MEDIA RELEASE, Bruno Manser Fonds, Basel / Switzerland

 

7 July 2006

 

 

Dramatic appeal by Penan headmen: "Ask the police not to use force against us"

 

 

Logging company dismantles Penan road blockade in Sarawak's rainforest - Police and Federal Reserve Unit brought into the Baram to break a second blockade on coming Sunday

 

 

"Please support us and stay strongly behind us. Ask the police not to use force against us on our land. We, the Penan communities, will keep on the struggle for our forest for ever." With this dramatic appeal, the headmen of the Penan communites in the 4th and 5th Division of Sarawak / Malaysia jointly ask politicians, lawyers, NGOs, government officials, the media and the general public to support the struggle for their native customary rights lands and their last remaining forest reserves.

 

Logging workers of Interhill Logging Sdn. Bhd., a Malaysian timber company based in Miri, dismantled a Penan logging road blockade near Ba Abang in the Middle Baram region of Sarawak on 5 July 2006. Penan sources are reporting that an unknown number of policemen were brought to the area and that they were supported by the Federal Reserve Unit, a specially organized police unit trained to quell riots and disperse "unlawful assemblies". The police are searching the area for the Penan community members who set up the blockade on 16 June and are currently hiding in the forest. However, no arrests have been made so far.

 

In a separate development, the Penan community of Long Benali is reporting that the Miri Resident (a local administrative officer in charge of the area) announced that another road blockade further up the Baram river would be dismantled on Sunday 9th July 2006. The blockade in question had been set up by the Penan in February 2004 to mark their community boundary and to prevent the bulldozers of the Miri-based logging giant Samling encroaching further into their territory. According to the Penan, Samling intends to build a road up to the Kelabit community of Long Lellang to exploit one of the last remaining primary rainforest areas of Sarawak.

 

The announcement by the Miri Resident's office further discredits the Malaysian Timber Certification Council MTCC, who had recently certified Samling Plywood (Baramas) Sdn. Bhd for "sustainable" logging in the area. The certification of Samling had led to international protests because of a pending Penan landrights case against Samling, which had been disregarded by MTCC.

 

Bruno Manser Fonds, Association for the Peoples of the Rainforest, Basel / Switzerland

 

 

For further information, please contact us under:

 

Tel. +41 61 261 94 74

E-Mail: info@bmf.ch

 

 

Please help the Penan by expressing your concern about the situation with a polite letter, e-mail, fax or telephone call to one of the following addresses:

1) SUHAKAM, the Malaysian human rights commission:

 

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia

Level 29

Menara Tun Razak

Jalan Raja Laut

50350 Kuala Lumpur

E-Mail: humanrights@suhakam.org.my

Tel. +60 3 261 25 600

Fax +60 3 261 256 20

 

 

2) Miri Resident, Ose Murang's office

Tel. +60 85 433 203

Fax +60 85 432 876

 

3) Marudi District Office, Marudi / Sarawak

Tel. +60 85 755 211

Fax +60 85 756 084

 

4) Royal Malaysian Police:

Cawangan Perhubungan Awam,

Polis Diraja Malaysia,

Ibu Pejabat Polis Bukit Aman,

50560 Kuala Lumpur

E-Mail: rmp@rmp.gov.my

 

5) Interhill Logging Sdn. Bhd., Miri (a timber company logging on Penan land)

Tel. +60 85 436313

Fax +60 85 437 318

 

6) The Samling Group, Miri (a timber company logging on Penan land)

E-Mail: communications@samling.com.my

Tel. +60 85 413 099

 

7) Jewson Ltd. (a British building supplier who sells timber from Penan areas)

Jewson Ltd.

Mr Peter Hindle

Managing Director

Merchant House

Binley Business Park

Coventry CV3 2 TT

United Kingdom

Fax +44 2476 560 564