Climate Action Malaysia Project #47152

Support Indigenous forest protection in Borneo

by The Borneo Project

Project Report | Jan 25, 2024
January 2024 Report

By Jettie Word | Director

Dear friends,

We're only a few weeks into 2024 but a lot is already underway for communities campaigning for climate justice in Borneo!

This month, communities that will be potentially impacted by a proposed cascading dam project are busy collecting signatures for a petition. The petition is currently 500 signatures strong and demands that community interests and Indigenous rights be upheld regarding any dam developments.

Read the press release at saverivers.org

Also this month, some of the last nomadic Penan communities submitted documentation to timber giant Samling to assert their ancestral land rights. The Penan groups, who live in Northern Sarawak, demand an exclusion zone exempting their lands from all logging.

Read the press release at borneoproject.org

And lastly, we highly recommend you watch the 1MDB documentary Man on The Run, which is now streaming on Netflix. Those implicated in the film are trying to get it taken down, so watch it while you still can!

In solidarity,

Jettie Word, Director

Links:

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Sep 26, 2023
September 2023 Report

By Jettie Word | Director

May 30, 2023
May Report 2023

By Jettie Word | Director, The Borneo Project

Stop The SLAPP protest at Miri High Court

Dear friends,

On May 15th, timber giant Samling and our local partners SAVE Rivers were scheduled to face off at the Miri High Court in Sarawak. Days before the first hearing was scheduled, the judge adjourned the trial because of an urgent criminal case.

Nevertheless, we joined community members on the High Court steps for a peaceful demonstration in support of SAVE Rivers. These are the same communities whose concerns SAVE Rivers published and which became the subject of the lawsuit. With traditional Indigenous dancing and singing, they called on Samling to withdraw the suit and to instead engage in meaningful dialogue with the communities.

This is the fourth time that the defamation trial has been postponed: Samling requested a delay once, and the court has delayed the trial three times. The deferral of the trial allows Samling to keep silencing SAVE Rivers while they wait for legal resolution.

Also this month, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) officially accepted a complaint civil society groups filed against Samling. FSC accepted the complaint after determining there was "sufficient evidence" regarding violation of FSC policies. In an online statement FSC said it will open a case into alleged illegal logging, violations of traditional and human rights, destruction of high conservation value forests and significant conversion of forests. FSC's acceptance of the complaint marks a breakthrough in the communities' struggle for justice. We are hopfeul that this will be a turning point for the campaign to protect the forests of the Baram. Stay tuned.

In solidarity,

The Borneo Project Team.

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