KUCHING, May 19, 2014: John Nyheim, chief executive officer and president
of Norconsult, a leading Norwegian energy consultancy firm, has refused to meet
with a delegation of Borneo natives who are currently in Norway to protest
against the displacement of over 20,000 people and the flooding of hundreds of
square miles of tropical forests in Sarawak.
In a letter to the Norwegian NGO, FIVAS, Nyheim wrote that Norconsult
will not take part in public discussions about Sarawak’s dam plans nor disclose
information on the company’s involvement in the controversial Sarawakian energy
projects.
However, Nyheim confirmed that
Norconsult was providing "technical and engineering services" to
Sarawak Energy Bhd, a state-owned Sarawak power provider.
Nyheim justified Norconsult’s stance by claiming that SEB "has not
been convicted on any allegations of corruption or malpractice in the past and
that there is no ongoing or pending litigation“.
However, Nyheim failed to mention
the massive protests against SEB’s dam plans. Since last October, blockades of
the Baram dam construction site by indigenous communities have brought the
works to a standstill.
Peter Kallang, chairman of Sarawak’s Save Rivers network said: "It
is a disgrace that Norconsult are ready to assist SEB in flooding our lands and
in displacing thousands of indigenous people but they are not even willing to
meet and listen to us.“
Kallang is heading a three-person-delegation of Borneo natives currently
travelling through Europe to build up support for Sarawak’s anti-dams movement.
Starting from tomorrow, Kallang and
his colleagues will meet with Norwegian government officials, MPs and the Sami
Parliament to discuss the Norwegian indigenous people’s experience with the
Alta dam project back in the 1970s.
With its 2,550 employees and an
annual revenue of 3.2 billion NOK (US$ 539 million), Norconsult is one of
Northern Europe’s largest engineering and design consultancies.
On their company website,
Norconsult are stating that their newly established Malaysian subsidiary
NorPower Sdn Bhd has signed several contracts for hydropower porjects with SEB,
including the controversial Baram, Baleh, Pelagus and Murum dams.
The Bruno Manser Fund condemns
Norconsult’s unacceptable stance and calls on the company to close down its
operations in Sarawak
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