Indigenous and environmental defenders, branding them as terrorists and subjecting them to arrests and human rights abuses.146 “Sedition” charges are used against anti-mining activists in Myanmar, who are sentenced to incarceration and heavy labor,147 and Indonesian courts use obscure, draconian laws to prosecute environmental advocates, with hundreds of activists charged.148 Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment documented in 2018 that “There has been a total of at least 132 cases of killings in 7 countries in Southeast Asia since 2011 up to 2017; the Philippines accounts for 83 percent of the cases.”149 Indonesia stands at the forefront of the escalating violence against land rights defenders in Southeast Asia. While state actors play their role in this violence, including law enforcement and military, it’s important to note the role of violence by transnational corporations. In Indonesia, the Sinar Mas Group (SMG), owner of Asia Pulp and Paper, is widely reported by local and international media and civil rights organizations to have one of the worst records for human rights abuses and environmental destruction, including land grabbing, intimidation, criminalization, and violence.150 In Indonesia, the alignment of corporate interests with state power has resulted in a dangerous environment for those who dare to defend their land and communities. 146 Human Rights Watch. (2020). Philippines: New Anti-Terrorism Act Endangers Rights. Human Rights Watch, 5 June. https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/06/05/philippines-new-anti-terrorism-act-endangers-rights 147 Bautista, C. & Yang-ed P. C. (2018). Op. cit. 148 Ibid. 149 Bautista, C. & Yang-ed P. C. (2018). In peril: Southeast Asia’s environment and its defenders (Part 2 of 2). Bulatlat. https://www.bulatlat.com/2018/07/26/peril-southeast-asias-environment-defenders-part-2-2/ 150 Rainforest Action Network. (n.d.). Destroying Lives and Stealing Land. https://www.ran.org/the-understory/destroying-lives-and-stealing-land/ 44