Once again this week, the online Radio Free Sarawak has had reason to cover abuses of what ought to be the democratic appointment of village headmen in rural Sarawak. These strong arm tactics have notably occurred in situations where the headman has stood up for his community against intrusions by logging or other commercial interests into their area…..
The NGO Engage joined forces with press and freedom groups on Thursday to re-launch a fund to protect journalists and civil society campaigners from abusive and oppressive law suits designed to stifle public debate in Malaysia. Thomas Fann, the chairperson of Engage, reminded that the fund was originally launched in 2015 to support those who
The Terengganu Court has demanded Clare Rewcastle Brown should appear in person to make her appeal against a jail sentence that was passed against her in absentia after a trial she was never notified would take place for an alleged crime of defamation for which she is yet to be charged. Can Malaysia sentence you in your absence then challenge you to appear to appeal the sentence?……
Reports of illegal logging are rampant in Sarawak and time and again the response of the police, the forestry department, local officials and the state government is to do precisely nothing. Take for example this ongoing destruction by foreign workers for a mystery employer in Ulu Sebauh recorded just this week…..
Swiss 1MDB Prosecutors Spear Tarek Obaid’s Key Defence (that he was instructed by his King) With His Own Words…
After a fractious trial not only have the Swiss prosecutors demanded the maximum sentence be passed on the two PetroSaudi directors but they want them locked up immediately on the grounds they are a flight risk!…..
“It was our money. If the Saudi government wanted to do it this way, so be it.” Obaid stuns the Swiss court with his claim that it was Saudi Arabia that had sanctioned Jho Low’s $150 million in kickbacks which were paid to him by Good Star Limited out of stolen 1MDB money…..
The PetroSaudi boss and alleged mega-fraudster, Tarek Obaid, spent last week arguing in the Swiss Court that he needed protection from Saudi Arabia. A rebuttal by the court has undermined his story….
For a mere 5% levy to the state and its people the timber giant Samling plans to convert poorly producing licensed plantation areas into a ‘profit for doing nothing’ carbon credit scheme. The GPS government has also offered the company a 30 year extension to just ‘sit back and earn’. How come?…..
In high finance you get used to big sums and myriad deals. This could be why Patrick Mahony seemed to struggle to remember the purported $700 million loan he organised to be ‘paid back’ by 1MDB on the first day of the so-called Joint Venture project where he was the Chief Investment Officer ……
Drama as the first day of the Petrosaudi trial extended past 10pm at night amidst unprecedented scenes as the defendants’ lawyers bombarded the Swiss Federal Court with protests and demands for secrecy, claiming an ‘unfair’ prosecution against their wealthy clients…..
This egregious act of judicial overreach poses a grave threat to investigative journalism and media freedom in Malaysia by preserving the culture of fear for journalists and preventing these agents of democracy who serve to inform the public from carrying out their duties. ….
Timber and plantation licences were granted to crony companies on the excuse of progress. The disastrous state of the the interior and neglect of the impoverished peoples whose lands have been wreaked tells a very different story…..
