Jayapura, Jubi – The owners of customary land (hak ulayat) say they have not been involved in the planning for the construction of a new airport in Wanam, Ilwayab District, Merauke Regency, South Papua Province. This statement was made by Ariston Moiwend, a representative of customary rights holders from the Moiwend-Buako clan, in an electronic message on Friday (7/10/2026).
Wanam Airport is planned to be built on a plot of land covering 1,050 hectares. The location is situated at kilometer 28 of the National Strategic Project (PSN) road, or the Wanam–Muting Food Production Center Area (KSPP). It covers Wanam Village, Wogikel Village, and Uliuli Village in Ilwayab District, as well as Salamepe Village in Ngguti District, Merauke Regency.
Ariston Moiwend said that the regional government and the consultants preparing the Terms of Reference (KA) for the Environmental Impact Analysis (AMDAL) held a meeting regarding the airport construction plan at a hotel in Merauke City, Merauke Regency, on Wednesday (7/8/2026).
This meeting was a follow-up to a letter from the Head of the South Papua Province Office of Environment, Forestry, and Land Affairs, dated July 2, 2026, with number 600.4/10/SET-TUKLH/DLHP/VII/2026.
The letter concerned a meeting of the technical team on the Feasibility Assessment of the Form and Terms of Reference for the Wanam Airport construction plan, which was attended by a technical team consisting of representatives from the government, the provincial DPR (Regional House of Representatives), government agencies, the district government, and village governments.
He said a similar consultation meeting had previously been held both in-person and online in 2025. However, from the outset, the indigenous community stated its rejection of the airport construction plan on their customary land.
According to him, the land and forest area targeted as the site for the Wanam airport construction project is customary land and customary territory, owned in part by the Moiwend Buako clan.
However, Ariston Moiwend said, that meeting did not invite or include the customary rights holders, clan leaders, and clan members.
“Information about the meeting invitation [we received] was obtained from a WhatsApp group on July 7, 2026, at around 6:30 PM Papua Time (WP), without the name of the customary rights holder listed,” said Ariston Moiwend.
Although they had not received an invitation, Ariston Moiwend, together with legal advisors from the Papua Merauke Legal Aid Institute (LBH) and Yayasan Pusaka, took the initiative to attend the meeting at the hotel in Merauke City.
“Who gave permission for the use of the customary land of the Moiwend-Buako clan for the National Strategic Project, including the plan to build a new airport in Wanam?” said Ariston Moiwend.
Ariston Moiwend explained that in the AMDAL Terms of Reference (KA) document, information was also found regarding an approval document for Spatial Utilization Conformity in the name of PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara (Agrinas), which had been released to the Ministry of Transportation.
However, according to him, the land in question is customary land (hak ulayat) and has never been released or handed over to the state, to the Agrinas company, or to the Ministry of Transportation.
“We were never asked for our opinion and never gave permission for the transfer of rights and use of our customary land — we never gave up even an inch of land,” said Ariston Moiwend.
He emphasized that if the state does not recognize the rights of indigenous communities, then his side likewise does not recognize the state.
Meanwhile, the Director of the Merauke Papua Legal Aid Institute, Teddy Wakum, said his organization is providing legal assistance to the indigenous community and has noted a number of irregularities in this project.
“This has led to the conclusion that the state has failed to promote, respect, and protect the rights of indigenous communities,” said Teddy Wakum.
According to Wakum, the government and the project’s initiators have failed to respect the rights of indigenous communities and have committed unlawful acts.
This includes failing to respect the statement of the presiding judge of the Jayapura State Administrative Court (PTUN), Papua, regarding the lawsuit filed by the victims concerning the 135-km economic corridor project road (KSPP), which connects Wanam Village with Muting, Merauke.
One activist, Ambrosius Mulait, said that the process of preparing the AMDAL Terms of Reference and the consultation ignored the principle of meaningful participation, which should be carried out without leaving anyone behind in the development process.
Particularly those affected — namely representatives of the indigenous community, customary landowners, women, and marginalized groups vulnerable to being affected by the project.
He said the bleak picture emerging from the planning, drafting, and consultation process for the AMDAL Terms of Reference for the airport development had been carried out in a centralized manner by the central government, without any in-depth involvement of the indigenous community.
“This top-down policy violates customary provisions and contradicts state law. It disregards the provisions of Special Autonomy, which grant communities the right to determine their own development,” said Ambrosius Mulait. (*)
