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Extracted from Malaysiakini
Timber
blockades to protect the 'last frontier'
Tony
Thien
Aug 28,
Penans in two areas in Baram in
One area is in Long Belok and Long Sayan in the Apoh region of
middle Baram where a road blockade was re-erected on June 2 by some 50 Penans.
This was done to
prevent Rimbunan Hijau, a
Sarawak-based timber giant, from entering and extracting timber within communal
forest reserves in the upper reaches of the
The police visited the blockade site in mid-June and early July but have not
taken any action against the protestors, according to Marudi-based
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM)
field officer Jok Jau in a
statement.
The natives in the Apoh and Tutuh
areas have conveyed their ‘grave concern’ to SAM through their representatives
in that native rights to the land have been ignored.
Another new blockade was erected by the Penans in
Long Nen, Sungai Layun together with the nomadic Penans
from Sungai Marong in upper
Tutoh on Aug 1 to stop logging activities on their
land by Samling, a Miri-based timber conglomerate,
and their sub-contractor Jumbo Green.
Raja Jemali, head of the nomadic Penan group, said
the two groups decided to join forces because they cannot handle the pressure
from the company on their own.
Last
frontier
A protest is still on-going against what SAM described as controversial
road-building by Samling in upper Baram.
Blockades by Penans in the upper reaches of Baram
have been set up at different sites in the area for the last 14 years.
“This area is regarded
to be one of the last remaining primary forests in
The upper Baram blockades, often associated with the Long Benalih
villagers, had been dismantled by the authorities on numerous occasions.
SAM learned that on July 4, the authorities destroyed the barricades again but
the villagers re-erected it shortly after.
“The continuous dismantling and rebuilding of the blockades have received much
attention in recent years, particularly after the concession’s inclusion into
the controversial Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) scheme whose
legal and sustainable claims have been questioned by national and international
civil society groups,” SAM said.
In the past, SAM added, the Long Benalih village had
to bear to the brunt of being insinuated as the sole village protesting against
logging in the area, at the expense of other villages.
Environmental
impacts
The natives have been carrying out what is described as the longest-serving
non-violent protest against logging in Malaysian history.
They are also concerned with road construction which is getting deeper inland
and is now only 2km from Benalih.
“However its adverse
environmental impacts, in particular water pollution, are currently being
impacted upon other neighbouring Penan villages as
well, including Long Pengaran Iman
and Long Pengaran Kerian,”
said Jok Jau.
To ensure that the road construction is not impeded in any way, SAM said, it is
being guarded by General Operations Force (GOF) personnel.
In mid July, the Benalih blockade was reportedly
dismantled again by timber company workers, together with the GOF personnel.
The people were warned that they would be arrested if they continued with the
blockade.
SAM called on the government to respect the rights of the Penans,
calling for cessation of their operations in the native territories.