No, Indonesian soldiers didn't remove a flag from a PNG base
By Blair Wise in Newcastle
WHAT WAS CLAIMED :A video shows Indonesian troops taking over a PNG base.
OUR VERDICT : The video was not filmed in PNG.
A video falsely claiming to show Indonesian soldiers lowering a flag at a Papua New Guinea military base is circulating on social media.
The footage, however, actually shows a mining facility in the Indonesian province of Central Papua, in the western part of the island of New Guinea.
The claim appears in an Instagram reel from May 7, 2025, featuring a video of men in army camouflage taking a PNG flag down from a flagpole.
Text overlaying the video reads: "Take over PNG base by Indonesia soldiers."
"What are Indonesians doing with our national flag," the post caption reads.
While Papua New Guinea is independent, Indonesia controls the western Papua region of the island of New Guinea.
The resource-rich former Dutch colony was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a controversial UN-supervised vote.
Since then, separatists have waged low-level but deadly insurgency against a heavy Indonesian military presence in the culturally and linguistically distinct region.
A Google reverse search revealed longer versions of the same video were shared on Facebook and Instagram with Indonesian captions on May 5, 2025.
Translated by Google, the Facebook caption reads "On 05/05/2025 the PNG flag flew at PSU Mile 38. Tembagapura .Mimika Regency", while the Instagram caption reads "PNG flag flying over company premises. PT.freeport Indonesia 05/05/2025".
PT Freeport Indonesia is a mining company operating the Grasberg mine in the Mimika Regency region of Indonesia's Central Papua province.
A sign visible on the building in the videos clearly reads: "CAMP OFFICE MILE 38."
The PT Freeport website mentions a mining camp called "Milepost 38/39" near Tembagapura and Kuala Kencana, which are both in the Mimika Regency.
Instagram posts tagged at locations called "Mile 38 PT. Freeport Indonesia - Papua" and "PT. Freeport Indonesia Mile 38, Lowland" indicate, when viewed on mobile, the camp's location.
At the same location on Google Maps, there is a small settlement containing references to the mining company and number 38, including a shop called "FMX Minimarket Mile Post 38".
An image uploaded to Google Maps at the same location - not far from Tembagapura - shows the same building in the video that falsely claims it's in PNG.
The roof of a building labelled "Camp Office and Gym 38" and its carpark layout, visible on Google Maps, closely resemble the building and carpark seen in the videos.
The same building with the "CAMP OFFICE MILE 38" sign can also be seen in the background of an Instagram carousel with "Freeport Project" in the caption.
Fajar Papua, a news site affiliated with the Indonesian Press Council, also reported on the video saying it depicted events in Tembagapura.
A Google translation of the Fajar Papua headline reads: "Viral on TikTok, PNG flag flies in front of PT Pangan Sari Utama office at Mile 38 Tembagapura."
The article seems to suggest it's not known who was responsible for flying the flag and whether it was intentional or not.
AAP FactCheck found no credible evidence or news reports of Indonesian forces taking over a PNG Defence Force base.
AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, BlueSky, TikTok and YouTube.
At Mencari, we think it's super important to fact-check to fight misinformation and disinformation and to keep citizens and voters informed and educated.
We invite the public to send us their feedback and requests for fact-checks at factcheck@readmencari.com.
Got a News Tip?
Contact our editor via Proton Mail encrypted, X Direct Message, LinkedIn, or email. You can securely message him on Signal by using his username, Miko Santos.
As well as knowing you’re keeping MENCARI alive, you’ll also get:
Get breaking news AS IT HAPPENS - Gain instant access to our real-time coverage and analysis when major stories break, keeping you ahead of the curve
Unlock our COMPLETE content library - Enjoy unlimited access to every newsletter, podcast episode, and exclusive archive—all seamlessly available in your favorite podcast apps.
Join the conversation that matters - Be part of our vibrant community with full commenting privileges on all content, directly supporting Mencari's
It only takes a minute to help us investigate fearlessly and expose lies and wrongdoing to hold power accountable. Thanks!