Press release - 6 October, 2004
Greenpeace activists today chained themselves to the gates of the Malaysian embassy demanding that country's government to take a firm public stance against the laundering and global trade of Ramin timber at the international meeting of endangered species CITES this week.
Orangutan - head and shoulders visible.
"The facts are clear, Malaysia is turning a blind eye to the
rampant trade in this endangered species and the only way to stop
it is to take a position against this criminal destructive trade,"
said Alex Ryan of Greenpeace Southeast Asia. "Malaysia needs to
vote for the listing of Rambling on Appendix II of CITES and the
future of over 125 other CITES species that are dependent of the
Ramin swamp forest for their survival."(1)
The environmental activists chained themselves to the gates of
the Malaysian Embassy. A giant inflatable Orang-utan displayed a
banner that read: Malaysia, Don't steal my forest. Activists also
delivered a letter the Ambassador of Malaysia in Thailand asking
for his collaboration in getting his government to support the
listing of Ramin on Appendix 2 of CITES.
Research conducted by Greenpeace and Telapak reveals that
Malaysia has failed to halt the illegal trade in Ramin squared-off
logs (flitches) and sawn timber into Malaysian ports. Boatloads of
Ramin have been detected leaving Riau province in Sumatra bound for
Malaysia. Massive amounts of illegal flitches continue to flow into
mainland Malaysia, with the full knowledge of Malaysian customs
authorities. Clearly, Malaysia is failing to meet its obligations
to halt the trade in illegal timber.
Ramin is a hardwood tree species that is mainly found in lowland
swamp forests of Malaysia and Indonesia, which are a crucial
habitat for orang-utans and Sumatran Tiger, both threatened with
extinction. The species is in great demand in the countries such as
US, Italy, Japan and the UK. Ramin timber is used in common
household products such as window blinds and baby cots.
Illegal international trade in timber is threatening the
survival of countless species and forest peoples and seriously
undermines any attempts to ensure this trade becomes truly
sustainable.
Greenpeace is an independent campaigning organisation that uses
non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental
problems and to force solutions that are essential to a green and
peaceful future.
Notes: (1) CITES was established to regulate and control trade in endangered species. It provides three regulatory options in the form of Appendices. Animals and plants listed under Appendix I are excluded from international commercial trade except in very special circumstances. Commercial trade is permitted for species listed under Appendix II but it is strictly controlled on the basis of CITES permits or certificates. Appendix II includes species that are protected within the borders of a member country.