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MIRI – A group of Sarawak environmental activists are going on a tour of Europe to strengthen their campaign to banish logging from the jungles of the state.
Save Sarawak Rivers and Keruan Sarawak have sent a team to meet up with the Bruno Manser Foundation as well as lawmakers in several European countries over the next two weeks to firm up plans for the trip.
Save Sarawak Rivers is a body fighting to preserve the rivers in the state from the impact of logging while Keruan Sarawak is a group involved in fighting for rights of the Penans.
Save Sarawak Rivers chairman Peter Kallang told The Vibes that he and the team are heading to Europe.
“Our tour to Europe will see us meeting the top lawmakers in several countries, including Ireland and Holland.
“We will be with the Bruno Manser Foundation leaders and will also meet up with other prominent activists to discuss latest issues pertaining to Sarawak logging activities.
“We will be discussing issues on human rights of Sarawak natives in timber logging regions. We will also deliberate on the certification of timber harvested from Sarawak forests.
“We want international bodies to tighten scrutiny of such loggings in Sarawak and to give natives in Sarawak more voice to speak up on their rights,” he said.
Earlier this year, Kallang expressed fears that the Sarawak government will issue licences to clear huge forested areas along the Sarawak-Kalimantan border very soon.
Kallang told The Vibes that his fears were based on the latest news that Sarawak wanted to develop the Sarawak-Kalimantan border to tap the potential for industrial and economic projects since Kalimantan will host the new capital of Indonesia.
He said that it looked like there will be vast border stretches that will be cleared via logging.
“The worry is that logging will be carried out extensively to clear the borders at the Sarawak side to build highways to the border.
“After the logging will come huge oil palm plantations and even mining.
“Such massive developments in the name of economic progress will spell disaster for our ecosystem and environment.
“Already we in Sarawak are seeing increasing events of serious floods and severe erosion,” he said.
Earlier in January, Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan said the state government had forwarded requests to the federal government to help Sarawak open up the border regions.
“The move by Indonesia to relocate its capital city to Kalimantan will present tremendous opportunities for economic progress for Sarawak.
“Sarawak needs to open up its border with Kalimantan with more roads and build more immigration points now.
“We have presented Putrajaya with our plans for the Sarawak-Kalimantan border development plans,” he said in a press statement.
Tengah said he had attended a meeting in Putrajaya with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed on this subject during his visit to discuss matters on the Malaysia Agreement.
Tengah said he also spoke to Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili, who is Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Sabah and Sarawak Affairs.
“The new Indonesian capital in Kalimantan offers vast amounts of opportunities for business and industries in Sarawak to benefit from.
“We must build the infrastructure needed to link Sarawak with the rest of Kalimantan,” he said.
Indonesia is opening vast areas of Kalimantan not far from Sarawak’s border as part of its plans to relocate its capital city from Jakarta to Kalimantan within the next 20 years. – The Vibes, May 4, 2022
