2) European Parliament Calls for Accountability Over Acid Attacks on Indonesian Activists
3) Prabowo’s Export SOE Plan Draws Criticism: Fears of Monopoly, State Capitalism Resurface
4) Indonesia Bidik to Take Over Papua Museum in Germany, Its Collection Reaches 1,700 Objects
5) ‘Planetary destruction on fast-forward’: witnessing the disappearance of Indonesia’s ‘eternity glaciers’
------------------------------------------------
1) 'Digital colonisation': West Papuan activist targeted in fake AI-generated reel
3:20 pm today
Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific senior journalist
A West Papuan independence activist says AI-generated fake footage of her and her words has been used to spread disinformation on social media.
Koteka Wenda, daughter of the leader of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, Benny Wenda, said the Instagram video reel by an Indonesian nationalist account cast her speaking out against a new film about land grabs and human rights abuses in Papua.
Indonesian authorities have
stopped some screenings of the
Pesta Babi, or
Pig Feast, documentary, citing concerns for 'public order'.
Wenda, who is based in the Netherlands, described it as violating that her words, body language and movements had been misused in a propaganda video, through AI-manipulation of previous footage that she had posted herself online speaking about West Papuan independence.
"This video is really concerning, because to the untrained eye it looks as if it's me speaking against human rights, or at least the sharing of important documentaries like Pesta Babi."
Targeted voices
Wenda said Al was being used to spread political disinformation targeting West Papuan voices and Indigenous activists.
"There could be people out there, you know, other West Papuans themselves seeing my face for a prominent West Papuan activist, suddenly switching sides. It's really problematic, because this is it can build public distrust."
She appears to be the first of the younger wave of West Papuan activists to be targetted at this new level of sophistication and reach, with hundreds of thousands of views.
"This is digital colonisation. This is a new form of it's a new colonial tactic to oppress us West Papuans. I mean, not only does Indonesia seek to steal our land and steal our futures, but they're also stealing our bodies and our voices, and I feel very much violated by this recent AI video."
Tech accountability
Wenda said people have been reporting the fake Instagram reel and blocking it.
"Some people have even been claiming that it's digital blackface, but it hasn't been taken down. And this is really concerning.
"But the comment section, since I spoke up about it, the comment section had been flooded with messages and comments from a lot of our Free West Papua friends stating that this is AI, this is not real, this is fake. So, there is discourse, there is like conversation happening."
But this video has muddied the waters somewhat, and Wenda advised social media users to always be ready to adopt a critical lens and check the source of posts and reels.
But the social media platforms have a responsibility too, she said.
"It's important that social media platforms take this seriously and push for transparency, push for accountability."
RNZ Pacific has reached out to the Indonesian government for comment.
--------------------------------------------------
On 21 May 2026, the European Parliament overwhelmingly passed
a resolution calling for accountability in the attacks against human rights and environmental defenders Andrie Yunus and Muhammad Rosidi. The last time the Parliament passed a resolution specifically focusing on the human rights situation in Indonesia was almost a decade ago, showing a growing international concern in the deteriorating conditions in the country.
The resolution expresses concern about impunity in Indonesian, given the military’s involvement in the attack against Andrie Yunus and trying the case in a
military rather than civilian tribunal. It draws attention to shrinking civic space across the country and violence in West Papua. Furthermore, it urges “the EU and the Member States to intensify engagement with Indonesia, including at the highest level and in international forums, to address the deteriorating human rights situation, particularly in Papua and West Papua”.
The resolution was introduced by five political groups, with members of all eight political groups voting in favour. It is directed to the European Union institutions, the Member States, and the Government and Parliament of Indonesia.
————————————————————
3) Prabowo’s Export SOE Plan Draws Criticism: Fears of Monopoly, State Capitalism Resurface
IN PACNEWS READING TIME: 3 MINS READ MAY 26, 2026 0 Author : News Desk Editor : Nuevaterra Mambor
Jayapura, Jubi – The Indonesian government’s plan under President Prabowo Subianto to establish a state-owned export enterprise (BUMN Khusus Ekspor) has sparked sharp criticism from civil society groups. The proposed policy is seen as potentially fueling excessive state dominance in the economy, distorting market competition, and reviving memories of monopolistic commodity practices from the New Order era.
The proposal was introduced by President Prabowo during a plenary cabinet session on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. He said the Export SOE would strengthen Indonesia’s position in global trade, curb tax leakages, and increase the added value of national commodities. Under the scheme, all strategic commodity exports would be required to pass through a single state-owned export entity, which would also be integrated with the country’s sovereign investment management agency, Danantara.
However, critics argue that consolidating state control over business from upstream to downstream comes at the wrong time, particularly as Indonesia’s economic fundamentals are under mounting pressure.
Economist Nailul Huda from the Center for Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS) pointed to several weakening macroeconomic indicators, including the rupiah briefly falling to Rp17,800 against the US dollar and the decline of the Jakarta Composite Index (IHSG).
“This new idea of creating a special export SOE raises concerns over market distortion and the politicization of business,” Huda said during an online press conference on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
Huda described the proposal as a clear manifestation of excessive state capitalism.
“This is a form of state capitalism. The state is no longer acting merely as a regulator, but also as an operator,” he said.
Criticism has also focused on the possibility of repeating the failures of the New Order-era Clove Marketing and Buffer Agency (BPPC), which dominated Indonesia’s clove trade from the early 1990s and 1998. At the time, BPPC acted as the sole buyer and seller of cloves nationwide, effectively trapping farmers who were prohibited from selling their harvests elsewhere.
When cigarette manufacturers reduced production because they could not afford BPPC’s high prices, warehouses overflowed, absorption stalled, and farm-gate prices collapsed.
Huda warned against replicating that experience through the proposed Export SOE. If market monopolies return, he said, smallholder farmers and independent businesses would bear the greatest losses.
Echoing Huda’s concerns, Bustar Maitar, CEO of EcoNusa, stressed the importance of clean and non-partisan governance should the government proceed with the initiative. According to Bustar, Indonesia’s weakening macroeconomic conditions already reflect declining public trust in government policies.
“If this Export SOE is to move forward, it must be managed transparently, free from political interests, and not designed to benefit only certain groups,” Bustar said.
He also urged the government not to sacrifice small-scale farmers, particularly in Eastern Indonesia, where livelihoods depend heavily on plantation commodities. Bustar highlighted the imbalance between people’s commodities such as coconuts, cloves, and nutmeg — cultivated on relatively small plots — and large-scale corporate sectors like palm oil plantations and mining.
“Mining companies may suffer losses, but not to the extent experienced by independent smallholders,” Bustar said, warning of the unequal impacts of export policies.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Ashov Birry, Program Director of Trend Asia, argued that the government was moving too hastily toward establishing a single export gateway while fundamental transparency issues remain unresolved.
Indonesia, he noted, still ranks poorly on the Financial Secrecy Index and continues to face problems related to disclosure of strategic financial information, beneficial ownership transparency, and restricted access to land concession (HGU) data.
At the grassroots level, large-scale corporate economic activities frequently leave environmental burdens on local communities. Ashov cited mining regions plagued by water pollution, soil degradation, loss of productive land, and worsening public health conditions.
“There are still many fundamental problems the government must address before shifting focus to an Export SOE that will dominate export channels,” Ashov said.
He also criticized how the principle of natural resource efficiency has not been directed toward broader public interests, such as public transportation, but remains focused on narrower consumption patterns like private vehicles. Combined with the state’s growing fiscal pressures and easier access to financing, he warned that overexploitation of natural resources could further accelerate environmental destruction.
Warnings of Corruption and Democratic Backsliding
The situation is further aggravated by Indonesia’s declining Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) between 2009 and 2025. Huda warned that a super-powered institution like the proposed Export SOE would be highly vulnerable to corruption and business politicization due to weak legal systems, poor governance, and shrinking civic freedoms.
These concerns are reinforced by 2025 data from Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS), which recorded a troubling trend: Indonesians are becoming increasingly permissive toward corrupt practices in economic activities.
“From securing jobs through insider connections to corruption in public procurement,” Huda explained.
Civil society groups concluded that these developments reflect a serious erosion of democratic values and good governance. Without substantial corrections, they warned, the ambition to establish an Export SOE could ultimately undermine public trust, damage the investment climate, and deepen economic inequality across the country. (*)
---------------------------------------
4) Indonesia Bidik to Take Over Papua Museum in Germany, Its Collection Reaches 1,700 Objects
JAKARTA - The Indonesian government has begun discussing the process of transferring the Papua Museum in Germany to Indonesia. The museum, located in the city of Gelnhausen, houses around 1,700 Papua cultural collections collected over the past decades by Werner Weiglein, a collector and observer of Indonesian culture from Germany.
Minister of Culture Fadli Zon received Werner Weiglein at the Ministry of Culture Office, Jakarta, Tuesday, May 26. The meeting discussed the process of transferring museum ownership as well as efforts to strengthen Indonesian cultural diplomacy abroad.
Fadli appreciated Werner's move to start digitizing the museum's collection. The collection is planned to be handed over to the Indonesian government through the Ministry of Culture.
According to Fadli, the collection has an important value to strengthen Indonesian cultural diplomacy at the international level.
The Ministry of Culture also plans to involve the Museum and Cultural Heritage Patron Council to oversee the process of transferring the museum. The government wants to discuss various options regarding the ownership and management status of the thousands of collections in the museum.
Werner started collecting cultural objects since the 1970s. In the 1980s, he actively traveled to a number of regions in Indonesia, including Papua and Sulawesi.
The Papua Museum which he manages in Gelnhausen has so far become a space for introducing Papua's ethnographic heritage to the international public. His collection is considered important for Indonesian cultural diplomacy abroad.
Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture Bambang Wibawarta said the museum grant process still requires a number of supporting documents.
According to Bambang, the Directorate General of State Assets or DJKN of the Ministry of Finance requires data related to the building area and official property documents of the museum before the appraisal process is carried out.
The document is needed as a material for examination before the publication of the assessment value of buildings and collections to be handed over to the Indonesian government.
The meeting was also attended by the Director General of Diplomacy, Promotion, and Cultural Cooperation Endah T.D. Retnoastuti and a number of other officials from the Ministry of Culture.
The Ministry of Culture said the transfer of the Papua Museum in Germany was part of an effort to strengthen cultural diplomacy and promote Indonesia's cultural wealth abroad.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
-------------------------------------------------------
5) ‘Planetary destruction on fast-forward’: witnessing the disappearance of Indonesia’s ‘eternity glaciers’
Researchers racing to document Oceania’s last tropical glaciers found the remaining ‘eternal snow’ in Indonesia’s West Papua region has lost almost all its ice
Ajit Niranjan Wed 27 May 2026 13.00 AEST
An expedition to document the end days of the last tropical glaciers in Oceania has revealed sombre footage of “planetary destruction on fast-forward”.
The once-mighty ice sheets on Puncak Jaya, a mountain surrounded by dense rainforests in West Papua,
Indonesia, have survived beyond projections they would disappear by 2026 but have shrunk to a fraction of their original size.
The most significant of the two remaining glaciers, which are known locally as “eternal snow” and referred to in English as the “eternity glaciers”, has lost 95% of its area since 2002, the expedition found.
“The ice will be gone: it’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when,” said Klaus Thymann, a Danish explorer and the founder of Project Pressure, an environmental charity. “And ‘when’ is coming very, very soon.”
Tropical glaciers are mostly found in the Andes, but also exist in East Africa and Indonesia. They are rapidly losing mass as fossil fuel pollution heats the planet and melts the ice.
Thymann said “it might be weird to have an emotional reaction to an inanimate object” but documenting the loss of the eternity glaciers had left him tearful as he returned to camp after filming on a rare morning of clear skies.
“On a philosophical level, you take eternity – something that’s an abstract, human construct – and we are even now killing our own constructs,” he said. “It raises some very interesting questions, I think, around the little speck we are in geological time, and what amount of chaos we’ve managed to do in such little time.”
The remote Puncak Jaya mountain sits in the disputed territory on the island of New Guinea, where there have been decades of conflict and
human rights abuses after Indonesia invaded the former Dutch colony in 1963. The last two major scientific expeditions to the glaciers took place in 1973 and 2011.
Accompanied by soldiers and mountain guides during a two-week expedition in November, the team conducted a photogrammetric survey using drones and satellite positioning systems to create a 3D model of the mountain. The near-incessant rain gave them few windows of opportunity with enough visibility to capture useful images.
“What’s very healthy about being in the mountains is that it makes you humble, because we can’t control the weather,” said Thymann. “But at the same time, as much as the weather controls what I can do in a mountain, the fact that humanity has changed the weather systems is also almost unfathomable.”
“You really understand that it is planetary destruction on fast-forward,” he added. “And that’s both very scary and sad.”
Papua’s tropical glaciers lost 97% of their ice mass between 1980 and 2024, Indonesian researchers found in a
study published last month. Four of its six glaciers have completely disappeared, and they project the final two will be gone by the end of the decade.
“It is deeply saddening,” said Francine Hematang, a researcher at Papua University’s forestry faculty and the lead author of the study. “This is the only tropical glacier in Indonesia and south-east Asia, and it continues to shrink at an alarming rate.”
A separate
study published in December used satellite imagery and digitised analogue maps to document a decrease of glacier surface area of more than 99% since 1850, and by about 65% since the last survey in 2018. It reached the same conclusion about the impending disappearance of the glaciers.
David Ibel, a researcher at Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and the lead author of the study, said expeditions helped because satellite surveys were hindered by cloud cover, shadows formed by rugged topography, and the frequency with which satellites pass over areas of interest.
Drones equipped with high-resolution cameras – such as those used by Thymann – can use brief cloud-free windows to capture images and geo-reference them with extreme precision, he added.
Carbon pollution and the destruction of nature has heated the planet by about 1.4C since preindustrial times, making it less hospitable to human life.
Glaciers are projected to lose a quarter of their global mass by 2100, even in a best-case scenario for cutting emissions, with devastating consequences for drinking water and food security.
As well as the environmental impacts, the loss for local communities was “indescribable”, said Ibel. “It is highly unlikely that the glaciers are going to reappear in the next hundreds of years, meaning an irretrievable loss for many generations to come. It can be only hoped that the disappearance of tropical glaciers underlines the urgency of action against anthropogenic climate change.”
The Puncak Jaya glaciers are located in one of Earth’s wettest regions and are strongly influenced by the warming El Niño weather pattern, which was particularly powerful in 2023-24 and is expected to return this year.
Thymann said a secondary aim of the expedition, for which Project Pressure partnered with geospatial technology companies Trimble and Pix4D, was to create a “visual Noah’s ark” before the glaciers disappeared entirely.
“Believe me, I would much rather there was ice than we had to resort to creating 3D models for future generations.”
--------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.