"Indonesia's indigenous people still suffer human rights violations, says report", 18 March 2015

Indonesia's indigenous population has suffered a long history of human rights violations says a report to be released by the country's National Commission on Human Rights in May. "We are finding violations of the right to property, to live, to a fair trial, to feel safe, to an adequate standard of living," said Sandra Moniaga, a commissioner and researcher involved in the first National Inquiry on the Violations of Indigenous Peoples Rights within Forest Zones. Moniaga spoke at a press briefing in Jakarta...organized by the Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance of The Archipelago (AMAN). The report will compile the findings of several months of inquires held in Sumatra, Java, Bali-Nusa, Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Maluku and Papua. During the proceedings, investigators looked into the root causes of indigenous human rights violations by examining around 40 cases reported to the commission. "We are seeing a lack of legal certainty for the recognition of indigenous peoples in Indonesia," said Moniaga. "There is no effort being made to designate the boundaries of their territories on official maps and documents; they face legal obstacles in their efforts to claim legitimacy; indigenous women face discrimination on multiple levels; government agencies (including the police) and the military have been working for the private sector, and not for the indigenous communities, and there is no ministerial level institution with the mandate to resolve the prolonged land conflicts."