Bulletin Issue 8 – January 1998

In WRM Bulletin nr. 3 (8/8/97) we informed about a megaproject of industrial tree plantations in Eastern Cape province of South Africa by Malaysian forestry companies. The activities of the Malaysian in Africa continues, also in the logging sector. In September 1997 Innovest Bhd began logging in a 3,360 km2 concession in the southwest of Congo-Brazzaville. The company, that holds 92% of the shares of the Congolese subsidiary Innovest Congo SA, is planning to cut 100,000 m3 of timber each year. Menawhile another Malaysian company -Timber Industries Bhd- has purchased a timber concession of 10,000 km2 in a primary forest of the Okano River basin in Gabon. 300,000 m3 of timber, especially okoumé and ozigo, will be cut annually.

It seems that problems for the Dayak people in Central Kalimatan do not cease. While they are still suffering the consequences of this year's enormous forest fires, the mega-project launched by President Suharto at the beginning of 1996 to convert around 1.5 million hectares of peat swamp forests into rice-fields keeps on going, in spite of the local and international protests, and of the recommendations made two months ago by the EIA carried out in the area.

Brazilian NGOs FASE and IBASE, the National Commission for the Environment of CUT (Brazilian Workers Union), Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, addressed a letter to the Federal Government expressing their doubts about the promise made by President Fernando Henrique Cardozo during his visit to the UK last December, to guarantee the protection of 10% of the Brazilian forests until year 2000. The organizations demand effective measures to protect the Mata Atlantica and the Amazon.

For the first time in Brazilian history the Federal Government has been condemned by the Court to pay a compensation to the Panara -also called Krenhakarore- indigenous people of Mato Grosso because of the damages and deaths suffered as a consequence of interethnic contacts. The Panara were forced to abandon their lands, which were to be crossed by the new highway Cuiaba-Santarem, and reestablished at Xingu National Park. In the period 1973-1976 a total of 186 persons died of influenza, diarrhoea and other illnesses. In 1996 the Panara succeeded in coming back to their home land, even if it was already dramatically modified by urban and "garimpeiros" expansion. The Instituto Socioambiental of Brazil represented the Panara at Court. Source: Parabolicas nr. 35, December 1997.

Rainforest Action Network (RAN), Amazon Watch and Project Underground remain deeply concerned about Shell's activities in the Peruvian Amazon and have decided not to participate in the workshops organized by the company to discuss the Camisea Project that took place in Washington DC on December 12 and in London on December 15. In a letter sent to Shell, they express that this forum was not structured in a way in which constructive dialogue is possible, since the current process remains a discussion on how to proceed with gas development in Camisea, as opposed to any consideration of whether or not this is a sound project from a development, energy policy, environmental, or cultural perspective.

Shell is planning to start prospecting activities for oil exploitation at Pañacocha-Tiputini, located at the Cuyabeno Faunistic Reserve and the Yasuni National Park. The latter was declared World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and hosts ancestral indigenous communities and a variety of wildlife. It is a unique place for the pink dolphins, some varieties of tropical parrots (guamacayos), several species of monkeys and other mammals. Accion Ecologica calls the attention on the menace that Shell activities means for this region and expresses its determination to fight against it. Source: Gloria Chicaiza, Oil Campaign, Accion Ecologica.

Rainforest extended over most of ancient Burma, but deforestation now affects two-thirds of the country’s forests. The Kanchanabury Conservation Group and 11 conservation human rights groups and their allies are threatening to close off the forest to prevent the controversial Thai-Burma gas pipeline being built through it. The groups involved claim that this controversial project, undertaken by the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT), has infringed the rights of locals -since no consultation has been realized- and will damage natural resources. In fact, national parks status for the section in Sai Yok National Park, through which the 260 Km pipeline will pass, was revoked last October. Two weeks later, the PTT started laying the pipeline in the area.

Freeport, a huge US-based mining company that operates in Indonesia, owns the Grasberg gold mine in Irian Jaya, the biggest open-pit gold mine in the world. This mine is producing a significatively negative environmental impact both on the water courses and on the forests of Irian Jaya. Ajkwa River -into which Freeport dumps 125,000 tons of rock waste every day- was considered by the provincial environmental bureau in April 1997 as not filling the required public health standards because of contamination from mining waste. Already in 1996 very high levels of contamination by mercury had been found according to an independient analysis performed by PT Sucofindo. Cyanide and arsenic contamination is also likely to exist.

The alliance between UPM-Kymmene of Finland and APRIL of Singapore to develop jointly their respective fine paper operations in Europe and Asia has been severely criticized by environmental and human rights groups (see WRM Bulletin nr. 6). A letter, whose text is included below, was addressed to the owners and managers of UPM-Kymmene and APRIL, as well as to the Finnish press as a part of a campaign aimed to stop the alliance. Friends of the Earth-Finland has also compiled an Internet page on the UPM-Kymmene/April case. The page includes documents and links to the company sites as well as relevant links to related topics such as forests fires, human rights and labour union concerns. The text of the letter follows:

In a letter signed by Aviva Imhof -Mekong Program Coordinator of International Rivers Network (IRN)- as a response to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) regarding the Sekong-Se San and Nam Theun River Basins Hydropower Development Study, IRN has expressed once again its concern on these megaprojects for Laos. IRN considers that the ADB should focus its attention on identifying and quantifying the impacts of existing or already committed projects, and on evaluating their economic returns to the Government of the host country, rather than proposing yet more dams for the region.

In 1991 the World Bank adopted a forest policy that resulted from a process of extensive consultation with the international NGO community. One of the main points of this policy was that it bans direct funding for logging in primary forests. These represent only 20% of the forest cover of the Planet and are to be found in the Amazon, Canada’s Pacific Northwest and the taiga in Siberia. As a request of the Bank’s Board, the policy was to be reviewed three years after its entry into force, but this period proved to be too short for a complete review. The review has not been accomplished yet. Nevertheless, some parties within the Bank are promoting a change in the present policy without any evaluation of its results.

In the last issue of our Bulletin we informed about the events of December in Sarawak. Enyang ak Gendung who was shot by the police while protesting peacefully, died in hospital from his injuries on 24 December 1997, after five days in coma under intensive care. A postmortem performed three days later revealed a bullet lodged inside his head. Enyang ak Gendung was married with three children, aged between seven and 17 years. Rolly ak Sylvester, who is a 13-year-old child, and Tingom ak Rangking were released from police custody on 23 December. The remaining detainees were released six days later. Even if no charges have been laid against any members of the group, all are due to appear at Miri Magistrate's Court on 22 January 1998.

The Malaysian Ministry of Economic Affairs has announced an increase in pulpwood plantations throughout Malaysia, Sarawak included. At present, an area of 10,000 hectares is occupied by tree plantations in Sarawak and it is increasing as in other regions of the country. While in the past most of the tree plantations were established by the State, at present private companies are becoming more and more involved. The role of the State is changing: Dr. Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud -Sarawak’s Chief Minister- has recently announced that “a part” of the 64,000 km2 forest reserve will be declassified and this land will be devoted to tree plantations. The intention of transforming Malaysia into one of the most important world producers of cellulose seems to be a relevant factor in this policy.

As a response to the violents events of last December in Sarawak (see WRM Bulletin nr. 7) faxes were sent to political, Policy and Justice authorities of Sarawak and Malaysia expressing our concern for the arrest and shooting of Iban natives that resulted in the death of one of them, and the violation of their custommary land rights. We appealed to conduct and inmediate and fair investigation on these facts that would lead to the punishment of this offence against Iban engaged in peaceful protests, and to make sure that Native Customary Rights are definitevely respected. We ask to send faxes/telegrams/letters before 22 January (the day when the Iban will have to appear at the Magistrate's Courts):

The main trade union of Aracruz Celulose (SINTICEL) has a project to monitor the pulpmill's effluents. The union is convinced than the company is tampering the results of the chemical analysis of its effluents, thus subjecting the whole community to health hazards and impacting on the ecosystem. SINTICEL has the technical capacity to establish its own laboratory to carry out the chemical analysis of effluents, but lacks the financial resources to do so. If anyone can make any suggestions on possible funding sources for such project, please get in contact with SINTICEL's president Joaquim Artur Duarte Branco (Artur) .