A planned EV battery factory in Indonesia poses a grave threat to an uncontacted tribe, a watchdog warns.
The $6 billion megaproject, backed by Chinese battery maker CATL, will make use of the abundant reserves of nickel on Halmahera Island. There are around 3,500 Hongana Manyawa living on Halmahera, of which around 500 are still uncontacted.
Nickel mining concessions already cover 40 percent of Hongana Manyawa territory, according to Survival International, and the arrival of miners puts uncontacted people at risk of contracting deadly diseases to which they have no immunity. On Halmahera, already home to the largest nickel mine in the world, the forthcoming battery plant will only escalate the threat, the group said.
“This announcement is a death sentence for the uncontacted Hongana Manyawa,” said Caroline Pearce, head of Survival International. “Their home — the land that is theirs under international law — is being brazenly seized and destroyed to cater to global industries and global consumption.”
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto recently cancelled four nickel mining permits on the neighboring islands of Raja Ampat. Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia told reporters that “the President has a special concern to ensure Raja Ampat remains a world-class tourist attraction and protect its sustainability.” Campaigners are urging Prabowo to take similar steps to protect the Indigenous people of Halmahera.
The Indonesian leader will reportedly inaugurate the new battery plant on Sunday. Brad Adams, head of Climate Rights International, called on Prabowo to use the occasion to commit to curbing the impact of nickel mining and battery production.
“Communities are repressed, forests are cleared, and pollution goes unaddressed with impunity,” Adams said. “This is a chance for the Prabowo government to show that it has learned from those failures.”
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