Extracted from Malaysiakini

Rape of Penan women: NGO faces more hurdles

Tony Thien | Nov 14, 08 2:38pm

Swiss NGO Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) is worried about the Malaysian authorities' handling of enquiries into the alleged sexual abuse of Penan women by logging company workers in Sarawak's Baram area.

Despite two recent police reports lodged by Penan women who became pregnant after being raped by loggers, Malaysia's Inspector-General of Police Musa Hasan had claimed in a statement to the Borneo Post that "none of a total of 10 rape cases" investigated by the police in Baram had been linked to the allegations made public by BMF in September.

The Borneo Post
is currently conducting a campaign to whitewash the
Sarawak timber industry in respect of the Penan's sexual abuse claims, BMF claimed in a statement today.

 

On Nov 7, the newspaper carried a front-page report in which Musa Hassan was quoted as saying that investigations into the sexual abuse of Penan women by logging company workers had been "more or less stalled due to the refusal of the NGO concerned, the Bruno Manser Foundation, to cooperate with police."

In hiding

A similar statement by Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu was reported by the Malaysian national news agency on Nov 12.

BMF said it formally rejects these allegations and wishes to clarify that “we have not been contacted by the Malaysian police on this issue.”

“BMF is willing to come forward and make a statement to the police in Bukit Aman in order to bring about justice and help improve the victims' situation.

“We are concerned about the lack of a political climate that could restore the trust of the sexual abuse victims in the Malaysian legal system.”

It said that according to Penan sources, several victims and key witnesses are currently hiding in the forest because they feel intimidated by the way investigations are being conducted.

In earlier instances, reports of sexual abuse such as a case reported by a Penan victim at the Kuching central police station on
30 Sept 1994 and at the Miri central police station on March 22, 1995, have failed to result in legal action against the alleged perpetrators, BMF added.