A dozen of resident representatives grouped under the United Ambunu Forum of West Bungku District, Morowali Regency, along with activists of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) Central Sulawesi chapter, have complained to the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) and the Ombudsman over the claim made by a Chinese nickel smelter company on a farm road in the regency.
They went to the Ombudsman’s Central Sulawesi Office on July 25, 2024. On the following day, they went to the office of the Central Sulawesi chapter of Kommnas HAM to file a letter of complaint against a Memorandum of Agreement on asset swaps and other criminal acts allegedly conducted by PT Indonesia Huabao Industrial Park .
“The letter contains chronology of the incidents, history of farm road, coordinate points, the decree by the Morowali regency administration that annuls the MOU on asset swaps and minutes of Morowali regency legislative council hearing,” Wandi, a campaigner for WALHI’s Central Sulawesi chapter, said.
Local community has launched the protest in the last two months. They blocked farm road claimed by PT Indonesia Huabao Industrial Park until the Morowali regency legisltive council hearing on July 14, 2024 that failed to reach a settlement agreement. The ensuing annulment by the Morowali regency legislative council on the MoU, however, was apparently ignored by PT Indonesia Huabao Industrial Park, which then established a smelter and nickel ore warehouse on the road.
“We are disappointed because the loss of people’s living space and the fact that the company’s presence impoverishes the people slowly under the pretext that nickle investment will encourage an increase of people’s welfare,” Ramadhan, chairman of the United Ambunu Forum, said in a statement on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.
The Central Sulawesi chapter of WALHI accuses the Morowali regency administration and the Central Sulawesi provincial administration have ignored the people’s basic rights and prioritized the interest of the company by rolling out red carpet for land grabbing,” Wandi said.
“Therefore, we ask the Komnas HAM to protect the activists and the people living around PT Indonesia Huabao Industrial Park. We also ask the Ombudsman to review the MOU between the Morowali administration and PT Indonesia Huabao Industrial Park on asset swaps and the Central Sulawesi administration to return the farm road ownership back to the people,” he added.
