{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1785297,
        "msgid": "wanam-residents-refute-exodus-claims-express-hope-for-national-strategic-project-development-1780588457",
        "date": "2026-06-04 21:57:15",
        "title": "Wanam Residents Refute Exodus Claims, Express Hope for National Strategic Project Development",
        "author": "",
        "source": "VIVA",
        "tags": "berita",
        "topic": "Infrastructure",
        "summary": "Local residents in Wanam, South Papua, have directly refuted claims of mass displacement made by a documentary filmmaker, asserting there have been no evacuations due to the National Strategic Project (PSN). The community voices strong support for the food estate development, expressing hope that it will boost the local economy and improve access. Field findings indicate infrastructure works are progressing on a limited scale, contrary to circulated narratives.",
        "content": "<p>Negative narratives based on facts not found on the ground from\ndocumentary film director Dandhy Dwi Laksono, who alleged an exodus of\nup to hundreds of thousands of people due to the National Strategic\nProject (PSN) in Wanam, South Papua, have been directly refuted by the\nlocal community. Residents emphasised there has never been any\ndisplacement, and they actually hope the PSN Wanam food estate\ndevelopment will continue. Based on field findings, various circulating\nclaims are considered inconsistent with real conditions. Current land\nclearing activities are said to still be limited, covering around 15,000\nhectares, and are focused on building infrastructure such as roads,\nbridges, a port, solar panels, an oil refinery, and cold storage\nfacilities. The area of the PSN Wanam is also reportedly not as large as\nhas been narrated. Information citing figures of up to 2.5 million\nhectares is inaccurate, as the total area is estimated to be around 1\nmillion hectares. Furthermore, the issue of a resident exodus of up to\n170,000 people was not found on the ground. Residents met confirmed\nthere was no mass movement as alleged. Meanwhile, regarding heavy\nequipment, although it was mentioned there were orders for up to 2,000\nexcavator units, the current realisation on site has only reached\nhundreds of units. Amid these various issues, the voices of local\nresidents actually indicate hope for the development. Inosensio Sigipse,\nfor example. A farmer who has lived in Wanam for 10 years, he admitted\nto supporting the PSN project. He hopes the development can ease access\nand improve the residents\u2019 economy. \u2018If there is development, maybe we\ncan build housing and roads. So we can sell our farm produce more\neasily,\u2019 said the man familiarly called Papa Ino on Thursday, 4 June\n2026. He described the residents\u2019 difficult economic conditions, with\nagricultural produce not always absorbed by the market. The project\u2019s\npresence is hoped to open up job opportunities for the community. \u2018If\nthere is work there, those of us who are unemployed can work too,\u2019 he\nsaid. A similar sentiment was conveyed by Kleopas Mause, a teacher and\nChairman of the Village Consultative Body (Bamuskam) in Wanam. He\nasserted that the community had accepted the PSN\u2019s presence from the\nbeginning because it was deemed to bring change, although the benefits\nare not yet fully evenly distributed.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/wanam-residents-refute-exodus-claims-express-hope-for-national-strategic-project-development-1780588457",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}