InfoSAWIT, SORONG — Tensions rose in Moisegen District, Sorong Regency, Southwest Papua, after the Klagilit Maburu Indigenous community expelled a man claiming to represent a palm oil company seeking access to customary forest land.

Residents said the envoy repeatedly persuaded community members to release customary forest areas for plantation development. Community leader Ambrosius Klagilit said prior warnings had been issued against such approaches.

He alleged the company offered incentives including housing, vehicles, public facilities, and compensation funds, calling them tactics to gain control over customary forests.

According to Ambrosius, oil palm plantations threaten not only the environment but also the spiritual and cultural identity tied to ancestral land. He urged authorities to protect indigenous forest rights.

Researcher Margi Kurniawan, who has studied Moi indigenous communities, said such forests function as living, cultural, educational, and spiritual spaces — making resistance understandable. (T2)