Indonesia: Indigenous People in West Papua Fight Biofuel Expansion

The Indonesian government appears to be intent on a massive expansion in oil palm plantations as a source of bio-fuel. This will involve the destruction of millions of hectares of rainforest and with it the indigenous populations who have lived in and managed these forests for thousands of years.

Reports of military violence and an attack by traditional landowners on the personnel and property of Korean and Indonesian owned logging and oil palm plantation project have come from sources in the southern region of West Papua.

“One non-Papuan employee of Korindo the Korean and Indonesian owned logging and oil palm company, is been reported killed and four Korindo company trucks burnt after indigenous people from the Muyu tribe and company employees clashed near the remote town of Asiki, 250 kilometers north-west of Australia’s Torres Strait this week.”

The Institute for Papuan Advocacy and Human Rights (IPAHR) has also received reports from local people that at least one local indigenous Papuans has been killed by the Indonesian military in four days ago (20 August 2007).

The military have reportedly accused the OPM/TPN guerrillas of the attacks. It appears that the military are using the pretext of the OPM/TPN to act against local people in what is a land rights and industrial resource development issue.

Climate and Capitalism