Kiki Safitri, Novianti Setuningsih, Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) has highlighted the increase in human rights violations in National Strategic Project (PSN) areas over the last three years.
Based on the YLBHI's records, there were 216 cases of attacks on human rights that occurred in project areas claimed as part of the minerals downstreaming program.
YLBHI advocacy staff member Edy Kurniawan believes that this trend is dangerous because there is a tendency to increase militarisation in dealing with conflicts in the field.
"Based on records over the last three years, most of the violence has been at national strategic projects, especially those focused on arbitrary prosecutions, there were 216 cases of attacks on human rights in PSN areas which are claimed to be a form of downstreaming", Kurniawan said at the YLBHI offices in Jakarta on Monday February 17.
"In 2025, the actors or perpetrators of this violence have the potential to increase. If previously it was predominantly carried out by the police, now it is added to by militarisation in various sectors", he reiterated.
According to Kurniawan, this pattern is reminiscent of the New Order (Orba) era of former president Suharto when cases of abductions and forced disappearances often occurred.
"We can see an increasing political escalation. If under the New Order there were abductions and forced disappearances, we may be heading in the same direction", he said.
Meanwhile, Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM) activist Melky Nahar highlighted corruption in the mining sector that does not only occur at the policy level, but also in the field.
"Corruption is not only at the top levels, but also occurs in the field. What is worse, law enforcement officials instead of processing the findings of violations, instead become part of the problem", said Nahar.
He gave the example of the recent tin mining corruption scandal involving business tycoon Harvey Moeis which caused financial damages to the country of almost 300 trillion rupiah (US$18.5 billion). According to Nahar, similar cases may well be occurring in nickel investment which is now the focus of downstreaming in eastern Indonesia.
"The losses in the tin mining [scandal] were almost 300 trillion rupiah. Then, what about nickel investment? Nickel downstreaming does not take into account huge losses, they only focus on income from the mining sector itself", he said.
Nahar also regretted how criticism of this sector, including in the form of documentary films and artwork, is not enough to make the political elite take responsibility.
"Even though there are critically-themed films, the elite remain immune to the law. Actors in the field ignore the social impact of mine exploitation", Nahar said.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Catatan YLBHI, Ada 216 Kasus Pelanggaran HAM di Wilayah Proyek Strategis Nasional".]
