Wanam Residents Refute Exodus Claims, Express Hope for National Strategic Project Development

Negative narratives based on facts not found on the ground from documentary film director Dandhy Dwi Laksono, who alleged an exodus of up to hundreds of thousands of people due to the National Strategic Project (PSN) in Wanam, South Papua, have been directly refuted by the local community. Residents emphasised there has never been any displacement, and they actually hope the PSN Wanam food estate development will continue. Based on field findings, various circulating claims are considered inconsistent with real conditions. Current land clearing activities are said to still be limited, covering around 15,000 hectares, and are focused on building infrastructure such as roads, bridges, a port, solar panels, an oil refinery, and cold storage facilities. The area of the PSN Wanam is also reportedly not as large as has been narrated. Information citing figures of up to 2.5 million hectares is inaccurate, as the total area is estimated to be around 1 million hectares. Furthermore, the issue of a resident exodus of up to 170,000 people was not found on the ground. Residents met confirmed there was no mass movement as alleged. Meanwhile, regarding heavy equipment, although it was mentioned there were orders for up to 2,000 excavator units, the current realisation on site has only reached hundreds of units. Amid these various issues, the voices of local residents actually indicate hope for the development. Inosensio Sigipse, for example. A farmer who has lived in Wanam for 10 years, he admitted to supporting the PSN project. He hopes the development can ease access and improve the residents’ economy. ‘If there is development, maybe we can build housing and roads. So we can sell our farm produce more easily,’ said the man familiarly called Papa Ino on Thursday, 4 June 2026. He described the residents’ difficult economic conditions, with agricultural produce not always absorbed by the market. The project’s presence is hoped to open up job opportunities for the community. ‘If there is work there, those of us who are unemployed can work too,’ he said. A similar sentiment was conveyed by Kleopas Mause, a teacher and Chairman of the Village Consultative Body (Bamuskam) in Wanam. He asserted that the community had accepted the PSN’s presence from the beginning because it was deemed to bring change, although the benefits are not yet fully evenly distributed.