ACTION ALERT

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WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

Malaysian Penan Struggle Continues

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

http://forests.org/

4/5/97

OVERVIEW, SOURCE & COMMENTARY by EE

The plunder and extermination of Penan tribal ways and land rights

continues afresh in Malaysia. For some decades the Penan tribal

people have attempted to control the land that they and their

ancestors have occupied for many years previously. Their pleas to

allow the forests and the Penan way of life to continue have been met

with repression and brutality by their own Malaysian government.

Appeals are made from Rainforest Relief and the Rainforest Information

Centre for letters in protest of continued Penan civil rights

violations.

g.b.

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Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 10:21:59 -0800 (PST)

From: Rainforest Relief <relief@igc.apc.org

To: Multiple recipients of <RainForest@gdarwin.cox.miami.edu

Subject: Malaysia Struggle Continues

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SARAWAK - THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES

URGENT - Please write letters.

According to a recent communications with Penan of the Upper Baram in

Sarawak, Malaysia, the Malaysian Police Field Force (PFF) shot over

the heads of Penan tribal people on Monday 10th March, 1997. The

Penan were attempting to negotiate with the logging company to stop

them from destroying their traditional lands. Members of the Police

Field Force also entered the village of Long Kerong threatening to

arrest anyone who was against the logging. The current situation in

the region is described as 'tense'.

The Police have been stationed in this area to 'protect' the logging

company from the Penan (who are regarded as perhaps the most peaceful

and gentle of humankind) since the military's violent dismantling of a

blockade in 1993. During this time they have constantly harassed and

threatened the Penan. Armed with M16 rifles, the PFF have repeatedly

entered the villages to cause intimidation and in particular they have

harassed the women and girls in the community.

The Penan of Long Kerong in the Upper Baram region of Sarawak,

Malaysia, are one of the 16 Penan villages who have continued to

actively resist logging up to this day despite threats, harassment and

intimidation by the logging companies and the police. Over the past

few months blockades have been erected and meetings held with the

logging companies (Samling and Umas) who are working in this area.

Since the 1980's, 700 tribal people have been arrested in Sarawak as a

result of their peaceful resistance to destructive logging.

Very little news of these actions have reached other parts of

Malaysia, or the rest of the world. The Sarawak and Malaysian timber

companies have instead gained worldwide attention for their incursion

into other pristine forests and the homelands of other indigenous

peoples (South America, Africa, Indo-China and the South Pacific).

They have also been reported to be spending millions of dollars on

their corporate image. The Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) has

commissioned Shandwick, the world's largest advertising agency, to

promote their timber.

Some of this information is sourced from a recent (January 1997) visit

to these communities. Further information available from

alight@peg.apc.org and bmf@bmfonds.links.ch

WRITE LETTERS.

Please write polite letters to the Malaysian Prime Minister and Chief

Minister of Sarawak expressing your concern over the current

situation. It is important that the authorities are aware that

military activities in this area are being noticed by the outside

world. Names of military personnel and timber company managers that

the Penan highlighted as causing particular harassment include: Timber

camp managers: Ah Kie, Chieng and Seah. Police Field Force: Andrew

Goh, Lance Corporal Mohd Aziz B Zakaria and Guro Horon Singh.

* Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, Chief Minister of Sarawak,

Tingkat 22, Wisma Paba Malaysia, Petra Jaya, 55302 Kuching, Sarawak,

Malaysia.

* Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia,

Prime Minister's Department, Jalan Dato' Onn, 50502 Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia.

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