BDS Malaysia: Eight grilled by cops on Caterpillar protest

Eight activists were questioned by the police this morning over a protest against Sime Darby Bhd and Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) for the companies’ alleged collaboration with Caterpillar.

Caterpillar, a US-based construction machinery manufacturer, was accused of supplying equipment used by Israel to demolish Palestinian homes and infrastructure.

Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Malaysia urged the public to stand in solidarity with the activists who were called up by the police for organising the Sept 20 protest at the Merdeka 118 tower.

“We will not be intimidated or harassed,” said the pressure group.

The group also reaffirmed its commitment to holding corporations accountable for supporting or facilitating Israel’s actions in the genocide and illegal occupation of Palestine.

BDS Malaysia stressed that the protest aimed to draw attention to Caterpillar’s involvement in alleged war crimes in Gaza.

It alleged that Caterpillar violated an International Court of Justice ruling which prohibits companies from being complicit in genocide and the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.

According to BDS Malaysia, Sime Darby Industrial, a key distributor of Caterpillar equipment in the Asia-Pacific region, is owned by Sime Darby, whose main shareholder is PNB.

During the protest, PNB was urged to pressure Sime Darby to sever business ties with Caterpillar.

Malaysiakini has contacted the police for comments on the investigation into the protest.

On June 17, Norway’s largest pension fund KLP decided to sell its Caterpillar shares worth US$69 million, citing concerns that the company’s equipment was being used to violate human rights and international law in Gaza and the West Bank.

The conflict in Gaza escalated after an Oct 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel, which led to the deaths of some 1,200 people, primarily civilians. Israel’s subsequent military response has resulted in the deaths of over 42,000 people in Gaza.

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