Penan Violently Attacked As Communities Set Up Road Blockade To Protect Their Rainforests

There has been a violent attack on a Penan hunter by a logging company official at a timber road blockade in Sarawak, East Malaysia.

An official from a timber company subcontracted by the Malaysian Lee Ling timber group, Ah New, attacked a Penan named Aking Anung from Long Keneng yesterday. According to Penan, Aking avoided being hurt by running away. He lodged a police report in Limbang after Ah New attempted to attack him with a “parang” (bush knife).

A newly erected timber road blockade near a timber camp was the site of the incident at Long Sebayang in Upper Limbang in Sarawak. As a result, Penan, Lun Bawang, and Tabun natives formed a blockade to prevent Lee Ling from relogging their land and creating plantations.

A community statement asked people to spread the word about this news around the world. The Bruno Manser Fund urged Lee Ling to halt its violence and to respect Upper Limbang’s customary rights.

With its headquarters in Kuching, the state capital of Sarawak, Lee Ling Timber and Limba Jaya Timber are both part of the Lee Ling Group. A company that is listed on the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange is Quality Concrete Sdn Bhd., part of which is owned by the Tiang family. A member of the company’s Board of Directors is Taib Mahmud’s sister Raziah Mahmud, who is a sister of Taib.