After the footage capturing the moment bulldozers encroached on an uncontacted tribe in Indonesia went viral on social media, Survival International officials have spoken out about this 'dramatic' footage.
According to Survival International, large areas of the rainforest have been 'allocated to mining companies, and in many areas, the excavators are already at work'.
The video serves as a stark indicator that plans are already in motion, with two tribe members standing on one side of a body of water, observing as a bulldozer approaches.
As the bulldozer roars to life, the pair brandishes their sticks and hastily retreats into the safety of the forest.
This disruption is a direct consequence of Indonesia's ambition to become 'a major nickel producer for the electric car battery market'. Notably, the mining operations on the island involve not just Indonesian companies but also entities from China, France, and Germany.
This uncontacted tribe lives on Halmahera Island, the largest among the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. An estimated 300 to 500 Hongana Manyawa people inhabit the island's forested regions, and their way of life is now in jeopardy due to the encroachment of nickel mining companies, according to Survival International.
As reported in IFL Science, Asia Research and Advocacy Officer at Survival International, Callum Russell said: "It's particularly shocking because we didn't know that that part of the forest had been penetrated already by the companies. It's happening much faster than we anticipated."
Survival International expresses concerns that mining operations may pose a threat of "genocide" to the Honaga Manyawa people. Survival International's Director Caroline Pearce in a press release dated October 30, 2023, available on the human rights organization's website:
"Survival has been campaigning against this potential genocide since last year, and this video is unequivocal proof of what we’ve been saying – that the mining operations on Halmahera are now penetrating deep into the rainforest of the Hongana Manyawa.
"This video documents a human rights catastrophe unfolding. It shows that the logging and mining operations on Halmahera are invading deep into the rainforests of the Hongana Manyawa".
Survival has been warning Eramet, BASF, and electric vehicle manufacturers, which rely on nickel for their batteries, for several months about the potential consequences of ongoing mining activities in this region.
The organization contends that continued mining in this area will destroy the uncontacted Hongana Manyawa tribe, similar to the impact experienced by other uncontacted communities in different regions across the globe due to comparable projects
"If they continue after seeing this video, it would be an act of stunning and brutal disregard both for international law and for human life."
"These mining companies should stay out of the Hongana Manyawa’s land, period. We call upon the Indonesian government to urgently recognize and protect the Hongana Manyawa’s territory."
Watching the video below:
