Misleading2025-06
What is circulating
“Southwest Papua Governor Elisa Kambu said on 8 June 2025 that reports of environmental damage from nickel mining on Gag Island in Raja Ampat were a hoax.”
Claimed by Elisa Kambu, Governor of Southwest Papua · official statement
The facts
On the same day the Environment Minister set out indications of violations and environmental damage from nickel mining in Raja Ampat, including PT Gag Nikel, which operates on a small island of about 6,030 hectares. The mining advocacy network Jatam counted 262 hectares of deforestation on Gag from 2017 to 2024, and Sentinel 2 satellite images show land clearing growing markedly between 2018 and March 2025.