2) Teenager arbitrarily detained by marines personnel in Dekai
Indonesia is obstructing access to government data on the state of its forests. The new restrictions come as the country witnesses a surge in deforestation.
Users of an online mapping tool maintained by the Ministry of Forestry were previously able to download the latest data on tree cover, fires, groundwater levels, and other factors in protected and unprotected forests. But for the last several weeks, an onscreen pop-up has warned that anyone who downloads data without written permission from the ministry “will be prosecuted,” Mongabay reports. Violations, the website says, could be penalized with up to nine years in prison.
In September, the Ministry of Forestry outlined a new process for accessing data, which requires users to disclose their research aims. Experts told Mongabay that they fear they will lose the ability to track the illicit clearing of forests, incursions on Indigenous lands, and other threats.
“It’s a typical Indonesian approach,” Andreas Harsono, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Mongabay. “It does not say that you cannot download the data, but you need to get a permit to download a government data. These permits are usually very long to get, taking so much time, if approved at all.” Legal experts, meanwhile, told Mongabay that the new restrictions run afoul of Indonesian law, which protects access to public information.
The moves fit a long pattern of government crackdowns on environmental research that casts Indonesia in an unfavorable light. In 2022, for instance, officials blacklisted foreign researchers who challenged government claims that endangered orangutans were on the rebound. They barred those researchers from accessing government data and withdrew their permission for field research.
The latest restrictions on data come amid a surge in deforestation in Indonesia, where the loss of forest hit an eight-year high last year. The increase represents a sharp reversal for the country, which had been a bright spot in the global fight to halt deforestation. Over the last decade, Indonesia cut the loss of forest by nearly two-thirds, but under President Prabowo Subianto, who came to office in 2024, forest-clearing has been on the rise.
The loss of forest has been driven in part by a massive project, known as the Food and Energy Estate, that is turning 7 million acres of tropical forest in New Guinea into rice and sugarcane farms. Critics say the undertaking is the largest deforestation project in the world.
ALSO ON YALE E360
In Indonesia’s Rainforest, a Mega-Farm Project Is Plowing Ahead
2) Teenager arbitrarily detained by marines personnel in Dekai
Document ID: HRM-CAS-142-2026
Location: Dekai, Yahukimo regency, Highland Papua, Indonesia (-4.8638158, 139.4837298)
Region: Indonesia > Highland Papua > Yahukimo > Dekai
Total number of victims: 1
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | 1 | Nisel Payage | male | minor | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention |
Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces > Indonesian Military (TNI) > Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL)
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Teminabuan, Jubi — Residents of Kais village in Kais District, South Sorong Regency, Southwest Papua, are urging the local government to build a retaining wall along the Kais River, where ongoing erosion is eating away at the riverbank.
Residents fear the road running alongside the river could eventually be cut off if the erosion is not addressed, disrupting a key route used by the community.
Kais community leader Abiot Abago said the erosion was getting dangerously close to the road used by residents every day.
“The riverbank is getting closer to the road, and before long they could meet. Then our road could be cut off,” Abiot Abago said on Sunday (04/10/2026).
He said the erosion had been occurring for years, with changes in the river’s course contributing to the continued loss of riverbank.
Residents have repeatedly raised the issue with the local government, calling for a retaining wall or other riverbank protection to be built in vulnerable areas.
“We have previously submitted a request for this retaining wall, but so far there has been no response from the South Sorong Regency Government,” he said.
Abago said the government should not wait until the road was cut off before taking action. A retaining wall was urgently needed as a preventive measure before the erosion worsened and had a greater impact on residents, he said.
“If this continues, we are afraid the road will eventually be cut off. If that happens, the community will suffer because this is the route residents use to travel in and out of the village,” he said.
Field observations indicate that sections of the riverbank have receded by an estimated 12 to 15 metres at several points. Changes in the river’s flow are also increasing the risk of sedimentation and further erosion.
For Kais residents, the issue goes beyond the erosion itself. If the road is cut off, travel between Kais and Tapuri villages could be disrupted, making it more difficult for residents to reach other areas.
“We are asking the government to come and see the situation here for themselves. Don’t wait until the road is disconnected before coming. We have been raising this issue about the retaining wall for a long time,” Abago said.
He said residents wanted the government to provide a clear plan to address the erosion.
“What we are asking is for the government to respond to the community’s concerns. If a retaining wall is needed, please build it as soon as possible so the road is safe.”
The Southwest Papua provincial government has also been urged to coordinate with the South Sorong government to ensure the issue leads to concrete action rather than further assessments and reports.
Assessing the conditions of the river, mapping vulnerable areas and determining the need for a retaining wall or other riverbank protection measures would help prevent further damage and disruption to residents’ mobility.
Residents hope the provincial government will intervene before the situation develops into a larger disaster.
“We hope the Southwest Papua provincial government will also come and see our situation for themselves, rather than wait until the community is already suffering,” Abago said. (*)
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