GREENPEACE began with a small group of individuals who decided to get together to protest against nuclear testing at Amchitka, off the west coast of Alaska. They went on to form GREENPEACE and later initiated campaigns on major environmental issues. One of the founding principles of GREENPEACE is to "bear witness" - that is to watch and record environmental destruction. This principle of direct action together with peaceful confrontation, has been the cornerstone of GREENPEACE's campaigns.
Southeast Asia is of enormous significance to the future of the planet
earth. The rich natural heritage of the region is worth protecting in
its own right. However, the staggeringly rapid industrialization and
economic growth of the past 30 years has come at a huge environmental
cost. The environmental impacts of the region also stretch beyond their
own national boundaries. Severe environmental degradation already
exists across Southeast Asia. Apart from the recent Asian financial
crisis, pollution and resources destruction are further intensifying as
multinational companies and industrialized nations target the region
for the expansion of their environmentally destructive operations and
technologies. Reinforcing these problems is the lack of awareness among
the Asian public about environmental destruction and weak democratic
mechanisms to empower communities to influence decisions. Recognizing
the importance of the developmental potential and threats in these
areas, and in order to consolidate and expand its campaign work in
Southeast Asia, Greenpeace is increasing its activities in the region.
Greenpeace
is already active in many part of Asia. Our work in the region has
included stopping hazardous waste imports, opposing radioactive
shipments, campaigning against forest destruction, lobbying governments
on sustainable energy issues and drawing attention to the dangers of
waste incinerations. Often working with other local groups, Greenpeace
has run successful campaigns in the Philippines, Taiwan, India, and
Indonesia. We made a commitment to develop a presence in Asia in late
80s and early 90s, and first established an office in Japan (1989) and
then China (1997). Initial investigations were also initiated in SEA,
focusing primarily on Indonesia and Philippines.
Southeast Asia is in a key position to determine global
environmental security. Over the past 30 years, Greenpeace has
successfully campaigned in industrialized countries to reduce and
eliminate environmental pollution and degradation. However, these
efforts and many achievements can easily be reversed as these same
multinational companies export dirty technologies resulting in
environmental degradation in the region. Hence, after many years of
investigations and establishing campaign presence in key countries,
Greenpeace finally succeeded in opening an office in the region.
Greenpeace Southeast Asia was formally established on March 1, 2000.
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