1989: The Founding Year
Suaram was founded on 5 August 1989 by several Operation Lalang detainees, lawyers, as well as family members of these ISA detainees. The aims and objectives were set forth in the founding statement, where the protection and promotion of human rights and the development of public awareness being the areas that needed to be addressed in Malaysia.[4]
The newly fledged organisation also organised a fund raising dinner on 9 September at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall and sold its first publication: "The Why? Papers", which was a critique of the Malaysian Government's "White Paper on the October 1987 affair". SUARAM also began to compile a database of ISA cases since the 1960s and worked on "Knowing your Rights" leaflets.[5]
The 1990s: Building Coalitions
SUARAM officially moved into a permanent location in Petaling Jaya by April 1990 and formed a secretariat to plan and execute policies and plans of action. Subcommittees were soon formed to produce leaflets about SUARAM. During that same year, SUARAM joined forces with other NGOs including Aliran and Selangor Graduate Society in signing a joint statement calling for the release of all ISA detainees.[6]
By 1991, SUARAM had also moved into the developmental state of a "Malaysia Charter of Human Rights", once again working with other human rights organisations in Malaysia. A Handbook for Families of ISA Detainees was also launched in October 1991, and soon after, SUARAM was invited to become a founding member of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM ASIA) in December 1991.[7]
In 1993, SUARAM and other Human Rights organisations finally saw the Malaysian Charter of Human Rights come into being. The following year saw SUARAM forming a Support Committee for Indigenous Peoples especially to highlight the plight of affected communities in the Bakun Area in Sarawak. A Human Rights education and training committee was also formed to help in the training of trainers for Human Rights and Development.[8]
1995 saw the launch of the "Stop Bakun Dam Campaign" coalition where SUARAM and 40 other Malaysian NGOs came together to mobilise public support against the Bakun Dam project, and to support the indigenous communities affected by the dam project. Many aspects of the project, including the lack of consultation and secrecy, were raised by these NGOs. Fact-finding missions were also organised by the Coalition and a report was issues in 1999. Due to the fact finding missions and campaigns against the Bakun Dam project, many key SUARAM members including director Kua Kia Soong and former executive director Cynthia Gabriel have since been barred by the Sarawak State Government from entering Sarawak.[9]
SUARAM also took part in the East Timor Conference in 1996, where Human Rights organisations in Malaysia once again came together to discuss the political situation in East Timor. However, the conference was disrupted by members of Youth Wings from the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, and activists and protesters from both sides were eventually arrested during the incident.[10]
In 1998, SUARAM and other Malaysian NGOs organised the Asia-Pacific People's Assembly (APPA) with the theme "Confronting Globalisation: Reasserting People's Rights" in response to the APEC leaders meeting being held at the same time in Malaysia. APPA helped SUARAM and other NGOs in the region to build coalitions, educate activists and furthered the discussion of the effects of globalisation in the Asia-Pacific. Malaysia's human rights record was highlighted by SUARAM during this Assembly.[11] That year also saw the launch of SUARAM's annual Human Rights Report, which continues to be published to this day.[2]
To cap the successful end of the decade for SUARAM, the secretariat finally launched its first autonomous branch outside of Kuala Lumpur, with SUARAM Johor Bahru being launched at a forum on 10 April 1999. The branch in Johor Bahru has its own monitoring and documentation unit, a media unit, an issue response unit and a campaigning unit. A coordinator was also appointed and funded by headquarters in KL, and also developed its own secretariat.[12]
2000s: Expansion
The beginning of 2000 saw the Selangor State Government announcing a plan to build a dam across the Sungai Selangor at Kuala Kubu Baru. Two major public gatherings were soon organised by SUARAM and other NGOs, and these organisations later formed the SOS Selangor coalition against the dam.[13] During that same year, SUARAM also organised a nation conference on "People before Profits: Asserting the Rights of Communities in Malaysian Development" on 4–5 November 2000. This conference saw the gathering of communities across Malaysia who have been victims of unsustainable development.[14]
2002 saw SUARAM branching up north to the state of Penang after a positively received training workshop for students. The organisation followed the same organisational structure used in Johor Bahru, quickly finding itself being involved in a coalition against the Penang Outer Right Road project. The Penang Branch was officially launched on 10 December 2002. Since 2002, SUARAM Penang has been actively working with NGOs on local issues, has published its own newsletter and organised many forums and conferences.[15]
By 2006, SUARAM saw itself expanding into the areas of refugee rights and local democracy. Special desks were set up at SUARAM HQ, where full-time coordinators were appointed for these areas of human rights work.[16] A "Green Desk" was also set up but currently lacks a full-time coordinator to handle environmental issues. Nevertheless, SUARAM has continued to be involved with environmental issues and has attended international environmental conferences and conferences in support of environmental rights.[17]