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By Michael Beltran

Since August 19, 2019,  a match of dissent has been lit in West Papua with protests spreading like wildfire. Indonesia’s easternmost region has seen a resurgence in demonstrations from the locals demanding accountability from the spate of abuses by the state and renewing their call for complete independence

By Amanda Stephenson

"If the dam is to be built, our homeland, our longhouses, our burial ground, our places of interest, all will be under the water. This will definitely put an end to our livelihood, our cultures. We want the government to respect our boundaries, to respect our rights upon our land." --James Usang, Tanjung Tepalit community leader, Baram, Sarawak

Our letter-writing campaign is already having an impact in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia!  On Lembata Island, where a new gold mine threatened to pollute the rivers and displace 60,000 Indigenous people, the local parliament voted to prohibit gold mining. It is still important for government officials at the national and provincial levels to hear from us, however, so that they honor this decision at the local level. So if you have not yet sent letters in support of this campaign, please do so today.

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