Blockade: Arrest warrants for natives in remote Baram
Soon Li Tsin
Malaysiakini.com
MALAYSIA — Ten Kenyah natives have arrest warrants out for them from the Miri Magistrates Court for blockading Samling timber company from logging their communal lands in the remote Baram region of Sarawak.
Borneo Resources Institute Malaysia (Brimas) programme director Raymond Abin when contacted said he was unable to confirm any arrests, although the police in Marudi have been ordered to the blockade site.
“The protests are still taking place but I haven’t been able to contact them to see if any arrests have taken place,” he told Malaysiakini.
On May 19, indigenous Kenyahs from six longhouse communities - Long Moh, Long Je’eh, Long Bela’ong, Long Sawan, Long Silat and Long Mekabar - gathered at upper Sungai Moh to stage a non-violent protest against logging operations by Samling.
They’ve erected wooden barricades on the major logging roads used by Samling to carry out its logging activities within the communal lands and forest area where the Kenyahs of Kedaya Telang Usan in Baram inhabit.
The blockade - located about 300km southeast of Miri - aimed to discontinue timber extraction and transportation from their forest areas in the upper Sungai Sebua, Sungai Jekitan and Sungai Moh area.
According to Abin, Samling’s logging activities - legal and also purportedly illegal ones - have temporarily ceased for the last three weeks since the blockade was erected.
“Hundreds of timber logs that had been felled are stacked up along the sides of the logging road.
“The Kenyahs have stopped all the logging trucks and other logging machineries from entering and transporting timbers from the area,” he said in a statement.
Raymond indicated that the natives have written to the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) requesting for an urgent physical inspection of all logs felled by Samling and want them to disallow further logging until the inspection was completed.
Fallen on deaf ears
He pointed out that the indigenous people have severely suffered the environmental impacts of logging activities ever since Samling started its logging operations in upper Baram area.
The company simply encroached into their communal land and forest areas to carry out logging activities, without any consultation and consideration for their source of livelihood.
“They resorted to this action after the company continued to ignore their demands and rights of access and benefits to their natural forest resources.
“Their numerous complaints to the authorities and the logging companies regarding their claims to the forest resources and the problems caused by logging have fallen on deaf ears,” he stated.
Billionaire owners
Abin said the Kenyah’s blockade was their way of getting company representatives and the government authorities to dialogue with them about the matter.
On May 29, SFC personnel attempted unsuccessfully to remove the wooden barricades after receiving complaints from Samling.
The SFC in response filed an action under the Sarawak Forestry Ordinance and arrest warrants were issued by the magistrate court.
The Samling group of companies and its subsidiary, Samling Strategic Corporation Sdn Bhd, control around 1.5 million hectares of forests in the state of Sarawak.
According to Forbes magazine in 1995, the Samling group controlled by Yaw Teck Seng and his family has a net worth estimated at US$1.6 billion.
Some securities analysts view the logging giant as the country’s largest and most aggressive fully integrated timber group.
June 21st, 2008 at 10:17 pm
[...] 5) Ten Kenyah natives have arrest warrants out for them from the Miri Magistrates Court for blockading Samling timber company from logging their communal lands in the remote Baram region of Sarawak. On May 19, indigenous Kenyahs from six longhouse communities - Long Moh, Long Je’eh, Long Bela’ong, Long Sawan, Long Silat and Long Mekabar - gathered at upper Sungai Moh to stage a non-violent protest against logging operations by Samling. They’ve erected wooden barricades on the major logging roads used by Samling to carry out its logging activities within the communal lands and forest area where the Kenyahs of Kedaya Telang Usan in Baram inhabit. The blockade - located about 300km southeast of Miri - aimed to discontinue timber extraction and transportation from their forest areas in the upper Sungai Sebua, Sungai Jekitan and Sungai Moh area. According to Abin, Samling’s logging activities - legal and also purportedly illegal ones - have temporarily ceased for the last three weeks since the blockade was erected.“Hundreds of timber logs that had been felled are stacked up along the sides of the logging road. “The Kenyahs have stopped all the logging trucks and other logging machineries from entering and transporting timbers from the area,” he said in a statement. Raymond indicated that the natives have written to the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) requesting for an urgent physical inspection of all logs felled by Samling and want them to disallow further logging until the inspection was completed. He pointed out that the indigenous people have severely suffered the environmental impacts of logging activities ever since Samling started its logging operations in upper Baram area. The company simply encroached into their communal land and forest areas to carry out logging activities, without any consultation and consideration for their source of livelihood. “They resorted to this action after the company continued to ignore their demands and rights of access and benefits to their natural forest resources. “Their numerous complaints to the authorities and the logging companies regarding their claims to the forest resources and the problems caused by logging have fallen on deaf ears,” he stated. http://redapes.org/news-updates/blockade-arrest-warrants-for-natives-in-remote-baram/ [...]