Logging operations by a timber company in the highly contested upper Baram region have been temporarily halted, marking a significant victory for the Indigenous Penan community of Sawa Ali, who have steadfastly resisted the company’s encroachment onto their ancestral lands.
After months of sustained resistance, community action and formal complaints, the Penan people can – for now – take a breather.
The halt follows an intense period of pressure during the recent holiday season, when residents of Sawa Ali faced escalating intimidation and threats linked to the company’s logging operations.
“This temporary halt shows that our resistance matters. We are standing firm to protect our land, our forests and our future,” said a Penan representative from Sawa Ali. “We will not accept violence, threats or the destruction of our ancestral territory.”
Since August 2024, Indigenous communities in the upper Baram have been confronting the company’s logging activities under a highly debated concession that threatens some of Sarawak’s last remaining primary rainforest.
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The licence has drawn widespread concern due to its environmental impact and the lack of free, prior and informed consent from affected Indigenous communities.
Penan representatives have filed multiple police reports documenting verbal abuse, physical intimidation, hate speech and defamation allegedly carried out in connection with the logging operations.
According to these reports, the situation has created a climate of fear and insecurity for villagers. Alarmingly, the company’s general manager is reported to have made allegedly hostile statements and threats directed at residents of Sawa Ali.
Despite these challenges, the Penan community has remained resolute. Through local resistance, legal action and formal complaints to the authorities, they have successfully disrupted logging operations and asserted their rights.
The people of Sawa Ali reiterate their demand that their customary lands be respected and that any activity in the area must comply fully with the principles of free, prior and informed consent.
While the current halt is temporary, it represents a clear message: Indigenous resistance is effective, and unlawful or unethical logging will not go unchallenged.
There is one remaining question that everyone is eager to know: are the natural resources and urban development minister and the Sarawak Forest director who issued the timber licence prepared to take responsibility should any untoward crime take place at the logging site? – Keruan/Save Rivers/Bruno Manser Fonds
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