Skip to main content
LONG AJENG, Sarawak, Malaysia, November 29, 2009 (ENS) - They are calling it the Penan Peace Park, but a new rainforest reserve proclaimed by indigenous Penan communities on their native lands in the Malaysian state of Sarawak is likely to be the focus of conflict.

With the proclamation of the park on the island of Borneo, 17 Penan communities are challenging the Sarawak state government that has given away these lands to a logging company.

Vote for Cultural Survival to win $15,000 worth of Free Range Studios services, helping us to do more on the Web to defend Indigenous Peoples' endangered lands, languages, cultures, and environments.

The chair of the Philippine Commission on Human Rights has spoken out against the OceanGold mine construction that is threatening Indigenous residents of Didipio—the focus of a Cultural Survival Global Response campaign. “It’s time to put an end to this,” said Leila M. De Lima. The ongoing conflict escalated into violence when more than 100 Philippine National Police officers used teargas and truncheons to break up a human barricade on October 1, 2009.

Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President 
Republic of the Philippines 
Malacanang Palace 
JP Laurel Street, San Miguel 
Manila 1005 PHILIPPINES 
Fax: +63 2 736 1010 
E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph 
 
Atty. Eugenio A. Insigne, Chairman  
National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) 
2nd Floor N. dela Merced Building, 
Cor. West and Quezon Avenues, 
Quezon City, Metro Manila, PHILIPPINES 

There is still a chance to stop the Didipio mine before operations begin and the worst environmental effects are felt. Before mine waste can flood their valley, the Didipio Earth Savers Association wants to generate a flood of international letters to convince the government to recognize their rights and stop the mine.

Subscribe to Lands, Resources, and Environments