An activist in the West Papuan town of Merauke says Indonesia will continue its "plunder" of the province whether or not it the transmigration policy stays.
There have been mixed messages on the policy from members of Indonesia's government after President Joko Widodo called an end to the controversial policy of relocating hundreds of thousands of Indonesians into Papua and West Papua.
The Minister of Transmigration, Marwan Jafar, says it has been a success and should go on.
Yaphet Frangky says indigenous landowners have been frightened off their land by the Indonesian military since 1987.
He says palm oil companies will continue to attract workers regardless of Government policy.
"The problem is still not finished, but big big problem. The workers they don't have transmigration project but they are facilitating the people to come with more projects in Papua."
Yaphet Frangky says Papuan customs and the environment suffer, and they don't benefit from the investment.
Indonesia's Papua region: the provinces of West Papua and Papua Photo: RNZ
