Blowpipes thwart Borneo's biofuel kings

Hundreds of Borneo tribes men armed with blowpipes are blockading roads in protest against companies they accuse of destroying their rainforests to grow oil palms for “green” biofuel, cooking oil, soap and margarine.

The confrontation is taking place in the endangered forests of the Malaysian state of Sarawak, where members of the Penan tribe have existed for centuries as nomadic hunter-gatherers living on fish, wild animals and plants.
“This is a last resort,” said See Chee How, a lawyer fighting land rights cases for indigenous people. “There have been allegations of rape by loggers, the rivers are being polluted and the Penan fear for their food supplies.”

Palm oil provides a third of all cooking oils and is used in household brands such as Palmolive soap and Flora margarine.

Timber operations by four companies were halted while police and local politicians attempted to negotiate with the tribesmen late last week.

The Times