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Theivanai Amarthalingam - ELAW Interview Series
By: Priscila Néri
Posted: May 14 09
Witnessed: 1935 times
Regions: Malaysia
Issues: Corporations and human rights, Environment, Indigenous peoples
Tags: ELAW, environmental justice, logging, sustainable development
The Uma Bawang community of Malaysia is one of the shining examples of how a native community can effectively protest and stop advancing land exploitation. When logging companies threatened to disrupt their community, the Uma Bawang protested vehemently, erecting barricades, and pleading in the legal arena, and eventually succeeding in protecting their land.
In our full length interview, Theivanai Amarthalingam tells their story, as well as her own, as a legal advisor to both the Consumers’ Association of Penang and Friends of the Earth Malaysia. In addition, she breaks down some of the measures an average citizen can take to help aid the worldwide effort for environmental justice.
MORE ON MALAYSIA
* Consumers Association Of Penang
* Friends of the Earth Malaysia
* The Plight of the 'Invisible' Malaysians
* Uma Bawang Resident's Association
* Malaysian Bar Resolution on Indigenous People's Right
Text by WITNESS intern Dave Taub
[Thanks to our amazing team of interns that made these interviews possible!]
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