KUALA LUMPUR , Malaysia - A group of 150 people made up of indigenous groups from Sabah, Sarawak and all across Peninsular
Malaysia marched in solidarity in front of the Suria KLCC shopping mall yesterday
morning.
The objective of the match is to persuade ASEAN Power Week delegates who were
meeting inside, against investing in more large hydro power dams and
associated facilities by Sarawak Energy Bhd and Tenaga Nasional Bhd.
The protestors marched through the park, chanting slogans and
holding up banners.
The march was endorsed by 33 concerned organisations and individuals
including SUARAM (Suara Rakyat Malaysia) and SAM (Sahabat Alam
Malaysia).
Besides bringing attention to the displacement of the Orang Asal(indigenous people) when
dams were built, the protest was to send home the message that
investors stood the risk of “becoming complicit in violating the
constitutional rights to property and life of affected families,
environmental crimes and unethical business practices.”
Speaking to the press, Thomas Jalong of the Indigenous Peoples
Network said, “Mega-dams violate fundamental human rights by forcing
indigenous peoples off their customary lands and into resettlement sites
where people experience deplorable conditions of impoverishment,
joblessness and hunger.”
Among those facing a bleak future of being displaced was Jeffry bin Hassan from a village called Pos Lanai.
Telling reporters his village was in danger of being demolished to
make way for the dam construction, Jeffry said, “Forcing us to move from
our customary land is akin to destroying us as a people.
“For us, as Indigenous People, we depend on our ancestral land for
our livelihood, sustenance and spirituality and it is therefore
essential to our well-being and identity.”
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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