Guest guest Posted May 5, 2002 Report Share Posted May 5, 2002 More Penans try to stop loggers April 29th. The Star. By STEPHEN THEN MIRI: Twenty Penans have alleged that their settlement is about to be destroyed by logging activities conducted by a timber firm. They walked through jungles and mountains from Ulu Limbang for three days to seek help from the Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) office in Marudi, located some 200km from here. SAM Sarawak co-ordinator Thomas Jalong said the Penans appeared at SAM's office on Tuesday and wanted their plight highlighted to the relevant authorities. According to Jalong, this is the sixth complaint that SAM had received over the past few weeks from native groups living in the interior of northern Sarawak against logging by timber companies based in the Miri and Limbang divisions. " They told us that they had set up a blockade on April 10 along a timber track leading to their settlement in Ulu Limbang. Some of their people are still manning the blockade. " Apparently, a police team went up to the blockade site on April 17 to try to ease the tension. According to the Penans who came here, the blockade was conducted in a peaceful manner. " They wanted to stop the loggers from entering the jungles near their settlement. They came to us seeking advice on what to do next,'' Jalong said. This latest case involving the Ulu Limbang Penans surfaced only less than two weeks after an anti-logging protest in Ulu Baram turned ugly when 32 Kayan longhouse folks allegedly abducted a log-pond officer following a quarrel. Jalong said SAM was worried that with more blockades being set up by the natives, some ugly incidents might occur if the authorities did not take action soon. " According to our ground reports, the natives in Miri and Limbang divisions have put up five blockades since March 27. " This is the first time in 10 years that such blockades have been simultaneously erected in different locations and by different native groups,'' said Jalong, adding that some 30 longhouse folks who were against a sand-mining company also staged a protest near Long Lama early this month. In Kuching, Bernama reported Suhakam state commissioner Dr Mohammad Hirman Ritom Abdullah would lead a fact-finding mission to Limbang and Baram next month to investigate the natives' complaints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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