Against incredible odds, the struggle by the Penan to protect
their forest and their rights continues. Malaysian authorities and
logging company thugs have not ceased their harrassment and
threats to those who will not give up their struggle for justice.
The latest news comes from the upper Baram region where a number
of villages refuse to accept the intrusion of the logging
companies.
We have just recieved word that on the 18th April, 1995 - a few
days ago, 20 Penan went to meet with the logging camp to meet with
the camp manager and workers to raise issues of concern with them.
With no warning, 5 Police Field Force (PFF) police armed with M16
rifles pointed their guns at the Penan and threatened them,
warning them that it they ever try to disrupt logging operations,
or construct blockades again, they will be shot.
The PFF also told the Penn that their blowpipes are no match for
the modern weapons and machineries in a battle and urged the
Penana to let the logging company proceed with their activities
without any interruptions. The PFF were very rude with the Penan
ad as a result he Penan could not meet the management of the
logging camp. They then set to meet the company again on the 28th
April 1995.
Unimas is a sub contractor for the concession holder Samling
Timber Company, and is currently heavily logging the forest in the
Baram area, where many Penan have been living a subsistence
lifestyle and have customary rights to the land.
They have blockaded the logging roads into their area until their
barricades were brutally broken down by authorities and timber
company personnel on September 28th, 1993.
Here is a report of this event prepared by an eyewitness:
"On this day, about 1000 riot police, soldiers and forestry
officials as well as logging workers came to the blockades. They
brought with them 45 trucks, bulldozers and chain saws. Al the
police and soldiers were wielding shields and wearing gas masks.
After the arrest of the eleven men, the police and soldiers hurled
tear gas five times at the people. The affects of the tear gas
left the people powerless to do anything. The police, soldiers and
logging workers then used bulldozers and chain saws to dismantle
the blockade and to tear down the dwellings in the area. They also
bulldozed the rice padi fields which were now ripening.
During the dismantling of the blockade, the police and soldiers
used excessive force such as kicking, beating and punching the
people. A total of 203 persons suffered injuries as a result. The
police did not attempt to negotiate with the people at all.
Neither was there any letter or warning of their action.
At the same blockade three people died directly or indirectly as a
result of the police attack. "
The difficulties have continued:
"In 1993 a 15 year old girl, Sarah, was gang raped by a group of
police field force at Long Mobui. Many other women and girls are
worried about the abuse of human rights against them. Now they
seek help from whoever they can to help them.
"Now we find there are some my difficulties which we face and yet
there is no news about our problems in the press, television and
radio. That is why many people don't know our problem. Sometimes
we lodge a complaint to the police but no investigation or inquiry
into the incident occurs."
These incidents of violence have tested our patience to the limit.
We have never used violence even though several people have died
in the process of our blockading. Recently, the police and
soldiers have informed people that they intend to search for and
kill our leaders who guided us in the blockades."
"One problem affecting all of us is that the government and
logging companies are sending the police, the army and gangsters
to harass the people and to even kill leaders and ordinary people.
They also harass and rape women."
"The government and logging companies use the village heads,
Councillors and Penghulu to spy on persons that are targeted for
arrest or to be killed, that is leaders mobilising peoples protest
to the logging. They are paid rewards amounting to $20 000 to $50
000 when any of these targeted persons are arrested or killed."
" They need urgent support because of the effects of logging
activities are worsening and the daily livelihood of affected
communities is increaingly jeapordised. The pollution of water and
air is causing wild game to dissappear and the people also fall
sick".
International support is requested in protesting the Malaysian and
Sarawakian governments continuing perpetration of these human
rights abuses and forest destruction. With the Malaysian elections
looming, this is a very timely occasion to voice your concerns.
An important matter to note is that Malaysia is jumping on the
bandwagon of 'ecolabelling' of its timber products even while such
atrocities continue - Sarawak is still the world's major supplier
of tropical logs and has maintained an annual log production of
between 16 million and 19 million cubic metres from 1990 (despite
the International Tropical Timber Organisation's recommendation to
reduce this to 9 million cubic metres to achieve so called
'sustainability').
Please write letters of concern to the Malaysian and Sarawakian
governments - and to your local and national newspapers (included
is a draft letter to newspapers in Australia). You could also
target offices representing Malaysian in your area, such as a
Malaysian embassy or consulate office, tourism promotion offices,
trade offices, etc.
Address letters of concern to:
Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohammed, Prime Minister of Malaysia,
Jalan Dato Onn 50502 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
Datuk Patingi Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, Chief Minister of
Sarawak, Bangunan Tunku Abdul Rahman, Petra Jaya 93300, Kuching,
Sarawak, East Malaysia.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
MALAYSIAN ELECTIONS - DEMOCTRATIC? - NO - DEMAGOGIC!!
As the Malaysian election looms, the country's indigenous people
continue to suffer harassment and abuse for their opposition to
the style of 'development' which strips them of their forests,
their rights and their freedom.
In the Malaysian state of Sarawak, logging of the tropical forest
is still taking place at the fastest rates in the world. Volumes
of extraction far outstrip even the most conservative estimates
for a 'sustainable' harvest. In 1990 the International Tropical
Timber Organisation (ITTO) recommended a reduction of annual log
production to 9 million cubic metres per year. For the past 5
years the actual figure has been between 16 million and 19 million
cubic metres per year.
Members of the Penan tribe of the Malaysian state of Sarawak
continue to receive threats, harassment, imprisonment and physical
abuse for their opposition to logging on their traditional land.
Reports from the region over the past year have included several
incidents where Penan tribespeople were killed under suspicious
circumstances by unknown assailants in the jungle.
Girls and women have been sexually harassed and there have been
many cases of rape by logging workers and police field force
personnel. Last week there were reports that the Police Field
Force pointed their M16s at several Penan tribespeople in the
upper Baram region. They told them that if they opposed logging
they would be shot.
In the upper Rejang region of Sarawak, Prime Minister Mahathir
wants the implementation of plans to build the Bakun Dam to be
carried out as soon as possible. (Sarawak Tribune April 5th,
1995). The company contracted to undertake the project, Ekran, is
headed by a timber tycoon .The first stage of implementation of
the project will be the clear-felling of 200 000 hectares of
tropical forest for timber used in the construction of the dam -
in addition to the forested area in the dam site to be cleared.
Ekran is slated to earn more than $250 million from the felling of
the trees. The dam will displace 5000 indigenous people and
inundate an area the size of Singapore. Over 3500 signatures have
been collected in the area opposing the project.
In a state where the Environment Minister owns his own timber
company, links between loggers, politicians and the process of
'development' shouldn't be surprising. However Prime Minister
Mahathir's insistence that the world keep out of Malaysia's
internal affairs while blatant human rights abuses and the
devastation of the world's oldest and richest tropical forest
continues, is too much to ask.
If opposition to the politics of plunder is suppressed within
Malaysia - then we have a moral obligation to publicly reveal the
truthful situation in other parts of the world. Yours sincerely,
ENDS
Networked by: The Rainforest Information Centre, PO BOX 368,
Lismore, NSW, 2480,
AUSTRALIA. PH: +62 66 218 505 FAX: +61 66 222 339
email: rainfaus@peg.apc.org or alight@peg.apc.org