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, 31 January 2001 - attachment 4
Press Release
Along Segah, Penan chief of the upper reaches of the Limbang River, speaks about Bruno's disappearance and the situation of the nomads
Person: Along Segah and son
Resident of: Ulu Limbang, Baa Nyakit
Relationship: Chief of the nomads, reason for Bruno's
visit, participated in search operation
Site of interview: Ulu Baram
Date: 20.12.2000
I beg permission to speak from all who are listening now: I am Along Segah, who you are looking for because of the disappearance of Bruno Manser, the Penan man. I speak for all Penan nomads in Sarawak.
We have a poor life in our forest reserve. It is our reserve but if I leave the forest for only two weeks the company comes in straight away and starts logging in our reserve. But we, my wife and my children, already have great difficulties to survive, as the reserve is already too small. .
I now ask you: where shall I then live when my reserve has been destroyed? Because we have no other place to live and know no other life, important people like the Penan man (Bruno Manser) have have committed themselves to protecting our forest reserves. If, however, the logging companies encroach on our reserves from all sides, where does land remain for us? What shall we live off?
These are our problems, this is why I speak like this to you. What do you advise us to do?
When you say, "Stay in your forest reserve, you can still live off it. Even if the Company has encircled you in your land, we will do everything we can to help you, to protect the reserve". If this is your advice and you will continue to help and support us, then I believe that my life will go on in this little forest which they have left us.
As to the search for Bruno, I must say that we do not know anymore what to do. If one asks later, "Did Along search here and there?" then we have to reply, "We do not know where Bruno is, we do not know whether it is right to break off the search. We have combed our territories at the source of the Limbang River and the area below Batu Lawi, without success. We have not climbed to the top of Batu Lawi, we cannot do that. If he fell or something happened to him on Batu Lawi, then we cannot clear that up ourselves. But we have searched within our native territory, within our reserves, this is what I, Along Segah, hereby declare.
Alongs Son
Concerning the search for our Great man (Laki Jaau, Bruno Manser, comment of BMF): we have searched through all areas below Batu Lawi, I was there myself. But we could find nothing, Bruno did not appear. We have searched with our whole hearts, and we have asked ourselves many questions about what could have happened. I myself have organised a search up to the foot of Batu Lawi, without success. Unfortunately I cannot take part in the expedition, I am still ill from a snakebite.
Now we are all sad and have heavy hearts, our life will become even more difficult. For who will now help us, give us advice which we can understand, as Bruno has always done?