2) Clearing of sago trees in Sorong to make way for palm oil plantations
3) Destruction of community plantations in Timika highlights lack legal protection
4) London, 27th-29th June 2024: Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal Session on State and environmental violence in West Papua
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Human Rights Monitor
https://humanrightsmonitor.org/news/indigenous-communities-fight-merauke-sugarcane-project-due-to-the-potential-socio-environmental-concerns/
1) Indigenous communities oppose Merauke Sugarcane Project over socio-environmental concerns
The Indonesian government’s plan to transform Merauke town, South Papua (Papua Selatan) Province, into a major centre for sugarcane plantations and bioethanol production has sparked significant controversy and legal disputes. This large-scale agricultural endeavour, part of the National Strategic Project (PSN), aims to achieve sugar self-sufficiency by 2027. However, the project faces strong opposition from indigenous communities, environmental activists, and local leaders who fear ecological degradation and social exploitation. t also poses significant challenges, particularly concerning environmental sustainability and the rights of indigenous communities.
Government initiatives
Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, along with other high-ranking officials, has been actively promoting the sugarcane project. During his visit to Merauke from 3-4 June 2024, he emphasised the government’s vision of making Merauke a key hub for agricultural and plantation activities to meet national and global food demands. The project is expected to cover two million hectares, with an investment of 130 trillion IDR, aiming to produce 2,6 million tons of sugar and 244 million litres of bioethanol annually.
Ma’ruf Amin highlighted Merauke’s favourable conditions for sugarcane cultivation, including large tracts of available land and suitable weather. He expressed confidence that the project would boost local and national economies, citing the potential for high sugar yields comparable to those in Australia. The government’s strategy involves modern agricultural techniques and mechanisation, which, according to Amin, would eventually reduce the need for a large workforce.
Local opposition and environmental concerns
Despite the government’s positive outlook, the project has faced strong resistance from local communities. On 13 June 2024, indigenous people from the Kimahima and Maklew sub-tribes staged a demonstration at the Merauke Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD) office, protesting against the planned sugarcane plantations on Kimaam Island. They argued that the forest, which they have preserved for generations, is crucial for their livelihoods and the survival of local wildlife.
Franky Samperante, Managing Director of the Pusaka Bentala Rakyat Foundation, warned of the potential ecological and social fallout, drawing parallels with the negative impacts of the earlier MIFEE project. He criticised the lack of comprehensive socio-ecological studies and the tendency of such projects to benefit investors at the expense of indigenous communities.
Legal disputes over land ownership
The sugarcane project is not the only large-scale agricultural venture in Merauke facing challenges. On 20 June 2024, the Mahuze Kewam clan from Muting District filed a lawsuit against PT Bio Inti Agrindo (BIA), an oil palm plantation company, accusing it of annexing 1,800 hectares of their land without consent. The clan claims that the land, used for oil palm cultivation since 2007, was sold to PT BIA by the Mahuze Milafo clan without involving the rightful owners, leading to a demand for 150 billion IDR in compensation and the implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs.
Corporate and political issues
PT Perkebunan Nusantara III (Persero), a state-owned plantation company, has also been vocal about the sugarcane food estate in Merauke. President Director Mohammad Abdul Ghani acknowledged the challenges but remained optimistic about the project’s feasibility, given adequate infrastructure development by the government. He emphasised the need for full mechanisation and corporate involvement to ensure the project’s success.
The project has received political backing, with members of the House of Representatives urging PTPN and its sub-holdings to support the government’s vision of sugar self-sufficiency and the broader campaign promises of political leaders like Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
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Human Rights Monitor
2) Clearing of sago trees in Sorong to make way for palm oil plantations
The Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (BPN) and the government of Sorong Regency, Southwest Papua (Papua Barat Daya) Province, are being urged to review the permits and impose strict sanctions on PT Inti Kebun Sejahtera (IKSJ) following recent trespassing on customary land.
This demand was made by the Klagilit clan after discovering that PT IKSJ had entered their customary territory without free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC). Mr Ambrosius Klagilit, a young lawyer from the Moi tribe representing the Klagilit clan, reported that in December 2023, the clan was alarmed by the activities of PT IKSJ, which began clearing sago trees in their traditional area.
In December 2023, the Klagilit clan became aware of the clearing taking place in a sago grove known as Mageme. A clan member halted the destruction activities on 28 December 2023, after discovering yellow ribbons marking the area for clearance, which were subsequently removed by the clan.
To confirm the extent of the trespassing, several Klagilit clan representatives used GPS to measure the affected area on 30 December 2023. They found that approximately 300 metres in length and 10 metres in width of their customary forest and sago grove had been cleared by the company.
The clearing resulted in the loss of about 1,000 sago trees and other economically valuable trees, causing an estimated 2,5 billion IDR (around 142,750 EUR) in damages. These sago trees are a staple food for Papuans, including the Klagilit clan, and were reportedly uprooted to construct a road.
Despite taking legal steps to hold PT IKSJ accountable, the Klagilit clan has yet to receive a response. Complaints were filed with the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency on 11 February 2024, the National Human Rights Commission on 7 February 2024, the National Land Agency of Sorong Regency and the Regional People’s Representative Council of Sorong Regency. However, no follow-up has been received.
The Klagilit clan states that PT IKSJ obtained the Right to Use Business (HGU) without informing the clan, violating customary and FPIC rights. Indonesian law, e.g Article 12(1) of Law No 39/2914, requires business actors to deliberate and obtain community approval before proceeding with such activities.
The Klagilit clan is calling for an evaluation of PT IKSJ’s permits and the imposition of strict sanctions for the unauthorised displacement of land and forest. They emphasise the need for BPN and the Sorong Regency Government to scrutinise the company’s activities and ensure accountability.
One anonymous clan member expressed their determination to protect their customary lands and prevent further encroachment, highlighting the destruction caused by companies and the need to preserve their forests for future generations.
Investigations revealed that PT IKSJ and PT IKS are subsidiaries of PT Ciliandry Anky Abadi (CAA), a private Indonesian company acquired from the Indonesian Plywood Company (KALIA) Group, owned by the Sutanto family. CAA also owns PT Inti Kebun Lestari (IKL) in the region.
Mr Ciliandry Fangiono, listed by Forbes Magazine as one of Indonesia’s wealthiest individuals and CEO of First Resources, owns shares in PT CAA and its subsidiaries. Although First Resources maintains a relationship with PT CAA, it has distanced itself from the latter.
According to a report by Chain Reaction Research, PT CAA was among the top 10 companies responsible for deforestation in 2020. PT CAA owns palm oil mills PT Tirta Madura and PT Borneo Ketapang Indah, which supply major companies such as Avon, Friesland Campina, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg’s, and L’Oreal.
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Human Rights Monitor
3) Destruction of community plantations in Timika highlights lack legal protection
Long-standing tensions in Timika have escalated, resulting in the significant destruction of local community plantations. The conflict began in 2017 and has reached alarming levels in 2024 with repeated incidents of violence, destruction, and threats. The person behind these actions is an individual known by the initials YG.
Timeline of Events:
May 17, 2017: YG initially occupied the location of SD Negeri 9 Timika and constructed a house, marking the beginning of his controversial presence in the area.
January 14-19, 2024: YG and his associates brought in heavy equipment and armed themselves with bows, arrows, and other sharp tools. It is suspected that they received funds from second and third parties. This led to the destruction of various community plantations. Banana trees, cassava, sweet potatoes, pineapples, peanuts, papaya, soursop, and vegetable plantations were cleared. The community members faced threats with sharp tools.
March 28, 2024: YG and his associates, using heavy equipment and armed with weapons, threatened the community, leading to the destruction of plantations owned by Mrs Debora Yobee and Mr Stepanus Gobai (sweet potatoes, cassava, bananas).
April 3, 2024: At 5:00 pm, YG and his group again entered and destroyed further plantations using machetes while threatening community members.
April 14, 2024: Backed by a third party, identified as a group from the Kei Tribe, YG conducted further clearing and destruction of Rev. Daniel Makai’s garden. This involved the theft of bananas and the cutting down of rambutan and mango trees using machetes, alongside threatening community members.
May 14, 2024: At around 5:00 pm, YG, accompanied by members of the Kei Tribe, sprayed an unknown substance on vegetable and sweet potato plants, adding to the ongoing destruction.
June 15, 2024: At 1:00 pm , YG and the Kei Tribe people destroyed further community gardens., carrying bows, arrows, spears, machetes, and catapult arrows, threatening the community.
Legal challenges:
Efforts to address these incidents through legal channels have been met with significant challenges. Numerous police reports filed by the community regarding the destruction of their plantations were not acted upon, with authorities directing these cases to be settled outside of the law rather than criminal prosecution. The lack of responsiveness by authorities has left the victims without justice or recourse. The perpetrators also threatened a member of the Mimika Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) with arrows and bows, leading to a police report. This was the only case that received a response. Yet, no action was taken against the perpetrators.
The ongoing violence and destruction of plantations in Timika highlight the urgent need for effective legal intervention and protection for West Papuan communities facing land grabbing and intimidation. The lack of action by authorities continues to exacerbate the tension and insecurity faced by indigenous communities.
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Human Rights Monitor
4) London, 27th-29th June 2024: Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal Session on State and environmental violence in West Papua
The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT), established in 1979 on the basis of the Universal Declaration of Peoples’ Rights, and in compliance with its Statute, has opened a procedure to investigate the environmental impacts of development in West Papua and the human rights violations linked to those practices. The PPT was asked by some of the most important human rights organisations based in West Papua and Indonesia, alongside the most prominent international human rights and environmental NGOs working in this area, and coordinated by the Centre for Climate Crime and Climate Justice based at Queen Mary University, London. The session will take place at Queen Mary University of London Mile End Campus, from 27th to 29th June 2024 (see the program here).
During the public hearings, the PPT will examine a body of evidence on environmental impacts of development in the region, and the persecution, human rights violations and extra-judicial killings committed against West Papuans, who have been engaged in a struggle for their right to self-determination since colonisation by the Netherlands in 1898. In particular, the requesting organizations asked that the Tribunal explores evidence of the mass displacement of indigenous people, the depletion and poisoning of water supplies and the destruction of local ecosystems related to logging, palm oil plantations and mineral extraction.
According to the Indictment, the subject of the charge “is rooted in fundamentally unequal social and economic relationships that enable Indonesian industrial policy to be imposed on the people of West Papua against their will. The militarised techniques of social control that accompany it ensure the continuation of those unequal social and economic relationships”. As requested, the Tribunal will move beyond the legal paradigms in order to explore, and restore, from the perspective of the West Papuan people, the relationship between the rights of the people and the rights of the earth.
According to its Statute, the PPT has notified the Indictment to the Indonesian authorities to fully recognize their rights to defence.
The panel of judges, convened by the PPT President and the PPT General secretariat, is integrated by, in alphabetical order: Teresa Almeida Cravo (Portugal), Donna Andrews (South Africa), Daniel Feierstein (Argentina), Marina Forti (Italy), Larry Lohmann (UK), Nello Rossi (Italy) and Solomon Yeo (Solomon Islands).
The link for registration, both online and in person, is here.
Should you have any further question, please contact ppt@permanentpeoplestribunal.org
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The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) is an international opinion tribunal that is competent to judge any type of crime committed causing injury to peoples and minorities. It was established in Bologna in 1979 thanks to the intuition of jurist and politician Lelio Basso, on the basis of the framework defined in the Universal Declaration of the Rights of People (1976). Established as a direct continuation of the Russel Tribunals on Vietnam (1966-67) and Latin America (1973-76), it was then transformed into a permanent institution, able to give a voice and visibility to those people facing a lack of their rights, and impunity. The Tribunal is built around a network of internationally recognized experts, who are then appointed for the PPT panel of judges for each session. Through its sessions and judgments, the Tribunal has given visibility to several cases of serious human rights violations, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. It has recently expanded the scope of its competence to include economic, ecological, and systemic crimes. The PPT is based in Rome, at the Fondazione Lelio e Lisli Basso, Via della Dogana Vecchia 5.
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