PBI to screen documentary on environmental destruction, militarization and displacement in West Papua

Published by Brent Patterson on March 13, 2025March 13, 2025

PBI-Germany is co-sponsoring this screening of My Name is Pengungsi (Refugee) on March 16 in Berlin, while PBI-Netherlands is co-sponsoring this screening on March 26 in Utrecht. The 38-minute documentary was made in 2023 by Yuliano Lantipo.

The PBI-Netherland social media post highlights: “This film highlights the worrying situation in West Papua, where there are thousands of internally displaced people, due to civil and armed conflict and ongoing large-scale environmental destruction from mining and logging industries [threatens the livelihoods of the indigenous population].”

And the PBI-Germany promotion notes: “Created by local activist filmmakers, they also tell positive stories of peaceful resistance, struggles for social justice, and the fight against environmental destruction.”

The Walrus has previously noted: “Three of the world’s richest gold mines are now located in the region: Lihir, on Lihir Island [in New Ireland province, operated by the Australian company Newcrest]; Grasberg, next door in West Papua [Mimika Regency, near Puncak Jaya, operated by the American company Freeport-McMoRan]; and, of course, the PJV [Porgera Gold Mine near Porgera, Enga province, operated by the Canadian company Barrick Gold].”

Notably, Global Witness has documented that at least 20 land and environmental defenders were killed in Indonesia between 2012 and 2023, Global Affairs Canada reports that Canada has exported CAD $30 million in “military goods” to Indonesia between 2019 and 2023, and that a Canada-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) could be signed this year that is projected to increase Canadian imports of mineral products from Indonesia by 42 per cent by 2040 and imports of metal products by 18 per cent.

In his review, ‘Alopi Latukefu writes: “My Name is Pengungsi (Refugee) follows the lives and families of two children, both named ‘refugee’, born and currently being raised in parts of West Papua distant from their families’ places of origin. Their displacement is clearly correlated with the increased presence of extractive corporate interests backed in and supported by a military presence. In both children’s cases this has been enabled by the gradual breaking up of the region of West Papua into first two, and now five, separate provinces.”

SA PU NAMA PENGUNGSI is available with English subtitles here.

Further reading: Indigenous environmental defender Adolfina Kuum on “the destruction of our people’s rivers, our forests and way of life” in West Papua (March 10, 2025).