3) President’s amnesty decision raises questions about political prisoner rights
Jakarta, 12 August 2025 – Greenpeace Indonesia has launched a photo book Paradise Silenced at KALA in Kalijaga, South Jakarta. Following International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the launch provided a joyful space for Indigenous Papuan representatives and the wider public to discuss the past, present, and future of West Papua (or ‘Tanah Papua’ as it is also known).
The discussion featured key speakers including Maria Amote, a young Indigenous woman from the Wambon People; Enrico Kondologit, anthropologist from the University of Papua; Frengki Albert Saa from the government of Southwest Papua Province; and Widhi Handoyo from the Ministry of Environment.
Maria Amote shared her deep concerns as a young Indigenous Papuan. With the threat of environmental destruction escalating, she fears the erosion and eventual disappearance of Papuan Indigenous identities. “My parents did not pass down financial wealth to me; they passed down the forest,” Maria said. “If our customary forests are gone, I can no longer be considered an Indigenous woman. And what then will become of my children and grandchildren?”
During two decades of work in Tanah Papua, Greenpeace has encountered a multitude of stories. Beyond the beauty of its intact natural environment, Greenpeace’s work has borne witness to the incredible resilience of Papua’s Indigenous Peoples. However, the looming threat of destruction, primarily from extractive industries, continues to cast a dark shadow over the land.
“We have watched as Papua’s dearly guarded, intact forests are inexorably threatened by the emergence of a deeply alarming pattern of deforestation,” said Kiki Taufik, Head of Greenpeace Indonesia’s Global Forest Campaign. “Conversely, we have also documented the ways of life of Indigenous Papuans which act to safeguard this natural heritage. Everything in Tanah Papua, this ‘little paradise fallen to Earth,’ could be lost if not fiercely protected. Safeguarding Tanah Papua is a collective responsibility for us all.”
This call for collective action to secure the future of Tanah Papua was echoed by Frengky Albert Saa, Coordinator for Research and Innovation at the Regional Development Planning, Research and Innovation Agency of Southwest Papua Province. “We will join hands with our development partners and civil society organizations like Greenpeace. We must not be averse to collaboration,” Frengky said.
Representing the Ministry of Environment, Director of Environmental Impact Prevention for Regional and Sectoral Policies Widhi Handoyo emphasized the importance of collaborative solutions that protect the environment while fostering the unique strengths of Tanah Papua. He cited the Raja Ampat region, where over 70 percent of the area is designated for environmental protection. “Imagine, given a single region has such a vast protected function, this means that development priorities must be based on the reality on the ground, focusing, for example, on the fisheries and tourism sectors in which lies its primary economic potential,” said Widhi.
The photo book Paradise Silenced: A Visual Journey Capturing the Resilience of West Papuans is divided into four sections, capturing the multifaceted lives of Indigenous Peoples in Tanah Papua. It journeys from the rich culture and daily lives of Indigenous communities, to visuals of the region’s unique biodiversity, the imminent threats of environmental damage, and documentation of best practices in building solutions for Papua’s future. A selection of photographs was exhibited at the launch event.
As an anthropologist, Enrico Kondologit affirmed the book’s importance not only for those outside Papua but for Papuans themselves. “Visual anthropology, as this photo book aims to undertake, is one way to provide information to the Papuan people, enabling us to take concrete steps for the future of Papua,” he said.
Above: Greenpeace Global Head of Indonesia Forest Campaign, Kiki Taufik (left), and Indonesian House of Representatives member, Rieke Diah Pitaloka tour the “Paradise Silenced” photo exhibition at Kala di Kalijaga, Jakarta, Indonesia. All photos © Dhemas Reviyanto / Greenpeace
Notes to Editors:
- Photos and videos are available to use.
- Paradise Silenced may be read in pdf form (along with the Indonesian version, Surga yang Dibisukan).
Media Contacts:
Amos Sumbung, Greenpeace Indonesia, +62811486327
Igor O’Neill, Greenpeace Indonesia +61414 288 424
This week on Island Music, we celebrate West Papuan pride with the island reggae of Yupahl Seven on Kuligay (ft. Eroboda24) and the infectious groove of Brayo OG on Aroba (ft. Agung BlackZone & Ikzmen). Plus, meet Fiji’s Captain T — part of the Resonance collective — debuting with his soulful first single Isa Lewa, and discover Tree with her stunning new album The Rose Era.
From the mountains to the coast, West Papua’s music scene is alive and thriving. Yupahl Seven delivers Kuligay, an island reggae track whose title comes from the Lanny language, spoken in Papua’s Lanny Jaya region — with Eroboda24 adding extra shine. Plus Brayo OG brings pure Papuan energy on Aroba, a playful, feel-good tune created with Agung BlackZone & Ikzmen.
From Fiji, Captain T — a member of the Resonance collective, home to a growing crew of talented Fijian artists — makes his debut with Isa Lewa. Plus Tree unveils The Rose Era, an album rich in soulful vocals and polished island production — a deeply personal project that blends contemporary R&B with Pacific warmth.
3) President’s amnesty decision raises questions about political prisoner rights
- Viktor Makamuke from Sorong, Southwest Papua (2.5-year sentence for treason)
- Alex Bless from Maybrat, Southwest Papua (4-year sentence)
- Yance Kambuaya from Maybrat, Southwest Papua (5-year sentence)
- Adolof Nauw from Maybrat, Southwest Papua (4-year sentence)
- Hilkia Isir from Maybrat, Southwest Papua (4-year sentence)
- Josephien Tanasale from Ambon (2.5-year sentence)
Hundreds of political prisoners remain
Broader context of mass clemency
Calls for comprehensive review
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Thousands of people are protesting in Papua, demanding the government replace Acting Governor Agus Fatoni with the Commander of the Military Regional Command (Kodam) XVII/Cenderawasih as the region's temporary governor.
The protest has been ongoing since August 11, 2025. Former Regent of Jayapura, Mathius Awoitauw, said the protest stemmed from Papua residents' dissatisfaction with the gubernatorial election and the re-voting process (PSU) in the province. According to him, the central government had manipulated the regional election in Papua from the beginning.
"The Papua regional election was originally set for a blank box, that's what the central government did from the start. However, due to a decision by the Constitutional Court, PDIP was able to nominate its own candidate," said Mathius when contacted by Tempo on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. "Otherwise, it would have been a blank ballot box election."
Acting Governor Appointed Month Before Re-vote
One month before the re-vote, the Ministry of Home Affairs appointed Agus Fatoni as the acting regional head.
Mathius said Fatoni was deemed not neutral, as he had allegedly expressed support for candidates with connections to the central government to secure funding.
"That's why people are protesting him. Our people request for the Acting Governor to be replaced by the military commander," Mathius stated.
Tempo has attempted to seek confirmation from the Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian, and the Acting Governor, Agus Fatoni, regarding the allegations and the people's demands, to no avail, as of the writing of this article.
Gubernatorial Re-vote in Papua
The Papua Province conducted a re-vote for the Gubernatorial and Vice-Gubernatorial Election on August 6, 2025. Iffa Rosita, a member of the general elections commission (KPU), stated that there were two areas in Papua that conducted a PSU, namely the Papua province for the gubernatorial and vice-gubernatorial election and the election of the regent and vice regent of Boven Digoel.
"And for the Papua Province, it was the only province that was challenged at the gubernatorial and vice-gubernatorial election level out of a total of 310 cases registered at the Constitutional Court, while 23 others were at the level of mayor and regent elections," she said on August 4, 2025, as quoted from Antara.
The candidates for governor and vice governor participating in this re-election are Benhur Tomi Mano-Constant Karma and Mathius Fakhiri-Aryoko Rumaropen. Benhur-Constant is backed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDIP. Meanwhile, the Mathius-Aryoko is supported by 15 other political parties.
"We aim to create menus customized to local food sources in a bid to empower local ranchers, farmers, and fishermen through the program," he noted in a press release received in Jayapura, Papua Province, on Tuesday.
The official delivered the remarks during his visit to Nabire District, Central Papua, on Monday (August 11), where he reviewed the implementation of the national program and held a coordination meeting with the provincial government.
He urged the local government to fully support the MBG program and the development of its dedicated kitchens—officially called nutrition fulfillment service units (SPPGs)—to help improve the nutritional intake of local residents.
"We have set a target of completing the construction of nutrition fulfillment service units by the end of October 2025," Hindayana remarked.
Furthermore, the BGN head underlined that SPPGs operating in Central Papua could generate economic benefits for the region if they employ local residents.
Meanwhile, Deputy Governor of Central Papua Deinas Geley affirmed that the provincial government remains committed to supporting the MBG program, which has been designated as a priority by President Prabowo Subianto.
"We will continue to encourage all leaders of the eight districts in Central Papua to prioritize addressing nutritional issues," he stated.
Geley acknowledged that Central Papua is facing serious challenges with poor nutritional intake among its residents and expressed optimism that the coordination meeting with the BGN would strengthen synergy and collaboration to address the problem.
As of early August 2025, the MBG program has reached about eight million beneficiaries nationwide, including schoolchildren, toddlers, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.
The government aims to expand coverage to at least 20 million beneficiaries before the 80th anniversary of Indonesia's Independence Day on August 17.
Related news: Free meals program to cover 60,000 schoolchildren in Greater OKU
Related news: Free meals program running in eight districts of Highland Papua: Govt
Related news: Free meals have reached 7,000 children in West Papua's South Manokwari
Translator: Ardiles L, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Transmigration Minister M. Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara stated in Jakarta on Monday that the development of these schools is a strategic step to support human resource development in transmigration areas.
He expressed hope that People's Schools in transmigration areas would help communities in need gain access to education for their children.
He explained that the free boarding schools would combine the national curriculum with the four main pillars for student character development: leadership, skills, nationalism, and religious values.
"The boarding school concept is not just about expanding access to education but also about providing a safe learning environment and fostering strong character," he stated.
Construction of the pilot projects for those schools would begin in Wamena and Yahukimo, Highland Papua Province, and East Sumba in East Nusa Tenggara Province.
Velix Vernando Wanggai, Director General of Economic Development and Empowerment of Transmigration Communities at the Ministry of Transmigration, stated that People's Schools would serve as centers for cultivating superior human resources ready to compete at the national and global levels.
"We want to nurture a generation that is not only intelligent in the classroom but also possesses life skills, a strong fighting spirit, and solid morals. They must become future leaders capable of developing their villages and inspiring their nation," he remarked.
He also expressed hope that through cross-ministerial synergy, especially with the Ministry of Social Affairs, the People's Schools could become a driving force for productive, inclusive, and sustainable transmigration areas.
He expressed commitment to shaping transmigrant children into intelligent, intellectual, and skilled individuals with strong character and a nationalistic spirit, empowering them to lead towards Golden Indonesia 2045.
"Transmigration transformation is not just about building infrastructure but also developing people to be ready to lead the future," he added.
The Ministry of Social Affairs reported the existence of 100 People's Schools across Indonesia, accommodating over 9,700 students, as of August 2025.
Once facilities and infrastructure are completed, an additional 59 People's Schools will be opened by September 2025, accommodating more than 15 thousand students.
Related news: Indonesian Govt to help young Papuans build food sufficiency
Related news: Indonesia eyes creative economy to empower transmigrants
Translator: Uyu Septiyati Liman, Martha Herlinawati Simanjunta
Editor: Primayanti
- Most tropical countries are experiencing record-high deforestation rates, but in Indonesia, forest loss is slowing.
- But nearly half of the forest cleared in 2024 can’t be linked to an identifiable driver, raising red flags about speculative land clearing, regulatory blind spots and delayed environmental harm.
- Land is often cleared but not immediately used; research shows that nearly half of deforested lands in Indonesia remain idle for more than five years.
- Experts say these trends signal regulatory failure, as the government issues permits widely and concession holders face few consequences for clearing forest and abandoning the land, creating a cycle of destruction without accountability.
JAKARTA — While most tropical countries experienced record-high deforestation rates in 2024, Indonesia’s forest loss is slowing, bucking a global trend.
But beneath the headline figures lies a troubling mystery: Nearly half of the forest cleared last year can’t be linked to any identifiable driver, raising red flags about speculative land clearing, regulatory blind spots and delayed environmental harm.
This uncertainty complicates supply chain accountability under laws like the EU Deforestation Regulation, and raises questions about who’s really clearing Indonesia’s forests — and why.
In 2024, Indonesia lost 242,000 hectares (598,000 acres) of primary forest, down 14% from 279,000 hectares (689,000 acres) in 2023, according to an analysis by TheTreeMap, a technology consultancy behind the Nusantara Atlas forest monitoring platform.
TheTreeMap used satellite and time-series imagery to attribute deforestation to known drivers. They are logging (18%), industrial oil palm (13%), pulpwood/timber plantations (6%), mining (5%), food estate projects (3%) and fires (2.3%).
Together, these drivers explain just 47.3% of Indonesia’s 2024 primary forest loss — leaving the majority unattributed, which experts say reflects both data limitations and deeper governance failures.
What explains this gap in attribution? A likely reason is that land is cleared but not immediately used.
A study published in 2024 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found that nearly half of all deforested land in Indonesia remained idle for at least five years — meaning it wasn’t converted to plantations, agriculture or any observable land use.
These areas are often eventually converted to agriculture — usually oil palm — but the long delay obscures who cleared the land and why, TheTreeMap noted.
There are many examples of these across Indonesia, said Timer Manurung, the director of the environmental NGO Auriga Nusantara.
In Riau and Bengkulu provinces on the island of Sumatra, for example, natural forests in some selective logging concessions have been cleared, and yet the permit owners seem to have abandoned the concessions.
As a result, oil palm investors moved in years later and began planting, Timer said.
The deeper roots of idle land
While nearly half of Indonesia’s primary forest loss in 2024 remains unexplained, experts say this absence of clear attribution is not simply a data gap — it may be a warning sign of deeper governance issues.
One leading explanation is speculative clearing, when companies clear forests without immediately converting the land to plantations or infrastructure. According to Arief Wijaya, managing director of World Resources Institute (WRI) Indonesia, this pattern has persisted since the 1990s, when companies obtained forestry or plantation permits, extracted valuable timber and left the land idle. In many cases, this was deliberate: either a lack of capital to proceed or part of a long-term land banking strategy.
These behaviors point to regulatory failure, as the issue of abandoned land is closely tied to the “reckless issuance of permits” by the government, said Boy Jerry Even Sembiring, the director of the Riau chapter of the country’s largest green group, Walhi.
Concession holders face few consequences for clearing forest and abandoning the land, creating a cycle of destruction without accountability. The result is a patchwork of degraded forestland, legal ambiguity and lost oversight — fertile ground for future land conflict, encroachment, opportunistic development and fires.
In an effort to address this, Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry earlier this year revoked 18 inactive forestry concessions covering more than 526,000 hectares (1.3 million acres). Minister Raja Juli Antoni framed the move as part of a broader push to reclaim unproductive concessions and reassert state control over idle forestland.
But Arief warned that the recent revocations barely scratch the surface.
“If we look at the broader picture, this land speculation has been happening for over 30 years,” he told Mongabay.
Without a systematic approach to identify, map and resolve the status of idle lands, the problem will persist — quietly fueling environmental degradation, sparking community conflict and undermining efforts to clean up supply chains, Arief said.
Once land is cleared and left idle, communities often move in and begin farming, sometimes triggering future land disputes, especially when the land is later contested by concession holders or targeted for development, he added.
Idle land is also prone to fires, activists say.
Boy of Walhi Riau said abandoned lands consistently burn during the dry season.
“After being cleared, they [idle lands] often burn, yet there’s no proper accountability or follow-up review process for these incidents,” he said.
Turning idle land into opportunity
Therefore, Arief called on the government to come up with a targeted and comprehensive strategy.
The first order of action is to map where the idle lands are and identify their owners and jurisdictions. If during the mapping it turns out that communities have already controlled the land and conflicts have emerged, then the government needs to resolve the conflicts first, Arief said.
After that, the government and other stakeholders should develop a plan for how to use these lands — whether through rehabilitation, community use or reallocation, he said.
One option is to mandate the rehabilitation of the idle lands, if they are located within concessions.
Yuliusman, the director of Walhi South Sumatra, said concession owners need to be held responsible for the land they control, including when these lands are cleared and burned.
That’s why the government needs to make land ownership data available to the public so landowners can be held accountable, he said.
Another option is to grant communities rights to manage these idle lands through the social forestry scheme.
The program, initiated by President Prabowo Subianto’s predecessor, former President Joko Widodo, is one of the largest socioenvironmental experiments of its kind, aiming to reallocate 12.7 million hectares (31.4 million acres) of state forest to local communities and give them the legal standing to manage their forests.
By granting social forestry permits to communities with a clear business plan, the government could empower small farmers while bolstering food security at the same time, Arief said.
This aligns with the platform of Prabowo, who has prioritized achieving both food and energy self-sufficiency as cornerstones of his administration, he added.
Since his election campaign in late 2023 and early 2024, Prabowo has emphasized the need for Indonesia to achieve sovereignty in these critical sectors to bolster economic resilience and national security.
In December 2024, Minister Raja Juli announced the government had identified 20 million hectares (50 million acres) of forest area for potential conversion into “food and energy estates.”
The announcement raised concerns over new deforestation, especially if the areas include intact forests. But Arief said the plan could be positive — if those hectares are truly idle lands that have already been cleared and remain unproductive.
“If we already know there are 20 million hectares of low-productivity land, and we have a food security program, then we can map which crops are suitable — maybe some areas for rice paddies, others for water conservation, others for energy,” he said. “That’s where we need a road map.”
Recognizing the rights of communities to manage their lands could also help prevent fires, according to Rod Taylor, the global director of WRI’s forests program.
“I think some of the success in Indonesia [in mitigating fires] can be put down to really good collaboration between companies and communities, to not only prepare for big fires and a lot of enforcement of no burning laws, but also really fast response mechanism to spot and take action against fires before they can spread too far,” he said.
Having a road map that puts community rights at the forefront is also critical to resolving lingering land conflicts, said Timer of Auriga Nusantara.
It’s also necessary to address Indonesia’s deep-rooted structural injustice in land ownership. Today, 68% of the country’s land is controlled by just 1% of the population, as the state prioritizes concessions to large corporations over community land rights.
These large-scale infrastructure and resource extraction projects have pushed marginalized groups such as farmers, Indigenous communities and fisherfolk off of their lands.
Between 2015 and 2024, more than 3,200 agrarian conflicts broke out across 7.4 million hectares of land (18.3 million acres) — affecting 1.8 million households.
Timer warned against using the existence of idle land as a pretext to expand industrial agriculture, which he said would only deepen Indonesia’s land conflicts.
“We must avoid justifying the planting of monoculture commodities on deforested land in the name of ‘what’s already happened,’” he said. “If these areas must be converted, then they should be turned into social forestry zones — and owned by local communities, not corporations.”
Citation:
Parker, D., Tosiani, A., Yazid, M., Sari, I. L., Kartika, T., Kustiyo, … Hansen, M. C. (2024). Land in limbo: Nearly one third of Indonesia’s cleared old-growth forests left idle. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(28). doi:10.1073/pnas.2318029121
Banner image: Peatlands destruction in Riau, 2014. While Indonesia has in the past been a major carbon emitter due to land-use change, deforestation, forest fires and peatland destruction, the recent decline in deforestation is seen as a positive sign. Image by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay.
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