Latest news with #Merauke
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Pro-independence advocates urge Melanesian Spearhead Group to elevate ULMWP membership
Indigenous Papuans at a rallying in Merauke, West Papua. Photo: Facebook / Sa Papua Two international organisations are leading a call for the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) to elevate the membership status of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) at their upcoming summit in Honiara in September. The collective led by International Parliamentarians for West Papua (IPWP) and International Lawyers for West Papua (ILWP) has again highlighted the urgent need for greater international oversight and diplomatic engagement in the West Papua Region. This influential group includes PNG's National Capital District governor Powes Parkop, UK's former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, and New Zealand's former Green Party MP Catherine Delahunty. The ULMWP currently holds observer status within the MSG, a regional body comprising Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front of New Caledonia. A statement by the organisations said upgrading the ULMWP's membership is "within the remit of the MSG" and requires a consensus among member states. They appeal to the Agreement Establishing the MSG, which undertakes to "promote, coordinate and strengthen…exchange of Melanesian cultures, traditions and values, sovereign equality…to further MSG members' shared goals of economic growth, sustainable development, good governance, peace, and security," considering that all these ambitions would be advanced by upgrading ULMWP membership. Photo: AFP/ Andrew Gal However, Indonesia's associate membership in the MSG, granted in 2015, has become a significant point of contention, particularly for West Papuan self-determination advocates. This inclusion is widely seen as a strategic maneuver by Jakarta to counter growing regional support for West Papuan independence. The ULMWP and its supporters consistently question why Indonesia, as the administering power over West Papua, should hold any status within a forum intended to champion Melanesian interests, arguing that Indonesia's presence effectively stifles critical discussions about West Papua's self-determination, creating a diplomatic barrier to genuine dialogue and accountability within the very body meant to serve Melanesian peoples. Given Papua New Guinea's historical record within the MSG, its likely response at the upcoming summit in Honiara will be characterised by a delicate balancing act. While PNG has expressed concerns regarding human rights in West Papua and supported calls for a UN Human Rights mission, it has consistently maintained respect for Indonesia's sovereignty over the region. Past statements from PNG leaders, including Prime Minister James Marape, have emphasised Indonesia's responsibility for addressing internal issues in West Papua and have noted that the ULMWP has not met the MSG's criteria for full membership. Further complicating the situation, the IPWP and ILWP report that West Papua remains largely cut off from international scrutiny. A strict ban on journalists entering the region means accounts of severe and ongoing human rights abuses often go unreported. The joint statement highlights a critical lack of transparency, noting that "very little international oversight" exists. A key point of contention is Indonesia's failure to honour its commitments; despite the 2023 MSG leaders' summit urging the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to conduct a human rights mission to West Papua before the 2024 summit, Indonesia has yet to facilitate this visit. The IPWP/ILWP statement says the continued refusal is a violation of its obligations as a UN member state.
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Indigenous West Papuans claim Indonesian government is 'land grabbing'
Indigenous Papuans in Merauke district protest to protect their customary lands. Crosses have been used as a protest symbol since 2010 when the Indonesian government launched the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate project. Photo: Wensi Fatubun West Papuans in Merauke claim the Indonesian government is stealing land to build its global "food barn" and feed its population of 280 million. Indonesia denies this and says all transactions are lawful. President Prabowo Subianto's administration wants Indonesia to be able to feed its population without imports as early as 2028, with the greater goal of exporting food. To get there, Indonesia plans to convert millions of hectares into farmland. Wensi Fatubun, from Merauke in Indonesian-occupied Papua close to Papua New Guinea's border, said forests where he grew up are being cleared. "[The] Indonesian government took the land for the [food] security project, it was not consulted or consented by Indigenous Papuan," Fatubun said. Prabowo's goal is a continuation of his predecessors. In 2020, President Joko Widodo announced the establishment of a national food estate project which aimed at opening up new areas of farmland outside Java Island. It is similar to the failed Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate, spearheaded by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2010. About 1.3 million hectares were set aside in Merauke for it: half for food crops, 30 percent sugar cane, and 20 percent for palm. A report from the United States Department of Agriculture said it encountered resistance from locals and legal challenges. "Approximately 90 percent of the targeted areas were forest, which provided a source of livelihood for many locals. Accordingly, the development plans became a flashpoint for local activists concerned about environmental and biodiversity impacts," the report said. Probowo's government has the more ambitious goal of opening up three million hectares of agricultural land in Merauke - two million for rice and one million for sugarcane. Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono said President Prabowo had elevated the "so-called food security issue". "[The President] wants Merauke in West Papua to be the so called national food barn. This deforestation land grabbing is much more deeper in Merauke than in the past." Harsono said conflict had escalated in West Papua and is now on par with some of the most violent periods in the past 60 years, but he was not sure if it is connected to the President's focus on food security. BenarNews reported that about 2000 troops were deployed late last year in Merauke to provide security at a two-million-hectare food plantation. A Papuan man (right) in traditional clothing and face painted with the banned Morning Star flag stands next to a policeman during a demonstration demanding a referendum on independence in Yogyakarta on 1 December 2023. Photo: AFP / Devi Rahman Rosa Moiwend, from Merauke, said the soldiers work alongside farmers. "They are expected to teach local farmers how to use mechanical agriculture equipment," Moiwend said. "But as West Papuan people, the presence of the military in the middle of the community, watching communities activities, people's movement when they travel from one place to another, actually creates fear among the people in Merauke." Like Harsono and Fatubun, Moiwend said "land grabs" are happening. However, she said it still involves a land broker, which creates a facade of a fair procedure. "Indigenous Merauke, indigenous Marind people like myself and my people, we do not sell land because land belongs to the community. It is communal land." However, a spokesperson for Indonesia's Embassy in Wellington said all processes and steps involving land sales had been lawful "always respecting the inclinations of local tribes". "Its development always involving local authorities, especially chief tribes for the consent of their ulayat (traditional land)," they said. "There is no land grab without consent, and the government also working on the biodiversity conservation and forestry production to create space harmonisation model with Conservation International, Medco Group, and couple of other independent organisations." Catherine Delahunty says New Zealand and Australia are failing the citizens of West Papua. Photo: Johnny Blades / VNP West Papua Action Aotearoa spokesperson Catherine Delahunty said the region is part of the lungs of the Pacific, which is now being destroyed. "The plan has been around for a long time but it seems to have escalated under Prabowo," Delahunty said. "They are stripping those lands and stripping those communities who live there from their traditional foods such as the sago palm to turn the whole of Merauke into sugar cane, rice and palm plantations. "The effects have been massive and they're just getting worse." She said New Zealand and Australia - the two most powerful governments in the South Pacific - are failing in its obligations to the citizens of West Papua. "You could almost justify, because it's a long way away from other parts of the world, that Europe and the northern hemisphere don't really understand West Papua but there's no excuse for us. "These people are in our region but they're not white people. I think there's a huge element of racism towards Papuans and towards Pacific nations who aren't perceived as important in the western worldview." She said there was willingness to trade and New Zealand did not want to rock the boat, with Indonesia as a regional powerhouse. That coupled with a media blackout makes it easy for Indonesia to act with impunity, Delahunty said.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Residents outraged over government's controversial plan to convert millions of acres of land for different use: 'If we look at what's happening...'
The Indonesian government has come up with a plan to turn acres of forest into food and energy estates, which it says will rehabilitate degraded forestland, shore up food stability, and prevent deforestation. However, critics and environmental groups are concerned about the plan, specifically the part that involves millions of acres of protected forestland. They say that creating food and energy estates there would cause degradation, deforestation, and a loss of biodiversity, according to Mongabay. The plan to convert forests into food and energy estates involves 50 million acres of forestland, with 5.7 million labeled as protected. However, under current law, protected forests are designated as such to safeguard watersheds and preserve biodiversity. Using these protected lands to mine for energy or conduct agroforestry is normally restricted or prohibited in an effort to prevent deforestation. According to data from 2022, only 81.7% of Indonesia's protected forests remain intact, so opening them up to potential deforestation is a problem. This isn't Indonesia's first attempt at agroforestry, either, and some of these attempts have had disastrous results. One such example is the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate project, which began in the 2010s and is still ongoing today; it has caused deforestation and social conflicts with indigenous peoples. Mongabay quoted the country director of Greenpeace Indonesia, Leonard Simanjuntak, who said: "So if we look at what's happening in Merauke, it means that there's surely going to be deforestation." The forests of Indonesia play a vital role in keeping the planet cool. Because the country has the third-largest area of tropical forests globally, according to Mongabay, the forests store massive amounts of carbon. When deforestation occurs, carbon — a heat-trapping gas — is released into the atmosphere. Deforestation can also cause soil erosion, which can lead to fertile farmland disappearing and contribute to global food instability. When forests get cleared for agroforestry, there comes a risk that this new farming land will only be viable for a few years before being depleted. Meanwhile, the loss of biodiversity can result in the loss of animal, plant, and insect species. While there are no quick and easy solutions for deforestation, steps have been and continue to be taken to prevent it. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Corporations have made strides to prevent deforestation by implementing "zero deforestation" policies or increasing the amount of recycled wood and wood products they use. Communities can help by protecting land rights and collecting revenue from carbon credit sales to reinvest in their area. Individuals can also make a difference when it comes to preventing deforestation by using recycled wood products when available. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
