BMF - Letter to Chief Minister of Sarawak

Bruno Manser Fonds
Heuberg 25
4051 Basel
Switzerland
phone +41 61 261 94 74
fax +41 61 261 94 73

updated 2001-01-31

Sarawak, 23rd November 2000

Letter to Chief Minister of Sarawak

Concerning the promised reservation for the Penan: Please sign the enclosed letter and send it to the given addressee, directly, and a copy to the Council of Europe.
Thank you.

For more information look at the message of 17 Penan leaders

Please copy and send this sample letter.
Also available as RTF document for editing with your favorite word processing application.

Sender:

Y.B. Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Haji
Abdul Taib Mahmud
Chief Minister of Sarawak
Pejabat Ketua Menteri Sarawak
Tingkat 22, Wisma Bapa Malaysia
Petra Jaya
93503 Kuching - Sarawak / Malaysia

Fax +6082 - 443 422/444 023/441 677

Place/Date:

Biosphere-Reserve for the Penan - Your Promises

Your Excellency

The world knows you as a great visionary, as a person with a sense of responsibility and foresight who has but the best of intentions for the coming generations. As a son of Sarawak you know the exact concerns and problems of the indigenous peoples. Since 1987 you have promised several times that the territories which the Penan inhabit traditionally for generations will be protected.

We entreat you now to keep your word as a honest statesman and to fulfil and implement the promises of the government concerning the gazetted Penan reserves.

The Penan are calling for their land rights. They are protesting against the logging of their forest, against the destruction of the territory, which their livelihood, their culture and identity depend on. They have been struggling for their rights for 20 years, although the Native Customary Rights (NCR) of the indigenous peoples of Sarawak are guaranteed under Malaysian law.

Your Excellency, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, it is all in your hands - listen to the voices of the weakest in your country:

Revoke immediately all logging licences for the areas which the government have promised to the Penan since 1987 as preserves.
Freeze immediately all logging licences for all areas which are being claimed by the Penan until the relevant authorities have settled these claims definitely.
We urge you to guarantee and respect the rights of all indigenous peoples of Sarawak. The right to self-determination is an inalienable human right, valid for all people regardless of their origin or religion.

The Penan and Bruno Manser also have a vision: a biosphere-reserve of sufficient size, so that the Penan can maintain their traditional way of life, as long as they want to do so. As you know, this project has gained wide international support (e.g. by Switzerland, USA, The World Bank). The time is ripe, the climate has changed, politically, economically, and above all meteorologically.

Finally, we request you to guarantee the safety of Mr. Bruno Manser, who is missing in Sarawak since may.

Your Excellency, Datuk Patinggi Abdul Taib Mahmud, this is a historical opportunity - we beg you to make use of it! If you do not act immediately as a true father of the people, your vision for Sarawak will turn into a nightmare for Sarawak. Your life's work will enter history as a work of destruction. Please listen to your heart - for the Penan, for Malaysia and for the whole world.

Sincerely

cc: Council of Europe, North-South Centre, Avenida da Liberdade 229-4°, 1250-142 Lisbon (Portugal). Fax +351 21/353 13 29; e-mail info@nscentre.org

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