Author: saveriversweb

Baram, Sarawak – In conjunction with the inauguration of a micro hydro project in the Baram area, SAVE Rivers launched a conference named “Clean Energy Collaboration” which will be held in Kuching in March 2019. The event will bring together key stakeholders for a discussion on sustainable and inclusive energy pathways for Sarawak and Malaysia. 

On the weekend of 12^th of January 2019, a completed Micro Hydro Power (MHP) Installation System was officially handed over to the villagers of Long Liam, Baram. The MHP was built by the villagers with guidance by Civil Society Organsations (CSO) SAVE Rivers, Tonibung, the Bruno Manser Fund, Green Empowerment and Seacology.

The villagers from Long Liam, who were among those who opposed the Baram dam, said that the MHP is of great significance for them. Mr. Anyie, the village leader of the MHP Committee, when being asked for his comment said, “With this project, we show how rural electrification can look like without large dams. Development is possible without destructive dams.”

At the handing over ceremony in Long Liam, the villagers unanimously requested the government to support their effort to protect the water catchment area for their village. Logging in the water catchment area would lead to siltation and threaten the long-term sustainability of the micro hydro project.

During the press conference this morning, Peter Kallang, chairman of SAVE Rivers, also announced the Clean Energy Collaboration, Kuching; on March 15th and 16th, 2019 where a coalition of civil society organizations will bring together government officials, international and local energy experts, industry representatives, and grassroots communities. The goal is to discuss concrete pathways to achieve economically and environmentally sustainable energy systems that address energy poverty and energy needs for development in Malaysia. The conference will take place at the Pullman Hotel in Kuching.

Commenting on the event, Peter Kallang said, “We in SAVE Rivers, support sustainable development. We are ready to discuss and cooperate with the state as well as the federal government on sustainable energy. That is why we are organizing the CEC in March. We look forward to their long term participation and cooperation.”

More information about the Clean Energy Collaboration, Kuching and the registration is accessible via: https://saverivers.org/cleanenergycollab/

We are saddened to share the news that Matthew Ding Ajang, a staff member of our local partner TONIBUNG, passed away this week from a heart attack. Matthew, a technician, was visiting a micro-hydro site in Long Liam with Green Empowerment’s Gabe Wynn and local leaders. His last hours were spent working – as he always did – in service of his people. After the incident, a small group brought Matthew’s body by boat down the Baram River. They passed seven villages where people knew him and cared for him, until they arrived at the village where Matthew taught generations of young people from diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. The entire village was there to greet the group, all in grief. “As I was sitting by his body on the boat, just before sunset, a flock of four hornbill flew overhead.” said Gabe Wynn, Asia Regional Director of Green Empowerment. The hornbill is an iconic symbol to the people of Sarawak. The beautiful and protected species is believed to have mythical powers. As his family and local community mourn his passing, we mourn with them. This is an enormous loss. Our partners Green Empowerment are raising funds in Matthew’s honor. Please consider making a contribution and read more about Matthew’s legacy and his passing at www.greenempowerment.org/matthew Local contributions can be made directly to TONIBUNG – TObpinai NIngkokoton koBUruon kampuNG

Miri – Malaysian indigenous communities gathered in Miri, Sarawak for a one day conference and workshop. The objective of the event is to start collaboration among indigenous communities in the three regions in overcoming the challenges they are facing relating to their native customary lands.

The event was organised by the Civil Society Organisations, SAVE Rives and Jaringan Orang Asal Semalaysia (JOAS). The participants & speakers at the conference comprise of villagers and activists from all over Malaysia, including some well-known land right lawyers among whom are the West Malaysian lawyer Dr. Yogeswaran Subramaniam, Sarawak’s lawyers Mr. M S Sandhu & Mr. Harrison Ngau.  Mr. Jerald Joseph a commissioner from the SUHAKAM (The human right commission of Malaysia) was also invited however he was refused entry to Sarawak by the state government.

The challenges common to the Indigenous communities from the three regions over their lands are encroachments either by logging, industrial farming, mining or mega dams. As a result, thousands of hectares of forest and agricultural land in Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia are affected. In some cases the people are forcefully displaced. The indigenous communities, whose livelihood and traditions are closely related or dependent on their lands, rivers and forest, are thus severely affected.

In his keynote address, Dr Yogeswaren Subramaniam said, it cannot be denied that the issue of customary lands has been a longstanding struggle for the indigenous communities. This is because, in his point of view, “This stems from the non-recognition of customary land rights or customary land rights are recognise but the authorities are weak to implement relevant laws to protect these rights.”

There are hundreds of land court cases in Malaysia by the indigenous peoples over the over the encroachment into their lands by developers who are given licenced by the respective state authorities. In practically all the cases, the owners of the land were not consulted. In Sarawak alone, there are more than three hundred cases which are still pending in the court. Mr. Nasri Salbiah from the Sungai Rumanau community representative from Sabah said, “If conflict can be avoided before going to courts, everyone wins.”

Mr Yusri Ahon, President of JOAS and an Orang Asli representative from Pahang shared his experience on the land rights issues faced by the Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia. He mentioned that a lot of Orang Asli lands are allotted for logging, plantations and infrastructure development. Even to look for forest resources the Orang Asli communities would have to apply for permit from the government. “The government is not concerned about Orang Asli rights but are concerned about people who can give them benefits which exclude the Orang Asli”, said Yusri.

The declaration named “Malaysian Indigenous Peoples’ Declaration on Customary Right Land” will be submitted to the various State Governments, the Federal Government and political parties in Malaysia.

End of Release

63 Penan communities celebrate the completion of a series of 23 high-quality maps representing their land, culture and history

(SARAWAK / MALAYSIA) The indigenous Penan people of Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo celebrated the completion of their 15-year long community mapping effort. 23 maps contain data collected by 63 villages at a scale of 1:35‘000, covering a total area of 10’000 square kilometres in the Heart of Borneo. The maps record for the first time the local names of 7000 rivers and creeks, 1800 mountain ridges and peaks as well as a great number of cultural sites.

The maps are an important documentation of Penan culture. They include the location of over 800 poison dart trees (“Tajem” in Penan language) as well as information on wild Sago palm stands, which provide the Penan’s traditional staple food. The topographic information is complemented by oral histories and historical photographs.The maps also reflect the continuous struggle of the Penan protecting their forest lands since the 1980s. The maps are showing both the last remaining primary forest in Sarawak as well as areas ravaged by logging.

A Penan mapping team gathered the data together with the respective communities. The Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) supported their efforts with training and the necessary equipment such as GPS and a mapping drone. BMF was also in charge of the digital procession of the data and the production of the maps in close cooperation with the Penan.

Komeok Joe, the Executive Director of the Penan organization Keruan who coordinated the indigenous mapping process, stressed the importance of the maps for the Penan: “The official government maps neglected the presence of the Penan and our unique relationship with the forest. We took the initiative to contribute our knowledge about the land and are very proud of the result.”

Last week, Komeok Joe and a delegation of Penan representatives handed a set of the maps over to the Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, as well as to the Director of Forest, Sapuan Ahmad, in Sarawak’s capital Kuching.

Over the weekend, representatives of all 63 Penan villages and supporters celebrated the completion of the community mapping in the village of Long Lamai, in the Upper Baram area. Bian Belare, headman of Long Lamai and host of the event, explained the significance of the gathering: “It is the first time in history, that representatives from so many different Penan communities have come together to celebrate our culture and to discuss the future of our people.”

The meeting ended with the adoption of the Long Lamai Declaration, in which the community heads underlined the importance of land tenure to their livelihood and reaffirmed their determination to protect the remaining primary rainforest in the region.

Apart from documenting Penan culture, the maps can serve as a tool for future community-based land use planning and effective nature conservation. Simon Kaelin, the mapping coordinator at BMF, invited other communities to join the mapping effort of indigenous lands: “We hope the Penan maps will inspire other indigenous groups to pursue further mapping efforts and thereby document the cultural richness of Sarawak. Maps are an important tool to unite the indigenous peoples in their struggle for their ancestral land.”

Supplier of wood for Tokyo’s new National Olympic Stadium accused of destroying Indigenous livelihoods

SARAWAK / MALAYSIA – On the anniversary of the first Tokyo Olympics, Matu Tugang, headman of the Indigenous Penan community of Long Jaik from Sarawak, Malaysia, delivered an urgent plea to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to stop Japan’s use of wood from a company that is destroying their forests and their livelihoods. Japan has been using tropical timber from Sarawak to construct the New National Stadium for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Evidence gathered at the Stadium construction site by NGOs in April 2017 confirmed the use of plywood supplied by Shin Yang, a company which has been logging in the area of Long Jaik for almost two decades and has previously been implicated in illegal logging, rainforest destruction, and human rights abuses.

The community of Long Jaik has been fighting with blockades to protect their forests against Shin Yang’s logging and conversion to oil palm plantations. The community has an ongoing lawsuit against Shin Yang for violating their customary rights, but this has failed to stop Shin Yang from intruding onto the community’s land. In a last attempt to save their remaining forests, the headman is turning to Shin Yang’s buyers in Japan and asking the Japanese Prime Minister to intervene: “Dear Prime Minister of Japan, please, make sure Japan does not accept wood that Shin Yang has stolen from us. As long as Japan continues to accept this wood, Shin Yang will continue logging our forests and extracting logs daily.”

In the letter, headman Tugang bears witness to Shin Yang’s destructive logging practices and the company’s disregard for the community’s right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent: “Shin Yang has been logging very aggressively in the area of our village. When their tractors extract a log, they just bulldoze everything around… Shin Yang has been logging our ancestral forests without our permission or consent. They have never asked us for our opinion or needs.” The Malaysian Human Rights Commission investigated the community’s plight in 2007 and found Shin Yang’s practices were driving the community further into poverty.

The International Olympic Committee and Tokyo Olympic authorities have been the subject of relentless criticism from an international coalition of civil society organisations who have been critical of Tokyo 2020’s poor timber sourcing standards and lack of transparency in their timber supply chain. Despite repeated demands to disclose the origin of the timber in use for the Olympics and to end the use of Shin Yang wood and other high risk timber, authorities have failed to respond to NGO concerns.

 

Contacts:

• Annina Aeberli, Bruno Manser Fund (Switzerland), +41 79 128 58 73,annina.aeberli@bmf.ch
• Toyo Kawakami, Rainforest Action Network (Japan), +81 80 3488 9849, toyo@ran.org
• Laurel Sutherlin, Rainforest Action Network (USA), +1 415 246 0161, laurel@ran.org
• Peg Putt, Markets For Change (Australia), +61 418 127 580, peg.putt@gmail.com