West Papuans Call for Boycott Over Alleged Ecocide

West Papua’s Indigenous people are urging a boycott of Nestlé and Mondelēz products, including KitKat, Oreo, and Pantene, over claims of deforestation and human rights abuses linked to palm oil production in their homeland.

More than 90 West Papuan groups accuse corporations of fueling land grabs and environmental destruction.

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua spokesperson Raki Ap called it “ecocide and a colonial project,” saying, “West Papuans are being forced, with violence, to leave their land.”

West Papua, under Indonesian control since 1963, holds the world’s third-largest rainforest.

Activists claim over 500,000 Papuans have died due to occupation, while millions of acres have been cleared for corporate use.

The Tanah Merah project alone covers 140,000 hectares, and a 2-million-hectare sugarcane plantation is also planned.

Critics say West Papua’s 1969 referendum on Indonesian rule was manipulated, denying Indigenous people self-determination.

Nestlé stated it enforces deforestation-free palm oil policies and investigates allegations.

Source: The Guardian News