Tonggo S.

Medan, Medan City, North Sumatra, Indonesia

$200 - $300 / Day

About

Tonggo Simangunsong is a freelance journalist based in Medan, North Sumatra. He has written for The Guardian, Aljazeera, South China Morning Post, VICE, Dialogue Earth, Project Multatuli, DestinAsian, The Jakarta Post, and others.

Top Services

Reporter / Journalist
Fixer
Line Producer / On-Location

Top Projects

Deadly Tiger Attacks Are on the Rise in This Indonesian Village
Residents of the protected Leuser National Park in Aceh struggle to keep Sumatran tigers away from their livestock and homes. Once a rarity, these kinds of attacks are now on the rise in North Sumatra. Between 2019 and 2020, Sumatran tigers killed at least 20 cattle in this region alone. The attacks are also an economic strain on the region’s farmers, costing around $10,000 in lost cattle. But there’s another, more concerning outcome of the rise in attacks...
- Reporter / Journalist
- Fixer
In Sumatra, rising seas and sinking land spell hard times for fishers
Fishers operating near the port of Belawan on the Indonesian island of Sumatra are reporting declining catches and a hit to their livelihoods from tidal flooding. The flooding has grown more frequent and severe, exacerbated by rising seas and the clearing of mangrove forests for oil palm plantations. Traders who buy local catches have also been affected by the flooding, which can cut off commercial transport routes.
- Reporter / Journalist
Indonesian government accused of putting lives at risk with zinc mine permit
In an area prone to natural disasters, residents claim a new mining project has damaged homes and livelihoods and left them fearing for their safety
- Reporter / Journalist
Major brands bought palm oil from plantation rife with modern slavery and torture
Young Indonesian men sent to a “drug rehabilitation” centre were subjected to violence and forced to work in an oil palm plantation. Two died from injuries sustained at the site. This week, eight men were jailed for their roles in overseeing the captives and causing the deaths of the two men. While the captives were being forced to labour without pay, palm oil from the plantation flowed into the supply chains of major brands.
- Reporter / Journalist
How I Trafficked Animals Illegally | Informer
An ex-orangutan trafficker describes how orangutans are captured, bought and sold, the distances they travel to customers, and why there is such a demand. Hunters kill mother orangutans and steal their babies to supply to the exotic underground animal trade in Indonesia. The ex-trafficker describes the journey those babies make from their captors to buyers. They often travel via local bus routes, being packaged up and disguised in boxes, and transported across Indonesia.
- Line Producer / On-Location
Dairi Under Threat of Mining
Documentary movie about the mining company PT. Dairi Prima Minerals (PT. DPM) that is threatening the life thousands of villagers in Dairi, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Subtitle in English is available.
- Non-Fiction Film Director

All Services

Production Support

Reporter / Journalist
Line Producer / On-Location
Non-Fiction Film Director

Production Support

Miscellaneous

Fixer

Talent Discovery

Creator Management Platform

Glimmer Studios

Dairi Under Threat of Mining

How I Trafficked Animals Illegally | Informer

Deadly Tiger Attacks Are on the Rise in This Indonesian Village

In Sumatra, rising seas and sinking land spell hard times for fishers

Tonggo S.

About

Top Services

Top Projects

Deadly Tiger Attacks Are on the Rise in This Indonesian Village

In Sumatra, rising seas and sinking land spell hard times for fishers

Indonesian government accused of putting lives at risk with zinc mine permit

Major brands bought palm oil from plantation rife with modern slavery and torture

How I Trafficked Animals Illegally | Informer

Dairi Under Threat of Mining

All Services

Production Support

Miscellaneous