TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2000
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2000
Manser's vanishing act
AP filepic shows Swiss activist Bruno Manser preparing for a flight with the motorised paraglider to the Chief Minister of Sarawak's house on March 29,1999, in East Malaysia. Manser lived with the Nomadic Penan for a decade, fighting against the logging industry which has devastated their rain forest. He was later arrested by imigration officers and deported.KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - The Swiss embassy said Monday it had no proof that a Swiss activist who has reportedly gone missing in Malaysia was currently in the country.
The Swiss foreign ministry in Bern has confirmed a newspaper report that Bruno Manser had not been seen or heard of since he wrote on May 23 from the East Malaysian state of Sarawak to a Swiss friend.
The Swiss embassy in Kuala Lumpur was informed of his disappearance, the spokeswoman, Daniela Stoffel, said on Nov 19.
Manser, 46, is a staunch defender of the rights of the Penan tribespeople in Sarawak on Borneo island. He was previously expelled from Malaysia and barred from returning.
"The Swiss embassy has no proof of his being now in Malaysia," said ambassador Rudolf Staub. He declined further comment.
Manser lived with the Penans for six years before being arrested in 1987 for encouraging them to protest against logging. He escaped from police custody and was reported to have slipped out of the state in 1990.
In March last year, he returned to perform a paragliding stunt over the state capital Kuching before landing near the residence of the chief minister. He was deported after that protest.
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has criticised Manser's activities.
In a 1992 letter to the activist, Mahathir asked him if he expected the Penans "to subsist on monkeys until the year 2500 or 3000 or forever."
The letter continued: "Have they no right to a better way of life? What right have you to condemn them to primitive life forever?"
A Penan delegation visited the National Human Rights Commission in Kuala Lumpur this month to complain about encroachment by illegal loggers on their traditional land.
The Penans also alleged brutality by police when clearing roadblocks which the tribespeople set up to keep loggers out. The commission said it would investigate the complaints.
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