MIRI – The struggle by the Baram villagers in resisting the proposed Baram dam has finally paid off. The gazette extinguishing the native rights of ownership for the land earmarked for the dam site and its reservoir has been officially revoked. The lawyer for the Baram villagers, Mr. Harrison Ngau was being notified of the revocation […]

The home of the world’s remaining forests, the planet’s biodiversity and rivers are in indigenous peoples’ territories. However, rampant large-scale development projects without regard to the environment and the indigenous peoples inhabiting these, are threatening to wipe out population and extract resources. In order to address climate change, combat deforestation and achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Asia Indigenous

KUCHING: Many thousands of Dayak in Sarawak are finishing the annual rice harvest now, traditionally central to the calendar. However, what was once a strenuous but ultimately rewarding time of year, culturally and socially, is now indicative of a new cycle as the Dayak increasingly switch from padi to oil palm; a move that reflects

Media Statement by Tony Pua, DAP National Publicity Secretary and Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 15 March 2016: Felda Global Venture must end its value destroying acquisition spree which smacks of utter recklessness and sheer incompetence Felda Global Venture Holdings Bhd (FGVH) has been the undisputed worst plantation

Malaysian timber group accused of boycotting local sawmill industry – Complaint lodged against Samling’s Hikurangi Forest Farms over alleged breaches of FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) standards GISBORNE, NEW ZEALAND. Local stakeholders in the East Coast region of New Zealand’s North Island have lodged a complaint against the Malaysian Samling Group with the Forest Stewardship Council

To mark World Day Against Cyber-Censorship, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is today launching Operation Collateral Freedom #2, in which it is unblocking access to websites that are censored in five countries and is unveiling the RSF Censorship Detector app. The aim of this operation – the continuation of Operation Collateral Freedom #1, launched a year ago –

Miri – SAVE Rivers was selected out of eleven Civil Society Organisations from eight different Asian countries as the recipient for the 19th Tji Haksoon Justice & Peace Award 2016; this is the first time that the award goes to Malaysia. On the 10th of March 2016, receiving the award in Seoul on behalf of SAVE Rivers, was

Indigenous leaders fighting against dams worldwide join the call for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Berta Cáceres’ assassination. In a joint statement, anti-dam activists from around the world have expressed their grief and anger about the murder of Honduran indigenous leader Berta Cáceres and call on the Honduran government to facilitate a thorough, independent

In conjunction with International Women’s Day today, Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS) calls for equitable representation of Orang Asal women in politics. “In most indigenous communities, it is the women who serve as primary caregivers to children, elderly family members and the sick. It is the women who are the holders and teachers of the traditional knowledge passed

Kota Kinabalu – Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS) announced their plans today to map out and consolidate Orang Asal territories in conjunction with the launch of the Global Call to Action on Indigenous and Community Land Rights by the #LandRightsNow campaign. The worldwide campaign signed on by over 300 organizations aims to double the global area of land

Victory for rainforest campaigners as German chancellor calls off Stihl visit Chainsaw market leader Stihl under pressure over ties to Borneo rainforest illegal logging – Bruno Manser Fund demands €100 million indemnity  (Stuttgart, GERMANY) German chancellor Angela Merkel has today cancelled a long-planned visit with German chainsaw manufacturer Stihl. The decision was taken hours after

MIRI – A delegation of Penan representing 18 villages are grateful that the government has finally consented to discuss their proposed Penan Peace Park (PPP). The meeting held in Miri recently, (18 February 2016) saw representatives of the Penan communities, lead by Encik James Lalo Kesoh, formally presenting their proposal to the government. The government’s

After Bunge Limited, one of the world’s largest agribusiness companies, announced last year its suspension of new commercial activity with Malaysian palm oil company BLD Plantation Bhd, BLD’s trading partner Apical Malaysia Sdn Bhd declared earlier this month they would be suspending trade with BLD until the latter addresses the issues brought up against them

Miri – The recent statement by YB Dennis Ngau published in the Borneo Post, dated 7th February in an article entitled, “Move to put off the Baram dam project a sincere one by Chief Minister” made the Baram dam issue even more perplexing. The fact is that the Chief Minister has never made an official

As Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak attends the US-ASEAN Summit in the United States with all ten leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Transparency International is urgently calling for greater protection of those who bring corruption to light in Malaysia and swift investigations into the corruption crisis surrounding the government. Transparency International,

February 11, 2016 Najib Razak Prime Minister of Malaysia Excellency, Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), an independent non-governmental institution committed to promoting and defending freedom of expression is writing to express concern over the blocking of blogging platform Medium in Malaysia apparently in an effort to censor an investigative news outlet critical of the government. According

BERN, SWITZERLAND. In a highly unusual step, the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has publicly announced a mutual legal assistance request to Malaysia, together with first findings of a probe into a $4 billion fraud involving the Malaysian state fund 1 MDB and embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak. The Swiss prosecutors said on Friday that their

LAPOINYA (TASMANIA), AUSTRALIA Former Australian Greens leader Bob Brown has been charged today over a protest at a logging site linked to Malaysian timber conglomerate Ta Ann in Tasmania. According to Australia’s ABC network, the former senator was arrested when walking towards a bulldozer in the Lapoinya Forest exclusion zone this morning. The logging site was

  To this date Malaysian palm oil company BLD Plantation Berhad (BLD) continues to massively clear carbon-rich peatland. According to the Malaysian NGO Friends of the Orangutans (FOTO), this severely affects the environment and the local communities in BLD’s 20,446 hectares (ha) concession located in the Sibu region, Sarawak. FOTO’s satellite image analysis showed that

OTTAWA (CANADA) The Bruno Manser Fund has today lodged a complaint with the Canadian government against the Ottawa-based Sakto Group, a multimillion dollar real estate and investment holding with close ties to the family of Sarawak Governor and former Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud. Sakto is being directed by Taib’s daughter, Jamilah Taib Murray, and

LONG LAMAI (SARAWAK, MALAYSIA) / ADELAIDE (SOUTH AUSTRALIA) Indigenous leaders from Malaysian Borneo are urging Adelaide University to pay back AUD $ 400,000 in donations received between 1987 and 2006 from Taib Mahmud (“Taib”), a former Chief Minister of the Malaysian state of Sarawak. In a letter to Vice-Chancellor Warren Bebbington, eleven Penan headmen demand

Miri – SAVE Rivers, a Sarawak based movement, have won a Malaysian nationwide accolade for civil society organizations. The four years old organization which has been actively campaigning against the construction of mega dams in Sarawak was one of the three winners for 2015 Malaysian award. Speaking at the award giving ceremony, Mr. Yap Swee

KUCHING – About 500 representatives of the Indigenous Peoples and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are gathered in Kuching today to observe Human Rights Day, which falls on 10 December each year and are calling the State and Federal Government to respect and improve the Human Rights situation in the country. A few events are organise

Miri – The recent vicious attack on Tuai Rumah Jambai Anak Jali by a group of men in Miri is one of a series of uncivilised acts against the Tuai Rumah and his villagers these last two years. The villagers want an immediate stop to this constant harassment and appeal to the government for the immediate

(ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA) A painting by Australian artist John Olsen with an estimated worth of up to AUD$ 100,000 has been donated to the Art Gallery of South Australia by the family of Taib Mahmud, the Governor and former Chief Minister of the Malaysian state of Sarawak. This has been confirmed by the Art Gallery’s director,