Foreign Environmentalists Imprisoned in Sarawak, Malaysia
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International Actions to Save Borneo's Tropical Rainforests Intensify
MIRI, SARAWAK (July 24, 1991) Eight foreign environmental activists
from five
countries were given jail sentences for criminal trespass in Sarawak,
Malaysia on July 20th. They were arrested after they chained themselves
to logging
cranes and were unjustly held in jail for over a week before formal
charges were
pressed.
The activists are from Australia, W. Germany, England, Switzerland
and the United States. The two U.S. citizens are John Kreilick and Deborah
Witkin.
Five of the arrestees pled guilty and have been sentenced to 60 days in
jail. Three
others pleaded not guilty and have been released on bail. By attempting to
halt
exports of tropical timber, destined forcountries such as Japan and the U.S;
the
activists drew worldwide attention to the continued destruction of Borneo's
rainforests.
The activists held their protests in solidarity with 400 Penan
indigenous rainforest people of Sarawak who are currently blockading
logging
roads in a last ditch attempt to save their forest homeland. The Penan,
some of
which have a nomadic lifestyle, have said it is only a matter of months
before
logging operations destroy the forest that they depend on for sustenance
and
cultural livelihood.
The official demands put forth by the environmentalists were an
immediate moratorium on trade in tropical timber from primary forests,
and that
the human rights of the native peoples, such as the right to their
customary land
and their traditional lifestyle, be recognized in law and respected by the
Sarawak and
Malaysian governments.
In past few weeks international actions in support of Sarawak's
forest and indigenous peoples have increased. These actions include a
timber ship
blockade in Nantes, France, a port blockade in Bremen, Germany and
protests at the
Malaysian embassies in the Hague and London. Also in London, at the site
of the
Group of Seven (G7) meetings, environmentalists staged demonstrations
and civil
disobedience to draw attention to the G7 countries' tropical timber imports
from
Sarawak. Together the G7 countries import a total of 60% of Sarawak's
wood.
Native protests against logging began in 1987, but have intensified in
the last few months because there have been no attempts by the Sarawak
government or timber industry to stop logging on native traditional lands
or to
curtail logging in primary forests. In fact, even after the International
Tropical
Timber Organization (ITTO) conservatively
recommended that Sarawak cut back its annual imports of 13
million cubic meters to 9 million, Sarawak has increased logging rates by
40% to 18 million cubic meters. The ITTO has estimated that Sarawak has
less than
10 years left of "timber production forest" at the current rates of harvest.
Sarawak is
one of the few tropical countries that still exports raw logs.
Timber from Sarawak is mostly exported to Japan for use as
disposable concrete forms. The timber is also imported by the U.S. and
other
industrialized nations for use as inexpensive doorskins and plywood.
Sarawak, like other parts of Borneo, has one of the most biologically
diverse and oldest rainforests in the world. These forests are being
liquidated for
short term interests that benefit a few timber tycoons while indigenous
people are
forced off their land and subject to increased poverty and life threatening
diseases. If
current logging rates continue the world will lose one of the most beautiful
and
irreplaceable ecosystems in existence.
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CNN Japan still has the original tape of the action, but CNN
US has a copy, which Mike Mease the videographer is trying to get. MIke
is down as photo contact and further questions about the action. CNN will be
airing some of the footage on their Earth
Matters program which will be on rainforests, it airs Mon, Wed, and Fri at
9, 2 and8 eastern standard time. Will try and find out exact dates of air
time.