M

aybe for some people, Buru Island in Maluku is not too familiar. But there are also some people who shiver when hearing the word “Buru”, particularly those who have read Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s novel The Earth of Mankind.

The novel illustrates explicitly the life of political prisoners who were exiled to this island. Buru is often remembered as the “Island of Exiles” or black jail for political prisoners of the New Order.

However, behind all the dark stories about the island, nobody seeks to realize that this island turns out to be a natural resource of high economic value and riveting exotic travel.

Buru Island has been known since the Dutch colonial era because of its eucalyptus oil, a primary commodity of the local area. However, the majority of Indonesians are more familiar with this island as a terrible prison.

Currently, the island is known as one of the gold producing regions in the country, but has been exploited through illegal means.

Kisran Namkatu
Jakarta