Communities Protest Nickel Mining in North Maluku ^{CEFR B2}

A grassroots coalition in North Maluku is campaigning against nickel mining and processing projects that activists say damage land, water, culture and local ways of life. Activists travelled to Taiwan and protested in front of Walsin Lihwa Corporation on Aug 5 to press the company and raise public concern about environmental and labour practices. Walsin operates three companies in the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) and the Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP). The firm produces nickel pig iron with a capacity that reaches 300,000 tons each year and supplies several Chinese companies, including Shanghai Decent Investment, Guangxi CNGR Energy Science and Technology, and Hunan Zoomwe Zhengyuan Advanced Material Trade.

After the Taiwan protest, Indonesian representatives met Walsin management but, according to civil society groups Aski Ekologi and Emansipasi Rakyat and Taiwan’s Environmental Rights Foundation, the company did not give substantive commitments on core demands. Walsin issued a written statement saying some foundation information did not match the facts and that it complies with local regulations; the statement did not directly answer public questions on workplace accident liability or pollution data.

Worker representatives have described difficult factory conditions: a site with about 1,000 people reportedly has only one toilet with no water supply, the process produces toxic air and coal dust, and workers said they received only ordinary masks and lacked proper rest area ventilation. A Taiwanese legislator and the workers called on Taipei to speed up corporate human rights and environmental due diligence laws.

• improved labour conditions and worker protection,
• transparent sustainability reporting and due diligence policies,
• phasing out coal and stronger stakeholder engagement.

The local collective Save Sagea, formed in 2014, aims to protect Sagea village and nearby karst ecosystems. Activists say planned concessions threatened Bokimoruru karst, Legaelol lake and the Sageyan River, places that serve as water catchments, local tourism sites and sites of spiritual importance. The project currently remains unoperational after protests and meetings with local officials. The coalition seeks national protection for the karst, wants mining permits around the river revoked, and plans to keep organising protests, social media campaigns and community actions to defend Sagea’s environment and cultural sites.