http://brudirect.com/index.php/2011031042069/Local-News/students-lend-a-helping-71-at-paddy-harvesting.html
Students Lend A Helping 71 At Paddy Harvesting
Written by NYL
Friday, 11 March 2011 06:49
0ShareBandar Seri Begawan - Thirty-four student council members of Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Damit Girls Arabic Religious Secondary School (SUAMPRIPAD) recently joined the residents of Kampong Bekiau in a get-together to harvest paddy.
Organised jointly by the students' affairs body, co-curricular and sports and recreational units of the school, the programme was aimed to develop a sense of community and social responsibility amongst the participants while learning about the process of paddy planting.
The group, led by the head of Students Affairs, Ustazah Yati, binti haji Mohd Yusof, was briefed on the paddy planting and harvesting activities by the field owner, Awang Rahim bin Hj Idris; who later guided the teachers and pupils in harvesting `beras pusu'.
According to Awang Rahim, his family still practises the traditional method of growing rice, which is once a year. Since his farm is located in lowland swamp area, the suitable rice varieties grown there are bario, adan and pusu.
He also explained to them that the paddy planting cycle starts around August and September when the fields are prepared for planting. Around October, the rice from the nursery is transplanted and left to grow. Finally, between December and March, the rice grains are ready for harvest.
Later, the participants tried their hands at harvesting the ripe paddy. With the sun beating down on them it was hard work. Nevertheless, they felt a sense of satisfaction every time their takiding (rattan basket) was filled with paddy and had to be emptied.
For those who had never harvested paddy before in their lives, it was indeed a memorable and great learning experience . -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
Friday, March 11, 2011
Land in the balance
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/3/11/focus/8207863&sec=focus
Friday March 11, 2011
Land in the balance
By DATUK RANITA MOHD HUSSEIN
In the last decade, the indigenous peoples of Malaysia have been driven to unprecedented action on the streets and in the courts by the increasingly blatant takeover of their lands by third parties.
“Whenever there is a conflict between human rights and property rights, human rights must prevail” —Abraham Lincoln.
THE old man cried before the magistrate as he pleaded for the return of his land – land pledged as security to ensure his son’s attendance in court. The son had absconded and the land became liable to forfeit.
The land had been occupied and cultivated by his family for many years; he had surrendered the land title as security for the bond at his son’s urging and his wife’s pleas; and so to confiscate his land now would be to take away his heritage, his home and his only source of income.
The episode gave the young magistrate an early foretaste of the edge of despair that can accompany a claim to land and its subsequent loss.
Malaysia practises the Torrens System of land registration, devised in Australia in 1858.
The law sanctions private ownership, specifying forms of tenure, their benefits and rights. A title serves as a certificate of full, indefeasible, valid ownership.
Yet, in the evolution of land ownership, there was a time when private rights over land were unknown. There remain communities around the world where land rights are regarded as communal rights, as in the case of the indigenous peoples of Malaysia. Such customary tenure was not contemplated in the Torrens System.
The last 10 years have seen relentless action by the indigenous peoples of Malaysia in their fight for land rights. They were driven to unprecedented action on the streets and in the courts by the increasingly blatant takeover of their lands by third parties.
What, then, are the interests of the indigenous people over land?
In The Orang Asli and the UNDRIP: From Rhetoric to Recognition, authors Colin Nicholas, Jenita Engi and Teh Yen Ping say that customary land is “a living entity, with a spirituality and sacredness of its own” for the orang asli of Peninsular Malaysia.
“The land ... provides food, clothing, medicines, fuel and all materials necessary for their existence. The land is also the school house of their children and the resting place of their ancestors. It is the land ... which gives life and meaning to their whole being.
“Such a relationship goes beyond material and economic succour as it is inextricably linked with the orang asli’s ethos on the land. This ethos is described as representing ‘a quality of being and living which is integrated, humane and egalitarian. The attitude is to enjoy the fruits of the here and now without risking the next generation and to ensure continual enjoyment of scarce resources in a situation of relative plenty’.”
In East Malaysia, the land tenure customs of the Kelabit, Iban, and Penan and other native communities are an integral part of their community and their historical, cultural and religious traditions.
Universiti Malaya’s associate professor in law Dr Ramy Bulan says in Legal Perspectives in Native Customary Land Rights in Sarawak that these customs underpin the occupation of their lands, their territorial domains and their connection to their ancestral lands.
Important features include the maintenance of uncultivated jungle within their areas, its use for hunting, gathering food, and commemorating significant events and people.
Is our land system adequate to cater for the needs and requirements of the Indigenous Peoples?
In Peninsular Malaysia, The Aboriginal Peoples Act, 1954, provides for the gazette of aboriginal areas and aboriginal reserves. However, this status can, at any time, be revoked by the Government, sometimes without the knowledge of the orang asli.
To date, only 19,222.15ha out of the 127,698.54ha earmarked as aboriginal areas have been gazetted, note Nicholas, Engi and Teh.
Furthermore, orang asli rights relating to timber, sand, plants and fruits are frequently extracted by non-orang asli parties who encroach, purportedly with the permission of various government agencies.
In Sarawak, the Land Code 1958 provides for the recognition of native customary land. It also allows the indigenous people to claim ownership over lands which they have occupied and have exercised native customary rights (NCR).
However, the provisions of the Land Code and their implementation have not worked in their favour.
The Land Code only recognises the fact of settlement or cultivation as being sufficient occupation of land to enable a native to be issued NCR.
This means that natives who lead a largely nomadic existence are left out of the equation. Even when sufficient occupation is shown, slow and laborious implementation of the law defeats resolution of many claims.
The pre-requirement that claimed land be surveyed prior to issue of title can be a long, arduous and painful exercise.
Conversely, the provision in the law allowing easy grant of leases of unalienated land to third parties if they are within a development area, plus the provision empowering the minister to extinguish native customary rights should the land be required for a public purpose, have been used to grant rights for mining and timber extraction over native lands to disastrous effect.
To resolve their land claims, the indigenous peoples have resorted to the courts as seen in re Nor Nyawai (2006), re Adong (1998, 2005), re Sagong (2002) and re Madeli (2007).
The courts there gave clear recognition to native customs and tradition as evidencing the right of indigenous people over their land. It was also held that non-documentary native title constitutes a property right in and to the land.
Generally, these decisions challenge how Malaysian laws governing land matters and native customary rights have been drafted, construed or implemented.
A year ago, the National Land Council responded with a policy that effectively overrides customary land concepts and existing claims.
It purports to allocate land in peninsular Malaysia, totalling 50,000 hectares, to heads of orang asli households. Titles will not be issued until the land is planted with rubber or oil palm by authorised third parties and the plants reach maturity. Thereafter, the land cannot be transacted for 15 years.
In unveiling the 10th Malaysia Plan, the Prime Minister reiterated “The Government is ... considering to grant land titles to the orang asli and bumiputra of Sabah and Sarawak. This will enable them to benefit from integrated agricultural development programmes through the agropolitan and contract farming approaches.”
The Government’s policy has met with strong opposition from the orang asli who deplore the idea of being given land which already belongs to them, and for not being consulted over an issue that threatens to end their traditional ways.
What alternative is there?
An Asian Development Bank regional study on communal land rights found that the assumption made by many Asian governments that the introduction of private property and large-scale agriculture would improve the national economy and the standard of living of Indigenous Peoples have proved false in Sarawak.
It stated: “A ... land tenure system such as the Ibans’ can be more adaptable, efficient, and productive than a single land tenure system created out of the historical accident of European physiocracy. Thus, even if a government opts for a policy of individual land titles and freehold as the basis of a modern land tenure system, it can still consider how to build the new policy on the well-tested, community-based, traditional tenure systems.”
The question of indigenous peoples’ interests in land is not merely a tenure problem to be slotted within the Torrens System. The question embraces economic, social, cultural and spiritual dimensions that are rooted in basic human rights – not least of all, equality.
Undoubtedly, this approach will underlie Suhakam’s planned national inquiry on customary land issues this year.
As advocated by the Australian Human Rights Commission, “a non-discriminatory approach to protecting indigenous people’s inherent right to land must be adopted. This measures the extent to which the law permits indigenous property rights to be enjoyed against the extent to which the law permits the enjoyment of other property rights by all Australians.”
In the Malaysian context, the extent to which the law permits indigenous property rights to be enjoyed must ensure equal enjoyment of other fundamental rights available to all Malaysians under the Federal Constitution.
A review of current well-meaning government policy and effort is imperative to achieve this balance.
Datuk Ranita Mohd Hussein has served as Chief Parliamentary Draughtsman, adviser to Bank Negara and Suhakam commissioner. She was also a Judicial Commissioner in the High Court of Malaya and a former member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. She is on the Asia Pacific Forum’s Advisory Council of Jurists and is chair of the Securities Industry Dispute Resolution Centre here.
Friday March 11, 2011
Land in the balance
By DATUK RANITA MOHD HUSSEIN
In the last decade, the indigenous peoples of Malaysia have been driven to unprecedented action on the streets and in the courts by the increasingly blatant takeover of their lands by third parties.
“Whenever there is a conflict between human rights and property rights, human rights must prevail” —Abraham Lincoln.
THE old man cried before the magistrate as he pleaded for the return of his land – land pledged as security to ensure his son’s attendance in court. The son had absconded and the land became liable to forfeit.
The land had been occupied and cultivated by his family for many years; he had surrendered the land title as security for the bond at his son’s urging and his wife’s pleas; and so to confiscate his land now would be to take away his heritage, his home and his only source of income.
The episode gave the young magistrate an early foretaste of the edge of despair that can accompany a claim to land and its subsequent loss.
Malaysia practises the Torrens System of land registration, devised in Australia in 1858.
The law sanctions private ownership, specifying forms of tenure, their benefits and rights. A title serves as a certificate of full, indefeasible, valid ownership.
Yet, in the evolution of land ownership, there was a time when private rights over land were unknown. There remain communities around the world where land rights are regarded as communal rights, as in the case of the indigenous peoples of Malaysia. Such customary tenure was not contemplated in the Torrens System.
The last 10 years have seen relentless action by the indigenous peoples of Malaysia in their fight for land rights. They were driven to unprecedented action on the streets and in the courts by the increasingly blatant takeover of their lands by third parties.
What, then, are the interests of the indigenous people over land?
In The Orang Asli and the UNDRIP: From Rhetoric to Recognition, authors Colin Nicholas, Jenita Engi and Teh Yen Ping say that customary land is “a living entity, with a spirituality and sacredness of its own” for the orang asli of Peninsular Malaysia.
“The land ... provides food, clothing, medicines, fuel and all materials necessary for their existence. The land is also the school house of their children and the resting place of their ancestors. It is the land ... which gives life and meaning to their whole being.
“Such a relationship goes beyond material and economic succour as it is inextricably linked with the orang asli’s ethos on the land. This ethos is described as representing ‘a quality of being and living which is integrated, humane and egalitarian. The attitude is to enjoy the fruits of the here and now without risking the next generation and to ensure continual enjoyment of scarce resources in a situation of relative plenty’.”
In East Malaysia, the land tenure customs of the Kelabit, Iban, and Penan and other native communities are an integral part of their community and their historical, cultural and religious traditions.
Universiti Malaya’s associate professor in law Dr Ramy Bulan says in Legal Perspectives in Native Customary Land Rights in Sarawak that these customs underpin the occupation of their lands, their territorial domains and their connection to their ancestral lands.
Important features include the maintenance of uncultivated jungle within their areas, its use for hunting, gathering food, and commemorating significant events and people.
Is our land system adequate to cater for the needs and requirements of the Indigenous Peoples?
In Peninsular Malaysia, The Aboriginal Peoples Act, 1954, provides for the gazette of aboriginal areas and aboriginal reserves. However, this status can, at any time, be revoked by the Government, sometimes without the knowledge of the orang asli.
To date, only 19,222.15ha out of the 127,698.54ha earmarked as aboriginal areas have been gazetted, note Nicholas, Engi and Teh.
Furthermore, orang asli rights relating to timber, sand, plants and fruits are frequently extracted by non-orang asli parties who encroach, purportedly with the permission of various government agencies.
In Sarawak, the Land Code 1958 provides for the recognition of native customary land. It also allows the indigenous people to claim ownership over lands which they have occupied and have exercised native customary rights (NCR).
However, the provisions of the Land Code and their implementation have not worked in their favour.
The Land Code only recognises the fact of settlement or cultivation as being sufficient occupation of land to enable a native to be issued NCR.
This means that natives who lead a largely nomadic existence are left out of the equation. Even when sufficient occupation is shown, slow and laborious implementation of the law defeats resolution of many claims.
The pre-requirement that claimed land be surveyed prior to issue of title can be a long, arduous and painful exercise.
Conversely, the provision in the law allowing easy grant of leases of unalienated land to third parties if they are within a development area, plus the provision empowering the minister to extinguish native customary rights should the land be required for a public purpose, have been used to grant rights for mining and timber extraction over native lands to disastrous effect.
To resolve their land claims, the indigenous peoples have resorted to the courts as seen in re Nor Nyawai (2006), re Adong (1998, 2005), re Sagong (2002) and re Madeli (2007).
The courts there gave clear recognition to native customs and tradition as evidencing the right of indigenous people over their land. It was also held that non-documentary native title constitutes a property right in and to the land.
Generally, these decisions challenge how Malaysian laws governing land matters and native customary rights have been drafted, construed or implemented.
A year ago, the National Land Council responded with a policy that effectively overrides customary land concepts and existing claims.
It purports to allocate land in peninsular Malaysia, totalling 50,000 hectares, to heads of orang asli households. Titles will not be issued until the land is planted with rubber or oil palm by authorised third parties and the plants reach maturity. Thereafter, the land cannot be transacted for 15 years.
In unveiling the 10th Malaysia Plan, the Prime Minister reiterated “The Government is ... considering to grant land titles to the orang asli and bumiputra of Sabah and Sarawak. This will enable them to benefit from integrated agricultural development programmes through the agropolitan and contract farming approaches.”
The Government’s policy has met with strong opposition from the orang asli who deplore the idea of being given land which already belongs to them, and for not being consulted over an issue that threatens to end their traditional ways.
What alternative is there?
An Asian Development Bank regional study on communal land rights found that the assumption made by many Asian governments that the introduction of private property and large-scale agriculture would improve the national economy and the standard of living of Indigenous Peoples have proved false in Sarawak.
It stated: “A ... land tenure system such as the Ibans’ can be more adaptable, efficient, and productive than a single land tenure system created out of the historical accident of European physiocracy. Thus, even if a government opts for a policy of individual land titles and freehold as the basis of a modern land tenure system, it can still consider how to build the new policy on the well-tested, community-based, traditional tenure systems.”
The question of indigenous peoples’ interests in land is not merely a tenure problem to be slotted within the Torrens System. The question embraces economic, social, cultural and spiritual dimensions that are rooted in basic human rights – not least of all, equality.
Undoubtedly, this approach will underlie Suhakam’s planned national inquiry on customary land issues this year.
As advocated by the Australian Human Rights Commission, “a non-discriminatory approach to protecting indigenous people’s inherent right to land must be adopted. This measures the extent to which the law permits indigenous property rights to be enjoyed against the extent to which the law permits the enjoyment of other property rights by all Australians.”
In the Malaysian context, the extent to which the law permits indigenous property rights to be enjoyed must ensure equal enjoyment of other fundamental rights available to all Malaysians under the Federal Constitution.
A review of current well-meaning government policy and effort is imperative to achieve this balance.
Datuk Ranita Mohd Hussein has served as Chief Parliamentary Draughtsman, adviser to Bank Negara and Suhakam commissioner. She was also a Judicial Commissioner in the High Court of Malaya and a former member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. She is on the Asia Pacific Forum’s Advisory Council of Jurists and is chair of the Securities Industry Dispute Resolution Centre here.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Swiss NGO Links Los Angeles Killing to Timber Corruption in Malaysia
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2011/2011-03-09-01.html
Swiss NGO Links Los Angeles Killing to Timber Corruption in Malaysia
BASEL, Switzerland, March 9, 2011 (ENS)
Protests over timber corruption that has made a billionaire of the chief minister of the Malaysian state of Sarawak and enriched his family at the expense of the state's indigenous and other citizens have spilled over to the streets of San Francisco, Seattle, Ottawa and London.
A Swiss nonprofit organization is asking the law enforcement authorities in the United States to investigate what they allege is a murder on U.S. soil and illegally acquired assets stashed in the United States as well as other countries.
A logpond on Sarawak's Limbang River (Photo courtesy Bruno Manser Fund)
Sarawak stretches for over 750 kilometers (465 miles) along the northeast coast of the island of Borneo. Once blanketed with highland and lowland tropical rainforests, over the past 30 years the rainforests have disappeared, driven by the demands of the logging industry.
Malaysia's deforestation rate is increasing faster than anywhere else in the world, but until now, facts about the people and companies responsible for deforesting Sarawak have been shrouded in secrecy.
A new report released today by the Swiss Bruno Manser Fund exposes the Sarawak timber industry's complex structure and its links to Abdul Taib Mahmud, who has been Sarawak's Chief Minister since March 26, 1981. Elections will soon be held in Sarawak, likely within the next six weeks.
Abdul Taib Mahmud (Photo courtesy Bruno Manser Fund)
In February, the nonprofit Bruno Manser Fund launched an international campaign against what the group calls "the blatant corruption and abuse of public funds" by Taib and his family and political associates.
The organization, based in Basel, is named in honor of Swiss citizen Bruno Manser who disappeared in Sarawak while defending the rights of the indigenous nomadic Penan people. Manser was last seen in May 2000 in the isolated village of Bario, Sarawak; he was declared legally dead in 2005.
The new report, "Development of global timber tycoons in Sarawak, East Malaysia - History and company profiles," is authored by Daniel Faeh of the University of Bern's Economic Geography Group.
Faeh identifies "the specific politico-economic situation in Sarawak" as the main driver behind the state's rapid deforestation, particularly the fact that Chief Minister Taib, who is also minister of planning and resource management, "has absolute control over the allocation of timber licences and logging concessions to himself, his allies, friends and family."
"As a result," writes Faeh, "it is not surprising that the land claims of local indigenous groups have been systematically neglected."
For 30 years, indigenous people across Sarawak have been beaten, arrested, jailed and killed defending their traditional forest lands against forced development.
Today in San Francisco, anti-Taib demonstrators went to the Citibank branch at 260 California Street in the city center. The building is the seat of Taib's Sakti International Corporation, which used to be headed by the late Ross Boyert.
Ross Boyert (Photo courtesy BMF)
After having been dismissed by the Taibs, Boyert filed legal action against Sakti in a San Francisco court in early 2007.
Boyert, who administered the Taib family's U.S. properties for 12 years, was found dead last September in a Los Angeles hotel room with a plastic bag tied around his head.
In an interview with the London-based Sarawak Report given weeks before his death, Boyert said he and his family had been harassed and terrorized by Taib agents ever since he had filed the case.
The Bruno Manser Fund, together with an international NGO coalition against Taib timber corruption, is asking the U.S. authorities to freeze all Taib assets in the United States and to investigate Boyert's allegations against the Taibs and the circumstances of his death.
Anti-Taib demonstrators in front of the FBI's Northwest Regional Headquarters in Seattle, located in a building owned by Taib family members. (Photo courtesy BMF)
The Bruno Manser Fund says the Taib family "has profited immensely from the destructive logging of Sarawak's tropical rainforests and today has a stranglehold over the state's economy." Among the companies controlled by the Taibs are Achi Jaya, which has a monopoly on log exports.
The Swiss NGO and its supporters have published a list of Taib's "secret" foreign assets and are urging the governments of Australia, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, Hong Kong, Jersey, and the United Kingdom as well as Malaysia, to investigate the financial transactions of these 49 companies under their respective anti-corruption and anti-money-laundering legislations and to freeze all Taib family assets for later restitution to the people of Sarawak.
On March 3, anti-Taib protesters appeared in front of the Taib-owned Abraham Lincoln building in downtown Seattle, where the Northwestern Regional Headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, are located.
The Seattle property is held through Wallysons Inc. The Bruno Manser Fund says Wallysons' chairman is Taib's son, Sulaiman (Rahman) Taib, while Taib's Canadian son-in-law, Sean Murray, is its president.
The Bruno Manser Fund and its allies are asking the FBI to investigate the financial transactions of Wallysons and other Taib-controlled properties in the United States. When demonstrators attempted to enter the building to speak with FBI investigators, they were denied entry.
Anti-Taib demonstrators in Ottawa, Canada (Photo courtesy BMF)
On February 28, anti-Taib demonstrators appeared on the streets of Ottawa and London in an attempt to publicize what they called timber corruption and victimization of indigenous people in Sarawak.
The Bruno Manser Fund lodged a detailed complaint in June 2010 with Jeanne Flemming, director of Canada's Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre, FINTRAC, over the Canadian government's business ties with Taib family companies.
The complaint centers on the fact that 11 Ontario Government ministries are occupying offices at Sakto's Preston Square Tower III in Ottawa.
The Sakto Corporation, an Ottawa property developer, was founded in 1983 by Onn Mahmud, Taib's brother.
The Bruno Manser Fund alleges that the company's rapid development has been funded with illegal timber trade kickbacks channelled through two Hong Kong businesses.
FINTRAC has left the complaint unanswered.
In the report published Tuesday, Faeh writes that Sarawak's timber industry is more than a Malaysian issue - it is a cause for global concern.
In the late 1980s, Sarawak experienced one of the most rapid log clearances in Southeast Asia.
With these profits, timber groups from Sarawak such as Samling, Rimbunan Hijau, WTK, KTS, Shin Yang and Ta Ann accumulated capital which allowed them to expand their business operations all over the globe. They are now operating not only in Southeast Asia but also in Australia, Africa, Central and South America, Russia and the Pacific, the report states.
Faeh writes, "Their track records of diversification and internationalization, however, go hand in hand with the violation of human rights, political patronage and the destruction of the environment in their home country and many other parts of the world."
Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2011. All rights reserved.
Swiss NGO Links Los Angeles Killing to Timber Corruption in Malaysia
BASEL, Switzerland, March 9, 2011 (ENS)
Protests over timber corruption that has made a billionaire of the chief minister of the Malaysian state of Sarawak and enriched his family at the expense of the state's indigenous and other citizens have spilled over to the streets of San Francisco, Seattle, Ottawa and London.
A Swiss nonprofit organization is asking the law enforcement authorities in the United States to investigate what they allege is a murder on U.S. soil and illegally acquired assets stashed in the United States as well as other countries.
A logpond on Sarawak's Limbang River (Photo courtesy Bruno Manser Fund)
Sarawak stretches for over 750 kilometers (465 miles) along the northeast coast of the island of Borneo. Once blanketed with highland and lowland tropical rainforests, over the past 30 years the rainforests have disappeared, driven by the demands of the logging industry.
Malaysia's deforestation rate is increasing faster than anywhere else in the world, but until now, facts about the people and companies responsible for deforesting Sarawak have been shrouded in secrecy.
A new report released today by the Swiss Bruno Manser Fund exposes the Sarawak timber industry's complex structure and its links to Abdul Taib Mahmud, who has been Sarawak's Chief Minister since March 26, 1981. Elections will soon be held in Sarawak, likely within the next six weeks.
Abdul Taib Mahmud (Photo courtesy Bruno Manser Fund)
In February, the nonprofit Bruno Manser Fund launched an international campaign against what the group calls "the blatant corruption and abuse of public funds" by Taib and his family and political associates.
The organization, based in Basel, is named in honor of Swiss citizen Bruno Manser who disappeared in Sarawak while defending the rights of the indigenous nomadic Penan people. Manser was last seen in May 2000 in the isolated village of Bario, Sarawak; he was declared legally dead in 2005.
The new report, "Development of global timber tycoons in Sarawak, East Malaysia - History and company profiles," is authored by Daniel Faeh of the University of Bern's Economic Geography Group.
Faeh identifies "the specific politico-economic situation in Sarawak" as the main driver behind the state's rapid deforestation, particularly the fact that Chief Minister Taib, who is also minister of planning and resource management, "has absolute control over the allocation of timber licences and logging concessions to himself, his allies, friends and family."
"As a result," writes Faeh, "it is not surprising that the land claims of local indigenous groups have been systematically neglected."
For 30 years, indigenous people across Sarawak have been beaten, arrested, jailed and killed defending their traditional forest lands against forced development.
Today in San Francisco, anti-Taib demonstrators went to the Citibank branch at 260 California Street in the city center. The building is the seat of Taib's Sakti International Corporation, which used to be headed by the late Ross Boyert.
Ross Boyert (Photo courtesy BMF)
After having been dismissed by the Taibs, Boyert filed legal action against Sakti in a San Francisco court in early 2007.
Boyert, who administered the Taib family's U.S. properties for 12 years, was found dead last September in a Los Angeles hotel room with a plastic bag tied around his head.
In an interview with the London-based Sarawak Report given weeks before his death, Boyert said he and his family had been harassed and terrorized by Taib agents ever since he had filed the case.
The Bruno Manser Fund, together with an international NGO coalition against Taib timber corruption, is asking the U.S. authorities to freeze all Taib assets in the United States and to investigate Boyert's allegations against the Taibs and the circumstances of his death.
Anti-Taib demonstrators in front of the FBI's Northwest Regional Headquarters in Seattle, located in a building owned by Taib family members. (Photo courtesy BMF)
The Bruno Manser Fund says the Taib family "has profited immensely from the destructive logging of Sarawak's tropical rainforests and today has a stranglehold over the state's economy." Among the companies controlled by the Taibs are Achi Jaya, which has a monopoly on log exports.
The Swiss NGO and its supporters have published a list of Taib's "secret" foreign assets and are urging the governments of Australia, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, Hong Kong, Jersey, and the United Kingdom as well as Malaysia, to investigate the financial transactions of these 49 companies under their respective anti-corruption and anti-money-laundering legislations and to freeze all Taib family assets for later restitution to the people of Sarawak.
On March 3, anti-Taib protesters appeared in front of the Taib-owned Abraham Lincoln building in downtown Seattle, where the Northwestern Regional Headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, are located.
The Seattle property is held through Wallysons Inc. The Bruno Manser Fund says Wallysons' chairman is Taib's son, Sulaiman (Rahman) Taib, while Taib's Canadian son-in-law, Sean Murray, is its president.
The Bruno Manser Fund and its allies are asking the FBI to investigate the financial transactions of Wallysons and other Taib-controlled properties in the United States. When demonstrators attempted to enter the building to speak with FBI investigators, they were denied entry.
Anti-Taib demonstrators in Ottawa, Canada (Photo courtesy BMF)
On February 28, anti-Taib demonstrators appeared on the streets of Ottawa and London in an attempt to publicize what they called timber corruption and victimization of indigenous people in Sarawak.
The Bruno Manser Fund lodged a detailed complaint in June 2010 with Jeanne Flemming, director of Canada's Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre, FINTRAC, over the Canadian government's business ties with Taib family companies.
The complaint centers on the fact that 11 Ontario Government ministries are occupying offices at Sakto's Preston Square Tower III in Ottawa.
The Sakto Corporation, an Ottawa property developer, was founded in 1983 by Onn Mahmud, Taib's brother.
The Bruno Manser Fund alleges that the company's rapid development has been funded with illegal timber trade kickbacks channelled through two Hong Kong businesses.
FINTRAC has left the complaint unanswered.
In the report published Tuesday, Faeh writes that Sarawak's timber industry is more than a Malaysian issue - it is a cause for global concern.
In the late 1980s, Sarawak experienced one of the most rapid log clearances in Southeast Asia.
With these profits, timber groups from Sarawak such as Samling, Rimbunan Hijau, WTK, KTS, Shin Yang and Ta Ann accumulated capital which allowed them to expand their business operations all over the globe. They are now operating not only in Southeast Asia but also in Australia, Africa, Central and South America, Russia and the Pacific, the report states.
Faeh writes, "Their track records of diversification and internationalization, however, go hand in hand with the violation of human rights, political patronage and the destruction of the environment in their home country and many other parts of the world."
Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2011. All rights reserved.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Sarawak Natives File Historical Land Rights Case
http://www.world-wire.com/news/1103070002.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sarawak Natives File Historical Land Rights Case
Kelabit, Penan and Lun Bawang plaintiffs join forces to claim 1770 km2 of tropical rainforests in Upper Limbang, Sarawak – first land rights litigation uniting three ethnic groups in Malaysian Borneo
MIRI, MALAYSIA; March 7, 2011; --/WORLD-WIRE/--
For the first time in the history of Malaysia, natives from three different tribes have filed a joint land rights litigation. This morning, representatives from the Kelabit, Penan and Lun Bawang communities of Upper Limbang, Sarawak, on the island of Borneo have filed a joint land rights litigation at the Miri High Court in which they are claiming native customary rights over 1770 km2 of tropical forests in the Limbang river basin. The case is being represented by native rights lawyer Baru Bian who also heads the Sarawak branch of the oppositional Justice Party (PKR).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sarawak Natives File Historical Land Rights Case
Kelabit, Penan and Lun Bawang plaintiffs join forces to claim 1770 km2 of tropical rainforests in Upper Limbang, Sarawak – first land rights litigation uniting three ethnic groups in Malaysian Borneo
MIRI, MALAYSIA; March 7, 2011; --/WORLD-WIRE/--
For the first time in the history of Malaysia, natives from three different tribes have filed a joint land rights litigation. This morning, representatives from the Kelabit, Penan and Lun Bawang communities of Upper Limbang, Sarawak, on the island of Borneo have filed a joint land rights litigation at the Miri High Court in which they are claiming native customary rights over 1770 km2 of tropical forests in the Limbang river basin. The case is being represented by native rights lawyer Baru Bian who also heads the Sarawak branch of the oppositional Justice Party (PKR).
Map of the disputed forest land. 
Baru Bian with plaintiffs in front of the court where the case was filed.
The joint claim over an area twice the size of Singapore is directed against the Sarawak state government and four Malaysian logging and plantation companies that had been given concessions over the native lands without the communities’ consent. The companies listed as defendants are Ravenscourt Sdn Bhd, Billion Venture Sdn Bhd, Limba Jaya Timber Sdn Bhd and Kubang Sri Jaya Sdn Bhd. Ravenscourt is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Samling group which has recently been blacklisted by the Norwegian government for its involvement in illegal activities and environmentally destructive logging.
The Kelabit, Penan and Lun Bawang plaintiffs have been living in the Upper Limbang region for hundreds of years. Since the early 1980s, the region has been logged under a number of logging concessions. Currently, the area is being threatened by a major dam project on the Limbang river and the conversion of secondary forests into oil palm and paper tree plantations. All this while, the native communities had no say whatsoever on the use of their native lands by the Sarawak government and had only received ridiculous compensation payments by some logging companies who made millions of the dollars from logging the tropical hardwoods in the region.
After having lodged the case, representatives of the native communities displayed a banner in front of the Miri High Court building which read “Indigenous people taking action for change to save the last remaining Sarwak rainforest”. Currently, close to 200 native communities from Sarawak have challenged the state government over its land rights policies. The native land issue is also a heated subject during the runup to the next state election which is to be held before July 2011. - Ends –
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Thursday, March 3, 2011
Special Master Plan To Develop Remote Areas In Sarawak
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/state_news/news.php?id=568240&cat=sre
March 03, 2011 18:12 PM
Special Master Plan To Develop Remote Areas In Sarawak
BINTULU, March 3 (Bernama) -- The Sarawak government is drawing up special master plans to develop Hulu Baram and Kapit, two remote areas in the state, as tourist destinations, said Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, Thursday.
He said the master plans would focus on tourism based on culture and the environment in the areas concerned.
Rais said a special committee chaired by him would be formed to carry out a comprehensive study on the plans.
"The study would begin after the conclusion of the state election while implementation would start during the 10th Malaysia Plan period," he told reporters after opening a seminar on Development and Leadership for Community Leaders, here.
Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, Land Development Minister Datuk Seri Dr James Masing and Tourism Deputy Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit would be among the members of the special committee, he said.
Taib, who is also Sarawak Planning and Resource Management Minister, said community leaders in Hulu Baram and Kapit would also be absorbed into the committee.
He said the plans would benefit residents in the two areas which were lagging behind in terms of development compared to Sibu, Bintulu, Miri and Kuching.
He said both areas had unique cultural history as they were the earliest settlements for the Orang Ulu and Iban ethnic groups in Sarawak that could attract the tourists.
The benefits derived from the plans might not be felt in the early years of their development but would be enjoyed 20 years from now, he added.
-- BERNAMA
March 03, 2011 18:12 PM
Special Master Plan To Develop Remote Areas In Sarawak
BINTULU, March 3 (Bernama) -- The Sarawak government is drawing up special master plans to develop Hulu Baram and Kapit, two remote areas in the state, as tourist destinations, said Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, Thursday.
He said the master plans would focus on tourism based on culture and the environment in the areas concerned.
Rais said a special committee chaired by him would be formed to carry out a comprehensive study on the plans.
"The study would begin after the conclusion of the state election while implementation would start during the 10th Malaysia Plan period," he told reporters after opening a seminar on Development and Leadership for Community Leaders, here.
Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, Land Development Minister Datuk Seri Dr James Masing and Tourism Deputy Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit would be among the members of the special committee, he said.
Taib, who is also Sarawak Planning and Resource Management Minister, said community leaders in Hulu Baram and Kapit would also be absorbed into the committee.
He said the plans would benefit residents in the two areas which were lagging behind in terms of development compared to Sibu, Bintulu, Miri and Kuching.
He said both areas had unique cultural history as they were the earliest settlements for the Orang Ulu and Iban ethnic groups in Sarawak that could attract the tourists.
The benefits derived from the plans might not be felt in the early years of their development but would be enjoyed 20 years from now, he added.
-- BERNAMA
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Documenting the exploits of our unsung heroes
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=93651
Documenting the exploits of our unsung heroes
by Terry Justin Dit.
Posted on February 15, 2011, Tuesday
History has always been a passion of mine as it involves the study of events in the past, many of which had a huge impact on humanity.
In recent years, there has been a shift in the study of history. Not only are the roles played by illustrious politicians, scientists, generals, philosophers and other personalities in a historical time period examined; the contributions of common folk are now also increasingly given prominence.
The Second World War (1939-1945) was a momentous period in 20th century world history given its unprecedented global proportions and scale of conflict and destruction.
Borneo was not spared because of the strategic importance of its oilfields in Miri, Seria, Balikpapan and Tarakan. Indeed, it was amongst the first strategic targets for expansion by the invading Japanese.
While the coastal areas were easily overrun and then administered by the Japanese, the hinterland of Sarawak was a different matter. The sheer expanse and impenetrable nature of the virgin forests of Sarawak in the 1940s made it possible for some of Sarawak’s tribes to be isolated from the war and the Japanese administration.
It was this remoteness and isolation that attracted the attention of the Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD), also known as Z Special Unit or Z Force, an Australian special operations unit that included a small number of New Zealand and British personnel, as it lay the groundwork for the Allied re-occupation of northwest Borneo.
As it was free from Japanese patrols, the Allies planned to use Bario in the Kelabit Highlands as a training area for indigenous guerrillas as well as a staging point to harass and tie up the Japanese forces in Borneo.
Such activities contributed to the success of the Australian landings (codenamed Oboe 6) at Brunei Bay and Labuan in June 1945.
The brave exploits of these mixed teams of Europeans and indigenous tribesmen have been written about by several of the soldiers who commanded the various guerilla groups (codenamed Semut 1, Semut 2 and Semut 3).
But in spite of this, much is still unknown about their activities as the number of official documents and reports pertaining to the SRD available to the public in archives are scant due to the clandestine nature of SRD operations during the war.
An ongoing project of mine is to document the contributions of the indigenous members of the Semut guerilla groups to the Allied cause during the war. While the exploits of the European members of Semut have been widely documented and publicised, the experiences and recollections of the indigenous tribesmen from various communities such as the Iban, Kayan, Kelabit, Kenyah and Penan have not been formally documented at all.
There is a compelling need to record their stories as many are very advanced in age, and sadly, many have already left us. Since only a few of them can read, let alone write their own stories, their histories are largely oral histories.
Oral histories are stories that living individuals tell about their past, or about the past of others. To avoid Sarawak losing an important chapter of her history and to provide a balanced account of an important event in our country’s history, it is imperative that the exploits of these men are properly recorded and documented so that future generations will learn and treasure the sacrifices of our Sarawakian heroes.
Since the project is ongoing, I seek assistance from the public, especially those with elderly relatives who participated in the Semut teams, to contribute to this project. Here is the chance to record and document what was truly an important event (the Second World War) through the perspectives of an indigenous person.
• Terry Justin Dit is a lecturer in the School of Foundation and Continuing Studies at Curtin Sarawak. He wrote his theses on ‘British Counterinsurgency Operations in Malaya and Borneo’ and ‘Maritime Piracy in East Asia, 1990-2000’. He currently teaches Borneo Studies and 20th Century World History at the university. Terry can be contacted on 085-443939 extension 3209.
Documenting the exploits of our unsung heroes
by Terry Justin Dit.
Posted on February 15, 2011, Tuesday
History has always been a passion of mine as it involves the study of events in the past, many of which had a huge impact on humanity.
In recent years, there has been a shift in the study of history. Not only are the roles played by illustrious politicians, scientists, generals, philosophers and other personalities in a historical time period examined; the contributions of common folk are now also increasingly given prominence.
The Second World War (1939-1945) was a momentous period in 20th century world history given its unprecedented global proportions and scale of conflict and destruction.
Borneo was not spared because of the strategic importance of its oilfields in Miri, Seria, Balikpapan and Tarakan. Indeed, it was amongst the first strategic targets for expansion by the invading Japanese.
While the coastal areas were easily overrun and then administered by the Japanese, the hinterland of Sarawak was a different matter. The sheer expanse and impenetrable nature of the virgin forests of Sarawak in the 1940s made it possible for some of Sarawak’s tribes to be isolated from the war and the Japanese administration.
It was this remoteness and isolation that attracted the attention of the Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD), also known as Z Special Unit or Z Force, an Australian special operations unit that included a small number of New Zealand and British personnel, as it lay the groundwork for the Allied re-occupation of northwest Borneo.
As it was free from Japanese patrols, the Allies planned to use Bario in the Kelabit Highlands as a training area for indigenous guerrillas as well as a staging point to harass and tie up the Japanese forces in Borneo.
Such activities contributed to the success of the Australian landings (codenamed Oboe 6) at Brunei Bay and Labuan in June 1945.
The brave exploits of these mixed teams of Europeans and indigenous tribesmen have been written about by several of the soldiers who commanded the various guerilla groups (codenamed Semut 1, Semut 2 and Semut 3).
But in spite of this, much is still unknown about their activities as the number of official documents and reports pertaining to the SRD available to the public in archives are scant due to the clandestine nature of SRD operations during the war.
An ongoing project of mine is to document the contributions of the indigenous members of the Semut guerilla groups to the Allied cause during the war. While the exploits of the European members of Semut have been widely documented and publicised, the experiences and recollections of the indigenous tribesmen from various communities such as the Iban, Kayan, Kelabit, Kenyah and Penan have not been formally documented at all.
There is a compelling need to record their stories as many are very advanced in age, and sadly, many have already left us. Since only a few of them can read, let alone write their own stories, their histories are largely oral histories.
Oral histories are stories that living individuals tell about their past, or about the past of others. To avoid Sarawak losing an important chapter of her history and to provide a balanced account of an important event in our country’s history, it is imperative that the exploits of these men are properly recorded and documented so that future generations will learn and treasure the sacrifices of our Sarawakian heroes.
Since the project is ongoing, I seek assistance from the public, especially those with elderly relatives who participated in the Semut teams, to contribute to this project. Here is the chance to record and document what was truly an important event (the Second World War) through the perspectives of an indigenous person.
• Terry Justin Dit is a lecturer in the School of Foundation and Continuing Studies at Curtin Sarawak. He wrote his theses on ‘British Counterinsurgency Operations in Malaya and Borneo’ and ‘Maritime Piracy in East Asia, 1990-2000’. He currently teaches Borneo Studies and 20th Century World History at the university. Terry can be contacted on 085-443939 extension 3209.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
More flights will boost tourist arrivals – STF
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=91556
More flights will boost tourist arrivals – STF
by Peter Sibon
Posted on February 5, 2011, Saturday
PHOTO: FOR THE ALBUM: (From left) Former STF president Dato Wee Hong Seng, AirAsia CEO Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes and Audry on a visit to Kuching. STF participated in talks with AirAsia aimed at bringing more flights to and from Kuching.
PHOTO: LOVELY COUPLE: Audry and husband Justin Bersales after she was conferred the Ahli Bintang Sarawak (ABS) by the Governor of Sarawak in June 2010.
KUCHING: The tourism industry was hard hit by the recent global recession and Sarawak was not spared by it.
However, efforts are made by various bodies, notably Sarawak Tourism Federation (STF) and other stakeholders, to lure more tourists to the state.
The following is the excerpt from an interview with the president of STF Audry Wan Ullok.
BP: How did the local tourism sector perform last year?
Audry: According to statistics of visitor arrivals from the state Immigration Department, as at the end of October 2010 foreign visitors’ arrival in Sarawak has decreased slightly but domestic visitors’ arrival (especially from Sabah) has increased by 0.8 per cent. The final figures till the end of December 2010 are being compiled now.
BP: What were some of the problems/challenges faced by tourism players last year?
Audry: This would probably be a combination of various factors – such as increased competitiveness of other destinations especially in the Asia Pacific region, and to add to that the global financial crisis has not helped much.
BP: How do you see the tourism industry performing this year?
Audry: The tourism industry is optimistic and we expect tourist arrival figures to pick up this year. With the increased flights from Peninsula Malaysia (via Firefly) and from North Asia (via MAS to Japan and South Korea), the tourism industry is excited with the better prospects.
We understand that there is also a possibility of some charter flights coming into the state, as what is currently happening in Sabah. All these are still in very early and preliminary discussions, but it is something which will be good for the tourism industry.
BP: Is air connectivity still the major problem faced by the local
tourism industry?
Audry: We are thankful for the new flights to Kuching from KLIA (via Firefly – four flights a day), which I understand received very good response, and will definitely help to boost domestic tourism (from Peninsular Malaysia).
Also, Air Asia has about 10 flights a day between KL and Kuching, MAS has about eight flights a day between KL and Kuching.
In addition, there are daily flights from Singapore to Kuching by Air Asia, MAS, Tiger Airways and Silk Air.
This month has also seen the new connecting flight between Kuching (via KK) and Japan (Tokyo and Osaka) and South Korea (Seoul and Haneda). It is still too early to comment but we are hopeful that with Sarawak Tourism Board’s (STB) continued marketing of Sarawak in North Asia, visitors’ arrival will pick up over the next few months.
We are hoping for more flights to international destinations such as Hong Kong, Jakarta, Bangkok, Denpasar and selected destinations in Australia.
BP: What is your opinion about the possibility of the revival of Feri Malaysia which was introduced in the 90’s but subsequently scrapped due to uneconomic viability?
Audry: This is good news for Sarawak because it means more choice of travel options for tourists coming into Sarawak.
Inbound agents, tourist attractions and local restaurants have welcomed the arrival of tourists on cruise liners in the past couple of months.
As to the economic viability, I would not be able to comment on that. But I am sure that the companies or individuals who have invested in this cruise line business (Feri Malaysia) would have calculated and studied their risks and gains very thoroughly before investing and embarking on it.
BP: What are some of our new tourism products that can make Sarawak high on the wanted list by foreign tourists?
Audry: Our members are continually coming up with new products, for example a new 5-star, boutique and budget hotels which are up and running; there are many new food outlets in Kuching; the Mulu National Park is upgrading with new accommodation; we have the brand new Borneo Convention Centre, there are new caving, trekking and adventure tours around Kuching area. One such new attraction is the hot spring at Kampung Anah Rais in Padawan.
BP: In your opinion, do you think our tourist guides need better training?
Audry: Tourist guides need to be continually updated and keep up with new developments such as new attractions etc. Having said this, the Sarawak Tourist Guides Association, under the able leadership of president Abang Azahari is continually organising courses to upgrade and update the knowledge of their guides.
And recently, STF and UCSI with support of the State Ministry of Tourism and Heritage jointly organised and conducted basic Japanese and Korean language classes for local tourist guides, considering the increased arrivals of tourists from Japan and Korea.
We have also confirmed starting French elementary language classes in mid February 2011 and soon the German language classes. This will equip our local guides to better understand and handle our foreign tourists.
BP: What makes Sarawak lag behind Sabah in terms of tourism industry?
Audry: We have many differences with Sabah, but we also share many things in common with Sabah, and our respective state ministries and state tourism promotion boards have taken the initiative to conduct joint meetings and exchange views on common problems.
BP: Has our homestay programme been successful? If yes how? And if not, why?
Audry: The homestay programme in Sarawak is still in its infancy stage; as such much has to be done to educate those who are in the homestay business on standards of accommodation and food, especially when it involves tourists from very different cultures and backgrounds.
There has been a certain degree of success in homestays but some negative feedback we have received from homestay operators have been on the urgent need to improve the infrastructure, facilities and signage in certain areas or villages operating homestays, the lack of promotion and exposure of homestays especially for bookings via Internet and a lack of cultural experience for tourists.
BP: Please share with us your vision for Sarawak’s tourism industry?
Audry: I can only speak on behalf of the Sarawak Tourism Federation. STF represents the interest of its component members (through associations), with consideration for the other stakeholders in the tourism industry (i.e. the Ministry of Tourism and Heritage Sarawak, the Sarawak Tourism Board, the Federal Ministry of Tourism).
We sincerely hope to have greater involvement by our respective members. What greater role STF can do is up to each one of us. Of course the bottom-line for all who invest in the industry is for more tourist arrivals, better returns from their businesses (be it hotels, travel agencies, food outlets, taxi operators, handicraft outlets etc).
There is still much to be done to steer the industry to greater heights as the tourism industry is perceived to be mainly private sector driven.
Having said that, tourism stakeholders must be open minded to adapt to changing global trends and maintain high standards in our tourism products and service delivery.
It is also essential for businesses of today to be competitive by staying connected with their partners and the rest of the world via efficient connectivity.
And for this, we are completely dependent on good broadband access. We do encourage members to sell online. STF is also working hard currently to get a common consensus among tourism players to make things happen and play our part together with the government to benefit Sarawak’s tourism industry.
More flights will boost tourist arrivals – STF
by Peter Sibon
Posted on February 5, 2011, Saturday
PHOTO: FOR THE ALBUM: (From left) Former STF president Dato Wee Hong Seng, AirAsia CEO Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes and Audry on a visit to Kuching. STF participated in talks with AirAsia aimed at bringing more flights to and from Kuching.
PHOTO: LOVELY COUPLE: Audry and husband Justin Bersales after she was conferred the Ahli Bintang Sarawak (ABS) by the Governor of Sarawak in June 2010.
KUCHING: The tourism industry was hard hit by the recent global recession and Sarawak was not spared by it.
However, efforts are made by various bodies, notably Sarawak Tourism Federation (STF) and other stakeholders, to lure more tourists to the state.
The following is the excerpt from an interview with the president of STF Audry Wan Ullok.
BP: How did the local tourism sector perform last year?
Audry: According to statistics of visitor arrivals from the state Immigration Department, as at the end of October 2010 foreign visitors’ arrival in Sarawak has decreased slightly but domestic visitors’ arrival (especially from Sabah) has increased by 0.8 per cent. The final figures till the end of December 2010 are being compiled now.
BP: What were some of the problems/challenges faced by tourism players last year?
Audry: This would probably be a combination of various factors – such as increased competitiveness of other destinations especially in the Asia Pacific region, and to add to that the global financial crisis has not helped much.
BP: How do you see the tourism industry performing this year?
Audry: The tourism industry is optimistic and we expect tourist arrival figures to pick up this year. With the increased flights from Peninsula Malaysia (via Firefly) and from North Asia (via MAS to Japan and South Korea), the tourism industry is excited with the better prospects.
We understand that there is also a possibility of some charter flights coming into the state, as what is currently happening in Sabah. All these are still in very early and preliminary discussions, but it is something which will be good for the tourism industry.
BP: Is air connectivity still the major problem faced by the local
tourism industry?
Audry: We are thankful for the new flights to Kuching from KLIA (via Firefly – four flights a day), which I understand received very good response, and will definitely help to boost domestic tourism (from Peninsular Malaysia).
Also, Air Asia has about 10 flights a day between KL and Kuching, MAS has about eight flights a day between KL and Kuching.
In addition, there are daily flights from Singapore to Kuching by Air Asia, MAS, Tiger Airways and Silk Air.
This month has also seen the new connecting flight between Kuching (via KK) and Japan (Tokyo and Osaka) and South Korea (Seoul and Haneda). It is still too early to comment but we are hopeful that with Sarawak Tourism Board’s (STB) continued marketing of Sarawak in North Asia, visitors’ arrival will pick up over the next few months.
We are hoping for more flights to international destinations such as Hong Kong, Jakarta, Bangkok, Denpasar and selected destinations in Australia.
BP: What is your opinion about the possibility of the revival of Feri Malaysia which was introduced in the 90’s but subsequently scrapped due to uneconomic viability?
Audry: This is good news for Sarawak because it means more choice of travel options for tourists coming into Sarawak.
Inbound agents, tourist attractions and local restaurants have welcomed the arrival of tourists on cruise liners in the past couple of months.
As to the economic viability, I would not be able to comment on that. But I am sure that the companies or individuals who have invested in this cruise line business (Feri Malaysia) would have calculated and studied their risks and gains very thoroughly before investing and embarking on it.
BP: What are some of our new tourism products that can make Sarawak high on the wanted list by foreign tourists?
Audry: Our members are continually coming up with new products, for example a new 5-star, boutique and budget hotels which are up and running; there are many new food outlets in Kuching; the Mulu National Park is upgrading with new accommodation; we have the brand new Borneo Convention Centre, there are new caving, trekking and adventure tours around Kuching area. One such new attraction is the hot spring at Kampung Anah Rais in Padawan.
BP: In your opinion, do you think our tourist guides need better training?
Audry: Tourist guides need to be continually updated and keep up with new developments such as new attractions etc. Having said this, the Sarawak Tourist Guides Association, under the able leadership of president Abang Azahari is continually organising courses to upgrade and update the knowledge of their guides.
And recently, STF and UCSI with support of the State Ministry of Tourism and Heritage jointly organised and conducted basic Japanese and Korean language classes for local tourist guides, considering the increased arrivals of tourists from Japan and Korea.
We have also confirmed starting French elementary language classes in mid February 2011 and soon the German language classes. This will equip our local guides to better understand and handle our foreign tourists.
BP: What makes Sarawak lag behind Sabah in terms of tourism industry?
Audry: We have many differences with Sabah, but we also share many things in common with Sabah, and our respective state ministries and state tourism promotion boards have taken the initiative to conduct joint meetings and exchange views on common problems.
BP: Has our homestay programme been successful? If yes how? And if not, why?
Audry: The homestay programme in Sarawak is still in its infancy stage; as such much has to be done to educate those who are in the homestay business on standards of accommodation and food, especially when it involves tourists from very different cultures and backgrounds.
There has been a certain degree of success in homestays but some negative feedback we have received from homestay operators have been on the urgent need to improve the infrastructure, facilities and signage in certain areas or villages operating homestays, the lack of promotion and exposure of homestays especially for bookings via Internet and a lack of cultural experience for tourists.
BP: Please share with us your vision for Sarawak’s tourism industry?
Audry: I can only speak on behalf of the Sarawak Tourism Federation. STF represents the interest of its component members (through associations), with consideration for the other stakeholders in the tourism industry (i.e. the Ministry of Tourism and Heritage Sarawak, the Sarawak Tourism Board, the Federal Ministry of Tourism).
We sincerely hope to have greater involvement by our respective members. What greater role STF can do is up to each one of us. Of course the bottom-line for all who invest in the industry is for more tourist arrivals, better returns from their businesses (be it hotels, travel agencies, food outlets, taxi operators, handicraft outlets etc).
There is still much to be done to steer the industry to greater heights as the tourism industry is perceived to be mainly private sector driven.
Having said that, tourism stakeholders must be open minded to adapt to changing global trends and maintain high standards in our tourism products and service delivery.
It is also essential for businesses of today to be competitive by staying connected with their partners and the rest of the world via efficient connectivity.
And for this, we are completely dependent on good broadband access. We do encourage members to sell online. STF is also working hard currently to get a common consensus among tourism players to make things happen and play our part together with the government to benefit Sarawak’s tourism industry.
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