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The Dyaks
The Dyaks of Borneo have land claims that conflict with logging concessions given to the timber industry. The
government more readily grants forest land to commercial interests than to tribal groups. Logging operations cause
heavy flooding, siltation of rivers, the departure of animals from the area, and deforestation. The Dyaks are equally displeased
with the Indonesian government's resettlement program, which brings city dwellers and peasants to remote forest
lands.
In the late 1980s, the Dyaks, along with the Penan, Kayan, and Kelabit peoples, set up roadblocks to prevent logging
trucks from entering their lands. The Malaysian government responded by dispatching military forces and arresting
native protesters.
In 1999, the Dyaks made international news during their bloody conflict in Indonesia with recent transmigrants from
Madura. Hundreds were killed as native Dyaks raided the villages of the Madurese, whose migration to Borneo was
sponsored by the Indonesian government under its resettlement program.
Continued: People of the Rainforest
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