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March 18, 2025 | 12:22 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) has warned that the situation faced by Indonesia's indigenous communities continues to deteriorate in 2025.
According to AMAN’s records, indigenous groups encountered hundreds of land-related conflicts between January and March this year.
"AMAN’s data shows that as of March 2025, there have been 110 conflict cases involving indigenous communities," said AMAN Secretary-General Rukka Sombolinggi in a written statement on Monday, March 17, 2025.
Rukka highlighted that large-scale plantation projects were the primary cause of conflicts over the past three months. Other disputes stemmed from mining areas and infrastructure and energy projects under the National Strategic Projects (PSN) scheme.
AMAN noted that these early-year conflicts have worsened an already dire situation from the previous year. "Land grabs in indigenous territories reached 2.8 million hectares in 2024," Rukka stated.
She also criticized the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) for failing to take concrete action on passing the Indigenous Peoples Bill (RUU Masyarakat Adat), despite its inclusion in the 2025 National Legislative Program (Prolegnas).
Rukka further pointed out that regional governments have been slow in protecting indigenous communities. While 350 local regulations acknowledging indigenous rights have been enacted, territorial recognition remains limited.
As an example, she noted that only 265,250 hectares of customary forests have been officially recognized, even though Indonesia has an estimated 23.2 million hectares of indigenous forests.
Therefore, Rukka urged the government to recognize and protect indigenous rights.
"Indigenous communities have waited too long for justice. The government and DPR must immediately pass the Indigenous Peoples Bill, stop land grabs, and guarantee the rights that are already protected by the constitution," she emphasized.
The DPR previously included the Indigenous Peoples Bill in the 2025 Prolegnas. It was proposed as a priority bill by three DPR members: Sulaeman Hamzah, Martin Manurung, and Rudianto Lallo.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), the National Awakening Party (PKB), and the Regional Representative Council (DPD) have also called for the bill’s prioritization and passage this year.
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