The Malaysian Ministry of Economic Affairs has announced an increase in pulpwood plantations throughout Malaysia, Sarawak included. At present, an area of 10,000 hectares is occupied by tree plantations in Sarawak and it is increasing as in other regions of the country. While in the past most of the tree plantations were established by the State, at present private companies are becoming more and more involved. The role of the State is changing: Dr.
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It is important to begin by highlighting the fact that to receive FSC certification, a plantation company needs to comply with all FSC's principles and not only with the principle concerning plantations specifically-- principle 10.
The Ist Indigenous Assembly of the Tupinikim and Guarani took place in December 8th at the Community Center of Coquerial in Aracruz.
About 300 Iban of Rumah Bangga longhouse, about 100 kilometres from the town of Miri, put up a blockade to protect their Native Customary Land after two companies, Segarakam Sdn Bhd, and Prana Sdn Bhd. -which are contractors to Empresa (M) Sdn Bhd.- trespassed on and cleared their land, which resulted in extensive damages to their property.
Without notice or consultation with the Iban, the land and Survey Department -a Sarawak State government department- had issued a provisional lease to Empresa (M) Sdn Bhd, an oil palm plantation company.
Sarawak NGO people have asked us to thank all those who sent faxes in support of the Iban people imprisoned last June. They stressed the importance of those messages in achieving the release of those imprisoned. A new call for action is now requested (see above article on Sarawak) and we hope to count once again on your cooperation.
On November 4 the period of 60 days ended during which FUNAI had to make a restudy, according to a letter of the Minister of Justice dated August 4. Concerning the decision of the Minister, there are three possible options:
- to declare the boundaries of the claimed lands and establish its demarcation. In this case Aracruz will go to court, according to declarations of representatives of the company;
- to declare the boundaries, but proposing a reduction of the area
- to take no decision.
According to a report from Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik, the Malaysian Minister of Industry, illegal logging offenses are declining as a consequence of the 1993 revision of the forestry law. This norm establishes that illegal logging can be punished with inprisonment or a maximum fine of 500,000 Ringgit (ca. U$S 172,000). If the rule of the law were applied, the Minister himself would soon be in jail.
The Executive Commission of the Tupinikim and Guarani had met in the village of Comboios on 13 September to evaluate the visit of representatives of FUNAI’s Regional Administration (ADR) and FUNAI’s officials on September 9 and 10. The visitors allegated that ADR was not well-informed about the land matter and also that they had some useful information to support the indigenous struggle.
An international workshop on "Business responsibility for environmental protection in developing countries" took place in Costa Rica on September 22-24 1997. WRM International Coordinator Ricardo Carrere made a presentation on "The environmental and social effects of corporate environmentalism in the Brazilian market pulp industry." The aim of the paper was to compare the "green" discourse of the five main market pulp firms with reality at the local level, including social and environmental impacts of large scale tree plantations and pulp production.
On August 12th representatives of the Tupinikim and Guarani, the federal deputies Nilton Baiano and Joao Coser and CIMI held an audience with the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Justice Mr. Jose de Jesus Filho, to claim once again the delimitation of the boundaries of indigenous lands. During the audience, the representative of the Brazilian government asked about the possiblity of an exchange and/or a reduction of the claimed lands, with the aim of not jeopardizing the activities of Aracruz Celulose S.A. (ARCEL) and even questioned about the necessity of the claimed lands.
Once again Sarawak natives have been victims of violent actions from the Police: on June 25, 42 Dayak-Ibans -among them 9 women- were arrested at Miri, for resisting the oil palm plantation that is to be implemented within their customary land area. Some of them were even brutally harassed and assaulted by the Police, which caused them physical damages. The Police found it difficult to find any legal reason to accuse them. However, brought to court, the Magistrate ordered them to sign a bond of peace for six months.
To all our friends,
We are writing to all of you from inside the above prison to tell you of our suffering and how we had ended up here. On 24th June 1997 we met with Surveyors from the Sarawak land and Survey Department who came to survey our native Customary Land in Upper Teru River, Tinjar, Baram, Miri Division, Sarawak, Malaysia for an oil palm plantation company to implement an oil palm plantation scheme which was against our consent.