/Nexus - 0110 - New Times Magazine/pages/0012/image.png)
Page Content (OCR)
and a with the Ponan ni years, and is now | he ‘bringing to world attention the environmental — : | and cultural destruction caused by the spe continuing use of rainforest timbers. Appeals to ee and oooh with the Ponan people for the lust six years, and is now bringing to world attention the environmental on saused by the is the life- “support system fo a agentle, trusting, harmless tribe" ‘ofnomads. © : ‘Bruno Manser = June 14; 1990. "Nexus #10 Australia “The Penan tribespeople hear bulldozers and chainsaws on all sides; their food trees are being felled; the wildlife they have always hunted for protein has been frightened away; their water supply is polluted and fish stocks in their rivers are dying. They live very lightly on the land, taking only what is necessary to survive, but since 1984, one-third of the area has been destroyed, and two-thirds opened up by roads. Leading politicians are often involved in the tropical timber industry as holders of logging licenses. Time is very short for these people. From my close observation of their culture, I estimate that if logging and road building is notstopped immediately this unique tribe's culture will become extinct. The Penan are the last tribe of nomadic hunters-gathers in Borneo,” stated Bruno Manser at a Sydney press conference recently. The Penan people are living out the last days of their nomadic life in the beautiful but fast-diminishing forests of Borneo. Many people have seen the film Blowpipes and Bulldozers, (produced by Jeni Kendell and Paul Tait, assisted by sound recordist Rowland McManis, and interviewer Andrew Frame) in which the story of the Penans and Bruno Manser, the “Penan Man”, is compassionately shown. The Penan people say their survival is threatened by heavy machinery encroaching further each day into their traditional hunting grounds. After helping them in their stggle to defend their customary lands against intensive rainforest logging, Bruno, dubbed the “Tarzan of Sarawak” by the Malaysian authorities, has left Sarawak to travel through Europe. In June, 1990 Bruno Manser visited Australia to make a plea to the Australian Government and the general public. While in Australia, Bruno also met with timber industry representatives and politicians, urging for.international pressure to be brought to bear on the Malaysian authorities to recognise the land rights of the indigenous people. 12