Communities Protest Nickel Mining in North Maluku ^{CEFR B1}

A grassroots collective in North Maluku is pushing back against nickel mining and processing that locals say threaten land, culture and livelihoods. Activists travelled to Taiwan and protested in front of Walsin on Aug 5. Walsin operates three companies in IMIP and IWIP and produces nickel pig iron with a capacity that reaches 300,000 tons each year, selling material to several Chinese companies.

After the protest, Indonesian representatives met Walsin management. Civil society groups Aski Ekologi and Emansipasi Rakyat and Taiwan’s Environmental Rights Foundation say Walsin failed to provide substantive responses to main demands. Walsin replied with a written statement saying some information did not match facts and that it complies with local regulations, but it did not directly answer questions about workplace accident liability or pollution data.

Later, a Taiwanese legislator and Indonesian Walsin workers held a press conference calling on Taipei to speed up corporate human rights and environmental due diligence laws. Workers described difficult conditions, including a factory with about 1,000 people that reportedly has only one toilet with no water supply, and exposure to toxic air and coal dust.