tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67989290900572877572024-03-20T21:04:34.003-07:00SCANE NewsSCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-30306937877367337792013-11-12T23:33:00.000-08:002013-11-12T23:33:00.914-08:00<div class="contentImage" id="Content0Left_Content0Left1_contentImage" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px;">
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Kayan elders flayed for trashing Baram dam lawsuit</div>
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<li style="display: block; margin: 2px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.malaysiakini.com/browse/a/en/Dukau%20Papau">Dukau Papau</a></li>
<li style="display: block; margin: 2px 0px; padding: 0px;">10:34AM Nov 13, 2013</li>
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The 14 Kayan elders who have condemned the filing of a legal suit against the proposed Baram Dam seem more prepared to lose ancestral land and property worth several hundred million ringgit, “than monthly allowances ranging from RM450 to RM800".<br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" />Raymond Abin, regional coordinator of Borneo Resources Institute Malaysia (Brimas) said this in a scathing comment on the community leaders’ opposition to the lawsuit.<br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><img align="left" alt="azlan" height="189" src="http://mk-cdn.mkini.net/328/183db86fee3d2fe23dbf44f5aef76860.gif" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 4px; padding: 3px;" width="280" />Six Kayan and Kenyah - Anyi Eng, Edward Jok Wan and Engan from Long Na’ah and Anyi Ajang, Malang Laeng and Wan Jok from Long Kesseh - filed the suit in Miri last Wednesday against Abdul Taib Mahmud <em>(left)</em> and the Sarawak government.<br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" />They claimed that two plots of land covering 4,000 hectares - over which they have exerted native customary rights - will be affected by the RM4 billion Baram Dam.<br />
Taib, who is chief minister, was named in his capacity as resource planning and environment minister.<br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" />However, Penghulu Ajang Wan, in a statement on behalf of the elders from Long Na’ah and Long Kesseh, said this is irresponsible and that action would be taken against the six for failing to obtain consent and approval before filing the suit.<br />
“They have smeared the good name of our two kampung. We don’t want their actions to have a bad impact on us that may divide our people in dealing with mega-projects such as Baram Dam,” Ajang said. <br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><img align="left" alt="NONE" height="179" src="http://mk-cdn.mkini.net/288/a2eec014d47a0754fa38644058b77d46.gif" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 4px; padding: 3px;" width="138" />Raymond <em>(left) </em>countered that the 14 are merely out to please Taib. He claimed that some of them were not even community leaders, but were hoping to be appointed ‘ketua kaum’.<br />
“Their condemnation of the suit confirms their true colours - they are cowards and scared to lose their allowances, but not their ancestral lands, rights and their <em>adat</em>(customs),” he said.<br />
“It is against our culture to allow others dictate our life; it is not our culture to steal or rob others of their land.”<br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" />Raymond pointed out that Kayan culture allows <em>anembiak </em>(followers) to sue those who commit criminal acts, as stated in their adat, law and custom.<br />
“Taib is not above the law, so people can sue him. The process of the law has to set a precedent," he noted.<br />
Taib used the law to extinguish NCR (claims to) land. The people can also use the law to defend their rights. Let the court decide."<br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="color: maroon;"><strong>‘Betrayal of the community’</strong></span><br />
Expressing equally angry views, human rights lawyer and activist Abun Sui Anyit said the so-called community leaders have betrayed their ancestors “who fought for NCR land with blood and tears”.<br />
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<a href="http://mk-cdn.mkini.net/277/fd9ec80a5ae3063e23279a3bc6dabb4f.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="left" alt="NONE" border="0" height="143" src="http://mk-cdn.mkini.net/277/fd9ec80a5ae3063e23279a3bc6dabb4f.gif" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); margin-top: 4px; padding: 3px;" width="118" /></a>“They are not fit to be our community leaders because they speak on behalf of Taib or try to protect him, instead of protecting the rights of the Baram communities,” Abun said.<br />
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Harrison Ngau<em> (left)</em>, the lawyer for the six litigants, said these so-called leaders will “bury themselves in the dustbin of history with their stupid statement in support of the Baram dam”.<br />
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Harrison added: “The BN lost badly in their longhouses during the last two (state and parliamentary) elections, so their support in their own longhouses is very nominal.<br />
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“This is the first case we are filing, and there will be at least two more cases. In this case, we are challenging the constitutionality of Section 5(3) and 5(4) of Sarawak Land Code.”<br />
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Source: Malaysiakini</div>
SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-48233283589319451852013-11-12T23:23:00.003-08:002013-11-12T23:23:52.379-08:00<h1 class="title" id="page-title" style="border: 0px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 32px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
NGO: Murum dam not in accordance with best practices</h1>
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Suaram director Kua Kia Soong (left), Peter Kallang (centre), and Wong Meng Chuo highlight the concerns of Sarawak natives affected by dam projects</h4>
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KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 12): The building of the Murum Dam is not in accordance with the principles of good practice, environmentalists said today, noting that the project disregarded the interests of the indigenous people displaced by the project.</div>
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Wong Meng Chuo, the director of the Institute for the Development of Alternative Living (Ideal), said Sarawak Energy Bhd’s (SEB) claim that the dam was built according to best practices with full consultation with the local people, is not entirely true.</div>
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Wong said that while the local people were invited to attend meetings about the project by SEB, they were not able to give feedback as they did not know what to say.</div>
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SES, however, proceeded to distribute photographs of the people attending the meetings with captions stating that they had voluntarily agreed to the resettlement plan, he said.</div>
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Womg said that according to international best practices on building dam, the affected local people must be consulted in three manners – “free, prior and informed”</div>
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"Free means they are free to say no; prior means way before the project starts, while informed means they are given all the information," Wong said, adding that the SEB had failed to comply with any of these principles.</div>
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Wong was speaking at a press conference by NGOs concerned with the plight of the indigenous communities affected by the construction of hydroelectric dams in Sarawak.</div>
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He said SEB only conducted the social impact assessment for the Murum Dam project two years after construction had started.</div>
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"It's like an afterthought," he said.</div>
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He also pointed out to the lack of community representation.</div>
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"Some village headmen were invited to go to the meeting. Although the village headmen can serve as legal representatives, it is unclear whether they are really representing the people's interests", Wong added.</div>
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According to the Resettlement Action Plan, an affected family will received RM800 a month for the first four years, besides a single RM4,000 payment to move from their house.</div>
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Wong, who has been promoting environment protection awareness for decades, said that in any development project, the affected people should be adequately compensated.</div>
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Their livelihood must be better than before, otherwise it would be gross social injustice to the affected community, he added.</div>
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The Murum dam will generate 944MW of electricity after its commencement in 2014.</div>
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In recent days, Penans living in the affected area are have been setting up blockades at the Murum Highway, leading up to the construction site.</div>
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Their goal is to get the government to pay compensation of RM500,000 to each family.</div>
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However, the government had not sent anyone to meet with them.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Baram Dam faced similar issues</strong></div>
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Peter Kallang, chairperson of the Save Rivers coalition, meanwhile spoke about the latest development with regard to the Baram Dam project.</div>
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He said 25,000 people will be affected by the Baram Dam, and many of them have also been setting up blockades at Long Lama and KM15 since last month.</div>
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Unlike the Murum people, the Baram community rejected the dam totally and refused to receive any compensation from the government, he said.</div>
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The Baram community has resorted to peaceful blockades to ask the dam construction workers to remove their heavy machinery and to leave Baram district.</div>
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About 60 dam workers together with 15 policemen had complied and left the area without untoward incidents. Construction work has come to a complete standstill.</div>
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He said the people there are writing a letter to the construction company to state that they are not going to be responsible for any damage to the equipment near the dam site.</div>
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Today is the deadline set by the people for the company to move out the equipment.</div>
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Peter said that the Social Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA) for the project6 will only be coming out next month but “they are building the dam before the SEIA is approved."</div>
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The Baram Dam is expected to generate 1200MW electricity once it is completed.</div>
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However, Peter pointed out that currently the electricity usage of whole Sarawak is only 1,000MV.</div>
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Furthermore, the state has a store of 1,300MW electricity in 2010, and when Bakun Dam started its operation, it produces 2,400MW a year.</div>
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"In other words, we have a surplus of electricity in the state," Peter said.</div>
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The dam projects are part of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) to produce 7,000MW electricity for the whole of Sarawak in 2020.</div>
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Under SCORE, the priority industry that will use this energy is the aluminium smelting plant while on the bottom is tourism.</div>
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Peter said that the government should switch the priority because tourism industry could offer more jobs to the local people.</div>
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"We want development, but we want development that is people centred. Instead of building mega dams, the government should build good infrastructure, and build micro dams or solar energy plants to supply electricity to the local community," he said.</div>
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In order to support the people in Murum and Baram to continue their fight, the Save Rivers coalition will launch a fund raising campaign by the end of the month.</div>
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The public will be asked to donate RM20 per person for the people's struggle. The money will be used mainly to pay for the food and shelter of the people in the blockade area</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Read more: <a href="http://www.fz.com/content/ngo-murum-dam-not-accordance-best-practices#ixzz2kZSS17eS" style="border: 0px; color: #003399; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.fz.com/content/ngo-murum-dam-not-accordance-best-practices#ixzz2kZSS17eS</a></span>SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-4600663379036521292013-11-12T23:18:00.000-08:002013-11-12T23:18:01.592-08:00<h1 class="title" id="page-title" style="border: 0px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 32px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Penans vow to continue blockade until govt agrees to talks</h1>
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<li class="gallery-slide" id="slide-0-field_image_landscape-27488" style="border: 0px; display: block; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="shownext" href="http://www.fz.com/sites/default/files/styles/mainbanner_645x435/public/Murum%20dam%202_1_2.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Penan longhouse residents during an earlier protest against Murum dam last month."></a><img alt="Penan longhouse residents during an earlier protest against Murum dam last month." height="435" src="http://www.fz.com/sites/default/files/styles/1_landscape_slider_photo/public/Murum%20dam%202_1_2.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="Penan longhouse residents during an earlier protest against Murum dam last month." typeof="foaf:Image" width="645" /><div class="panel-overlay" style="background-image: url(http://www.fz.com/sites/all/modules/galleryformatter/gallerystyles/greenarrows/images/bg-trans.png); background-repeat: repeat repeat; border: 0px; bottom: 0px; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; left: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; vertical-align: baseline; width: 645px;">
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Penan longhouse residents during an earlier protest against Murum dam last month.</h4>
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PETALING JAYA (Nov 12): The arrest of 10 Penans last week at the blockade site near Murum Dam has not deterred them from continuing their fight to stop the inundation of their land before compensation is paid.</div>
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They went back to the site upon their release on Sunday.</div>
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The state coordinator of Borneo Resources Institute (Brimas) Raymond Abin said that the Penan will continue to stay at the blockade site until the government promises to talk to them on the compensation.</div>
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They had asked for a compensation of RM500,000 for each family affected by the Murum dam.</div>
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“The Sarawak government has not sent anyone to talk to the Penan so far,” Raymond told fz.com on the phone.</div>
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On Nov 7, 10 Penans were arrested, including two teenagers, aged 13 and 16, according to the Child Rights Coalition Malaysia (CRCM).</div>
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The Penan had started their blockade at the Murum Highway since Sept 20, which means they had been staying in the outdoors in tents for 52 days and relying on food donated by the public who support their cause.</div>
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They were remanded at the Belaga Police Station lockup and were released on Nov 10 on police bail. However, they were requested to attend Court in Belaga on Nov 26 to answer charges under section 341 for wrongful restraint and section 448 of the Penal Code for criminal trespass.</div>
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Upon their release at 11.30am on Sunday, the group lodged a police report against the police, Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) and the Sarawak state government for unlawful arrest.</div>
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“The most important issue now is that the government must pay compensation to the Penan according to the law. The government cannot inundate their property without any compensation,” Raymond said.</div>
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It is expected that about 1,500 Penans would be uprooted from their ancestral land following the inundation of the 944 MV Murum dam.</div>
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The Borneo Post on Nov 4 had reported that, according to a media handout by SEB, the power generation from its first unit is expected to commence in August 2014 and full generating capacity achieved in February 2015.</div>
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Raymond said that currently three villages had moved to the Tegulang resettlement area because their houses were inundated and they have no other place to live.</div>
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“It is not that they have accepted the compensation. They moved there because they have no other alternatives,” he added. </div>
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This is the third hydroelectric dam in a series of 12 dams that are being planned under the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy, following the Bakun Dam and Baram Dam.</div>
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Raymond also pointed out a safety concern of the Penan in the area. The dam was inundated before the construction was complete, he said, to show that the company could complete the work according to schedule.</div>
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“The construction is still going on. The power house is not yet completed. All was done in haste. This is worrying if the water level increases day by day. It is dangerous to the people in the area, as well as their property.</div>
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“The government cannot evaluate the Penan’s property if their lands were under the water. How would the government make compensation to them?” he asked.</div>
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On Oct 16, SEB had issued a statement that filling the reservoir is a slow process that can take up to 14 months. As the safety and wellbeing of the community affected by the project is their key priority, the process is based on clearly mapped out timelines.</div>
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The Long Wat relocation was done on September 9, 2013, where all 89 families vacated their old longhouse and moved to Tegulang Resettlement village and are enjoying the comfort of their new homes equipped with facilities, amenities and infrastructure, the statement said.</div>
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The next areas that will be relocated are Long Malim followed by Long Tangau, Long Menapa and finally Long Luar and Long Singu. It expected the relocation process for all communities to be completed by end of the year.</div>
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Raymond, who has been working with the Penan in Murum for about ten years, said that the Penans’ life was getting more difficult because of the drastic development on their land.</div>
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“Many years ago, they had to face the logging in the area, and the oil palm plantations that came up at the same time. The change was too drastic for them. They were exposed to modern life before they could adapt to the new environment, especially how to be self-reliant outside the forest, the importance of education, or learnt farming, which they don’t have any experience of before.</div>
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“Now there is this Murum Dam, their life is tougher. Although the SEB and the state government said that they will implement plans to improve their life, but I doubt this will be something sustainable,” Raymond said.</div>
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Unlike Kayan or Kayah people who are good at farming, the Penans are mostly hunters and rely on the forest for food.</div>
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When the Bakun dam was built in 2001, about 10,000 people were forced to resettle to Sungai Asap, Belaga which they had said that the three acres of land that was given as compensation to them is not fertile and it is difficult for them to plant any crops. Also, as they were living far away from the forest now, their source of food is reduced.</div>
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In <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">KUALA LUMPUR,</strong> Peter Kallang, chairman of the Save Rivers coalition said today that the police were trying to agitate the Penans at the blockade site so that they would react and give a reason for the police to arrest them.</div>
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He claimed that the Penan could smell alcohol on their breath and they suspected that the officers had been provided with liquor, Peter told a press conference here.</div>
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The Penan are going to lodge a police report on the matter today, he said.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Read more: <a href="http://www.fz.com/content/penans-vow-continue-blockade-until-govt-agrees-talks#ixzz2kZQqiF3y" style="border: 0px; color: #003399; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.fz.com/content/penans-vow-continue-blockade-until-govt-agrees-talks#ixzz2kZQqiF3y</a></span>SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-33158742541623681692013-11-12T00:41:00.001-08:002013-11-12T00:44:48.763-08:00Penan welcomes their heroes<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The 10 Penans who were arrested
and remanded at Belaga District Police Station were released on November 10</span><sup style="line-height: 115%;">th</sup><span style="line-height: 115%;">
(Sunday). They were released on police bail pending court charge on November 26.
Those released were Ngang Buling, Lau Siang, Ramli Bujang, Awa Juman, Balan
Beran, Anthony Juman, Tom Avit and Tingang Lingok together with Merit Gadong
and Philip Bujang.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About 200 Penan families welcome
them back as their heroes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“We are happy to be back
with all of you again at Murum Dam blockade site” said Ngang Buling, the
Chairman of Peleiran Murum Penan Affairs (PEMUPA) Committee. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7NgfILngHclMCMiPfyZEyzvVEPLECsHkq6GYudo4wczh2Li_xm055kogK7nbUyDegR4eLyROxVHrBbFbib_C6nt66Mb2Wg3DvuknkFSvffO4hUcVYJlHMTkWKa5sisLuwG1XoI80VOPj/s1600/Penan+Murum-Released+from+Belaga+Police+Stn-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7NgfILngHclMCMiPfyZEyzvVEPLECsHkq6GYudo4wczh2Li_xm055kogK7nbUyDegR4eLyROxVHrBbFbib_C6nt66Mb2Wg3DvuknkFSvffO4hUcVYJlHMTkWKa5sisLuwG1XoI80VOPj/s320/Penan+Murum-Released+from+Belaga+Police+Stn-1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The 10 Penans released from lock-up taking photo</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">together with their relatives </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">at Belaga Police Station</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He advised them to be
resolutely strong as their struggle for justice is just begun. The government
has all mean to suppress by using the police to intimidate us but we are
conscientiously clear in our demands for just, fair and equitable compensation,
he added. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On November 7<sup>th</sup>,
eight (8) Penans were arrested at the Murum dam site for staging a blockade to
protest against the impoundment of the RM4bil Murum Hydroelectric dam project as
the state government of Sarawak has been silent on their demands for
compensation. On November 8<sup>th</sup>, while on visiting their remanded relatives
at the Police Station, another two (2) Penans, Merit Gadong and Philip Bujang
were arrested and placed under police custody. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Among those remanded were 3
Penan teenagers of age between 13</span><sup style="line-height: 115%;">th</sup><span style="line-height: 115%;"> and 19</span><sup style="line-height: 115%;">th</sup><span style="line-height: 115%;"> years old.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“We never asked for this dam
project but the government imposed it upon us. Now they want to kill and drown us
together with our land”, said Lingok Lokap the farther of 13 years old Tingang who
was also arrested last week.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Immediately after their released
the Penan lodged a report against the Police for wrongful arrest and
imprisonment. Together with them was their lawyer, Abun Sui Anyit. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ngang told the Penan that
their blockade will continue until the government comes to her sense to truly
engage a negotiation with the Penans on their demands. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He
calls the government to come to the blockade site, talk to them and meet their
demands, they will stop the blockade.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A total of more than 1,400 people from
six Penan and one Kenyah villages are affected by the 944 MW Murum HEP, which
started impoundment on Oct 21. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The government has forced relocation
of 161 families from three villages affected by the RM4 billion dam to the
Tegulang Resettlement Area. This affected 18 families from Long Malim Kenyah, 54
families from Long Malim Penan and 89 families from Long Wat.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
Penan villages that protested against the impoundment of the dam are Long Luar,
Long Tangau, Long Menapa and Long Singu. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They have started their blockade
protests since Sept 17 as their demands for fair compensation have not been met
by the Sarawak state government and its linked corporations, the Sarawak Energy
Berhad (SEB).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They would be resettled in Metalun,
which is still under construction and not ready yet.</span></span></div>
SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-78999593164539111802013-11-12T00:27:00.001-08:002013-11-12T00:49:16.807-08:00<h4>
<span style="color: #205a98; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 30.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Belaga
police chief stands firm on Murum dam arrest</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 10.5pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: uppercase;">BY <a href="http://www.thestar.com.my/Authors.aspx?q=%22Stephen+Then%22"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #75a8c5; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">STEPHEN THEN</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.75pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.75pt;"><i>District chief DSP
Bakar Sebau said his men would detain those taking part in unlawful activities
once they had sufficient evidence.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">MIRI: Belaga police
have been left with “no choice” but to arrest people including teenagers found
to be actively involved in blockades and protests against dam projects in the
interior of Sarawak.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.75pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“We have no
alternative but to arrest them, including teenagers, because they were found to
be involved in illegally soliciting for money from those wanting to enter the
dam site,” he told<i> The Star</i> yesterday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.75pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Belaga police have
came under heavy criticism from human rights activists and several
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for arresting three Penan teenagers,
including a 13-year-old youth, during a recent swoop against protesters at the
access road leading into the Murum dam.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.75pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The three were among
10 natives who detained late last week but had been released on police bail
since.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.75pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“A date has been fixed
for them (suspects) to appear in court on Nov 26, pending a possible court
charge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.75pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“We have <i>prima
facie</i> evidence, in which we seized a sum of money from the protesters
believed to have been demanded from visitors wanting to enter the Murum dam
site,” DSP Bakar said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.75pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On his comment on the
negative publicity brought about by the arrest, he said the police needed to
perform their job as deemed fit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.75pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I do not want to
comment on these NGOs — there’s no point to it. Whatever explanation that we
come up with, it will certainly be misinterpreted or even twisted by them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.75pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Meanwhile Borneo
Resources Institute Malaysia (Brimas) state coordinator Raymond Abin said those
who were released from lock-up had returned to the blockade sites.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.75pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Lawyer Abun Sui
helped them to lodge a report against the Belaga police for wrongful arrest,”
he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.75pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Over in Baram, Telang
Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau said headmen of Long Naah and Long Kesseh had
denied claims saying that they were part of the party to the suit filed by six
villagers against the state government and Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud
at Miri High Court.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.75pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“The headmen and their
JKKKs (village security and development committees) strongly deny that they are
part of the party who sued Taib and the state government over the Baram dam as
alleged by certain quarters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.75pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Last Wednesday, six villagers from the two
settlements filed the suit through their lawyer Harrison Ngau, against Taib and
the state government for allegedly contravening the Federal Constitution as the
state had extinguished 4,000ha Native Customary Rights (NCR) land in Long Naah
and Long Kesseh as a part of the proposed Baram Dam project.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.75pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.75pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Source: the Star</span></div>
SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-19821189750517024582013-11-10T19:22:00.001-08:002013-11-10T19:22:51.442-08:00<div class="contentImage" id="Content0Left_Content0Left1_contentImage" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px;">
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Suaram slams arrest of minors in Penan blockade bust</div>
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<tr><td align="left" style="width: 70px;" valign="top"><span style="color: #888888; font-size: 11px;">4:38PM Nov 9, 2013</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://mk-cdn.mkini.net/680/6c68fdcbb277df6f22b9ae963933a4b1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="http://mk-cdn.mkini.net/680/6c68fdcbb277df6f22b9ae963933a4b1.jpg" style="height: 275px; width: 470px;" width="200" /></a></div>
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Human rights NGO Suaram has blasted the continuing arrest of Penans at the Murum dam blockades, especially when two minors are amongst those rounded up.</div>
<br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" />"Suaram is very concerned on the condition of two minors that been detained under the police custody. <br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" />"Malaysia has adequate laws in the Child Act 2001 that provides proper procedures of handing arrests and detention of children," said Suaram executive director. Nalini Elumalai in a statement last night.<br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" />Reminding the government that Malaysia is a signatory to various UN conventions on human rights, she said "these incidences (in Murum) indicate a blatant violation of child’s rights."<br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" />According to Nalini, among the <a href="http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/246099" target="_blank"><strong>eight arrested</strong></a> yesterday for defending their native rights land as the Murum dam nears completion were Tingang Lingok, 13, Philip Bujang, 16.<br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" />The NGO added that yesterday they also received information from a reliable source that another two Penan from Murum were arrested in the afternoon at the Belaga police station. <br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" />"Suaram strongly condemns the police on arbitrary arrest and detention of Penan communities in Murum," said Nalini.<br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" />She blasted the police for failing to sympathise with the problems of the local Penan communities, who were in fear of their homes being flooded as the dam fills up, affecting roughly 1,500 indigenous people<br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" />"We urge the Royal Malaysian Police to safeguard law and justice and to protect the interests of the Penan people instead of taking the side of the exploiters," she said.<br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" />Calling on the inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar to "intervene and tell his men not to interfere in the Penan people's struggle for their rights", she reminded the force that their duty was to play a "neutral role" in such disputes.<br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" />Over the past months the Penan communities have intensified their protests and erected blockades on roads leading to the dam site, after they found out that the authorities and Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) have ignored their demands for compensation and proceeded with the impoundment of the RM4 billion dam last September.</div>
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Source: MalaysiaKini</div>
SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-48750912907081093542013-11-07T23:41:00.000-08:002013-11-08T00:20:50.811-08:00<img alt="Arrest Me Too? Amazing Bravery Of One Small Child!" height="450" src="http://www.sarawakreport.org/site/wp-content/themes/sr5/thumbs/timthumb.php?src=http://www.sarawakreport.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Screen-Shot-2013-11-07-at-21.21.18.png&w=700&h=450&zc=1" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; height: auto; line-height: 20px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="750" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"></span><br />
<h1 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: kepler-std, georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 3em; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0.67em 0px;">
Arrest Me Too? Amazing Bravery Of One Small Child!</h1>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: kepler-std, georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.2em;">
Hours after the armed <a href="http://www.sarawakreport.org/2013/11/arrest-me-too-amazing-bravery-of-one-small-child/I%20am%20sorry%20for%20the%20arrested%20Penans,%20but%20I%20hold%20you%20and%20other%20organsiation%20that%20is%20advising%20them%20responsible%20for%20their%20problems.%20I%20am%20sure%20you%20know%20why%20they%20were%20arrested,%20but%20I%20am%20equally%20sure%20that%20you%20will%20suppress%20the%20truth%20and%20it%20will%20just%20be%20yet%20another%20lie%20you%20and%20SR%20will%20run%20for%20month.%20%20The%20facts%20are%20that%20they%20moved%20the%20blockade%20downstream%20the%20public%20road%20and%20stopped%20all%20traffic%20to%20Murum%20and%20asked%20them%20to%20pay%20money%20to%20come%20through%20their%20toll%20arrangement,%20this%20is%20of%20course%20illegal%20and%20apparently%20the%20police%20arrested%208%20of%20them%20for%20this.%20%20I%20assume%20you%20will%20challenge%20me%20on%20this%20and%20make%20another%20story%20about%20it,%20but%20I%20am%20confident%20that%20between%20your%20parallel,%20fantasy%20reality%20and%20the%20actual%20reality,%20at%20the%20end%20the%20facts%20will%20prevail.%20%20Lukas,%20I%20would%20urge%20you%20to%20start%20doing%20something%20useful%20for%20the%20Penans,%20we%20have%20plenty%20of%20Penan%20CSR%20projects%20that%20need%20resourceful%20people%20like%20you,%20why%20don't%20you%20try%20to%20do%20something%20for%20them%20that%20can%20actually%20help%20them?%20%20I%20am%20afraid%20I%20have%20to%20leave%20this%20conversation%20now%20as%20I%20must%20go%20to%20bed,%20contrary%20to%20yourself,%20I%20have%20serious%20work%20to%20do%20tomorrow%20supporting%20the%20Penans%20future%20and%20contribute%20to%20development%20of%20Sarawak%20for%20a%20better%20future%20for%20all%20Sarawakiens,%20that's%20who%20I'm%20building%20for." style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #428bca; text-decoration: none;">arrest</a> of 8 of his relatives, including two young teenage boys, the people of Sarawak will be stunned at the amazing bravery of one young Penan boy at the Murum Dam blockade.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: kepler-std, georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.2em;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: kepler-std, georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.2em;">
He is <span style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline;">very</span> young. Maybe only about six years old.</div>
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But, in him a star and a future leader is surely born and the elderly kleptocrat Taib Mahmud and his court jester, the Norwegian dam builder, Torstein Sjotveit, should take notice of this powerful little voice.</div>
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Filmed on a shaky camera in the murkey darkness of his campsite by the side of the road, the displaced youngster speaks straight to the camera. Straight to Taib Mahmud, the “swindler” who has taken his land and his heritage and destroyed a unique place on our planet.</div>
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Surrounding him are fellow campsite children, in awe of his bravery, and also adults, whose passions and views he articulates with simple eloquence. Did ‘foreign NGOs instigate’ this, Abdul Taib Mahmud?</div>
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Source: Sarawak Report</div>
SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-16146560693691319132013-11-07T22:56:00.001-08:002013-11-07T22:56:27.374-08:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt; line-height: 26px; text-transform: uppercase;">MALAYSIA</span></b><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 1pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt; line-height: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;"> </span></b><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt; line-height: 26px; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 23.5pt; letter-spacing: -0.75pt;">Police arrest eight tribespeople protesting dam<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 7.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt; text-transform: uppercase;">NOVEMBER 07, 2013</span><b><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 7.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Police on Thursday arrested eight tribespeople blocking access to a dam which they say will displace them from their land.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Penans protested at road side infront the<br />
police makeshift near the Murum dam</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Police arrested the eight Penans including two teenagers, took down banners and dismantled wooden barriers on the road to the remote US$1.3 billion (RM4.1 billion) Murum dam in Sarawak state, said activist Raymond Abin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Abin, an official with the NGO, Save Sarawak's Rivers Network, said some 100 other Penans remained at the site to continue the blockade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">"The authorities find that this is the only way to deal with the people - refusing to deal with their demands," Abin told AFP. "The easy way is to arrest them in order to intimidate and threaten them."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">A police official confirmed eight were in custody, but declined to comment further. Abin said the Penans were not told the reason for their arrest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">The Penans set up the blockade in September to demand RM500,000 ringgit for the loss of their land, property and livelihood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">The dam is expected to flood 245 square kilometres and cause 1,500 Penan and 80 Kenyah natives to lose their homes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Sarawak Energy said the 944-megawatt dam began filling in late September and would be completed within 14 months.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">It added that relocation of affected natives was set to be completed by year-end and insisted that displaced villagers were being compensated fairly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">The company dismissed the protest as "instigated" by activists.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">The Murum dam is one of a series of hydroelectric facilities planned by the Sarawak state government as it pushes economic development in one of Malaysia's poorest states.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">But the building spree in the resource-rich state along the powerful jungle rivers has been dogged by controversy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Activists allege corruption, while natives complain it has flooded rainforests and uprooted thousands of people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Hundreds of Malaysian tribespeople have blockaded the construction site of the nearby Baram dam.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">While the Baram dam is expected to generate 1,200 megawatts of power, activists claim it will flood 400 square kilometres of rainforest and displace 20,000 tribespeople.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Sarawak's longtime chief minister Taib Mahmud has faced mounting accusations of enriching himself and cronies through a stranglehold on the state's economy, charges which he denies. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">- AFP, November 7, 2013.</span></div>
SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-3934361470662491942013-11-07T18:10:00.001-08:002013-11-07T18:10:46.728-08:00<div class="article-header" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(219, 219, 219); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-style: none none solid; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 20px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
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Ulu Baram villagers file lawsuit against state over Baram dam</h2>
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<img alt="Legal matter: Harrison (centre) explaining the lawsuit filed by the villagers from Ulu Baram at Miri High Court." src="http://www.thestar.com.my/~/media/Images/TSOL/Photos-Gallery/sarawak/2013/11/07/swak_rena_0711_3a_.ashx?w=620&h=413&crop=1&" style="border: none; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /><div class="caption" style="background-color: #e5e5e2; border: none; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; padding: 10px;">
Legal matter: Harrison (centre) explaining the lawsuit filed by the villagers from Ulu Baram at Miri High Court.</div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">MIRI: A group of villagers from Ulu Baram has filed a lawsuit at Miri High Court against the state government.</span></div>
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They are challenging the move by the state to extinguish their native customary rights (NCR) in the areas earmarked for the proposed construction of the RM4bil Baram dam.</div>
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The villagers from Long Naah and Long Kesseh filed this via their lawyer Harrison Ngau at about 3pm yesterday, witnessed by a large crowd.</div>
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The plaintiffs are farmers Anyi Eng, Edward Jok Wan, Engan Eng — all of them from Long Naah, Anyi Ajang, Matang Laing and Wan Jok — all of them from Long Kesseh.</div>
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In their suit, they named the Minister for Planning and Resources Management as defendant number one and the state government as second defendant.</div>
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This is the very first lawsuit filed in relation to the proposed project that is earmarked for construction between Long Naah and Long Kesseh.</div>
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In the affidavit, the villagers said their NCR over some 4,000ha of land in Long Naah and Long Kesseh had been extinguished via a public notice from the state government effective Aug 6.</div>
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Harrison said the plaintiffs felt that the move by the state government had contravened the Constitution.</div>
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“The main ground of their suit is that they are challenging the constitutionality of Section 5 (3) and Section 5 (4) of the Sarawak Land Code that was used to extinguish the land rights.</div>
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“The plaintiffs said that extinguishing their land rights violated Article 5 (1) of the Federal Constitution, which guarantees them a right to a living on their land.</div>
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“The article in the Federal Constitution said the people have a right to the land and the land is a source of life and livelihood,” said Harrison.</div>
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“The land where the NCR had been extinguished in Long Naah and Long Kesseh are within the communal boundary. The plantiffs want the High Court to declare illegal the state’s move to extinguish their NCR and to return the land to them.”</div>
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Asked how many villagers in Long Naah and Long Kesseh had their NCR titles extinguished, Harrison said more than 1,000 villagers from over 100 families were affected.</div>
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“All of them are from the Kayan ethnic group.”</div>
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Harrison said the court would fix a date very soon.</div>
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SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-31162029432423631262013-11-06T02:30:00.001-08:002013-11-06T02:30:33.741-08:00<h1 class="title" id="page-title" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 2.5em; line-height: 36px; margin: 5px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Anti-dam NGO counters SEB claims allegations</h1>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">KUCHING (Nov 5, 2013)</strong>: Sarawak Conservation Alliance for Natural Environment (SCANE) today challenged the allegations by Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) that anti-dam protesters destroyed core samples from the soil investigation work for the Baram dam.</div>
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"Based on Bakun dam experience, samples of drilled rocks from underneath the earth were put inside boxes and taken to a safe place, while a lot of unwanted rocks were discarded," said coordinator Raymond Abin when contacted today.</div>
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He said the so-called core samples could be the unwanted rocks drilled from beneath the earth, left behind by the contractors.</div>
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"They always blame the non-governmental organisations behind the protests, but in reality, SEB is committing a crime by trespassing on land belonging to the native owners. They always deny any wrongdoing their workers have committed. For example, the workers burnt the whole Long Wat longhouse of the Penans affected by the Murum dam, but SEB claimed that the workers only burnt debris and unwanted wood."</div>
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Hundreds of anti-Baram dam protesters have set up two blockades, including one near the proposed dam site, since last week.</div>
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SEB's chief of corporate services, Aisah Eden, had said in an earlier statement that a million ringgit worth of core samples have been allegedly destroyed by the anti-dam protesters, who also threatened the workers employed by the contractors.</div>
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She blamed local NGOs, like Save Rivers Network, SCANE and Borneo Resources Institute of Malaysia (Brimas) and their foreign partner, Bruno Manser Fund, as behind the anti-dam protesters.</div>
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Meanwhile, Brimas executive director Mark Bujang, who is also the secretary of Save Rivers Network, has asked the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission the status of a series of reports lodged by those displaced by the Baram Dam and the NGOs against SEB and its contractors.</div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Posted on 5 November 2013 - 09:35pm</span><br style="color: #999999; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;" /><strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #999999; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></strong></div>
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Sulok Tawie</div>
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SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-10139584617863395052013-11-04T18:56:00.000-08:002013-11-04T18:56:16.365-08:00<div class="article-header" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(219, 219, 219); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-style: none none solid; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 20px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
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<span style="color: #205a98; font-family: 'Droid Serif', Georgia, 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; font-size: 40px; line-height: 48px;">Human rights groups fret over fate of protesting Penans at Murum Dam site</span></div>
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BY <a href="http://www.thestar.com.my/Authors.aspx?q=%22Stephen+Then%22" style="border: none; color: #75a8c5; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">STEPHEN THEN</a></div>
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<img alt="A police blockade being set up at the entry point into Murum Dam after more than 200 Penans staged a protest against the Murum hydro-electric dam project. - Pic by Raymond Abin" src="http://www.thestar.com.my/~/media/Images/TSOL/Photos-Gallery/Nation/2013/11/05/murumdamprotests.ashx?w=620&h=413&crop=1&" style="border: none; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /><div class="caption" style="background-color: #e5e5e2; border: none; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; padding: 10px;">
A police blockade being set up at the entry point into Murum Dam after more than 200 Penans staged a protest against the Murum hydro-electric dam project. - Pic by Raymond Abin</div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">MIRI: Human rights activists are worried over the fate of some 200 Penans protesting at the Murum Dam site in interior central Sarawak who are running out of food.</span></div>
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Police have "cordoned off" the area near where the protesters are camping.</div>
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Representatives of Borneo Resources Institute (Brimas) and Society for Rights of Indigenous People of Sarawak (SCRIPS) were in Murum the last few days to visit the Penans but found themselves unable to enter.</div>
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Brimas state coordinator Raymond Abin and SCRIPS secretary Michael Jok went there on separate occasions and told <em>The Star Online</em> that they were stopped from passing through the police barricade.</div>
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Jok, a former Catholic priest turned social activist, said on Monday that he and several officials were trying to deliver food to the Penans.</div>
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"Police have set up a roadblock preventing people from entering the Murum Dam site where the Penans are protesting against a hydro-electric project.</div>
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"We went into Murum in two 4WD vehicles filled with food rations over the past week. We wanted to give the food to the Penans, who are manning the blockade day and night.</div>
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"However, the access road leading to the protest site has been barricaded by a police team at the entry point.</div>
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"We have to leave the food at the place where the police blocked the road with a makeshift barricade.</div>
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"We asked the police to help get in touch with some of the protesting Penans to come and get the food.</div>
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"They agreed to that arrangement," Jok said after he made his way out of Murum, which is about 300kms from Bintulu town.</div>
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Abin said he took pictures at the police barricade.</div>
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"I tried to pass through the police blockade but was told that nobody is allowed in unless with permission for official business.</div>
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"I heard that the protesting Penans may set up blockades at other points along the road into the Murum Dam soon.</div>
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"They may be tired and hungry but they are determined to fight for their cause even though they are facing harsh weather conditions staying in makeshift camps," he said.</div>
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The Penans are from the remaining four settlements in the Murum Valley who are protesting the move to uproot them to resettlement schemes.</div>
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So far, three groups of Penans and Kenyahs have already agreed to move out of Murum Valley to the Tegulang Resettlement Scheme.</div>
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Abin and Jok appealed to the state government to again look into the grouses of the remaining Murum Penans who have yet to agree to the relocation plan.</div>
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Murum is located some 550km south of Miri and the protests there are by the Penans.</div>
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In Ulu Baram, the protests are being staged by more than 300 natives from the Kenyah, Kayan and Penan communities against the proposed Baram Dam site located between Long Kesseh and Long Naah some 200km inland from Miri.</div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Star Online</span><span style="font-size: 17px;"> </span></em><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 20px;">Published: Tuesday November 5, 2013 MYT 9:47:00 AM </span></div>
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SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-81598782564012893582013-11-03T19:12:00.002-08:002013-11-03T19:12:09.625-08:00<h1 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">
RM618 mil SEB contracts to Taib’s son irks BMF</h1>
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<a href="http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/author/winstonway/" style="border: 0px; color: #e00000; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Posts by Winston Way">Winston Way</a><div class="author" style="border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">
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| October 31, 2013</div>
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Swiss based Bruno Manser Fund claims the Sarawak Energy Berhad CEO has 'lost his credibility' and is ruining Norway’s reputation.</div>
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<a href="http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/10/31/rm618-mil-seb-contracts-to-taibs-son-irks-bmf/attachment/torstein-dale-sjotveit-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-313836" style="border: 0px; color: #e00000; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-313836" height="191" src="http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Torstein-Dale-Sjotveit1-300x191.jpg" style="border: 0px; float: left; height: auto; margin: 5px 15px 5px 0px; max-width: 598px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="300" /></a>KUCHING: Sarawak Energy Berhad’s chief executive officer Torstein Dale Sjotveit has made himself a “tool of the Taib Mahmud family’s unrestrained greed and corruption”, claims Swiss NGO, the Bruno Manser Fund (BMF).</div>
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Expressing its shock at the latest disclosure that SEB had awarded Sarawak Cable two new contracts worth RM618 million contract, BMF said the “act has passed all levels of decency”.</div>
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Sarawak Cable is helmed by Chief Minister Taib’s eldest son Mahmud Abu Bekir.</div>
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BMF noted that Abu Bekir is both the chairman of Sarawak Cable and its second-largest shareholder with a 33% stake in the company (21% held directly and 12 % indirectly).</div>
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Yesterday it was reported that the Kuala Lumpur Stock exchange had been informed by Sarawak Cable that its subsidiary, Trenergy Infrastructure Sdn Bhd, had received a letter of award for two 500kV transmission line projects in Sarawak (Mapai to Lachau, and Lachau to Tondong).</div>
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Sarawak Cable said these contracts were ‘expected to contribute positively to the earnings and net assets of Sarawak Cable Group’, the statement also stated.</div>
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In a statement today, BMF expressed its shock that Sjøtveit ‘continued with the corrupt practice of favouring the Sarawak Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud’s family.’</div>
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It claimed that already between 2010 and early this year, Sjøtveit had granted over USD 220 million (RM660 mil) worth of contracts to Taib family-linked companies.</div>
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“By granting contracts worth a grand total of over USD400 million (RM1.2 bil) to the Chief Minister’s son, Sjøtveit’s conduct has passed all levels of decency”, BMF director Lukas Straumann said today.</div>
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Calling for Sjøtveit to resign without delay, Straumann said Sjotveit ‘has lost all reliability when claiming that he contributes to the progress of Sarawak’.</div>
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“Instead, he has made himself a tool of the Taib family’s unrestrained greed and corruption.</div>
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“Sjøtveit should feel ashamed for what he is doing to the people of Sarawak and to the reputation of Norway in Malaysia,” Straumann said.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; color: #993366; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Natives bar SEB workers</span></strong></div>
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Earlier this week, native communities managed to stop the construction and survey works for the planned Baram dam.</div>
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On Thursday last week, the protestors chased out 30 SEB workers doing geological studies at the dam site, and set up new blockades on the access road into the construction area successfully preventing workers from returning and continuing their work on the proposed dam.</div>
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The following day, the natives managed to chase away another group taking rocks in Batu Uroh and Mount Kelulong.</div>
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Meanwhile in Long Lama, downstream from the dam site, another group of natives have erected a blockade, preventing cement trucks and workers from constructing the access road to the Baram Dam.</div>
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On Tuesday evening, all the construction workers’ machinery were moved out of the area, while the thirty workers doing the survey works left yesterday morning.</div>
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SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-24495142451042171292013-11-03T19:04:00.000-08:002013-11-03T19:04:00.782-08:00<h1 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: red;">SEB’s RM600k per family claim stuns Penans</span></h1>
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<a href="http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/author/williammangor/" style="border: 0px; color: #e00000; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Posts by William Mangor">William Mangor</a><div class="author" style="border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">
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| October 31, 2013</div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>Meanwhile Borneo Resources Institute Malaysia (Brimas) said that many Penans had no knowledge about the RM213.3 million 'compensation' saying the government had promised them free longhouse and infrastructure facilities.</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/08/22/slave-labour-rampant-at-murum-dam/attachment/murum-dam-protesters/" rel="attachment wp-att-309599" style="border: 0px; color: #e00000; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-309599" height="190" src="http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/murum-dam-protesters-300x190.jpg" style="border: 0px; float: left; height: auto; margin: 5px 15px 5px 0px; max-width: 598px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="300" /></a><span style="color: #404040;">KUCHING: Sarawak Energy Berhad’s claim that Penan families affected by the Murum dam will receive over RM600,000 in resettlement compensation to include longhouse and infrastructure facility has shocked the community and related NGOs.</span><div style="border: 0px; color: #404040; margin-top: 12px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">
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The Peliran-Murum Penan Affairs (Pemupa) committee chairman Ngang Buling vehemently refuted claims of RM600,000 compensation per household calling it “a lie”.</div>
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“It’s a lie.. none of the Penan has ever received such huge amount of cash compensation for loss of their lands, burial grounds, houses, crops and traditional forest resources.</div>
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“If it is true that the state government and SEB have paid or agree to pay us the amount of compensation as stated in their demands, then there would be no persistent and on-going road blockades and protest at Murum dam site by the Penan,” he said.</div>
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Another village headman TK. Abok Jalong also slammed SEB’s statement that alleged the Penan community was being instigated by NGOs to remain at the Murum dam site in order to pressure the government with their additional demands of RM500,000 cash compensation.</div>
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“It is most unwelcoming to note the arrogant attitude of SEB for accusing the Penan being instigated by NGOs where the Penan are just exercising their rights to be heard when they had been sidelined and their plight continuously taken for granted.</div>
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“I condemned such wild allegations that belittle them of their fundamental rights to speak up for themselves and their prerogative to demands for just and fair compensations,</div>
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“The Penan have not make any additional demands but has been consistent in their demands to the government including the RM500,000 cash compensation per family,</div>
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“Their demands are 25 hectares of farming land for each of the Penan families affected by the dam; 30,000 hectares of forest area as communal reserve to each of the seven affected Penan villages; 10% royalty of Murum Dam revenues, education fund for their children; community development fund for the Penan community; and ownership rights to land and forest area which are not flooded (islands created) by the MDHEP,” he said.</div>
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Meanwhile Borneo Resources Institute Malaysia (Brimas) spokesmen, Raymond Abin said SEB’s ‘blanket statement’ was grossly “misleading and manipulative”.</div>
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“In summing up, SEB stated and I quote that ‘for longhouse and infrastructure facilities alone, the cost involved is RM213.3 million and this translates to more than RM600,000 per household’.</div>
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“The Penans were shocked with such claims. According to them they have no knowledge at all about the RM213.3 million, the cost of longhouse and infrastructure facilities which is being accounted as compensations without their consent,” Abin said in a statement today.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: red;">SEB must clarify</span></span></strong></div>
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He said many of the Penans had told Brimas that the government had assured them that the longhouses, infrastructure facilities and amenities in Metalun and Tegulang Resettlement sites would be built free for them and without any charges.</div>
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“Now the Penans are saddened and its regrettable indeed that the government failed to abide by the assurance made earlier.</div>
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“The RM213.3 million cost of development by state government and SEB which is being accounted for as compensations has been shrouded in secrecy,” Abin said.</div>
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He said SEB must clarify several points regarding the so-called payment of compensation to the Penan communities affected by the Murum dam hydropower project.</div>
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He also expresed his dismay at the state government’s claim of ignorance at the ongoing protests in Murum dam project site.</div>
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At present there are more than 200 Penan families on rotational basis manning road blockades, protesting and encamped at the Murum dam project site since 20th September.</div>
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These families are from the Penan villages of Long Luar, Long Tangau, Long Menapa and Long Singu in Pleiran River of upper Murum area.</div>
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Abin sees the protests as a positive movement as the Penan are not violent and only exercising their rights to call on government for negotiation on terms to their demands peacefully.</div>
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“As stated in Article 13 of the Federal Constitution the government has a legal liability to compensate the Penan for properties lost and acquisition of their land for the construction of Murum Dam hydroelectric project,</div>
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“It seems that SEB failed to understand and differentiate between the issue of just, fair and equitable compensation and the development costs of Murum Resettlement project,</div>
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“Even a layman knows that the RM213.3 million are the costs expensed related to development and construction of structural buildings, infrastructures and amenities facilities at the Metalun and Tegulang Resettlement sites for the affected Penan villages,” said Abin</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: red;">Penans want ‘full compensation’</span></span></strong></div>
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State government and SEB are responsible and account for the development costs of the Murum Resettlement sites rather than surreptitiously included these costs as compensation package of the Penan.</div>
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The affected Penan communities have forwarded their demands very clearly to the state government where they simply demand just, fair and equitable compensation for losses of ancestral land, properties, burial grounds and forest areas arising from the acquisition of their land by the government to make way for the construction of Murum dam hydroelectric project.</div>
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Said Abin: “The demands of the affected Penan communities for full compensation so that they are left in a no worse position, than they were before the Murum Dam project commenced.</div>
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“The government and SEB not to take an ostrich stand on these Penan’s demands and compensation issue by hiding its head in the sand and assume that there is no problem if they don’t see it.”</div>
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He said the Penans will continue to asset their demands until the government holds genuine consultation and negotiation with them to agree on terms to their demands that may resolve the on-going impasse at Murum dam site,</div>
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“And hope that the government will not continue to be silent. Let’s take the bull by the horn and face the consequences, whatever their demands are – all reasonable guarantees toward sustainable livelihoods for them,</div>
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“The state government and SEB should not forget that the Penan have sacrificed everything – their lives, lands and properties for MDHEP and the development Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE),” he said.</div>
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SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-65980572654685000972013-10-30T21:05:00.000-07:002013-10-30T21:14:32.931-07:00<div class="contentHeadline" id="Content0Left_Content0Left1_contentHeadline" style="color: brown; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; margin: 10px 0px;">
'Sarawak Energy trying to mislead the Penan'</div>
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<li style="display: block; margin: 2px 0px; padding: 0px;">4:52PM Oct 30, 2013</li>
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Penan families affected by the Murum Dam have accused Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) of trying to mislead them and the general public into believing that they would receive RM213.3 million in compensation for their longhouses and infrastructure facilities<br />
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Peliran-Murum Penan Affairs Committee (Pemupa) chairperson Ngang Buling vehemently refuted the claims today and said there was no truth in the SEB statement.<br />
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"The Penan are shocked by the claim, which to them is all rubbish," said Ngang.<br />
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He was commenting on a ‘blanket statement' issued by SEB on the payment of compensation to the Penan communities affected by Murum Dam hydroelectric project (MDHEP) in the Belaga district.<br />
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SEB said the affected Penan communities would receive more than RM600,000 per family in compensation for longhouse and infrastructure facilities upon being resettled.<br />
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In summing up, SEB said the cost involved was RM213.3 million for longhouses and infrastructure facilities alone, and this translated to more than RM600,000 per household.<br />
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<img align="left" alt="NONE" height="200" src="http://mk-cdn.mkini.net/534/f4aac6e9fa8c48b831e3b6c1758915dc.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 4px; padding: 3px;" width="300" />Ngang said: "None of the Penan has ever received such huge amount of cash as compensation for loss of their lands, burial grounds, houses, crops, traditional forest resources, and so on.<br />
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"We have no knowledge at all about the RM213.3 million," he said in a statement to <em>Malaysiakini</em>.<br />
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"If it is true that the Sarawak government and SEB have paid or agreed to pay us this amount of compensation as stated in their demands, there will be no persistent and on-going road blockades and protests at the Murum Dam site," he said.<br />
<span class="subtitle" style="color: brown; font-weight: bold;"><br style="letter-spacing: 0px;" />Government did not keep its promise</span><br />
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Ngang said many of the Penan have pointed out that the government had assured them of the longhouses, infrastructure facilities and amenities at the Metalun and Tegulang resettlement sites, to be built without any charges.<br />
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"The Penan are saddened and regret that the government failed to abide by this promise," he said, and they were no more convinced of sincerity of the state government and SEB.<br />
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He said on Oct 16, the Penan representatives were called to a meeting in Bintulu town with Culture and Heritage Assistant Minister Liwan Lagang, Belaga district officer Abdul Halim, officers from the Kapit Divisional Residency Office as well as the SEB representatives.<br />
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At the meeting the Penan were told that they would be offered only RM16,000 in compensation per family, which they rejected straightaway.<br />
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Meanwhile, village headman TK Abok Jalong slammed SEB's statement that the Penans were being instigated by NGOs to remain at the Murum Dam site in order to pressure the government with their additional demands of RM500,000 as cash compensation.<br />
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"It is most unwelcoming to note the arrogant attitude of SEB for accusing the Penan of being instigated by NGOs, as the Penan are just exercising their right to be heard," Abok said.<br />
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He condemned such wild allegations that belittled the Penan on their fundamental right to speak up for themselves and to demand just and fair compensation.<br />
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<span class="subtitle" style="color: brown; font-weight: bold;">Village headman: No additional demand made</span><br />
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He said the community did not make any additional demand and has been consistent on their demands to the government, which included RM500,000 as cash compensation per family forced to move put because of the Murum Dam.<br />
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Their other demands are 25 hectares of land for farming for each Penan family, 30,000 hectares of forest area as communal reserve to each of the seven affected Penan villages; 10 percent in royalty from the Murum Dam revenue, an education fund for their children; a community development fund and ownership rights to land and forest area that are not flooded, including the islands created by the MDHEP.<br />
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<img align="right" alt="NONE" height="220" src="http://mk-cdn.mkini.net/528/96f6130707398ea04e1484efac60ec6c.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 4px; padding: 3px;" width="330" />Meanwhile Borneo Resources Institute Malaysia (Brimas) said it is very perturbed by the blanket statement of SEB, which tantamounts to confusing and misleading the general public on the amount of compensation to be received by the Penan.<br />
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"It seems that SEB failed to understand and differentiate between the issue of just, fair and equitable compensation and the development cost of he Murum Dam Resettlement project," its regional coordinator Raymond Abin said.<br />
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"Even a layman knows that the RM213.3 million is the costs for the development and construction of structural buildings, infrastructures and amenities at the Metalun and Tegulang resettlement sites for the affected Penan villages.<br />
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"Brimas opines that the Sarawak government and SEB should be solely responsible and accountable for the development costs of the resettlement sites for the displaced Penan, rather than surreptitiously include these costs as their compensation package.<br />
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"Brimas sees this as very unfair treatment and unethical deed of SEB and the state government for not genuinely engaging and consulting with the affected Penan at all levels of the community on their entitlement and right to compensation.<br />
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"All this while, the affected Penan communities have forwarded their demands very clearly to the state government, seeking just, fair and equitable compensation for losses of ancestral land, properties, burial grounds and forest areas arising from the acquisition of their land by the government for the MDHEP," Raymond said.</div>
SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-79198389805321005792013-10-30T20:19:00.000-07:002013-10-30T20:19:19.881-07:00<div class="article-header" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(219, 219, 219); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-style: none none solid; margin: 0px 0px 20px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
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Baram Dam protests escalate, assemblyman asks for cooling off period</h2>
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BY <a href="http://www.thestar.com.my/Authors.aspx?q=%22Stephen+Then%22" style="border: none; color: #75a8c5; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">STEPHEN THEN</a></div>
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<img alt="Workers with their packed bags waiting to leave in boats after they were prevented from entering the dam site by protesting natives." src="http://www.thestar.com.my/~/media/Images/TSOL/Photos-Gallery/Nation/2013/10/29/myyhentidulu1.ashx?w=620&h=413&crop=1&" style="border: none; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /><div class="caption" style="background-color: #e5e5e2; border: none; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; padding: 10px;">
Workers with their packed bags waiting to leave in boats after they were prevented from entering the dam site by protesting natives.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">MIRI: A Barisan Nasional politician wants a temporary halt to ground testing and survey works at the proposed Baram hydro-electric dam site in interior northern Sarawak due to escalating protests and blockades staged by the natives.</span></div>
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Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau, who is Barisan Youth chief for Baram, told The Star Online the situation is "very hot" on the ground with the protesting natives showing unrelenting aggression. He is worried the situation will boil over into a physical confrontation.<br /><br />Ngau wants a cooling period while he and other local Barisan politicians find a way out of this latest dispute that has threatened to turn into a serious political and social issue.<br /><br />"Stop all ground works for the time being until further notice. Don't confront the protesters. Leave it to us politicians to find a solution," Ngau advised workers and contractors who are carrying out rock drilling between Long Naah and Long Kesseh some 200kms inland from Miri City.<br /><br />Ngau said he has advised workers of Sarawak Energy Bhd and officials from the state Land and Survey Department to stay away from the site for now.<br /><br />"These workers have left the area. They were advised not to confront the protesting natives.<br /><br />"I have asked the community leaders in Long Naah and Long Kesseh and surrounding villages to cool down the protesters.<br /><br />"The best thing now for all parties is for a cooling period to set in. The workers should not attempt to force their way past the protesters.<br /><br />"The protesters are very aggressive and I am worried if there is physical confrontation.<br /><br />"I and Baram MP Anyi Ngau are trying to arrange for an urgent meeting with all the relevant people, including the community leaders, to find a way out of this.<br /><br />"I hope to get in touch with all of the native leaders within the next few days and get them to come down to Miri City where we can discuss things in a rational and calm manner.<br /><br />"I would like to go into ulu Baram and meet the protesters if possible, but indications are that they will not listen and will not negotiate.<br /><br />"For now, I think it is best to stay away until they have cooled down," he said of the latest situation in ulu Baram.<br /><br />Environmental groups, Save Sarawak Rivers and Baram People's Action Committee, told The Star that the protesting natives who have set up blockades in Long Kesseh and the main road leading to the dam site, are reinforcing their barricades and blocking every roads to the dam site.<br /><br />Save Sarawak Rivers' chairman Peter Kallang said another blockade at Long Lama was also being set up.<br /><br />"No construction materials and equipment or vehicles are allowed to enter. At the dam site, the protesters are expelling every worker they find.<br /><br />"Some of the workers and surveyors who were chased away tried to come back to the area, but were stopped at the blockades," he said.<br /><br />Baram People's Action Committee chairman Philip Jau said the natives, numbering more than a hundred at each of the blockade sites, were made up of villagers, both women and men.<br /><br />"We are staying day and night and manning the blockades 24 hour non-stop. We will camp out at the blockade sites for as long as needed," he said, adding that there is no other option for the natives but to make sure that they stop every ground work before the dam construction starts.<br /><br />The proposed Baram Dam is one of 11 new dams that are being planned by the state government throughout Sarawak.<br /><br />The Baram Dam will uproot at least 20,000 natives from the Kenyahs, Kayans and Penans ethnic groups.<br /><br />Kallang, Jau and several human rights lawyers and environmental activists had written an appeal to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, asking the world body to stop the dam from being built.</div>
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SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-64575937643820478552013-10-30T20:12:00.001-07:002013-10-30T20:12:43.964-07:00Natives protesting proposed Baram Dam erect blockades, chase out workers<div class="article-header" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(219, 219, 219); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-style: none none solid; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 20px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
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<img alt="Villagers manning a blockade on the road leading to Long Kesseh." src="http://www.thestar.com.my/~/media/Images/TSOL/Photos-Gallery/Nation/2013/10/26/myyheated1.ashx?w=620&h=413&crop=1&" style="border: none; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /><div class="caption" style="background-color: #e5e5e2; border: none; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; padding: 10px;">
Villagers manning a blockade on the road leading to Long Kesseh.</div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">MIRI: The protests in Ulu Baram in central Sarawak staged by the natives from more than 20 longhouses against the proposed Baram Dam project has heated up, with Telang Usan state assemblyman Dennis Ngau describing the controversies there as having reached "serious levels".</span></div>
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Ngau, who is Baram BN Youth chief, told <em>The Star </em>Saturday that latest information indicated that protestors have chased out workers carrying out rock-testing and drillings at the proposed dam site at Long Kesseh, and erected several blockades on the road leading into the site.</div>
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He expressed worry at the recent situation at the site of the dam.</div>
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"I wanted to go into Ulu Baram to meet the protestors at the site, but I have been warned not to enter the area yet.</div>
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"The situation there is at serious levels. The protestors are very aggressive. They are chasing out all the workers there.</div>
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"I was told that the protestors have torn down the workers' camps, the temporary office and also disrupted works at the site in Long Kesseh. "They have also dismantled some equipment at the site.</div>
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"At this stage, it is not safe for me or any government officials to enter the area as yet. I leave it to the relevant enforcement authorities to take the necessary actions," he said.</div>
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The Baram Dam project that has been approved by the state government is located between Long Naah and Long Kesseh, some 200km inland from Miri.</div>
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Ngau said Sarawak Energy Bhd workers are carrying out drilling and rock-testing in Long Naah and Long Kesseh to check the stability of the site where the main 174m-high dam wall will be built.</div>
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Environmental group Save Sarawak Rivers's chairman Peter Kallang told The Star that protestors came from more than 20 longhouses.</div>
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"The protests started on Oct 23 and then built up momentum, with more villages coming and taking part in the protests and manning the blockades day and night.</div>
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"About 30 workers who were carrying out drilling and testing on the rock surface there were chased out.</div>
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"The protestors also chased out several dozen Land and Survey Department officials who were at the site carrying out surveys for the dam project.</div>
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"There is a series of simultaneous protests and blockades along strategic points and work on the dam site had been halted," he said.</div>
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Ngau said that he spoke Baram MP Anyi Ngau, and they were planning to enter ulu Baram to try to sort out the situation before things got worse.</div>
"I don't know how long the protests will last, but I don't want the situation to get worse or (escalate) into physical confrontation because that would not benefit anyone," he said.</div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-transform: uppercase;">BY </span><a href="http://www.thestar.com.my/Authors.aspx?q=%22Stephen+Then%22" style="border: none; color: #75a8c5; cursor: pointer; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">STEPHEN THEN</a><span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: normal;">, The Star Online</span></h3>
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SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-58392885063618116212013-10-30T19:59:00.000-07:002013-10-30T19:59:10.476-07:00Up date reports on protest against Mega Dam projects in Sarawak<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Sarawak, Malaysia:</b> Indigenous Peoples communities affected by the mega dam projects have been putting up road blockades and protesting against the construction of dams within their ancestral lands.</div>
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In Belaga District, at Murum Hydroelectric dam project site more than two hundred Penan families are putting blockades and protesting since September 20th. They protested against the impoundment of the dam by Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) as their ancestral land and properties will be submerged in the water. </div>
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They complained that the government has not compensated them at all for the loss of land, houses, crops and forest areas. The government has been silent on their demands for compensation. </div>
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The Penan are sadden with the action of Sarawak state government to impound the dam without informing them as directly affected community by the dam . They said SEB purported want to flood their land and properties as to force them to be relocated to the resettlement scheme. Once submerged, they will not be able to produce facts and evidents of their lands and properties for claiming of cmpensation claims.</div>
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In Baram District, the indigenous peoples affected by the propose Baram Dam project are putting up road blockades to stop access to the dam site and contruction of road that lead to the site. They have stopped all the operation in the area related to the preparatory works such as rocks testing, geological studies and survey activity. </div>
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SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-75836373427031526742012-10-28T18:17:00.004-07:002012-10-28T18:17:47.132-07:00PENANS MURUM DAM BLOCKADE STILL STAND<h1 class="title" id="page-title">
<span style="color: red;">Penans have not left their blockades</span></h1>
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<strong>KUCHING (Oct 28, 2012)</strong>: Contrary to what has been claimed, Penans from eight villages in Sarawak's Belaga district have not dismantled their blockades on access roads to the controversial Murum dam.</div>
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Sarawak Conservation Alliance of Natural Environment (Scane) coordinator Raymond Abin, who returned to Miri today after an overnight stay at one of the two blockade sites, said that the situation remains as it is and the international community is monitoring the issue.</div>
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"Over the last two days, many of them went back to Long Luar, one of the eight villages, because an elderly man died and later an elderly woman from Long Singu also died," he said.</div>
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He said that the Penans who have gone to the two villages will return after the mourning period is over. "But there are some still left to man the blockades," Abin said.</div>
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Abin stressed that not only are world bodies watching the matter, but also concerned Malaysians and those affected by the dam projects in Sarawak.</div>
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He was commenting on Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing's statement on Saturday that 320 Penan have abandoned the blockades after their negotiations with Belaga state assemblyman Liwan Lagang.</div>
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Masing, who is also PRS president, had quoted Liwan as telling the Part Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) supreme council meeting in Sibu about the Penans leaving.</div>
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Masing, who is also the state land development minister, had also told the government that the international community was keeping tabs on how the Penans were being treated.</div>
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"We have got to handle them carefully and with fairness," he told reporters after chairing a meeting, adding that it was important that the government knows that the Penans are a reasonable people.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Posted on 28 October 2012 - 08:53pm </span><div class="article-byline">
<strong><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sulok Tawie</span><a href="mailto:newsdesk@thesundaily.com"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">newsdesk@thesundaily.com</span></a></strong></div>
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SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-46696908225351178342012-10-14T21:24:00.003-07:002012-10-14T21:24:28.228-07:00MURUM DAM BLOCKADE, NO SOLUTION YET
<b><span lang="EN" style="color: #999999; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Sunday October 14, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 22pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Dragging on for too long<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b><span lang="EN" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">By STEPHEN THEN <br />
<a href="mailto:stephenthen@thestar.com.my"><span style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">stephenthen@thestar.com.my </span></a><o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">MIRI: Concerned community leaders are urging the
authorities to reach a swift and fair solution to the impasse between the
Penans and developers of the Murum dam, located some 320km from Bintulu.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">There are worries that the Penans are stricken by
malaria at the sites where they had put up a blockade.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Orang
Ulu National Association chairman for Miri Division, Peter Kallang, said
yesterday the latest information he received from his people who had visited
the Penans was that many of them were ill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBoS5IoN6KhMgiEs9EmGjK9nsfx_GSSDOkzwC6-L_sTN85q9bZtFt6PTXNy2BDXP8gZ6-3GS4b9tfFztbsanuQImtvGHWizAxdpaF58PjO57CpZ8U_18CzCpqxoOSCMQo6ZjWXBXVC7rMs/s1600/DSC_0196+(640x428).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBoS5IoN6KhMgiEs9EmGjK9nsfx_GSSDOkzwC6-L_sTN85q9bZtFt6PTXNy2BDXP8gZ6-3GS4b9tfFztbsanuQImtvGHWizAxdpaF58PjO57CpZ8U_18CzCpqxoOSCMQo6ZjWXBXVC7rMs/s400/DSC_0196+(640x428).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">In need of solution: A group of Penan men resting at one of the blockades </span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">leading to the Murum dam, some 320km from Bintulu, in this file pic. <o:p></o:p></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">“They have malaria, with many suffering from fever
and other illnesses. There are still many women at the site.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">“Luckily, the little children and old people are no
longer taking part in the protest. Belaga assemblyman Liwan Lagang had managed
to persuade the Penans to bring their children and old folk back to their
settlements.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">“More than 300 of the Penans have been camping at
the blockade sites for more than two weeks already. There is a need for the
state authorities and those handling the dam project to arrive at a swift
resolution with the Penans to end the problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">“The solution must be fair and acceptable to all
sides. There must be fast justice for the affected natives,” he told <i>The
Star</i> yesterday.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Kallang, who is also Kenyah Association Miri
Division chairman, said concerned members of the community have been visiting
the blockade sites to check on the situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">He said there was still no indication of a solution
to the problem.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">A community chief in Bakun, Penghulu Saging Bit,
said the district officer in Belaga and Liwan, as well as Ulu Rajang MP Datuk
Billy Abit Joo, had tried to negotiate an amicable solution between the Penans
and the dam developers, but so far there was no solution.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">“The Belaga district officer has asked the local
community leaders in Bakun and Murum area to help out. Everyone wants to see a
fair solution,” he said when contacted.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">“We don’t want to see the Penans suffering like
this,” he stressed, adding that some of the Penans had brought their children
and the elderly to seek shelter at the longhouses at Sungai Asap Resettlement
Scheme, some 120km from Murum dam.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Sarawak Coalition of Associations for Nature and
Environment (Scane) chairman Raymond Abin told <i>The Star </i>yesterday that
the Penans at the site wanted written assurances from the dam developers and
the state government that their resettlement and compensation issues would be
resolved soon.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">“They want all the promises made by the state to be
fulfilled. These include the RM500,000 promised to each Penan family who would
be uprooted by the project and the land to be given to them at the resettlement
sites.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">“The sites must be the ones that the Penans had
identified and all the facilities promised by the state must be provided as had
been agreed upon,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Asked about the health of the Penans at the
blockade sites, he said the people were determined to fight for their rights
though many were sick and weak.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Some 350 Penans have been staging blockades along
the roads leading to the Murum Dam in Belaga.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">They are angry that they have been kept in the dark
regarding their resettlement and compensation though the dam is reaching the
last stage of construction.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Last
week, Liwan acknowledged that the affected Penans had a right to demand
fairness because they have not been given fair treatment by those handling the
dam project.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-17619871407430033162012-10-14T20:10:00.001-07:002012-10-15T02:27:17.286-07:00Penan: Murum Dam Blockade 2012<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/K7bh60Rwl4o?fs=1" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
A video on Penans protest against the construction of Murum Hydroelectric Dam Project. This was recorded on digital camera by the Penans themselve during the visit of the Belaga District Officer, Mr Halim Abdullah on 27 September 2012. He advised the Penans to dismantle the blockade but strongly rejected by the Penans. He promised to bring forward the Penans problems to the higher government authority. Mr Halim said, "if you want to do blockade, that's your right". <br />
<br />
The Penans call on the Chief Minister of Sarawak, Abdul Taib Mahmud to visit them at the blockade site in order to resolve the issues and problems affecting them with regard to the Murum dam project.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7bh60Rwl4o&noredirect=1">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7bh60Rwl4o&noredirect=1</a><br />
<br />
SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-12878512544173852622012-10-05T17:23:00.000-07:002012-10-05T17:44:00.416-07:00Works At Murum Dam Paralyzed<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: red;">Penans
intensifies blockade on Murum dam construction</span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Murum, Belaga</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> (5 Oct): The Penans are intensifying their
blockade on Murum dam construction and against the Sarawak Energy Berhad with
another linkage road to the dam site being blockaded yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The road is going through an oil palm
plantation, was a narrow old logging road and passable by four-wheel drive
vehicle only. Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) is using the road as an alternative
route to the dam site for the past 3 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRrGFFDeV5k4ftOo7GYHd6LZa9Bd-_jPb9HdcdICILB3J9nV22vV9A9YPuI7AcqrK4_qdfm33KWBO5woFnAApMQo5x1FCQ8pKYN_6tRuKhjhICZUQe91jhNvfbrkinW9T6BXWDJblCGYbR/s1600/DSC_0196+(640x428).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRrGFFDeV5k4ftOo7GYHd6LZa9Bd-_jPb9HdcdICILB3J9nV22vV9A9YPuI7AcqrK4_qdfm33KWBO5woFnAApMQo5x1FCQ8pKYN_6tRuKhjhICZUQe91jhNvfbrkinW9T6BXWDJblCGYbR/s320/DSC_0196+(640x428).jpg" title="SCANE Pic" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penans inside their hut while manning their blockade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Since the Penans started the blockade last week, </span>Sarawak
Energy Berhad (SEB) and other companies have <span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">stopped using the main access road to Murum dam project
site. The major works on the construction of the dam have been paralyzed over
the last one week. The drivers have gone home and park their </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">cement tankers, lorry trucks and
trailers with building materials at the road side
near the blockade site. The access to the construction site of Murum hydroelectric
dam project were totally blocked in all directions with the setting-up of second
road blockade.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The number of Penans involved
in the blockade has increased from 200 to 320 that comprised of people from
eight Penan villages and a Kenyah-Badeng village of Long Umpa near Long Malim
in Danum River. Within these few days more Penans are expected to join as most
of them have completed planting their hill paddy farms. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Penans are setting up camps
around the blockade site at Seping River Bridge, about 40 Km from Murum
Hydroelectric dam project site. Their makeshift huts “sulap” covered
with wild-ginger and palm leaves as well as plastic canvases are seen around the area. Those families
came with their babies, children and elderly parents are occupying an old
logging camp workshop nearby the site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some of them made their huts using the deposed old zinc sheets that they
managed to salvage at the old logging camp site.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZFxjbtnfhO6TLrITYyWrEYvafCOaj6MugtD1pSuaONB3qGsgB5vy1Kzlrzhn4khvsmGrMtz3BWd4Lubw-nKV3UJWWQIJnNLTqSctQuwiH9wZgh14jd-r_XUzIspKjhs4uRoQhJYA9rJE/s1600/DSC_0064+(640x428).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZFxjbtnfhO6TLrITYyWrEYvafCOaj6MugtD1pSuaONB3qGsgB5vy1Kzlrzhn4khvsmGrMtz3BWd4Lubw-nKV3UJWWQIJnNLTqSctQuwiH9wZgh14jd-r_XUzIspKjhs4uRoQhJYA9rJE/s320/DSC_0064+(640x428).jpg" title="SCANE Pic" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A young mother nursed her 2 months old baby<br />
near the blockade site</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Village Head of Long Luar,
Madai Salo said that all his family members are involved in the road blockade.
He came with his wife, sons and daughters together with his granddaughter of 2
months old. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Labang Paneh, a representative
from Long Wat village stated that the blockade is a collective action of all
the Penan villages affected by the construction of Murum dam project. “We will
not remove the blockade or move out of here until our demands are resolved and
fulfilled by the government”, he said.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Village Head of Long Wat,
Pinang Bo blamed the Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) for being disrespectful to the
customs of the Penan community in Murum area. He said that SEB has
intentionally destroying the most important Penan’s scared and historical sites
of Batu Tungun, Batu Pebin and Batu Aseu at the project site and with lots more
will be destroyed in due time by the construction of the dam.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Penans reported that the
China’s Three Gorges Project Corporation and its Chinese contractor companies
have told their Chinese workers not to leave their camps and the Murum dam
construction site for fearing of safety and of any untoward incident with the
locals.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As to maintain security, peace
and order at the project area, the government has deployed some at least 20
police personnel from the General Armed Forces to the blockade site. Some of
these police were stationed at the Murum dam construction site.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The blockade has entered its
tenth day since it was started on 26<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> September</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> by t</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">he Penans from the villages of Long
Wat, Long Luar, Long Tangau, Long Menapa, Long Singu and Long Malim, Long Peran
and Long Jaik villages together with a Kenyah-Badeng village of Long Umpa.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Raymond Abin, National Coordinator of Sarawak Conservation Alliance for Natural Environment (SCANE) said, the Penan communities are protesting against
the negligence of the government to act and respond to their issues, problems
and demands with regard to the construction of Murum dam project. "They are also
protesting against Sarawak Energy Berhad for being disrespectful to their
customs by destroying their scared and historical sites without their consent", he added. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Sarawak Energy Berhad which is Sarawak
Government owned Private Corporation has awarded the contract work of the Murum
dam project to China’s Three Gorges Project Corporation for an estimated cost
of RM3 billion. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The progress of the construction work on the
major structures of the dam is about 70% completed. When completed, the Murum
dam will flood about 24,500 hectares of native customary rights land and forest
of the Penan villages. The dam catchment area is 275,000 hectares which
comprises of mainly Pelieran River, Danum River and Usun Apau Plateau, the
ancestral land of the indigenous communities in Sarawak.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Murum dam project is scheduled to be ready
by 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></span>SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-17855774977471577612012-10-05T16:59:00.001-07:002012-10-05T16:59:09.817-07:00The Penan Human Rights Abused in Murum Area
<b><span style="color: brown; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Baru Bian SOS to
Suhakam on behalf of Penans<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<span style="color: #888888; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #888888; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><strong>Oct 5, 2012</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #888888; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Sarawak
Parti Keadilan Rakyat today urged Suhakam to probe human rights abuses against
the Penan community in Murum committed by the state headed by the nation's
reportedly richest man.<br />
<br />
"The latest exposes carried in the alternative media and in some
mainstream press in the past few days bring home to us the heights of
heartlessness and hypocrisy this government has reached. <br />
<br />
"The revelations tell of the unimaginable suffering of the Penans in Murum
who have been treated in the most callous and contemptible manner by the
dam-building bullies and the uncaring government headed by the man reputed to
be the richest man in Malaysia," said Baru Bian,(<i>right</i>) chairman of
Sarawak PKR.<br />
<br />
Bian, who is also the state assemblyman for Ba'Kelalan, was commenting on the
blockade mounted by the Penans to prevent workers from the Sarawak Energy
Berhad and other companies from entering the Murum dam construction site, an
action provoked by the state's failure to honour its promises.<br />
<span style="color: maroon;"><br />
<b>Blockade enters 10th day</b></span><br />
<br />
Bian said that they had been left with no choice but to put up the blockade to
attract the authorities attention and civil society.<br />
<br />
He added that the Penan of Murum need the support of every Malaysian citizen
who cares about justice and humanity. <br />
<br />
The details revealed in the leaked ‘Resettlement Action Plan' tell the shocking
truth about the lives of the Penan and their total neglect by the government
that "plans to wipe out the land which has been their home and provided
their livelihood for generations,",he said.<br />
<br />
"Assistance from the government is important but it has not been regular
and in some cases, zero assistance given; they receive an average income of
only RM154 per family per month, well below the official rural poverty line
index of RM830 per month.<br />
<br />
"They begged for teachers for years but none was sent; less than 10% have
access to education," he said.<br />
<br />
Bian also said that women and babies still die in childbirth for lack of
medical support and no doctors, among other woes.<br />
<br />
They had depended on the jungle for traditional medicine but logging had
destroyed the herbs and since they have no identity cards they are without
official status which means no access to poverty eradication programmes.<br />
<br />
The PKR leader said: "Added to the Penan's litany of woes is the insult of
James Masing (Land Development Minister) who claims that they are hostile
because they lack understanding, and that they were not against the project per
se but were unhappy about some of the things implemented without being properly
informed. <br />
<br />
"What is there to understand about the shameful way they have been
treated? <br />
<br />
"How would anyone of us like it if our house is destroyed, our bank accounts
taken from us and our source of support obliterated from the face of the earth?
<br />
<br />
"Can we bear to watch our families suffer the indignities of poverty and
the humiliation of hunger and hopelessness? <br />
<br />
"Please do not be so blasé about the problems faced by the Penans by
waving them off as a problem of communications, and pointing the finger at NGOs
for instigating them.<br />
<br />
"If anything, the NGOs should be commended for helping them to articulate
their troubles as the government has preferred not to extend educational
facilities to them to help uplift their lives or to help them in any other
way," he said.<br />
<br />
He said that as for Liwan Lagang, Assistant Minister of Culture and Heritage
sent in to ‘explain' matters, the people would like to see what he hopes to
achieve at this stage of development. <br />
<br />
"I hope YB Liwan would be a real mediator between his people and the
government of the day and be very neutral in this issue. <br />
<br />
"The truth must be known and exposed to ensure a permanent solution,"
he said.<br />
<br />
Bian added that the total and blatant disregard of Penan rights throw up again
the hypocrisy of the government and their all too familiar form over substance
hallmark.<br />
<br />
He then called upon Malaysians to support the Penan cause by responding
generously to the appeal for funds as they lack in every basic necessity and
are enduring hardship at the blockade site.<br />
<br />
"It is obvious that nobody in this current government has the will or the
desire or the moral courage to do what is right," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">He
pointed out that the people are now recognizing that this government has far
overstepped the boundaries of decency and "descended into the den of
dam-mad depravity". <br />
<br />
"A change of government is the only answer to the insanity that has beset
this country," he added. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: MalaysiaKini, <span style="color: #888888; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><strong>Dukau Papau <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>3:23PM Oct 5 2012</strong></span></span>SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-64995420794605419702012-10-05T16:50:00.001-07:002012-10-05T16:50:14.210-07:00Federal Court: Penans have land rights<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 24pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Landmark
win for Penans in federal court<o:p></o:p></span></span></b><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">October 4, 2012<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">KUCHING: The fight for
recognition of native customary rights (NCR) on land received a shot in the arm
following the federal court’s decision on Balare Jabu and others against timber
company Merawa Sdn Bhd .<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Hailing the decision, NCR
lawyer Baru Bian said it was “another victory” in their legal battle for the
claims and defence of NCR cases in Sarawak.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“This time a decision
coming out from the apex court of Malaysia in my opinion, is very crucial and
timely.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“A few cases pending at the
Court of Appeal are waiting for this ruling,” said Bian, who is the Ba’Kelalan
State assemblyman.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Commenting on the court’s
decision handed last Tuesday, he said: “The Penans of Sarawak who initiated
this legal action in the High Court at Miri complaining that the state
government of Sarawak through the Director of Forests Sarawak issued to the
Merawa Sdn Bhd a timber licence covering an area which was part of the Penans’
NCR lands and their hunting and fishing ground.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“The government and Merewar
were successful in the first instance in their application in the High Court at
Miri in striking out the Penans’ writ and statement of claim on ground that the
Penans were caught by the provision of s. 2(a) Public Authorities Protection
Act 1948.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“They submitted that the
Penans’ writ and statement of claim was time barred since the Director of
Forests of the state, a public officer, acted in accordance with written law
when he issued the license under the Forest Ordinance and was protected by s.
2(a) Public Authorities Protection Act 1948.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“The Penans although
conceding that they were caught by limitation since they did not file their
writ and statement of claim within three years, contended that the High Court
judge had erred as the Penans had also sought declaratory orders that the
issuance of the licence was subject to native customary rights and the
appelants in issuing the license, were in breach of their fiduciary duty,” he
said.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Bian said that the Penans’
won their appeal at the Court of Appeal in a decision handed down on March 17,
2011.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The licencee, Merawa Sdn
Bhd together with the state government appealed to the Federal Court, but their
the appeal was dismissed on Oct 2, 2012.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The order was read by the
Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Richard Melanjun.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Bian said the Federal Court
agreed with the Court of Appeal and further opined that since the timber
license expired only in March 2012, the injury suffered or complained off by the
Penans was still running and therefore the issue of the Penans filing their
claims outside the provision of s. 2(a) Public Authorities Protection Act 1948
did not arise.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The court further ordered
costs against the state government and Merawar in the sum of RM10,000<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In the circumstances, the
said case is now reverted to the High Court for a proper trial to determine the
extent of the Penans’ NCR over the area as claimed in their writ and statement
of claim.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Besides Melanjun, the other
members of the Federal Court hearing the case were Arifin Zakaria, and Abdul
Hamid Embong.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">By: <a href="http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/author/joseph/" title="Posts by Joseph Tawie"><span style="color: blue;">Joseph Tawie</span></a>, FMT News</span>SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-51712267076855676212012-10-05T16:42:00.001-07:002012-10-05T16:42:15.660-07:00Sarawak Government violates international standards and indigenous rights on Murum dam
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><strong>Murum Dam violates UN
convention, says NGO<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><a href="http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/author/fmtteam/" title="Posts by FMT Staff"><span style="color: blue;">FMT Staff</span></a>, </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>October 4, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">KUCHING: Swiss-based Bruno
Manser Fund (BMF), which is leading the global struggle against Sarawak’s bid
to build 12 mega dams and in the process strip the state of its rainforest and
displace its indigenous communities, is demanding the immediate release of all
studies related to the projects.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In a statement today, BMF
said the projects were in violation of the international standards and
indigenous rights as guaranteed in the UN Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Malaysia is a signatory to
the UN convention.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The statement came
following a blockade of the access road to the Murum Dam construction site by
over 200 Penan and Kenyah villagers from seven villages. They were representing
1,500 citizens from upstream and down stream villages from as far as 100km
inland.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The blockade came about
after a secret resettlement plan by the Sarawak government involving the moving
of over 1,500 natives was leaked out to the affected communities just a few
months before the impoundment of the 944MW Murum Dam is to start in early 2013.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Said BMF: “The impoundment
of the Murum dam is meant to start in early 2013 and will flood almost 250km2
of forest and cause the displacement of six Penan and one Kenyah native
communities.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“It verges on hypocrisy
that the leaked Murum Resettlement Action Plan claims that ‘the main documents’
concerning the construction of the dam and the resettlement are ‘to be made
available to the public’.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“But this has obviously not
been done so far.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“The affected communities
have only received information about the conditions of their resettlement
through the report leaked to the whistleblower (online) website Sarawak Report.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“The withholding of the
Resettlement Report goes against all international standards on transparency.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“We are demanding the
immediate release of all studies conducted on any of the currently planned
dams.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<strong><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #993366; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">No
consent secured</span></strong><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">According to BMF, the
resettlement report revealed that the compensation offered to the affected
communities is “anything but fair”.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“The monthly allowance to
be paid after resettlement falls below the poverty level and ends after four
years.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“In addition, the affected
Penan and Kenyah have stated that they have never been asked for consent as
demanded by international standards, such as the UN Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">BMF has actively supported
the Save Rivers Network campaign against the construction of the 13 dams,
including the Murum Dam since the issue first came to light.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Earlier today, Save Rivers,
a coalition of local NGOs, frustrated at the ignorance of local government
leaders of national and international laws and the UN Declaration on indigenous
communities, had offered to enlighten officials.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In relation to this, BMF
said it “wholeheartedly supports this highly necessary tutoring on indigenous
rights for the government”.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
SCANE Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01014747849918806189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6798929090057287757.post-46148571437853031862012-10-03T20:43:00.003-07:002012-10-03T20:48:57.660-07:00Penans submitted memorandum to Prime Minister on Murum dam.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Murum, Belaga: </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The Pelieran-Murum Penan Affairs Committee (Pemupa) has submitted a ten-point
(10) demands in an Open Memorandum to the Malaysian Prime Minister YAB Dato Seri
Najib Razak to act on their issues,<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>problems
and demands with regard to<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>the on-going
construction of<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>Murum hydroelectric
power (HEP) dam project.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GbTNNa8VUWJ5jLjn3XVrwwoifeDA6LhyNQA3w31jLy8haAO7A-Ud_sO-kUYAZJNqdN5eyuFt6r1cmuR0L0jyfSeCfBZHhlz34HOyaaPiqSwvsRQ-4wp3L5d4SzfZVPfyW1Uof-G5tRR7/s1600/Penans+submitted+Memorandum+to+Prime+Minister,+Malaysia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GbTNNa8VUWJ5jLjn3XVrwwoifeDA6LhyNQA3w31jLy8haAO7A-Ud_sO-kUYAZJNqdN5eyuFt6r1cmuR0L0jyfSeCfBZHhlz34HOyaaPiqSwvsRQ-4wp3L5d4SzfZVPfyW1Uof-G5tRR7/s320/Penans+submitted+Memorandum+to+Prime+Minister,+Malaysia.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surang (left) with village Chief Asan shows the Memorandum<br />
to be submitted to Prime Minister.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Surang Alung, the Chairman of PEMUPA stated that the memorandum
presented a list of the Penan demands, among others are compensations, rights
to lands and forest areas and the 10% royalty on energy generated from Murum
dam. “This demand is minimal, the very least that we submit to the
government as compare to our invaluable livelihood, properties, large tract of
customary lands and forest that are going to vanish by the dam”, he added. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The Open Memorandum was mutually resolved and passed by about 300 Penans
during a community meeting held on 25<sup>th</sup> September at Long Jaik
village. The meeting was participated by Village Chiefs and representatives of
Penan villages from Long Wat, Long Luar, Long Tangau, Long Menapa, Long Singu,
Long Malim, Long Jaik and Long Umpa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The memorandum, written in Bahasa Melayu was endorsed by PEMUPA. It was
sent through express courier and facsimile to the office of the Prime Minister and
the Chief Minister of Sarawak. The Penans urge the two top government leaders to act immeadiately on their demands upon received the memorandum.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">At meantime, the Penans are still putting up their blockade on the Murum dam access road and their number has multiplied from 200 to 320 people since they started protesting on 26th September. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
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</o:lock></v:path></v:stroke></v:shapetype></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Murum Hydroelectric project is a mega dam
built on the Murum River by Sarawak Energy Berhad, a company owned by the State
government of Sarawak.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">T</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">he construction
of the dam was awarded to</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> China’s Three Gorges Project Corporation for an estimated cost of RM3
billion (875 million USD). The construction work of on the dam started prior to
the approval of environmental impact assessment (EIA) report and without any
social and environmental impact assessment (SEIA) being carried out. Murum </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">hydroelectric dam has an energy capacity of 944MW, </span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">which is about 75% completed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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