Very few people outside of this region know about the decades of disappearances, torture<\/a> and mass evictions<\/a> of people from their land or of the independence struggle led by indigenous people. Even fewer know that the UK government and British companies are remain deeply entangled in the industries driving this destruction.<\/p>\n Our new audit<\/a> documents, for the first time, how the UK supplies arms and jungle warfare training to Indonesia, while major British corporations \u2013 from BP to Unilever \u2013 and financial institutions profit from mining, palm oil, gas or logging in the territory, in spite of strong opposition from many people who live there. (BP did not respond to a request for comment; Unilever did not respond on record).<\/p>\n New Guinea is north of Australia and is mostly covered in rainforest. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed since Indonesia took over the western half of the island in the 1960s. These investments continue a legacy that began with Britain\u2019s brief colonial presence in the 18th century and today links UK companies to an area that has seen mass deforestation<\/a>, widespread displacement and allegations of torture and extrajudicial killing.<\/p>\n The environmental cost<\/p>\n West Papua has vast deposits of gold, copper and other metals, and major reserves of liquid petroleum gas. The region is home to the Grasberg mine, the world\u2019s largest gold mine and second-largest copper mine. <\/p>\n A 2022 report by local activists estimated that, each day, around 300,000 tonnes<\/a> of toxic mining waste are dumped into the Ajkwa river system. Fish stocks have been devastated and contaminated mining waste has piled up in and around the river, making it no longer navigable using traditional boats.<\/p>\n Our audit also documents how gold extracted from Grasberg is sold through the London Bullion Market Association and how the London Metal Exchange brands and sells copper from the Grasberg mine. (The LBMA has previously pointed to its responsible sourcing standards<\/a>, while the LME has previously said<\/a> it \u201ctakes its regulatory obligations seriously, and has appropriate measures in place to comply with such obligations, including in respect of [potentially criminal waste disposal]\u201d).<\/p>\n Palm oil is another key driver of deforestation, and West Papua is the site of a rapid expansion of industrial agriculture which includes the world\u2019s largest deforestation project<\/a>. Our audit identifies 14 major British investors in West Papuan palm oil plantations, including HSBC. (HSBC did not respond to a request for comment). British firm Unilever sources palm oil from two mills in the region. (Unilever did not respond on the record). <\/p>\n British energy giant BP operates the Tangguh liquefied natural gas facility in West Papua. The project sits in the middle of one of the world\u2019s largest contiguous mangrove forests and occupies 3,200 hectares of land, most of which is designated a \u201cgreen zone\u201d with extra environmental protections. Our audit estimates the project will ultimately release 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon by the time it is all processed and burned \u2013 equivalent to the EU\u2019s entire emissions reductions between 2015 and 2030.<\/p>\n Trees are cleared to make a new village for people displaced by the Tangguh project, 2003. Since production began, BP has faced criticism over alleged ties with Indonesian security<\/a>, particularly in the forced relocation of ten villages which severed local people from their ancestral fishing grounds (BP did not respond to a request for comment on each of these matters). <\/p>\n A legacy of colonialism \u2013 and the cold war<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s role in West Papua began in 1793, when a British naval expedition briefly claimed the territory as \u201cNew Albion\u201d. Within a few years the British were gone, and New Guinea soon became a Dutch colony. <\/p>\n Displaced West Papuans at a refugee camp in Papua New Guinea (the eastern half of the island). The flags are the West Papuan independence movement (left) and Papua New Guinea (right). But UK interest resurfaced during the cold war, when the west wanted to ensure that West Papua and its huge mineral resources were kept within the US sphere of influence. Through a UN-backed vote called the \u201cAct of Free Choice\u201d \u2013 widely criticised as a sham referendum and commonly referred to as the \u201cAct of No Choice\u201d \u2013 West Papua was incorporated into Indonesia rather than gaining independence<\/a>. <\/p>\n This paved the way for the current model of industrial development, in which foreign-backed projects extract enormous wealth while local people miss out or are displaced. <\/p>\n![\"satellite](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/file-20250919-76-y2j75u.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\n zelvan \/ shutterstock<\/p>\n![\"Man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/file-20250919-76-e8aalb.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\n Colin Marshall \/ Alamy<\/p>\n![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/file-20250919-66-nil53j.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\n Joerg Boethling \/ Alamy<\/p>\n