How Indonesia’s Soaring Iron Exports to China Creates Higher Tsunami Risks, Threatens Food Security in Local Village

In a Sumatran village, tsunamis may come at any moment. The coastlines guard against this, but residents worry the coastlines will be destroyed as mining companies take away their iron-rich sand.

The Serawai indigenous women at the Pasar Seluma beach. Women have been on the forefront of the fight against iron sand exploitation. In 2010, Serawai indigenous women formed human shields to protect the men inside a mosque from being taken away by police during a violent protest. Photo by Adi Renaldi

On a hot sunny day in March, Resda led me to the beach of Pasar Seluma village in Seluma Regency, Bengkulu Province. Wearing a long, beige hijab over a flowery print dress, the 60-year-old member of Bengkulu’s Serawai indigenous people walked through the palm oil plantation with agility and steady pace. Despite the 32-degree-celsius heat, sweat was absent from Resda’s face. 

“Look at these black sands,” said Resda. She cupped her hands to hold the sand. It glowed under the bright sun. “This is what they are looking for in our village.”

Known as ironsand, Pasar Seluma’s dark sand is sought after because it contains silica, calcium, titanium, and vanadium, which can be processed into iron ore.

Just a few hundred meters from where Resda and I stood was an ironsand mining complex. Faminglevto Baktiabadi, the company that owns the complex, exports iron-rich sand from Pasar Seluma to China.