Jayapura, Jubi – Yayasan Bentala Pusaka and Satya Bumi have launched two Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) reports examining the impacts of National Strategic Projects (PSN) in Papua Selatan province. The reports were launched in Padang Bulan, Heram district, Jayapura City, on Thursday (Aug. 13, 2026).
The two reports are titled Tak Terbayang Keadilan (Justice Beyond Imagination), which documents testimonies from victims of environmental dispossession linked to PSN projects in Papua Selatan, and Berulangnya Pembangunan Tanpa Perasaan (The Repeated Pattern of Development Without Empathy).
The reports examine the impacts of land dispossession on Indigenous communities
and the environment resulting from food and energy-related PSN projects in Papua Selatan, particularly in Merauke regency.
The launch was held under the theme “Elegi Selatan Papua” (An Elegy for Southern Papua), referring to the recurring injustices experienced by Papuans under an extractive and militarized system of power.
Tigor Hutapea of Yayasan Bentala Pusaka said compiling the reports had been a lengthy process. He said the assessment of PSN projects in Papua Selatan went beyond allegations of human rights violations.
The projects, he said, have also affected the lives of other living beings and ecosystems. Development in Papua continues to reinforce the perception that Papuans struggle to obtain justice, to the point that justice itself can seem
unimaginable.
“We want to submit these reports to policymakers. The aim is to support advocacy
and to inform the wider public about the violations taking place in Papua Selatan,” Tigor said at the launch.
Tigor said the reports had actually been completed two weeks earlier. They are being
launched in three locations: Jayapura, Merauke and, finally, Jakarta.
He said the publication was being accelerated because of ongoing proceedings at the Jayapura Administrative Court (PTUN) concerning a lawsuit challenging a decree issued by the Merauke regent. The lawsuit was filed by five representatives of the Malind Indigenous community.
“We submitted the report to the judges during the previous hearing so they can read it and understand the situation in Papua Selatan. We hope the report will be taken into consideration by the judges in assessing the violations occurring in Papua Selatan,” he said.
Tigor said the organization also considered it important to present the report to the public in Jayapura to support the plaintiffs’ efforts to seek justice through the Jayapura Administrative Court.
“We hope this report can serve as written evidence in discussions and remain part of
our collective memory that an ongoing situation in Papua Selatan still requires our attention, advocacy and collective efforts,” he said.
Tasya Manong of Yayasan Bentala Pusaka, who was involved in preparing the reports, said PSN projects cover four regencies in Papua Selatan province, which is why the organization refers to them collectively as projects across Papua Selatan.
She said the accounts documented in the reports came directly from affected communities. Many clans have experienced the impacts of the projects but have been reluctant to speak out or protest openly due to intimidation, past trauma and other factors.
“Before the PSN projects arrived, communities had forests, land and everything they depended on, all intact and beautiful. But the arrival of the PSN projects has disrupted their entire way of life,” Tasya said.
She said vulnerable groups, particularly women and children, have borne some of the greatest impacts. According to Tasya, changes to traditional ways of life caused by the projects are
also threatening Indigenous values and local knowledge while undermining communities’ identities and sense of belonging.
She described the current condition of Marind communities, whose forests have been cleared and logged, leaving them unable to hunt and facing difficulties accessing clean water.
The projects have also caused the loss and displacement of biodiversity in the forests, including in Yagebob, Wanam and Wogekel villages.
The reports are intended to remind policymakers of the conditions facing Indigenous communities. Tasya also called on Papuans not to view the PSN issue as a problem confined to Papua Selatan.
“Do not see the PSN issue as a problem belonging only to the people of Papua Selatan. As Papuans, we must stand together to defend the rights of Papuans. The Merauke PSN is our problem, and it is a problem for all of Papua,” she said. (*)
Wamena, Jubi – Two districts in Nduga Regency, Papua Pegunungan province, have been hit by drought following a dry season that has persisted since April 2026, with conditions expected to peak between June and August. The affected areas are Wutpaga and Nenggeagin districts.
Leri Gwijangge, a member of the Nduga Regency Legislative Council (DPRK), said the prolonged drought had caused residents’ crops to fail.
The extended dry spell has also begun to affect food supplies in Kenyam, the regency capital, with stocks of necessities running low. River levels in the area have dropped significantly.
Rivers have traditionally served as the only route for boats transporting food and other essential supplies from Mimika Regency in Central Papua to Nduga.
“Food stocks in Kenyam are running low. Residents have already brought this situation to the attention of the Papua Pegunungan provincial government and the Nduga regency government. However, no response measures have yet been taken,” Leri said on Wednesday (Aug. 12, 2026).
The Perindo Party politician urged the Nduga regency and Papua Pegunungan provincial governments to immediately address the situation by declaring a disaster emergency.
“This drought threatens people’s survival in Nduga, particularly in Wutpaga and Nenggeagin districts,” he said.
He called on the Nduga regency and provincial governments to immediately arrange food supplies for affected residents, particularly those in the districts that have been experiencing drought for several months.
“The Nduga government must immediately find alternative ways to distribute food aid to the affected communities, including by air. Do not wait any longer, because that would be tantamount to allowing people to starve to death,” he said. (*)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.