonesia International Sustainability Forum, Hashim, who was speaking on behalf of the Agriculture Ministry, said: “The government sees no further need to expand rice cultivation in so-called forest areas.”
The two million ha food estate programme had, in effect, already met its goal, he said, stressing: “It is a programme that we have already achieved without even planting two million ha.”
However, thousands of hectares of forest, including swamp forest and peatlands, have already been cleared to create new rice fields as part of the programme.
Mari Elka Pangestu, deputy chair of the National Economic Council, told the forum that the two million ha announced in 2025 for food production “is no longer needed”. She said Hashim had asked her to deliver “the missing part of that message”.
“Moving forward, we will be using degraded land. We have over 12 million ha of degraded land that can be used for this,” said Mari, a former trade minister. These are lands that were previously cleared or had been damaged by erosion or other causes and are either abandoned or underused.
She said Hashim had discussed the plan with the agriculture and forestry ministers, who agreed that any future production of food or biofuel would use degraded land as part of a Forestry Ministry reforestation programme. Biofuels include biodiesel from blending palm oil with diesel and ethanol made from sugar cane.
Arief Cahyono, the Agriculture Ministry’s chief spokesman, did not respond to queries from ST.
On growing crops such as sugar cane and soya beans on degraded land, Ristianto said any increase in production must not add to the pressure on forests and important ecosystems.
Sites must be chosen only after verifying their land cover, the status and function, compliance with spatial plans, environmental factors and community rights, including those of indigenous people, he said.
“Designating an area as degraded land does not by itself, or automatically, mean that the area can be converted,” he said, adding that any change in land use must comply with prevailing laws and regulations.
“Food security and forest conservation need to go hand in hand, with clarity on locations and coordinated implementation,” he added.
Focus on existing farmland
Hashim and Mari said the government would focus on raising yields on existing farmland. Hashim said this would include soya beans, most of which Indonesia still imports.
“We will not embark on extensification (clearing) of arable areas. We will embark on and continue intensification measures using new breeds, new seeds, superior seeds of rice and soya beans,” said Hashim, adding that Indonesia would be self-sufficient in soya beans “within about three years, I’ve been told”.
Mari said higher yields must not come at the expense of the environment. “You can’t just increase yields but, at the same time, your soil and water are being degraded,” she said, calling for research into seeds that need less water and can cope with a hotter climate.
She also pointed to “green rice”, or growing more rice on the same land with less fertiliser and water, which cuts methane emissions and can earn carbon credits, an approach she said had been proven in Vietnam.
Prabowo had set a target for rice self-sufficiency by 2029. Hashim said government rice stocks stood at about 5.3 million tonnes and were growing so fast that the state had to rent private warehouses.
“Our warehouses are chock-a-block full of rice,” he said, adding that it was the first time in 42 years that Indonesia had become self-sufficient in the staple, a feat last achieved under president Suharto in the mid-1980s.
He credited incentives for farmers, including raising the price at which the state buys unhusked rice to 6,500 rupiah (47 Singapore cents) a kg from 4,000 rupiah, and cutting fertiliser costs by 20 per cent.
Indonesia produced 34.71 million tonnes of rice in 2025, exceeding the demand of 31.19 million tonnes, according to the National Food Agency.
Indonesia’s statistics agency projects January-September 2026 output at 28.71 million tonnes, almost unchanged year on year, state news agency Antara reported on Oct 6.
The most controversial food estates are in Merauke regency in South Papua, where vast rice and sugar estates are being developed in wetland forests by the Jhonlin Group and Merauke Sugar Group with the help of thousands of soldiers, despite protests from indigenous communities.
If fully developed, the estates could cover about two million ha, roughly the size of Johor, according to forestry think-tank Auriga Nusantara.
Large areas already cleared
Neither Hashim nor Mari said how much forest had already been cleared, what would happen to land cleared but not yet planted, or whether the sugar cane plantations in South Papua would be affected.
According to satellite data from environmental group Mighty Earth, more than 50,000ha of rainforest, savannah, peat swamp and wetlands have been cleared for sugar cane and rice since the start of the project in 2024.
Auriga chair Timer Manurung told ST that satellite imagery showed several spots of extensive deforestation around the Merauke estate, though the group has yet to quantify the area.
The group also documented several large cleared areas around Sorong and Jayapura, which locals said were for rice paddy projects.
Hashim said rice had been planted “in swamp areas, not peat areas” of South Papua and Kalimantan. But during a recent visit, ST found mixed results in Central Kalimantan, with some farmers struggling to grow rice on acidic peat soil and peat forest areas that had been cleared for the staple.
Challenges remain, though.
Auriga estimates that forest loss in Indonesia surged by 66 per cent in 2025 to 433,751ha, its highest level in eight years, with more than 78,000ha linked to food and energy self-sufficiency programmes.
The shift to degraded land may also prove harder than it sounds. WRI Indonesia has identified 9.72 million ha of degraded but still productive land outside peat areas, but found that less than 10 per cent of it is suitable for large-scale agriculture. About 4.1 million ha is better suited to small farms of under 100ha.
Still, the announcement on halting forest clearance for rice brought praise.
Glenn Hurowitz, chief executive of Mighty Earth, said Prabowo and the Indonesian government had made “a globally significant decision for people, nature and climate”.
“Mighty Earth and allies will be closely monitoring implementation and supporting work with local communities in Papua to heal the damage that’s been done. We are hopeful about the potential of this decision to drive a continued shift to protecting and restoring nature and to sustainable agriculture,” he said in a statement.
Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja has been Indonesia correspondent at The Straits Times since 2008, and is based in Jakarta.
The Government of Indonesia has announced that it will stop any further expansion of the Food and Energy Estates project in Papua and will shift all future development for the project for food and crops for bioenergy to degraded lands – a globally significant win for Indonesia’s nature, the climate, and local communities.
In twin announcements at the Indonesian Sustainability Forum in Jakarta, President Prabowo’s brother Hashim Djojohadikusumo, in his role as Special Envoy for Climate and Energy and the President’s Special Envoy for Multilateralism & International Trade Mari Pangestu said that Indonesia would shift both the rice and sugarcane projects to degraded land.
Mighty Earth Founder and CEO Glenn Hurowitz commented:
“President Prabowo and the Indonesian government have made a globally significant decision for people, nature and climate today by ending deforestation for its food and energy development. This decision renews Indonesia’s leadership in showing how to expand agriculture while protecting nature.”
“Mighty Earth and allies will be closely monitoring implementation, and supporting work with local communities in Papua to heal the damage that’s been done. We are hopeful about the potential of this decision to drive a continued shift to protecting and restoring nature and to sustainable agriculture.”
“This decision creates an opportunity for large-scale investments in achieving President Prabowo’s goal of restoring 12 million hectares of forest, peat, and other ecosystems. It’s a program of truly enormous significance that could provide habitat to endangered species and suck gigatons of carbon out of the atmosphere. We call on all friends of Indonesia to support this program. This decision means that Indonesia can fully achieve its potential to become a nature and climate superpower.”
01:14:00 – Rice Project Announcement by Pak Hashim, Special Envoy of the President for Energy and Climate Change.
03:19:00 – Rice and Energy Project Announcement by Ibu Mari Pangestu, Special Envoy of the President for Multilateralism & International Trade.
Excerpt from President Prabowo’s Special Envoy Hashim Djojohadikusumo speech:
“I’d like to make a major announcement. Now, because of our success in reaching rice self-sufficiency, the Government of Indonesia would like to announce especially by the Minister of Agriculture through me the Special Envoy, that the Ministry of Agriculture and the Government feels at the moment that it does not need to expand the further cultivation of rice in so-called forest areas.
The so-called 2-million-hectare food estate program is a program that we have already achieved without even planting 2 million hectares. We will embark and continue on intensification measures, using new breeds, new seeds, superior breeds of rice and soybeans to achieve that. So, I’d like to again reiterate the fact that the government sees no further need for expanding rice cultivation areas in the so-called forest areas and forest zones that were announced a few years ago…”
Excerpt from President’s Special Envoy Mari Pangestu remarks:
“I just want to repeat a very important message from Pak Hashim this morning…He basically said that because we have been committed Because we have been quite successful meaning that the 2 million hectares that were announced for food production are no longer needed. And he told me he forgot to say it and he asked me to add this message, is that, to, to have increased food and and biofuel production, moving forward, we will be using degraded land…
The missing part of that message is…We have over 12 million hectares of degraded land that can be used, for this, and the minute, and he asked me to say on his behalf that He did discuss this already with the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Forestry, and they agreed that any future production of food or biofuel production will be using degraded land, and it is part of the forestry ministry program of afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation.”
3) Students who raised Morning Star flag are USTJ students : BEM
News Desk October 7, 2026
Jayapura, Jubi – The Student Executive Council of the University of Science and Technology Jayapura (BEM USTJ) says the three people who raised the Morning Star flag during a protest on the university campus on 30 September 2-26 are USTJ students.
The statement contradicts an earlier claim by the university rector that the three people who raised the flag during a protest marking the 64th anniversary of the 1962 New York Agreement, or Rome Agreement, were not USTJ students.
USTJ Student Vice President Luis Kitok Kasipka said information gathered by BEM USTJ indicated that the three people detained by police following the protest were active students at the university.
He said their student status should be verified through academic records and accountable verification procedures.
BEM USTJ has called on the university administration to provide an explanation based on verifiable facts and data. It also rejected claims that the three were outsiders or members of external organization who had entered the campus.
“Calling them outsiders or members of external organisations who entered the campus needs to be clarified and supported by clear evidence,” Kasipka said at press conference at the BEM USTJ Secretatiat in Padang Bulan, Abepura District, Jayapura, Papua, on Monday (06/10/2026).
Kasipka said any claims about the involvement of outside organisations should be based on verifiable information rather than assumptions or unilateral assessments.
BEM USTJ also rejected claims that it agreed with the rector’s position on the matter.
Kasipka said there had been no discussion, consultation or formal agreement between the rector and BEM USTJ before the statement that the student organisation shared was made public.
“Such a statement cannot be regarded as representing the official position of BEM USTJ,” he said.
He said BEM USTJ had its own internal procedures for determining the organisation’s position and that any statement made on their behalf must be communicated and confirmed by BEM USTJ first.
BEM USTJ member Rudi Jafata said the issue should be resolved through communication and dialogue between students and the university administration.
Differences of opinion on campus, he said, should not immediately result in students being stigmatised.
“The university is an academic space that should allow students to express their views and discuss various issues openly and responsibly,” Jafata said.
BEM USTJ said the 30 September protest was held to commemorate the 64th anniversary of the 1692 New York Agreement.
The student organisation said universities should provide space for students to study, examine, discuss and debate different historical perpectoves critically, openly and responsibly.
It also said freedom of expression is a constitutional right, referring to Article 28E(3) of the 1945 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of association, assembly and expression.
BEM USTJ also cited Law No.9 of 1998 on Freedom of Expression in Public and Law No,12 of 2012 on Higher Education, which regulate academic freedom and academic speech.
The organisation said that dialogue with a fair and transparent procedures should be addressed if there are any violations of university regulations alleged.
Regarding the three students detained by police, BEM USTJ called on the university administration to coordinate with law enforcement and other relevant parties to ensure their rights, safety and fair treatment.
BEM USTJ identified the three detained students as:
Apniel Jagani (A.J), a third-semester Information System student;
Inios Enembe (M.E), a fifth-semester Government Studies student who was identified as the protest’s field coordinator; and
Mikael Obaipa (M.O), a fifth-semester International Relations student who was identified as the person responsible for the protest. (*)
4) Marines arbitrarily detain 18 indigenous Papuans in Yahukimo Regency
7 October 2026 / 3 minutes of reading
On 2 October 2026, at an unspecified time, members of a National Armed Forces (TNI) Marine Corps unit allegedly apprehended 18 indigenous Papuans in the Jalan Gunung area of Dekai Town, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan Province. Three among them were minors. Some of the detainees reported being ill-treated by the marines personnel during questioning (see photos below, source: independent HRD). Seventeen detainees were released at approximately 3:00 pm on 3 October 2026 after allegedly being interrogated. Mr Owen Salah reportedly remained in military custody.
According to local human rights defenders, the group consisted primarily of civilians from Yalidomon Village and included Mr Meiles Magayang, Head of the Kwelamdua Health Post, and Mr Petinur Keroman, Head of Yalidomon Village. The group was travelling along Jalan Gunung to transport medicines to Kwelamdua after the local health facility had reportedly experienced medicine shortages for several months. The received information alleged that many residents had fallen ill and that mortality had increased during the shortage.
Human rights and legal analysis
The reported apprehension and detention raise serious concerns under Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Deprivation of liberty must have a lawful basis and must not be arbitrary. The UN Human Rights Committee has clarified that arbitrariness extends beyond formal illegality and encompasses lack of reasonableness, necessity, proportionality, predictability and due process.These safeguards are particularly relevant because the information presently available does not indicate that the civilians were informed of any criminal offence, presented with arrest warrants, informed of the legal basis for their detention or transferred promptly to a recognised civilian law-enforcement authority.
Indonesia’s current Code of Criminal Procedure, Law No. 20 of 2025 (KUHAP 2025), entered into force on 2 January 2026, replacing Law No. 8 of 1981. Articles 93–96 regulate arrest powers. Arrest is generally carried out by investigators for investigative purposes; Article 94 requires at least two items of evidence supporting suspicion of a criminal offence, while Article 95 requires an investigator to show an assignment letter and provide an arrest warrant identifying the suspect, grounds for arrest, alleged offence and place of examination. A copy must normally be provided to the suspect’s family or another designated person within one day. Article 96 provides that arrest may generally last no longer than 1 × 24 hours, unless another law provides otherwise. Article 93(4) recognises certain investigative powers of Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) investigators where specifically provided by law. This provision should not be interpreted as a general power for military personnel to apprehend civilians outside the statutory scope of such investigative authority.
The allegations that detainees were beaten or otherwise subjected to physical violence additionally engage the absolute prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment under Article 7 ICCPR and Indonesia’s obligations under the Convention against Torture (CAT). CAT requires States to take effective measures to prevent torture, and the Committee against Torture has emphasised that obligations to prevent torture and other ill-treatment apply particularly in contexts of deprivation of liberty, including military detention facilities.
The reported detention of Maroen Magayang and Abraham Koldoman, both approximately 13 years old, and Marko Magayang, approximately 16 years old, additionally engages Article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Article 37 prohibits torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of children and requires that deprivation of a child’s liberty be lawful, non-arbitrary, used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period.
Table of persons detained in Dekai on 2 October 2026
Victim
Age
Reported status
Panus Keroman
23
Civilian
Yorim Magayang
22
Civilian
Nison Walle
approx. 23*
Civilian
Nekson Koldoman
approx. 23
Civilian
Makies Magayang
approx. 20
Civilian
Maroen Magayang
approx. 13
school pupil
Meiles Magayang
approx. 36
Head of Kwelamdua Health Post
Petinur Keroman
approx. 37
Head of Yalidomon Village
Marko Magayang
approx. 16
Civilian
Isana Waroman
approx. 26
Civilian
Weilera Keroman
approx. 28
Civilian
Abraham Koldoman
approx. 13
school pupil
Elat Magayang
approx. 26
Civilian
Rince Koldoman
approx. 20
Civilian
Dersina Koldoman
approx. 26
Civilian
Lerri Magayang
approx. 19
Civilian
Rahel Doyela
approx. 26
Civilian
Owen Salah
NA
Employee
Some detainees sustained wounds as a result of security force violence during detention at Jl Gunung, Dekai, on 2 October 2026
Period of incident: 02/10/2026 – 02/10/2026 Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces > Indonesian Military (TNI) > Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) Issues: indigenous peoples, security force violence, women and children Related Cases:
