A small group of protesters gathered outside the FBI regional office at Third and Spring in downtown Seattle this afternoon to promote awareness of timber corruption in Sarawak, a Malaysian state located on the island of Borneo.
Unfamiliar with the term "timber corruption?" Me too. The term is used almost exclusively in connection with Chief Minister of Sarawak, Abdul Taib Mahmud. In short, Taib Mahmud is a Malaysian version of Hosni Mubarak – a politician who grabs political power, maintains that power through corrupt elections and nepotism, and converts national resources into personal wealth. For the past thirty years, Taib Mahmud has used his position (he also serves as Financial Minister and Planning and Resource Management Minister) to sell logging rights in the Sarawak rain forest in exchange for kickbacks. Taib Mahmud then proceeds to relocate these assets via bank accounts and real estate investments in more industrialized nations. The site of the protest, 1110 3rd Avenue, is one such investment -- the building is owned by shell corporation operated by Taib Mahmud’s son.
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