This is an interview with Nyaru Bete, the Chairperson of the Batu Bungan Action Committee on the encroachment of a company called Radiant Lagoon onto their their native customary land. This Penan community from Batu Bungan, Mulu, Sarawak told SAM that some time in January/February 2019 an oil palm project had encroached into their native customary territory next to the Gunung Mulu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To stop this encroachment, the village constructed a blockade and made a police report. Unfortunately, the blockade was destroyed by the workers constructing the road to the oil palm plantation. The community was recently called for a discussion by the company and the state government. The community’s demand to the government is that their customary territory should be left untouched forever. The interview is in Bahasa Malaysia.

In Memoriam – Trade Unionist Balakrishnan Nadeson
On 11.01.2023, we lost one of our very own former staff, Balakrishnan Nadeson, who succumbed to his illness. Balakrishnan, or rather Union Bala as we