Urgent Appeal to Support Indigenous Peoples Struggle in Sarawak,
Malaysia
7/19/99
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Urgent Appeal to Support Indigenous Peoples Struggle in
Sarawak
Source: Pacific Rim Forest Trade E-mail Group
forest-pacrim@igc.org
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: July 19, 1999
Background:
Niah Longhouse People Protest Against Land Encroachment
Native Customary Right (NCR) land belonging to some 43 families of
two Iban longhouses, Rumah Busang and Rumah Bali of Niah District,
some 110 km from Miri town, is partially bulldozed by the contractor
of Sarawak Oil Plantation (SOP), a subsidiary of the statutory body,
Land Custody Development Agency (LCDA).
On 19 June, 1999, with great shock and dismay, the community people
found their land being encroached and bulldozed destroying their
rubber garden, orchard and farm land. Immediately, the people lodged
their complaints to the contractor and demanded the operation to
cease. Practising their adat (traditions), they then set up an altar
and conducted a ¨MiringO (offering ceremony) to beg for pardon from
the spirit of the land and to pray for coolness, peace and state of
balance to be restored. The oil palm land clearing operation was then
temporarily halted.
This is an another example case of State exercises its coercive
power in matter related to land development, and a lack of respect
for the adat and land ownership of the indigenous people On 24th
June, armed. police field force personnel were also deployed to and
stationed at the site.
In the morning of 3 July some longhouse folks found the encroachment
operation resumed, this time with six bulldozers operating
simultaneously. On the same day, the community people called an
urgent meeting to discuss the matter. An action committee, with
Majang as its chairperson and Lily as secretary, is formed. On 5th,
July in a press conference, the longhouse committee demanded the
oil palm plantation to respect their land rights and to pay
compensation for all damages done. The 300 plus members of the two
longhouses rely mainly on the land and forest resources for their
livelihood.
The settlement started since 1980s with customary procedure. Earlier
this year, one land clearing contractor intruded this NCR land was
ruled by the native court to pay a fine of RM 1,000. This is a clear
proof of NCR land according to the adat which is recognised by the
land code of Sarawak.
On 10 July, the alter of Miring- was forcefully bulldozed, As the
people confronted the machine operators, they retreated. However, on
the morning of 11 July they found 5 bulldozers belonging to the
contractor for Sarawak Oil Palm company cleared a large portion of
their NCR land. A total of around 10 hectares of land planted with
fruit tree, rubber, tobacco and 660 plants of more than one year old
oil palm as well as more than 1,000 oil palm seedlings are destroyed.
The heat is building up among the affected people. If the situation
get worse, further conflict might not be avoided.
The community people request all concern organisation and individual
to write petition letter to:
A. YAB Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Hj. Adbul Taib bin Mahmud,
Chief Minister & Minister for Resource Planning
Level 20, Wisma Bapa Malaysia, Petra Jaya
93602 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Tel: (6)-082-441957 Fax: (6) 082-444566
The content of the letter could include request for:
1. Recognition of the NCR land belonging to the people of Rh. Bali
and Rh. Busang and repeal the area approved to the SOP Plantation.
2. To allow the longhouse people to develop their own farm including
planting of small scale oil palm plantation
B. Sarawak Oil Palm Company
Tingkat 6, Bangunan Yayasan Sarawak,
Jalan Barrack,93000 Kuching, Sarawak
Tel: (6) 082-232363 Fax: (6) 085-481260 (Plantation office)
Request for:
1. Respect the NCR land of Rh. Busang and Rh. Bali and refrain from
encroaching further.
2. Compensate the longhouse people on the damages caused by the
clearing of the NCR land.
Solidarity support letter could be sent to : Rh. Busang and Rh. Bali,
c/o P.O. Box 426, 97008 Bintulu, Sarawak. Fax/Tel: (6) 085-335811
For further information please contact: IDEAL ,
email:wongmc@tm.net.my, Tel:(6) 084-320411 Fax: (6) 084-329695