Few Malaysians may have heard of him but that in no way takes anything away from the towering stature of the legendary Penan leader, Along Sega, who passed away on 2 February 2011.
Along Sega and his grandson, perched on a tree stump, witnessing logging activities - Photo courtesy of Ngo/Greenpeace
He was an outspoken leader of the Penan’s struggle against the timber firms that encroached into native customary rights lands from the 1980s. Continue reading »
Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud says that the interests of natives would be protected in all future dam projects. Can they believe that after the bitter experience of Bakun and Batang Ai?
According to the Borneo Post, Taib said he was prepared to offer what the displaced natives would need – similar to what was done for the affected communities when building the Bakun and Murum dams. “We have plans to resettle our people, like the Penans, to adapt to the new way of life. Maybe the facilities given are not for them per se but will be for their generations to come.”
Taib can’t even protect the interests of the displaced natives now and he is talking about protecting their interests in the future? I thought those displaced by the Bakun Dam were not exactly thrilled with conditions in the Sungai Asap resettlement scheme. Continue reading »
The chairman of the British parliament’s All Party Parliamentary Group for Tribal peoples, MP Martin Horwood, has written to Taib Mahmud expressing concern about the plight of the Penan as the Sarawak chief minister arrived in the UK.
A barrage of placards greeted Taib at Oxford University’s Said Business School this morning – Photo credit: Survival
Martin Horwood, MP - Photo source: Wikipedia
“The Penan have frequently been subject to violence and intimidation at the hands of loggers operating on their land… Without recognition of their land rights, the Penan are struggling to provide for themselves, and are left vulnerable to violence and exploitation,” Horwood wrote, according to Survival, the movement for tribal peoples. Continue reading »
