Sophie Raynor – There used to be thousands of them – the children of the children of the first Chinese people to migrate to Timor-Leste in the 1800s and their indigenous Timorese husba

Basten Gokkon, Jakarta – The 2014 presidential election was the closest in Indonesia's democratic history, decided by a margin of just 6 percentage points, or 8.4 million votes.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Indigenous Papuans and activist priests have met Indonesian government officials in Jakarta to seek support in their fight against plantation companies who they sa

Rina Chandran, Gajah Bertalut, Indonesia – In a community hall, a group of men sit cross-legged on mats, poring over documents and maps marked with forests, farmland, a river and the vi

Hannah Beech, Jambi – When the flowers could no longer summon the gods, the healer knew it was time to leave the forest.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Indigenous rights activists in Indonesia have expressed concern that the government is stalling the passage of a long-awaited bill on indigenous rights by

Adisti Sukma Sawitri, San Francisco – Indonesia has been slow in granting forest tenure to indigenous peoples and local communities after an historic court ruling five years ago mandate

Kharishar Kahfi, Jakarta – Indigenous communities from 19 villages at the Dampier Strait Marine Protection Area (MPA) in Raja Ampat Islands, West Papua, declared on Tuesday the customar

Moses Ompusunggu, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration has rejected claims that it opposes the indigenous peoples bill initiated by the House of Representatives.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The Indonesian government looks poised to derail a long-awaited bill on the rights of the country's indigenous groups, calling it "not a necessity" and say

Gemma Holliani Cahya, Minahasa – Indigenous people have been given a glimmer of hope as President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has signed a presidential letter permitting the House of Represent

Gemma Holliani Cahya, Minahasa, North Sulawesi – Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) secretary general Rukka Sombolinggi has urged President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to fu

Moses Ompusunggu, Jakarta – The government has only acknowledged Indonesia's indigenous cultural diversity through "symbolic" activities while at the same, it has failed to fully protect indigenous

Moses Ompusunggu, Jakarta – Indigenous communities in Indonesia have faced rampant rights violations throughout 2017, a rights group said on Wednesday.

Basten Gokkon, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has relinquished control over nine tracts of forest to the indigenous communities that have lived there for generations, President Joko "Jokowi" W

Dames Alexander Sinaga, Jakarta – A civil society group has urged the Indonesian government to revoke a presidential decree on the indigenous resettlement schemes in forest areas, which was issued

Jakarta – A civil society group on Wednesday (11/10) urged the government to revoke a presidential decree on the resettlement schemes in forest areas, which was issued about a month ago.

N.Adri, Balikpapan, East Kalimantan – Local leaders attending the Governors' Climate and Forest Task Force (GCF) Forum in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, have agreed to protect the rights of indigenou

Jerome Aning – As a young man, Abdon Nabadan loved nature-tripping – climbing mountains and trekking forests.

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) condemns the unlawful deprivation of liberty of Papuans which has occurred frequently of late.

Benny Mawel, Jayapura – A Papuan bishop has warned people that selling their land for money risks not only their future but also their cultural identity.

Kiki Siregar, Batang Hari, Jambi – Indonesian tribesman Muhammad Yusuf believes his conversion from animism to Islam in a government-supported program will eventually make his life easier.

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-055-2017

Dear Friends,

Peter Guest, Tangung Gusta, Indonesia – The image of Indonesian President Joko Widodo still gazes out from billboards along the dirt road that leads from the North Sumatran capital of Medan to Tanj

Apriadi Gunawan, Tanjung Gusta, North Sumatra – Participants of the fifth congress of the Indigenous People's Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) on Saturday evaluated President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo

Vaidehi Shah – West Papua's government has handed over more than 3,000 hectares of forest to indigenous communities, who say they intend to keep big agribusiness out, and instead harvest forest pro

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Indigenous communities in Indonesia have lauded a decision by President Joko Widodo granting nine indigenous groups thousands of hectares of customary land.

A conference of indigenous Papuans affected by the forestry, plantation and mining industries was held in Sorong on 2nd and 3rd December 2014, a follow-up to a similar conference held in Waena, Jay

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – Four indigenous communities from Jambi, South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi and Banten are demanding that the government fulfill its pledge to grant custody of customary forests

Jon Emont and Sergey Ponomarev, Dorougok, Indonesia – The older man wore just a loincloth, revealing taut muscles and leathery skin from decades of living deep in the rain forest.

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-144-2016

Dear Friends,

Jakarta – The Constitutional Court declared on Thursday that several provisions within the 2014 Plantation Law were conditionally unconstitutional, as they did not provide legal certainty to farmer

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Tribal communities in Papua will finally have representatives at the regional legislative council, known as DPR Papua, following the nomination of 14 individuals by a

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – For decades, indigenous people have been denied their rights to manage their own lands by the government.

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) condemns racism, insults and assaults against indigenous Papuan students in the Papuan students dormitory at the Kamasan I Jalan Kusumanegara, Yogyakarta pr

Yeremia Sukoyo, Jakarta – Minister of Land and Spatial Planning Ferry Mursyidan Baldan has declared the government's recognition of communal rights of nine indigenous communities in Papua.

Jakarta – Several NGOs visited the Constitutional Court on Monday to demand the implementation of a court decree that recognized the rights of indigenous people to customary forests.

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) condemns the forced dispersal of peaceful protesters and their illegal arrest in Kampung Bhintuka-SP13 field in Mimika, Timika district, Papua on Tuesday, 5

Fidelis E.

Tama Salim and Margareth S.

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Jubi/Asia New Zealand Foundation – Assisted by an Asia New Zealand Foundation media travel grant, Mauri Television's Native Affairs producer and cameraman Adria

Aceh Singkil – When a mob of Muslims swooped on a little church deep in rural Aceh in Indonesia this month, the local police were nowhere to be seen, although they had received warnings of a possib

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-128-2015

Dear Friends,

Fidelis E.

Vita A.D.

Jakarta – The Alliance of the Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago (AMAN) on Friday officially announced that it would back Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla for the country's top posts, mar

Vita A.D.

Keerom – Indigenous people in Papua, Indonesia's easternmost province, struggle for employment because most jobs in the gold-rich region go to migrants despite government efforts to tac

Allegations raised in this release have been verified independently by WPM.

Jayapura – The second Deputy Chairperson of the MRP, Engelberta has urged leading politicians in Papua to show respect for indigenous Papuans in their ability to become heads of local a