{
  "id": 419840,
  "title": "The ‘londo ireng’ state: How Indonesia betrays its indigenous peoples",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/the-londo-ireng-state-how-indonesia-betrays-its-indigenous-peoples",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-10T00:07:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Jakarta Post",
    "slug": "the-jakarta-post",
    "url": "https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2026/08/10/the-londo-ireng-state-how-indonesia-betrays-its-indigenous-peoples.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Indonesian state has long betrayed its indigenous peoples, a painful truth rooted in the colonial era. The term \"londo ireng,\" which once referred to West African mercenaries and local collaborators, now carries a bitter sting. This label, akin to being a countryman in native skin but wielding the oppressor's whip, is reserved for those who betray their own communities. Recently, the phrase resurfaced when it was weaponized by Prabowo Subianto to label journalists, critics, and observers as foreign proxies, a racially charged and divisive move. Ironically, the Indonesian state itself embodies the essence of londo ireng, as it suppresses the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Bill while systematically denying customary land to indigenous communities. Mapping by civil society and the Ancestral Domain Registration Agency (BRWA) reveals that indigenous communities across Indonesia have identified over 36.4 million hectares of ancestral territory. This internal colonization, marked by political leaders acting as internal colonizers, is glaringly evident.",
  "summary": "Modern colonialism no longer arrives in wooden warships or under foreign flags. It sits in executive offices, speaks the national language and cloaks itself in the slick rhetoric of \"national development.\"",
  "key_points": [
    "\"Londo ireng\" term originated from West African mercenaries",
    "Prabowo Subianto used \"londo ireng\" to label critics as foreign proxies",
    "Indigenous communities claim over 36.4 million hectares of ancestral land"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Indonesian state's suppression of indigenous rights and denial of customary land reveals its own betrayal of native communities, perpetuating a legacy of colonial-era oppression and internal colonization.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}