MP seeks royal panel on Penan abuse
The government must initiate a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate claims of sexual and physical violence against Penan women and girls, Klang MP Charles Santiago says.
The government must initiate a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate claims of sexual and physical violence against Penan women and girls, Klang MP Charles Santiago says.
The DAP parliamentarian pointed out that the facts revealed in a report by the Penan Support Group (PSG) proved that the Penans were "under siege and under occupation by the Sarawak government and timber companies".
"Nothing is being done to protect the Penans' interests. They are the most vulnerable community in the country," Santiago (
left
) told a press conference at the parliament lobby.
Santiago said it was "unacceptable" for the police to say they could not afford the funds to launch a full investigation into the abuse of Penan women and girls.
"We must address this issue, especially since Malaysia voted in favour of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples... or else the rest of the world will see Malaysia as a pariah country," he said.
On Tuesday, PKR announced plans to table an emergency motion to debate the sexual abuse of Penan women and girls by loggers working Sarawak's timber trail.
This followed the PSG's explosive report , A Wider Context of Sexual Exploitation of Penan Women and Girls in Middle and Ulu Baram, Sarawak, Malaysia, which claimed systematic sexual abuse of Penan women and girls by loggers.
