FRIENDS OF THE EARTH ASIA PACIFIC
Voices is FoE APac’s monthly newsletter which features the work of Friends of the Earth member groups in Asia. The word Voices has been translated into the different languages of this region to represent the diversity of this region.
PENGON bridges communication through new initiative
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Roundtable Discussion on Indigenous Peoples in Philippines
Permanent Forest Reserve destroyed in Malaysia
목소리 SUARA 声 وات$$ أصক" හඬ LIAN आवाज ГОЛОСА TINIG KRAI VOICES
from FoE Asia Pacific
KFEM staff together with MIGHTY at the Burning Paradise launch. Picture: KFEM
Saving Papua’s rainforests South Korea – The Korean Federation for Environmental Movements (KFEM) together with US based environmental campaign group Mighty and Indonesian humanitarian organisations SKP-Kame Merauke and PUSAKA, as well as Rainforest Foundation Norway and Transport & Environment, recently released a new report called Burning Paradise. The report revealed new satellite, photographic and video evidence of massive deforestation and illegal burning of pristine rainforest for the opening up of oil palm plantations by the Korean-Indonesian corporation “Korindo” in the Indonesian
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“Korindo is giving Korea a shameful reputation around the world,” says Choony Kim, K F E M ’ s International Cooperation Specialist
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provinces of Papua and North Maluku. “Korindo is giving Korea a shameful reputation around the world,” said Choony Kim, International Cooperation Specialist with the KFEM. “Korean companies should respect customary rights of local communities and adhere to the environmental laws of the countries in which they are operating,” she added. This report prompted the Indonesian government to launch a major investigation that received widespread coverage. KFEM organised numerous activities including a speaking and media tour, activists rally, meetings with government officials, civil society organisations and Picture: KFEM related companies for Mighty team members. These activities were widely reported in several major Korean news outlets including SisaIN, Kyung Huang News, Newsis, Korea IT Times and Munhwa Journal. This campaign to end deforestation has proven that sustainability concerns are rising steadily across Asia. Now, more governments should come forward to end deforestation. To read the Burning Paradise report in full, access it here: http:// www.mightyearth.org/BurningParadise/ This article has been edited from the original written by Hye Lyn Kim for KFEM.
Replace excised forest reserve
The felled timber in Segari Melintang. Picture: SAM
Malaysia - Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) recently issued a press statement urging the state government of Perak (one of 9 states in Peninsular Malaysia) to stop the destruction of the Segari Melintang Forest Reserve (FR) and to re-gazette the area as a Permanent Reserved Forest or replace the destroyed areas under Section 12 of the National Forestry Act 1984.
SAM made this call in response to the Perak Chief Minister’s statement in the media on whether the State Government was wrong for excising part of the Segari Melintang FR for the purpose of developing public housing.
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SNIPPETS Asia Pacific’s 1st School of Sustainability This will be held in Indonesia in November parallel to the BGM if funding is confirmed. There will be 1 representative per country from the APac region. The content for the sessions are currently being discussed. ———————————-
Fo o d S ove re i g n t y Programme • Member groups who have not submitted their agro ecology questionnaires, are required to do so urgently as the programme coordinators are waiting to complete the map. • As part of the FSP workplan, the region has to complete a fact sheet prior to the BGM. FSP steering group members will be contacting you soon. ———————————
Bi Annual General Meeting (BGM) Registration for the BGM is closed and all participants should receive notice from the International Secretariat whether funding is available. Please contact your regional facilitator if you have not received any notice. ———————————-
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SAM pointed out that it was not about right or wrong but rather compliance with existing policies and regulations. “The excision of part of Segari Melintang FR contravened physical planning, namely the Manjung District Local Plan 2030 which declared the land-use of the area as forests and Permanent Reserved Forest,” said S.M.Mohamed Idris, president of SAM. The excision was also in conflict with the National Forestry Policy 1978 (Amendment 1992) and the main Corporate Strategy of the Perak State Forestry Department, which was to maintain the area as a Permanent Reserved Forest and also to increase the area of forest reserves. The original area of Segari Melintang FR covered more than 4,000 hectares but the current area is about 2,720.79 hectares only (not including the recent excision). SAM did not deny the power of the State Authority to excise either in part or the entire Permanent Reserved Forest, but if the justification was in the interest of development and economic growth, it was not impossible in the future that such areas would also be exploited. The full statement can be accessed here: http://www.foe-malaysia.org/ destruction_and_excision_of_part_of_segari_melintang_forest_reserve_sam_s_response_to_perak_menteri_be sar This article was contributed by Theiva Lingam on behalf of SAM.
FoE Philippines kickstarts RTD series Philippines – A Roundtable Discussion Series with the theme, "Indigenous Peoples and Rural Poor Communities: Asserting Rights & Self Determination Amidst Current Challenges and Opportunities" was organised by LRC-KSK (FoE Philippines) recently at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. More than 50 LRC representatives, allies and partners attended this event which served as a platform for open, critical and thought-provoking discussions on issues with regard to the recognition and respect for the rights of indigenous peoples and rural poor communities. Timuay Santos Unsad, a Teduray Leader, representing The two-day event tackled two topics on IP rights to selfTimuay Justice and Governance (TJG), sharing their determination and climate justice and climate vulnerable IP community’s experience influencing the NCIP and other communities. All participants, speakers and guests from government institutions. Picture: LRC-KSK government agencies provided rich exchange of ideas and discourse. Among the key takeaways from the event include the call for the improvement of the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA), the review and restructuring of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and the further inclusion of IP groups in national discussions on climate justice for climate vulnerable communities.
Participants expressed their commitment to work together and sought support from LRC to continue the collective action for self-determination and for IP groups’ participation in national discussions. Norly Grace Mercado, the new LRC-KSK Executive Director assured that the RTD series was the first step towards the organisation’s strategic planning process. She assured partners and allies that the agreements and discussions in the event will be considered in the formulation of LRC-KSK future activities and programs. This article has been edited from the original written by Dominic Ramirez of LRC-KSK.
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Green Line and Green Boxes launched in Palestine Palestine - PENGON (FoE Palestine) recently launched a new initiative called the green line and green boxes in 11 of the main municipalities in West Bank. The aims of this initiative are to strengthen the accountability and transparency between the local community and the municipalities in the environmental field, and promote communication between civil society and decision-makers on environmental issues. This initiative targeted 11 municipalities in the West Bank, where the green boxes were circulated to enable people to submit their problems on the environment in order for the same to be sorted out by the municipal bodies.
Circulating the green boxes in the municipalities. Picture: PENGON
The Green Line’s toll free number 1 800 800 850, enables people to contact PENGON to highlight their environmental problems. PENGON would then follow up with the relevant authorities. Since the launch of the Green Line in June this year, PENGON has received many complaints relating to solid waste, sewage, water pollution and other environmental matters. The presence of this complain mechanism (green boxes and the green line) is very necessary for the Palestinian society to form a communication link between the local community and the municipalities as well as the relevant authorities. The effectiveness of this initiative lies in a clear, easy, and very responsive way of following up, and solving environmental problems. This article was contributed by Abeer Butmeh on behalf of PENGON.
Australian Senate passes ISDS ban Australia - Members of FoE Australia's Economic Justice Collective and Emerging Technologies project in a recent trip to Canberra, spoke with Senators about the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) and genetic modification (GM). Following these conversations, the Australian Senate recently passed a motion calling on the Government to ban ISDS from all trade agreements. The motion was moved by Senator Jacqui Lambie, and supported by The Australian Greens, the Australian Labor Party and the Nick Xenophon Team. FoE Trade Spokesperson Kat Moore stated “that this motion passed unchallenged is a tribute to the broad-based opposition to ISDS, and indicates an ever increasing appreciation of the associated risks by all sides of politics.” To read the full text of the motion, go to http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/ display.w3p;db=CHAMBER;id=chamber%2Fhansards%2F78dd1315-9808-45a9-843ea630dbcac8e5%2F0132;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansards%2F78dd1315-9808-45a9-843ea630dbcac8e5%2F0000%22 This article and picture were contributed by Kat Moore on behalf of FoE Australia .
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Resolve forced eviction in Indonesia, says FoE Japan Japan - In a recent petition to the Japanese company Marubeni Corporation, FoE Japan with other Japanese local NGOs urged the same to promptly find a resolution for the local community in Cawang Gumilir in South Sumatra, Indonesia. This community was allegedly forcibly evicted from the project area of PT. Musi Hutan Persada (MHP), a 100% owned subsidiary of Marubeni Corporation. According to WALHI South Sumatra, MHP allegedly destroyed the homes belonging to the Cawang Gumilir community and their farmland in July 2015. Furthermore, MHP did it again in March 2016 despite a proposal by the Indonesian Director General of Sustainable Production Forest Management, Ministry of Environment and Forestry that no repressive measures should be taken in while seeking a resolution for the conflict. About 200 households totally lost their livelihoods and properties due to the destruction. FoE Japan is of the view that this vandalism can never be justified from an ethical manner or a humanitarian standpoint. This act also breached the company’s business policy which stipulated that “the land used for plantation is acquired by means which take into consideration the lives of local residents”. The full petition can be accessed here: http://www.foejapan.org/forest/library/pdf/160930_Petition.pdf This article and picture were contributed by Junichi Mishiba on behalf of FoE Japan.
UNESCO says No to Rampal Coal Plant at Sundarbans Bangladesh - Sunderbans, the largest mangrove of the World is spread over Bangladesh (5,467 s.km) and India (352 s.km). It is home to 334 plants species belonging to 245 genera and 75 families, 165 algae, 13 orchard species 693 species of fauna, 49 mammals, 59 reptiles, 8 amphibians, 210 white fishes, 24 shrimps, 14 crabs and 43 mollusks species and supports the livelihood of around 300,000 people in Bangladesh alone. Part of the forest in the Bangladesh side has been recognised under the Ramsar Convention while another part has been inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1997. The Government of Bangladesh has decided to built a 1320 megawatt coal power plant in a place called Rampal which is at a distance of just 14km from the Forest. The Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company Ltd. (BIFPCL) will be implementing the project. Environmentalists from around the globe are protesting with sound scientific, economic and legal analyses. Very recently, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has recommended that the project be cancelled among others, that it would contaminate the Sundarbans forest with air and water pollution, there would be substantial increase in shipping and that the EIA did not address the effects on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) nor provide convincing evidence that effects on the Sundarbans will be mitigated. OCTOBER 2016 NEWSLETTER
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Unfortunately, the Government of Bangladesh reportedly has not responded to the UNESCO report nullifying the concerns and justifying the needs of the project. Against such adamant and misleading move of two Governments, it is strongly felt that a stronger regional solidarity around the issue is developed to save the largest mangrove of the World and the unique heritage of mankind from being placed by UNESCO in the list of World Heritage in Danger in 2017 and perhaps from eventual death. This article and pictures were contributed by Rizwana Hasan on behalf of BELA.
Regional programme coordinators ECONOMIC JUSTICE RESISTING NEOLIBERALISM (EJRN) Hye Lyn Kim works for Korea Federation for Environmental Movement (KFEM). Hye Lyn is the co-coordinator of APac’s EJRN programme. Hye Lyn began working with KFEM about a year and a half ago as the international coordinator. As her position states, she coordinates everything related to international environmental issues. She is currently working on the KoreaIndonesia conglomerate Korindo’s deforestation issue in Indonesia (see previous article) where KFEM and other organisations have found evidence that this conglomerate has allegedly destroyed a lot of Indonesia’s rainforest. Hye Lyn wishes to learn more about APac’s environmental issues and if there are any Korean corporations or her government involved, she would like to highlight this in her country and make them responsible for their destructive actions. In her free time, Hye Lyn loves to sleep or relax. However, this does not come easily as she still thinks about work and is passionate about what she does. She loves listening to people’s opinions and hopes that the language barrier would not hinder her from making the fantastic work that KFEM does accessible to all. Hye Lyn’s contactable at naserian@kfem.or.kr.
Khalisah Khalid or popularly known as Alin is APac’s EJRN co-coordinator. Alin is from Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI)/Friends of The Earth Indonesia. She joined WALHI in 2001 and has worked for WALHI’s national executive office, WALHI Aceh and WALHI Jakarta. Between 2008 and 2012, Alin served in the National Council of WALHI. Today, she is WALHI’s head of campaign and network, where she campaigns on environmental issues and natural resources to influence policy makers. Alin is studying about political ecology and the economic and political relationship in environmental and natural resource management. She hopes to learn more about FoE APac and FoEI. She has vast amounts of experience having been in WALHI for so long and wishes to share her knowledge on campaign and advocacy. Apart from work, Alin loves to write and feels that writing is the best medium to communicate every experience and knowledge. She especially loves to write articles and compose poetries. Her latest article on corporate crimes can be accessed at http://www.walhi.or.id/corporate-crime.html. Alin’s email address is khalisah@walhi.or.id.
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Regional programme coordinators FOOD SOVEREIGNTY PROGRAMME (FSP)
Rebecca Melepia shares the APac’s Food Sovereignty coordinator position with Mohamad of PENGON. Rebecca works with CELCOR and has been working there for the last 7 years. She is the land rights advocacy and lobby officer. She ensures and amplifies the rights, be they land, environment or human rights of customary land owners are recognised through laws and policies. Rebecca is excited about learning different campaign and advocacy techniques in FoEI so that she can use them in her everyday work with rural communities where their voices can be strengthened and magnified in her country. Rebecca has a 2 year old daughter whom she spends a lot of time with when she is not working. She finds family time with her husband and daughter very relaxing and enjoys watching sports. Rebecca’s email address is rebecca.asigau@gmail.com.
Meet Mohammad Taha Mohammad Attumaiza, a volunteer from PENGON (FoE Palestine), Palestine. He is FoE APac’s Food Sovereignty co-coordinator. Mohammad has been working with the Palestinian Hydrology Group (PHG) since 2000 as a project coordinator. PHG is a member of PENGON. Mohammad is enthusiastic about FoEI’s food sovereignty programme having just been introduced to the regional and international work and hopes to share his Palestinian food programme experience. Mohammad is clearly passionate about his work and hopes that the lands of his people would be safeguarded through food sovereignty. Apart from working in PHG, Mohammad dedicates his time in fighting against the Israeli occupation. Mohammad can be reached at m.attumaiza@phg.org.
Next month, get to know the forests & biodiversity and climate justice & energy regional programme coordinators.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT We wish to thank every member group who has contributed to this newsletter. This Newsletter was produced for and on behalf of Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific. Please contact Theiva Lingam, the regional facilitator for FoE APac at apacrf@gmail.com should you have comments or queries.
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