SEATTLE, USA, Dec 2, 2014: Amazon, the American online
retailer, is withholding deliveries of a
book which is highly critical of Sarawak's Governor Abdul Taib Mahmud.
Amazon customers from the United Kingdom have complained
with the Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) that they cannot order the book “Money
Logging: On the Trail of the Asian Timber Mafia“ by BMF executive director
Lukas Straumann.
While the book was globally released on Nov3, 2014, Amazon UK first postponed the release
date to Nov 27. As of today, the book can still not be ordered through Amazon’s
British website (amazon.co.uk). Amazon UK claims to be “temporarily out of
stock“despite having rated the book as the “No.1 New Release in Ecological
Pollution“.
It remains unclear, however, if any of the ordered books
have been delivered at all by Amazon, even from its US headquarters.
A Swiss customer, who ordered the book in mid-November
from the retailer in the US, has been notified that the book has not been
shipped. “We need a little more time to provide you with a good delivery
estimate“, the customer has been told.
The Bruno Manser Fund calls on Amazon to make the book
available to all interested readers around the globe. “Freedom of expression is
one of the highest public goods in a democracy.
On Oct 23, Taib’s London lawyer, Mishcon de Reya,
threatened to sue Amazon if it distributed Money Logging: “Given the wealth of
our client and the extreme seriousness of the allegations, the losses will be
substantial“, Mioshcon de Reya wrote.
No comments:
Post a Comment