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Human Rights

This category contains 16 posts

Review – The Peaceful People: The Penan and their Fight for the Forest

In the early 1990s the plight of the Penan people of Sarawak became an international cause celebre, with Swiss adventurer Bruno Manser touring the world with a small Penan delegation, and the likes of Prince Charles, Al Gore, David Suzuki and the Greatful Dead speaking out about the rapid destruction of the forest in Sarawak. … Continue reading

Blockading Baram dam (video)

The government of Sarawak, one of two Malaysian states in Borneo, plans to build a string of hydroelectric dams and industrialise with the power. But the next of the planned dams, on the Baram River, threatens the land and homes of 20,000 indigenous people. A group of local activists have been blockading the proposed dam … Continue reading

‘Fight until they die’ – Malaysia’s dam blockade finds international support

Crikey, 16 November 2015: When they first set up camp it was under plastic tarps strung from the trees and propped up with sticks. That night the rain came — a drenching tropical downpour that left the group of 100 or so protesters wet, cold and awake through the dark Borneo night. But after years of petitions … Continue reading

Darebin to install memorial to all victims of genocide

A monument to commemorate the victims of genocide and genocidal acts will be erected in a Preston park after a motion to install it passed unopposed at a Darebin council meeting on Monday. A large delegation from the munipality’s diverse ethnic communities was in the gallery of the Preston Town Hall to witness the vote … Continue reading

Resentment lingers in village ‘tricked’ over land

Jakarta Globe, 14 June 2015 Residents of the village of Maruwei in Central Kalimantan claim they were tricked and intimidated in relation to BHP Billiton’s acquisition of an area of their land for the first stage of the IndoMet coal project a decade ago. According to Maruwei village secretary Timor Banafi, villagers started clearing small … Continue reading

Adelaide students protest corrupt uni links

26 September 2013: A Malaysian MP has fuelled the controversy surrounding Adelaide University’s decision to name a plaza after an allegedly corrupt Malaysian political leader – and university donor – warning the university’s image could be “tarnished”. Sarawak State Assembly member and chairman of the opposition People’s Justice Party Baru Bian said there were “compelling” … Continue reading