Indonesia, Bangladesh: Disguised lnvasions Of lndigenous Nations Third World Colonial Expansion
Bernard Q. Nietschmann
Volume 1, Number 2 (1985) 1 (2): 89-126
Keywords Third World Colonialism, Indigenous Peoples, Fourth World, Territorial Invasion, Annexation, Development by Invasion, Nation-Building (State-Nation), Indonesia, Bangladesh, Javanization, Transmigration, West Papua, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Genocide, Self-determination, Geopolitical Conflicts
Abstract
This text analyzes how Third World colonialism has supplanted European colonialism as the primary force subjugating indigenous peoples and nations of the Fourth World. It highlights that many post-colonial Third World states, formed on artificial borders, maintain their viability through the invasion and territorial annexation of indigenous nations, disguising these actions under concepts like "economic development" and "nation-building." Nietschmann argues that these invasions seek geographic and resource control, driven by overpopulation and the geopolitical aspirations of dominant nations (such as the Javanese in Indonesia and the Bengalis in Bangladesh). The text uses the cases of Indonesia (especially West Papua) and Bangladesh (with the Chittagong Hill Tracts) to illustrate how transmigration and forced population relocation, often internationally funded, act as strategies of annexation and, in some cases, genocide—both cultural and physical—against indigenous peoples, stripping them of their self-determination, lands, and resources.
Bernard Q. Nietschmann
Published January 1, 1985
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Bernard Q. Nietschmann (Author)
Wen Papua: The Obliteration of a People. TAPOL, London, 1984.
Dr. Runendu S. Dewa. "Bangladesh Genocidal Crimes," Fourth World Journal, Vol. 1, No. 1, Fall 1986.
Wolfsaa, Mey (ed.). Genocide in the Queensland BW Traces, Bangladesh, IWGIA Document 61, Copenhagen, 1984.
The Queensland BW Traces: Militarization, Oppression, and the BW Tribes. Anti-Slavery Society, Report No. 2, London, 1984.
"Wen Papua: Transmission: The Invasion of Tribal Lands." Urpn Action Bulletin, Survival International, London, March 2, 1986.
"Planned Relocation of the Papuan Population," TAPOL Bulletin, No. 66, November 1984.
The New York Times, January 16, 1986.
"Statement by Mr. Juwaaa, Observer of the Republic of Indonesia to the Fourth Section of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities," United Nations, Geneva, August 1, 1986.
"Statement by the Honorable Sela Molia, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade of the Republic of Vanuatu," Third-Ninth Session of the UN General Assembly, New York, October 11, 1984.
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
Submissions
