Rev. Dr Deonal Sinaga, head of the HKBP’s Koinonia Department. Photo: LWF/A. Hillert
Protestant Christian Batak Church has been leading protests in North Sumatra calling for closure of giant pulp company
(LWI) - “Today is a historical day for us, the people of Sumatra and the people of Indonesia. And it’s good news for the environment too.” Rev. Dr Deonal Sinaga, head of the Koinonia Department at the Protestant Christian Batak Church (HKBP) in Indonesia, shared the joy of many people in his North Sumatra region after the government announced the closure of 28 big companies believed to have contributed to a series of devastating disasters.
On 20 January, two months after a rare tropical cyclone left more than 1,000 people dead and over 175,000 houses destroyed, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto declared that the giant pulp company Toba Pulp Lestari, along with other logging, mining and hydropower companies, would no longer be allowed to operate in the country. HKBP and other churches have been leading protests in recent months, calling for an end to the activities which have been affecting local people and their environment for decades.
“In the early 1990s, after Toba Pulp began its activities, there was strong opposition from our community,” Sinaga recalled. “During that first period, some of our pastors were even arrested and put in prison during the protests. More than 35 years later, a few of them are still serving in the church and they are so happy to see this historic decision,” he said. Over the past year, HKPB, supported by other Christians and other faith groups, had stepped up their demands, intensifying pressure on the government to take action.
Monoculture planting of eucalyptus trees
“The majority of people affected by the pulp company around Lake Toba are HKBP members,” noted Sinaga. “There has been a lot of research into the environmental impact, but one of the most visible and devastating effects has been the monoculture planting of hundreds of thousands of hectares of eucalyptus trees, degrading the soil and causing damage to the land for a long time to come,” he explained.
Sinaga pointed to other disasters, including flash flooding and landslides around Lake Toba in late 2023 which left a dozen people dead. “Trees and plants can no longer take root because of the soil erosion, so mud and rocks the size of cars came down the mountainside into the lake destroying houses and killing people in their path,” he said. “When we visited the families affected, they were broken by the tragedy, but the company denied that it had anything to do with them,” he added.
There is still a lot of work to be done, but today we are rejoicing that our voices have been heard and our prayers answered.
Rev. Dr Deonal Sinaga, head of Koinonia for the Protestant Christian Batak Church
Following international attention in the wake of the November 2025 Cyclone Senyar, the government took action to review the impact of companies operating in North Sumatra, as well as in West Sumatra and Aceh province. Local groups around Lake Toba held protests pointing to the destruction of the rainforest and pollution of the lakes and rivers. They also demonstrated over land grabbing and violent attacks on indigenous Batak people resisting the illegal occupation of their ancestral lands.
“This is what triggered the increased protest movement last year, after the pulp company grabbed land from our people to plant more eucalyptus trees,” Sinaga said. “We talked with the local government and they also realized there was no benefit for them, as the company was destroying roads with their huge trucks and not repairing them. We were all asking where the money from the profits was going as there was no transparency,” he added.
“The president’s declaration is significant, yet there are many issues that still need to be discussed involving the government and the company owners, including the possibility of reparations for the damage caused,” Sinaga noted. “We are thankful for the support we have received from our global Lutheran family and from the other churches and faith groups who have supported our protests,” he said. “There is still a lot of work to be done,” he concluded, “but today we are rejoicing that our voices have been heard and our prayers answered.”
