The question is ‘does the Indonesian government own any land in the highlands region of West Papua’? The answer is, NO! The fact is, indigenous lands have been stolen by the Indonesian government to construct its 4,000 km (2,500 miles) highway into the heart of West Papuan highlands. It is an attempt by the Indonesian government to control every aspect of the West Papuan lives, including the remote highlands region. It is also a government policy to access natural resources that are rightly owned by the indigenous people of West Papua. It is a heist of native resources and wealth, and the media and international community aren’t talking about it.
Douglas Gerrard’s piece entitled “Indonesian Imperial Highway” is a very important piece that readers should read. It is highly accurate that this “imperial highway “is another sign that the imperial government of Indonesia can do whatever it wanted with other people’s properties, in order to accomplish its outrageous colonial policies in West Papua.