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Defending Territories, Defending Our Lives

  • Publication Date | December 10, 2019
  • Document Type | Media Statement
  • Programmes | Development & Planning
  • Issues | General, Land Rights
  • Tags | EHRD, Environmental Human Rights Defenders, International Human Rights Day, Territories
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Today, on International Human Rights Day, Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific (FoE Asia Pacific) launches its latest publication, Defending Territories, Defending Our Lives – a grim reminder that everyday, somewhere on this planet, environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs) are being threatened, defamed, assaulted or murdered for defending their territories. This publication highlights seven (7) case studies from Friends of the Earth member groups in this region which show, in some cases, the extreme conditions that environmental human rights defenders are living in to defend themselves, their families and the territories in which they live.

In Bangladesh, villagers living in Khulna, part of the Sundarbans have been repressed for raising their concerns on the construction of the Rampal Coal Power Plant which sits within the largest mangrove forest in the world. The proposal to build a high speed rail track from Bandung to Jakarta in Indonesia has resulted in many villagers losing their homes. The initial land acquisition process has been marred by intimidation and manipulation by local officials, ignoring the genuine participation of local landowners.

Meanwhile in Malaysia, fisher communities are losing their fishing territory to a large sea reclamation project in Penang. They are on the brink of losing their livelihood forever and marine life would be destroyed. In Palestine, communities living in Hebron city are suffering from nuclear radiation contamination as a result of the dumping of nuclear waste by Israel.

While in Russia, state owned transnational company Rosatom is actively exporting deadly technologies like nuclear to many countries around the world, despite the countless nuclear related disasters and errors that remain unresolved. Those who criticise Rosatom are threatened with charges of espionage and labelled as foreign agents.

In Sri Lanka it is now completely illegal to protest against the highly polluting garbage dumps that many local communities across the country are so concerned about. Finally, in the Philippines, which had the highest number of extra judicial killings in the Asia Pacific region – 39 assassinated in 2018 alone-, coffee growing companies are wresting away fertile land from indigenous peoples, threatening, harassing and murdering community leaders in the process.

These cases are a reflection of the dominant neoliberal economic paradigm that is generating increasing inequality, hunger, loss of democracy, devastation of territories and livelihoods, destructive climate change, biodiversity loss, land-grabbing, and increasing corporate human rights abuse.

The current neoliberal system exploits people for profit and facilitates corporate impunity, resulting in violence towards those who are standing up to economic and political power. To stop this violence over the long term we must change this system. We need to create sustainable societies and new relations between human beings, and between human beings and nature, based on equality and reciprocity. But to create these societies and assert people’s rights we need to increase people’s power.

For us, this means transforming our economic, food and energy systems based on genuine, radical and just democracies centred around people’s sovereignty and participation.

Governments and international institutions can no longer ignore the growing voices of discontent amongst communities and activists who are in one way or another defenders of territories, struggling to defend their lives, livelihoods and the right to live in a clean and healthy environment on a planet where those with the power are constantly putting profits before people and the environment.

Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific repeats its clarion call that the protection of the environment and environmental human rights defenders is a responsibility of states and the international community. We call for an end to the corporate plunder of community resources, and end to attacks on environmental human rights defenders, and an end to the impunity of government and corporations in environmental destruction and human rights violations.

Our new report can be downloaded at:  https://foeasiapacific.org/portfolio/defending-territories-defending-our-lives-protecting-human-rights-and-the-environment-in-asia-pacific-through-system-change/ 

Watch the interviews with Rizwana Hasan (FoE Bangladesh), Vitaly Servetnik (FoE Russia) Abeer Butmeh (FoE Palestine) on the repressions against EHRDs: https://foeasiapacific.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/apac4.mp4 

For further information, please contact:

Theiva Lingam

FoE Asia Pacific Regional Facilitator

Email: apacrf@gmail.com

Emma Harvey

FoE Asia Pacific Communications Coordinator

Email: emma.harvey@foe.org.au

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Testimonials

Sahabat Alam Malaysia adalah satu badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang telah sekian lama berjuang mempertahan kelestarian alam. Ia juga mendidik masyarakat tentang pentingnya kebersamaan dalam pemikiran dan tindakan agar alam ini dapat kita wariskan kepada generasi hadapan dalam keadaan yang elok dan terpelihara. Dalam pada itu juga SAM giat membantu golongan nelayan pantai dalam memperjuangkan hak-hak mereka sehinggalah tertubuhnya Persatuan Pendidikan dan Kebajikan Nelayan Pantai Malaysia (JARING). Nelayan pantai sepenuh masa ini dididik oleh SAM sehingga mereka mampu memainkan peranan sebagai pemimpin nelayan yang meneruskan kesinambungan memperjuangkan hak-hak nelayan pantai lainnya. Sebagai contoh SAM telah berjaya menyedarkan masyarakat nelayan keperluan menjaga hutan paya bakau untuk kebaikan hasil tangkapan nelayan itu sendiri.
Jamaluddin Mohamad Bualik
Jamaluddin Mohamad BualikPersatuan Pendidikan dan Kebajikan Jaringan Nelayan Pantai Malaysia (JARING)
During the 1980s, I used to read about the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) in the news. After retirement, some time in 2001, while lazing around, I read news about the construction of a carbon in leach plant using sodium cyanide to extract gold in Bukit Koman. My friends and I visited CAP and we were introduced to SAM and her legal team. We discussed the details of filing a case against the gold mining company and the department of environment with Ms Meenakshi Raman and her legal team. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between lawyers from SAM and many of us from Bukit Koman. We had many ups and downs in our struggle to shut down the gold mine that was causing a nuisance in our village. But, as a community we never gave up because SAM had our backs.
Hue Fui How
Hue Fui HowSecretary, Bukit Koman Ban Cyanide in Goldmining Action Committee (BCAC)
Sahabat Alam Malaysia adalah sebuah NGO yang memperjuangkan nasib masyarakat luar bandar khasnya. SAM menerima aduan-aduan masyarakat dan menyelesaikan masalah yang dihadapi. SAM telah mewujudkan ramai aktivis-aktivis sosial dan alam sekitar. Pada era 1980 dan 90an SAM sangat dihormati oleh masyarakat dan agensi kerajaan. Apabila media sosial menguasai maklumat maka SAM pun terkesan dan masalah masyarakat terus disalurkan dengan pelbagai cara. SAM perlu mewujudkan aktivis-aktivis pelapis yang muda untuk terus membantu masyarakat. SAM juga perlu membuat perubahan supaya banyak turun kelapangan dan jangan mengharapkan laporan media sahaja. Tingkatkan prestasi sebagaimana pada zaman kegemilangan SAM di era 80-90an.
Che Ani Mt Zain
Che Ani Mt Zain
SAM taught me the importance of social activism and the role it plays in upholding the rights of people and the protection of the environment. In my experience, SAM has never hesitated to speak up in defence of people and their environment, and has gone the extra mile to champion their rights, by helping communities take their battles to the higher ups and even to the courts.
Jessica Binwani
Jessica BinwaniPublic/Private Interest Lawyer
Semenjak kami kenal SAM, banyak pengalaman dan pengetahuan yg kami dapat. Kami telah belajar cara membuat baja asli daripada SAM. Semenjak itu, bermulalah minat kami dalam aktiviti pertanian. Dengan memperolehi kemahiran dalam membuat baja asli dan penanaman lestari, kami juga telah dapat menambahkan pendapatan sampingan kami. Ini lebih baik daripada tanah kami terbiar dan tidak diusahakan. Terima kasih SAM kerana sudi memberi bantuan dan tunjuk ajar kepada Persatuan kami.
Chedo Anak Nyuwen
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My journey with SAM started when her community organisers took me to the meet the paddy farmers of Kedah, connecting my growing interest in environmental law with our people who struggle to work the land in the face of pollution, replacement of traditional seeds with commercial hybrids and their accompanying chemical package of fertilisers and weedicides. I then had the honour to work with SAM in the struggle for the rights of the native communities of Sarawak, in defence of their forests from massive logging and destructive mega-projects. In every issue that SAM takes up, she combines rigorous research with the realities and voices of the communities to advocate for policies and laws that care for people and nature. From the courts to the elected legislators to policy makers and implementers and to the United Nations, SAM walks side by side with the communities in Malaysia. How can I not be inspired by the vision and passion of the generations of women and men who coalesce to form SAM?
Chee Yoke Ling
Chee Yoke Lingstudent of SAM, Executive Director of Third World Network, SAM’s sister organisation

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Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Headquarters)
No. 1, Jalan Joki,
11400 Penang,
Malaysia
Tel: +604 827 6930
Fax: +604 827 6932

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129A, First Floor,
Jalan Tuanku Taha,
P.O.Box 216,
98058 Marudi,
Baram, Sarawak,
Malaysia
Tel & Fax: +6085 758 973

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Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Headquarters)
No. 1, Jalan Joki, 11400 Penang,
Malaysia
Tel: +604 827 6930
Fax: +604 827 6932

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Marudi Office)
129A, First Floor,
Jalan Tuanku Taha,
P.O.Box 216,
98058 Marudi, Baram, Sarawak,
Malaysia
Tel & Fax: +6085 758 973

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