Bruno Manser Fonds
Heuberg 25
4051 Basel
Switzerland
phone +41 61 261 94 74
fax +41 61 261 94 73
updated 2001-01-31
Basel, January 21th, 2001
Press Release
High-ranking Malaysian general visits Switzerland
the Bruno-Manser-Fonds (BMF, Society for the Peoples of the Rainforest) expressly requests the Swiss Federal Department for Defense, Population Security and Sports (Departement für Verteidigung, Bevölkerungsschutz und Sport, VBS) to officially discuss: the disappearance of the Swiss environmental and human rights activist Bruno Manser in Sarawak/Malaysia, the creation of a Biosphere Reserve and the manner in which the Penan and other indigenous peoples are being treated by the Malaysian military.
Look also at clarification from January 26th, 2001
Basel/Zurich Airport - On Sunday morning, 21.01.2001, the Chief supreme commander of the Malaysian land forces, General Dato Seri Mohd Hashim bin Hussein arrived in Switzerland with Malaysian Airlines flight MH10 at 06:07 CET. The Malaysian delegation was met at the Unique Zurich Airport by Colonel Kellerhals and two other high-ranking Swiss officers.
When the Bruno-Manser-Fonds (BMF) heard of the visit, kept strictly confidential by Malaysia as well as by Switzerland, 6 BMF activists, accompanied by Bruno`s sister Monika Manser, also awaited the arrival of the general and his staff:
Holding banners, they demanded that the officers:
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The members of the delegation refused to accept the letters of appeal prepared for this occasion and eluded a discussion.
The BMF has sent these appeals per EXPRESS mail to the head of the VBS with the urgent demand to treat the issues officially on the occasion of this meeting, lasting several days. The EDA (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs), the Malaysian ambassador responsible for Switzerland residing in Berlin as well as the Malaysian Ambassador to the UN in Geneva have also received copies of the appeals.
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Bruno - Manser - Fonds Letter of Request: Biosphere-reserve for the Penan Attention of Malaysian General Dato Seri Mohd Hashim
bin Hussein Airport Zurich-Kloten, January 21, 2001 Dear Mr. General Dato' On a number of occasions over the last fifteen years, the government of Sarawak has publicly announced its promise to set aside substantial areas of land as the exclusive reserve of the Penan people. Only such RESERVES/BIOSPHERE-RESERVES/SPECIAL FORESTS FOR PENAN would enable the Penans the freedom to live according to their customs and traditions as long as they want to do so. These often-repeated promises - which are backed up by the Malaysian Federal Government - have yet to be fulfilled. As representative of the Malaysian Federal Government we request you to do your utmost and take all measures needed to immediately establish the long-time promised biosphere-reserve for all Penans still living a nomadic lifestyle or a semi-settled lifestyle. The reserves have to be large enough to permit them to continue their hunting and gathering, to live in dignity, and to enjoy self-determination. Furthermore we request you, as representative of the Federal Malaysian Government to protect and respect the Native Customary (Land-)Rights of all natives of Sarawak and to ban all commercial logging and other environmentally destructive activities in areas, claimed by nomadic Penans as well as the semi-settled Penans as territories they inhabit since time immemorial. In territories claimed by Penan as their ancestral lands all commercial logging and other environmentally destructive activities have to be stopped immediately until their legal claims are treated by the official bodies properly according to Malaysian constitution, law and order. We wish you a pleasant journey through Switzerland, the home-country of Mr. Bruno Manser - the special envoy for the Penan over many years - and appeal to you, as a special envoy for Malaysia, to guarantee the safety of Mr. Bruno Manser, who is missing in Sarawak/Malaysia since May 2000. the Petitioners are sincerely yours, Bruno-Manser-Fonds, John Künzli and the Society for the Peoples of the Rainforest Bruno Mansers Family, Monika Niederberger The Penan of Sarawak |
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APPEAL-LETTER to the Malaysian Army Attention of Malaysian Army respresentative Zurich Airport, January 21th, 2001 Dear General Dato' and Malaysian Army We appeal to you and the Malaysian Army to guarantee the safety of Swiss humanrights- and environmental activist and special envoy for the Penan of Sarawak for many years, Mr Bruno Manser, who is missing in Sarawak since May 2000. As a high representative of the Malaysian Army, we appeal to you to prevent any military and paramilitary actions against the Penan people of Sarawak and against any natives of Sarawak and Malaysia and to stop to safe guard the timber workers. In the past, police, police field force and paramilitary-units have intimidated and threatened Malaysian citizens. The Malaysian authorities have been using helicopters against the Penan of Sarawak and even tear-gas has been used against the Penan of Sarawak, causing severe health problems and the death of 4-year old Sonny. We appeal to you, General, to prevent such actions against Malaysian citizens and to take the appeals, petitions and requests of the natives of Sarawak and Malaysia serious. Thank you very much - the Petitioners Bruno-Manser-Fonds, Society for the Peoples of
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