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Spears vs Bulldozers in Borneo
Standing up to bulldozers and making headlines, the Penan tribe, who live in the Malaysian part of the island of Borneo, have been staging a dramatic protest against the logging companies and plantations threatening their traditional rainforest lands.
On July 30, Survival International reported on the Penan’s blockade of roads leading into the forest. Armed with spears and blowpipes, dozens of Penan demanded recognition of their land ownership rights, and an end to the operations of government-backed developers profiting from Penan land without the tribe’s consent.
Since the initial story broke, the protest has expanded to include twelve villages of Penan, reported Survival International as of August 24. The current front line has garnered attention from journalists, who were subsequently detained by police. It lies about 160km inland from the town of Miri, in the Eastern Malaysian state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo.
This story has also been picked up by al-Jazeera and Mongabay.
Posted By Marina France at 5:04pm on September 02, 2009
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