Update News for July 1993
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On 22nd June 1993, 3 Japanese TV crews made a daring trip to Long Mobui
where the blockade by the Penan is located. They stayed one night at Long
Spigen and on the second night at around midnight, they passed the police
road-block. They reached the blockade after several hours' walk.
There were more than 200 people comprising children, women and men. The
Penans told them that 9 of their people including two old men died because
they had drank muddy water. They said they got stomach problems and it's
believed to be diarrhoea. They said almost all the children at the blockade
got eye sores and skin disease. The Japanese gave all their medicines -
panadols for headache, tablets for stomach ache and malaria. When they gave
money, the Penans declined to accept it, saying they didn't know how to use
it.
The age and sex of the deceased are as listed below :
- a boy aged 1 1/2
- a boy aged 7
- a girl aged 2
- 2 boys both aged 3
- a girl aged 7
- a woman aged 30
- a woman aged 50
- a man aged 70
The Penan built a big house on the middle of the road as a place for meeting
and workshopping. It is also a symbolic of the people's unity and endurance
for the seventh (7) month of blockade against Syarikat Samling Timber Sdn
Bhd, which is destroying their forestland.
The headman of Long Ajeng, Jewa Nyipa, aged 45 told the Japanese that the
authority will send army with 18 helicopters to arrest them and dismantle
the blockade some time in July. If they came, he said, there would be seven
hundred Penans and others at the blockade to welcome them. At present, there
are several policemen at the road-block leading to the blockade. At night,
spotlight is used until midnight to monitor certain people people going to
the blockade. There are 30 fieldforce (paramilitary police) camping near
the blockade.
The Penan said they would stay put at the workship house and defend their
land for the last time for whatever consequences they may face. They are
continuously being harrassed, especially the women who have clinged to the
wooden blockade, which is being dismantled by the Forestry Officers and
police.
Syarikat Samling Sdn Bhd is one of the biggest timber companies in Sarawak
and presently has its business in other countries, like Guyana and Papua
New Guinea
Berawan Update
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Since the beginning of July, the Berawan people have intensified their
campaign on their Native Customary Land (NCR) in the Mulu area, just outside
the famous Mulu National Park. They had a press conference on the 17th June
in one of the hotels in Miri, in response to the Chief Minister's earlier
statement that the Berawana were making false claim on NCR land.
Pamphlets campaign are being distibuted to all tourists coming to Mulu as
one of the events to highlight the issue and the struggle of the Berawan
people. The campaign has been receiving good support from the foreign
tourists coming to Mulu. They then contibuted to the Berawan Defence Fund.
On the 30th June 1993, four land owners stopped the workers of a 5-star
hotel (Royal Mulu Resort) from encroaching into their land for the
construction of its extension. The brother of the hotel owner then reported
the case to the police the following day.
The land owners were called to Marudi, which is 3 and 1/2 hours by express
boat from Mulu, by the police on 1/7/93 for interogation. They were release
without charges after they made a statement to the police. However, the
police warned them that any more attempts to stop the workers again would
result in arrest at any time.
A penghulu, a Berawan of Long Terawan, a government appointed community
leader for several longhouses in upper Tutoh, of Baram District, has
received a letterr from the office of the Chief Minister, signed by the
State Secretary that his service as a Penghulu would be terminated at the
end of this coming September without cause.
The reason behind his termination of service is that the Penghulu and his
family take an active part to highlight the land issue of the Berawan in
Mulu. The son-in-law removed the government building materials on his land
which is about 30 acres. He said the authority didn't ask permission from
the land owners to dump their materrials there. So the land owners have the
absolute right to remove the materials from their land.
These materials are for the building of the Government initiated Penan
Service Centre. The project is to cost about MR$500,000. The Berawan
complained that the mateials are low quality wood. The planks and other
wooden materials are taken through illegal logging within the Park and not
from the sawmill as required by the tender document. There is corruption
involved among certain government officials. The Berawan lodged a report to
the Anti Corruption Agency (ACA), (a Federal Government Agency) and so far
no action has been taken. All the materials are left to rot, like 2,000 bags
of cement, 60 tonnes of plank and 5 tonnes of wooden beams.
The son-in-law was called to Marudi by the police. He gave a statement to
the police, and was then released on bail at RM$1,500 upon being charged for
"mischief on properties." His case will be heard in the middle of
September.
Action Requested
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Please fax, write protest letter to the Sarawak Minister of Industrial
Development, who is also the Chairman of the State Cabinet Committee of
Penan Affairs. The Minister is also married to a sister of the owner of
Samling Timber Sdn Bhd.
YB Datuk Abang Zohari,
Ministry of Industrial Development,
Tingkat 13, Wisma Sumber Alam,
Jalan Stadium, Petra Jaya,
93502 Kuching, Sarawak Malaysia.
Fax : +60 82-442 955
Please note in your letter about the complains from the indigenous people
about their rights to be consulted on any issue pertaining to their NCR
land, the harmful quality of muddy water, The Penans' plight, the rights of
the Berawan people to be consulted, as well as the complaints by indigenous
people about the poor and alledged corrrupt handling of the proposed Penan
Service Centre mentioned above.
--- * Origin: Asia Pacific Solidarity - Sarawak (90:600/108)--