SAVE Rivers

(GENEVA, SWITZERLAND) Environmental activists from Switzerland and Malaysia have gathered today at lunch time in front of the UN seat at Geneva’s Place des Nations to protest against plans to construct twelve hydroelectrical dams in the Malaysian state of Sarawak on Borneo. Following the rally in Geneva, the Malaysian representative to the UN was given a petition with 6000 signatures from Swiss citizens calling for Malaysia to halt the dam plans. The Geneva action followed a similar protest held yesterday by indigenous communities in Sarawak, Malaysia, to mark the International Action Day for Rivers of March 14th. Worldwide, over 100 actions happened in more than 40 countries. In a press statement, the Bruno Manser Fund sharply criticized the lack of transparency of the Malaysian dam plans which will cause the forced displacement of tens of thousands of indigenous people and will irreversibly destroy hundreds of square kilometers of tropical forests. “These dam plans am...

                  For immediate release March 14, 2012 Activists Protest Greenwashing of Dams at World Water Forum Call for Compliance with the World's Highest Standards Marseille, France – Activists created a living river and inflated a large dam in central Marseille today against the corporate greenwashing of dams at this week's 6 th World Water Forum in Marseille, France. The colourful manifestation of over 100 protestors from China, Turkey, Brazil, Vietnam, France, and others called attention to how dams are destr...

For Immediate Release 13 March 2012 SAVE Rivers Network joins international community in celebrating International Day of Action for Rivers MIRI – The Save Sarawak’s Rivers Network (SAVE Rivers) gathered at the Miri Civic Centre today to witness the ongoing SUHAKAM National Public Inquiry on Land and at the same time to celebrate the International Day of Action for Rivers together with the international community around the world which falls tomorrow, March 14. March 14 is the International Day of Action for Rivers and against dams. Every year, thousands of people around the world lift their voices to celebrate the world's rivers and those who struggle to protect them. The International Day of Action for Rivers is a day to celebrate victories such as dam removal and river restoration. It is a day to take to the streets, demonstrate and demand improvements in the policies and practices of decision makers. It is a day to educate one another about the threats f...

Environmental activists want Malaysia to stop building 12 more hydroelectric dams. The government says the dams are crucial for generating much needed power. However, critics say existing dams already produce more than enough electricity. Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports from Sarawak in eastern Malaysia.

(KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA) Jacob Dungau Sagan, Malaysia's controversial Deputy Minister for International Trade and Industry, denies having 'betrayed' his constituents for multi-million ringgit worth of timber concessions in return for him supporting the MYR 4billion (USD 1.3billion) Baram dam in his parliamentary constituency in Sarawak, Borneo. In an article published today by The Star, Malaysia's largest english-speaking newspaper, Sagan said he was studying the allegations against him but "would not reply in public". He also said he would "reply to the accusations in detail at a proper time" after having consulted his lawyers. "These accusations are the work of certain politicians who are collaborating with non-governmental organisations to tarnish me". Sagan had come under fire last week after the whistleblower website, Sarawak Report, published official records showing that the politician, his wife and daughter were t...

MIRI – Save Sarawak’s Rivers Network (SAVE Rivers) doubts that the Iban communities in Baleh are aware what more be receptive to the proposed Baleh Hydro-electric Power (HEP) Dam as claimed by the Iban community leader, Temenggong Datuk Kenneth Kanyan as reported in the Borneo Post dated 29 February 2012. From the mega-dams conference organised two weeks ago by SAVE Rivers, four participants from Baleh clearly stated that they were not fully aware about the proposed dam project and have registered their objection to it. From SAVE Rivers’ research, the residents of Nanga Antawau, Baleh are only aware that the Baleh Dam Access road is going to be build through their village and not much information was given by the authorities about the pros and cons of the proposed dam. Furthermore, the feasibility studies are still ongoing and the State Government has yet to approve its construction. SAVE Rivers would like to ask Temenggong Datuk Kenneth Kanyan whether: there i...

(KUCHING, SARAWAK / MALAYSIA) Dema Tega Sdn Bhd, a construction company owned by the family of the Malaysian Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry, Jacob Dungau Sagan, has received public contracts worth over 63 million Malaysian Ringgits (USD 20 million) over the last five years. This has been disclosed by the Bruno Manser Fund today. According to the Swiss NGO, more than half of the projects are connected to a rural water supply system funded by Malaysia's Federal Government and commissioned by the Public Works Department of Sarawak, Malaysia's largest state on the island of Borneo. Jacob Dungau Sagan, a native Kenyah MP from Sarawak's interior, is a staunch supporter of the 1,000 MW Baram dam, one of twelve major dam projects in Sarawak. It is believed that corruption is the main motive behind Jacob's support for the controversial project that would drown 26 villages in his constituency and force 20,000 indigenous people to give up their n...