Monday, December 5, 2011

Vampire Slayers attempt to stop the Rape of Sarawak

Old school robber barons Najib Razak & Taib Mahmud
My heartfelt gratitude and utmost admiration goes to Clare Rewcastle Brown (Sarawak Report), Peter John Jaban (Radio Free Sarawak), Lukas Straumann and the Bruno Manser Fonds for their unrelenting efforts towards tracking down Taib Mahmud's vampiric financial empire spread across many continents.

Head of a Vampire Dynasty
As chief minister of Sarawak since 1981, Taib Mahmud has had ample time to rape, pillage and plunder the 130 million year old Borneo rainforest - and, in the process, threaten with extinction the last remaining indigenous nomadic tribe of Sarawak, the Penan.

The politics of corruption in Malaysia as practised by Barisan Nasional makes Taib Mahmud immune to all allegations against him and his family mafia, no matter how strong the evidence. Environmental and human rights activists attempting to stop the carnage are quickly targeted by Taib's secret police - and invariably turned back on arrival at the airport - or (if they are Sarawakians) forced into exile to avoid imprisonment, and perhaps even untimely death.

Bruno Manser, 11 years after his
disappearance in Sarawak, remains
a thorn in Taib Mahmud's side
The Bruno Manser Fonds was named in honor of a courageous Swiss artist who spent many years living with the Penan and became an honorary member of the tribe. He was a huge thorn in the side of Taib Mahmud's avaricious schemes, and when he abruptly disappeared sometime in May 2000, the rumor mill was rife with reports that a lucrative bounty had been put on his head by logging companies backed by the chief minister.

Bruno Manser: Tribute to an Ecowarrior
Update on the Penan blockade in Ulu Baram
EU delegation visits Penan blockade area without meeting the Penan