1) Pig Feast explores Indigenous land rights in West Papua but key leader Mama Yasinta changed her tune
By Hellena Souisa Topic:Activism
Yasinta Moiwend vanished without a trace.
She could not be reached by phone, and her family have no idea where she is after she was last seen near her home in Ilwayab district in West Papua late last month.
Nearly a week after her disappearance, the Indigenous community leader of the Marind people appeared on television thousands of kilometres away in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, flanked by her lawyer.
Exactly how she got there has sparked a storm of rumour and controversy.
Mama Yasinta, as she is widely known, gained national attention in Indonesia after appearing in the documentary Pig Feast: Colonialism in Our Time.
The film by Dandhy Dwi Laksono and Cypri Jehan Paju Dale was viewed more than 13 million times on YouTube in just two weeks.
It was also live screened some 2,000 times in Indonesia and overseas, including in Australia.
In the documentary, Mama Yasinta is portrayed as one of the Indigenous figures opposing Indonesia's National Strategic Project (PSN) after forests and wetlands that had long supported her family's livelihood were taken over for development projects.
Before contact with her family was lost, a video began circulating online showing the 64-year-old flipping her position and expressing support for the PSN.
"We were shocked when we saw the video. Mama had suddenly changed direction," Yasinta's nephew Esau Maguo Kahol told the ABC.
"It felt like three years of struggle had been washed away in a single day. I couldn't sleep after watching it.”
Rumours of private jet and military involvement
Mr Kahol said Mama Yasinta had left the village without her family's knowledge.
He also said the family had been told by locals in the area that she stayed overnight at an Indonesian military post before allegedly being taken out of the village alongside military personnel and district officials linked to the PSN.
The ABC contacted the Indonesian defence ministry for comment.
Mr Kahol said the family was also told Yasinta flew out on a private jet on May 25.
Arnoldus Anda from Papua legal aid organisation LBH Papua made similar claims, citing locals.
He told Indonesian media that she was picked up in a private jet belonging to the PT Jhonlin Group, accompanied by Ilwayab district head Christin Rumlus and Mandala command officers, before flying to Jakarta.
PT Jhonlin Group is owned by Indonesian businessman Andi Syamsuddin Arsyad, known as Haji Isam.
In Pig Feast, Haji Isam is described as being involved in the government's food estate project through the PT Jhonlin Group, which cleared millions of hectares of forest in Merauke, Boven Digoel and Mappi in Papua.
The ABC contacted Christin Rumlus and PT Jhonlin Group for comment, but did not receive a response.
Mr Kahol questioned both Mama Yasinta's sudden departure and her apparent change of stance, saying he suspected she may have been pressured.
The ABC attempted to contact Mama Yasinta directly but was unable to reach her.
Pig Feast plot twist
Five days after she was reported missing, Mama Yasinta appeared on Indonesian television and in national media coverage.
Accompanied by a lawyer, she visited Jakarta Metropolitan Office headquarters to file a complaint against Pig Feast director Dandhy Dwi Laksono and John Teddy Wakum, the director of the Merauke branch of LBH Papua, under Indonesia's Personal Data Protection Law.
"Mama Sinta reported alleged fraud and the use of personal data without consent," Metro Jaya Police Senior Commissioner Budi Hermanto said last week.
At the police headquarters, Mama Yasinta said she objected to her image being used in Pig Feast and called for the "documentary screenings to be stopped".
In another video circulating online, she denied claims she had travelled on a private jet or was under pressure, saying she went to Jakarta on her own initiative.
"That's not true. I travelled on a regular passenger plane. I did not go to Merauke or Boven Digoel using Haji Isam's helicopter. None of that happened, it's nonsense … and I've never even met Haji Isam," she said.
"I came by myself. Nobody asked me to come. The military did not pick me up. There was no intimidation. Why is everyone making such a fuss about me?"
But Mr Kahol did not believe her explanation.
"I believe Mama is lying. We are poor villagers. People from the village don't suddenly have enough money to travel by plane like that," he said.
"Where did the money come from? For flights, transport, accommodation in Jakarta, and the lawyer?”
He said the family regretted Mama Yasinta's decision to report Dandhy Laksono and Teddy Wakum, noting that the film was shot over a number of years.
He said she never raised concerns with the family about her appearance in the documentary, or about not being compensated for her role in it.
Pig Feast's controversy
Set in South Papua, the documentary follows Indigenous communities, including the Marind, Awyu, Yei and Muyu peoples, who say they are losing their ancestral lands and livelihoods because of the PSN.
The title Pig Feast, or Pesta Babi in Indonesian, comes from a tradition of the Muyu people in West Papua known as Awon Atatbon, a customary ritual involving pigs as important social and cultural symbols tied to the protection of the natural environment.
The 90-minute film examines tensions between Indigenous Papuans and the project, and claims that the government's food estate program is being used to facilitate a large-scale bioethanol development that benefits commercial interests.
Indonesia's food estate program in West Papua, primarily concentrated in the Merauke region, is a massive national strategic project aimed at boosting domestic food and energy production.
The government plans to convert millions of hectares of tropical forests and Indigenous customary lands into large-scale, industrialised agricultural zones for rice, sugar cane, and corn.
The documentary also examines three issues rarely covered in Indonesia's mainstream media: what it describes as the world's largest ongoing deforestation project involving the clearing of around 2.5 million hectares of tropical rainforest; the existence of an estimated 107,000 internally displaced people; and the continuing armed conflict in the region.
It explores the wider political and economic forces surrounding the project, including allegations of military involvement.
The documentary also traces Australia's footprint in the PSN, highlighting the involvement of Sugar Research Australia in developing sugarcane varieties planted in West Papua.
The documentary's controversial claims have sparked strong reactions.
Ekspedisi Indonesia Baru, one of the documentary's production collaborators, said about 50 of the 2,000 live screenings held so far had been disrupted or cancelled before the film was released on YouTube and before Mama Yasinta travelled to Jakarta.
He said the reasons varied, ranging from claims that the "title is provocative", the need to "maintain public order" and "anticipate security concerns", to allegations of "failure to coordinate permits".
Off-screen, director Dandhy Laksono has been targeted on social media, where he has been labelled a "foreign agent" and provocateur.
But Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra, said he never instructed local authorities to shut down or ban public screenings.
"Let people watch it," Mr Mahendra said.
"After that, discussions and debates can take place. That way, the public becomes more critical, pros and cons can emerge."
Mama Yasinta receives support
The story of Pig Feast appears far from over.
Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights, Kommas HAM, is investigating allegations that Mama Yasinta was pressured to complain about the documentary.
"She is living in conditions of extreme poverty … she is a woman, she is Papuan, and she is highly vulnerable," said the deputy chair of Kommas HAM, Putu Elvina.
" She does not have the resources or power to fight on her own. “
Police say they are still reviewing Mama Yasinta's complaint and have not yet summoned witnesses or those named in the report.
Pig Feast director Dandhy Dwi Laksono was contacted by the ABC but declined to comment.
Mr Laksono has made few public comments since Mama Yasinta lodged her complaint.
On social media, he urged the public not to judge Mama Yasinta and to respect whatever choice she made.
He said the latest developments involving her appeared to be a "strategy" by certain parties "to slowly shift attention away from the issue of colonialism in Papua".
"This is where our collective commonsense is being insulted," he said online.
Back in West Papua, Esau Kahol and his family said they were still waiting for Mama Yasinta to return home.
"Even though we live with very little, Mama means everything to us," he said.
It is believed Mama Yasinta is still in Jakarta, but it is unclear with whom or under what circumstances.
1) Chicken heads sent to Indonesian news outlet after threats over coverage of Papua documentary
June 11, 2026 5:40 AM ED
Jakarta, June 11, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the repeated harassment of Indonesian news site Floresa following its coverage of an investigative documentary about deforestation in Papua province caused by aggressive agribusiness expansion.
On June 5, a Floresa journalist discovered three rotten chicken heads outside the outlet’s office in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, in an act of intimidation that echoed the severed pig’s head delivered to leading independent news outlet Tempo last year. On the same day, eggs were thrown at a coffee shop operated by Floresa next door.
The incidents followed threatening text message sent last month to editor-in-chief Ryan Dagur Flores, Floresa said.
“The threats against Floresa are a frightening reminder of the intimidation Indonesian journalists regularly face,” said CPJ’s Asia-Pacific Regional Director Beh Lih Yi. “Authorities must take action to show this type of harassment is unacceptable, and ensure a free and tolerant environment for the press that’s consistent with the country’s reputation as a vibrant democracy.”
Floresa editor Anno Susabun said he suspected the threats were related to recentstories about the documentary film “Pesta Babi: Kolonialisme di Zaman Kita” (Pesta Babi: Colonialism in Our Time), which spotlights indigenous communities resisting the environmental and cultural impact of state-backed agricultural projects in Papua.
The documentary, which has been viewed more than 13 million times on YouTube, has triggered backlash and censorship from Indonesian authorities, while the filmmakershave faced intimidation and harassment. Screenings of the film have been held in about 800 locations around Indonesia and at least 50 of them have been disbanded, mostly by the military.
Susabun told CPJ that, on May 13, Flores received a threatening WhatsApp message from someone claiming to be from the National Police’s Cybercrime Directorate. The message contained Flores’ personal data, including his home address and recent location, and demanded that all social media content related to the Pesta Babi articles be taken down. Fearing for his safety, Flores temporarily relocated from Labuan Bajo, Susabun said.
In March last year, a pig’s head and decapitated rats were delivered to a Tempo journalist after her critical reporting on revisions to the Indonesian Military (TNI) Law.
The East Nusa Tenggara Police and the Indonesian National Police did not reply to CPJ’s emailed requests for comment.
2) Rooster-head terror of Floresa threatens press freedom
June 11, 2026 Press Release Reading Time: 2 mins read
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Author: Jubi Admin - Editor: Jean Bisay
Jayapura, Jubi – Teras.id and 29 partner media outlets across Indonesia strongly condemn the acts of intimidation and terror against the editorial staff of Floresa.co. The terror and intimidation against Floresa.co constitute a real threat to the freedom of the press, the safety of journalists, and democracy in Indonesia.
On Friday, June 5, 2026, around 08.00 WITA, one of the Floresa.co journalists found five broken chicken eggs scattered on the floor of the cafe managed by Floresa. The cafe is located right next to the editorial office of Floresa.co. Twenty minutes later, around 08.20 WITA one of the Floresa.co editors found a plastic bag right in front of the Floresa.co office door.
Meanwhile, this editorial staff ignored him. At around 11.30 WITA, one of the Floresa.co journalists picked up a plastic bag that was in front of the door and only came to know that it turned out to contain three rotting chicken heads.
It is still unknown who sent the chicken head and broke the egg because the cafe and the editorial office of Floresa.co are not installed surveillance cameras. However, the allegedly strong delivery of the chicken and egg head is a form of terror against Floresa.co’s editorial staff. Especially earlier, on May 13, 2026, one of Floresa’s editors received an intimidating-toned message from someone claiming to be a member of the Police Bareskrim Cyber Criminal Action Directorate.
In the message, the individual sent personal data information, including a home address, and requested the removal of three pieces of content on Floresa’s social media related to the movie Pig Feast. The person wrote: "We assess the contents could potentially cause confusion and negative situations both in the digital order and on the ground later. Given the current national situation in a negative condition, we hope you would like to take down the post in question as good in Indonesia's efforts to maintain political morality. The person also said: “If in the near future the content in question has not been removed, then the process will be escalated to the next stage in accordance with the required national mitigation handling efforts provisions.”
The intimidation and terror are real forms of threats against the journalistic work that Floresa.co does. So far Floresa.co is renowned as one of the media outlets at NTT that is critical and vocal in responding to public issues. The act can also be categorized as a form of obstruction of journalistic work that can be threatened with a penalty of imprisonment for a maximum term of two years and a fine of a maximum of Rs 500 million as regulated in Article 18 paragraph (1) of Law No. 190 of the Year
The terror toward Floresa.co editorial threatens the function of the press as an instrument of control and supervision of power. Further, such actions may undermine the public’s interest and right to obtain quality news and information.
Teras.id is a local journalism ecosystem that has a vision of strengthening the foundation of independent and quality local journalism, as well as ensuring broader access for the public. Currently Teras.id partners with 30 local media distributed in different parts of Indonesia namely: Daily Analysis, Bandung Moving, Bali News, Beselang, Women's Conversation, Bollo, Deductive, Ekora NTT, Floresa, People's Hope, Daily Keleo, June Borne Fiber, Solider, Voice of Papua, Sukabumi Update, Sultra Current, Times of Indonesia, Tita Story, and North Zone. (*)
3) Govt supports accelerated national food, energy hub in South Papua
June 11, 2026 20:35 GMT+700
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Ribka Haluk reaffirmed the commitment of the Ministry in supporting acceleration of the development of the National Food, Energy, and Water Production Hub (KSPEAN) in South Papua Province.
"With the Regional Spatial Plan, the governments together with relevant ministries and agencies could begin to move more quickly in terms of spatial planning, regulations, and other technical aspects," Haluk said in a statement received here on Thursday.
Haluk explained the Ministry has undertaken various preparatory and synchronisation measures with regional governments, as a follow up to Presidential Instruction Number 14 of 2025 on the Acceleration of KSPEAN Development, particularly in South Papua.
One of the key achievements completed is the formulation of Regional Spatial Plan for South Papua for 2025-2029 period, which serves as the primary foundation for directing integrated regional development.
According to Haluk, the Regional Spatial Plan will provide certainty regarding development directions, while accelerating coordination among ministries, agencies, and regional governments, in supporting the development of food and energy production centers in South Papua.
In addition to planning and regulatory aspects, Haluk emphasised the importance of a social approach that prioritises active communication with local communities, particularly customary land rights holders.
She stressed the success of development is determined not only by technical readiness, but also by the government's ability to build trust and mutual understanding with local communities.
"When communication does not run well, then various misunderstandings may arise and potentially hinder program implementation," she remarked.
Furthermore, she expressed hope the synergy among the central government, regional governments, and communities would accelerate the realisation of KSPEAN development, as one of the national strategic projects supporting food and energy security and development in eastern Indonesia.
