Villagers brave threats to harvest fruit trees
Malaysiakini, 26.August.2008
No longer able to hold back their anger at the continued encroachment of their native customary rights (NCR) land by a plantation company, 60 Iban villagers in Pantu in Sarawak’s Sri Aman division, braved heavy machinery and the police to harvest fruit trees on their land during the weekend.
Employees of Kumpulan Sama Sdn Bhd tried to stop the Iban landowners from harvesting their trees and even called in the police for help.
The company’s workmen attempted to use heavy machinery to block a truck carrying fruits from being driven away but to no avail. The police only watched and did nothing to stop the angry landowners.
"The company told the police that the Ibans were stealing their fruits, but how can we steal from our own land?" asked John Cobbold Losoi, a spokesperson for the Iban group.
The company has been working on a 60-year 7,000 hectares land-lease for the planting of oil palm in Sg Tenggang, Pantu. To-date, the company has cleared a total of 1,200 hectares.
The land is currently subject to NCR claims and 13 tuai rumah (village chiefs) have gone to court on behalf of their respective communities to claim their rights. They are also claiming compensation for the damage caused to their fruit trees and crops.
Their case is being handled by Kuching-based lawyer Dominique Ng Kim Ho, who is also state PKR chairperson and state assemblyperson for Padungan. The case will be heard in court next month.
Increasing number of conflicts
John said the company has also been trying to block a government-built feeder road from the Kuching-Serian Road, to try and stop natives from taking their fruits out to mills. The natives responded by setting up a human blockade near the company’s office last weekend.
He added that there had been no dialogue from the start between the landowners and the company. Only recently did the company express the desire to talk to landowners.
"But it’s too late now, as the matter has gone to court," he said. "We want Kumpulan Sama to stop their activities on the ground."
The Pantu area in Sri Aman has, in recent years, seen an increasing number of conflicts on the ground between companies given land-leases by the state government and NCR land-owners who are fighting encroachment on their land.
Malaysiakini learnt that landowners, unhappy with the long time taken by the authorities to help settle such disputes in several other areas in Sarawak, have started harvesting their fruit trees on what they claim to be their NCR land.
More than 170 cases involving NCR land have been referred to court in Sarawak.
After the recent tumble in prices, fresh fruit bunches are now fetching over RM500 per tonne.
14 comments:
Dear Headhunter,
Tok pesan aku ngagai kitak iban di Pantu. Agik Idup Agik Ngelaban, Biar luput anang chabut.
Rosli Dhoby
Headhunter,
I wish Dayaks are exposed to your postings so that we all can rise up stand in unision!
You are a very courageos man in IT era to expose wrongdoings in our beloved Sarawak.
The systematic marginalization of our people will soon reach a boiling point.
FREE our people from 46 years of the bondage and the pain our future generation will face.
ANNUAR Ibrahim did it in PP despite all the odds thrown at him. What have our Dayak MPs done. wakil rakyaat of Lubok Antu asked his people to make PRS to be strong so that the voice of Dayak can be heard! No friend, he is NOT HONEST. He wants it for his personal glory so that his voice can be heard and make tons of money before he is defeated in his next election!
As a DAYAK, the only Dayak MP that I can say dare to rock the boat a bit is Kapit YB.
Masing, Mawan and Jabu are ALL BIG NO NO NO !!!!
DSAI won,
the west malaysian are happy now, but we, sarawakian, are still very much living under the shadow of the 'white fur'.
when are we going to bring him down? I wish there is a Anwar No.2 in sarawak.
Sarawak desperately needs a change too, reformasi!
I don't know whether this is true or not. It it is true it should be reported in the mainstream media. Well, the NCR landowners have the right to their own land if they could prove that the land which is subjected to NCR claim is their and the company should not block them. The only remedy for the land owners is to seek a legal redress. I sympathize with them and their plight. They should apply for a court injunction for the company to stop doing the work. Seeking a legal advise is more proper. I hope the opposition/government do not politicize the land issue. Who should be blame? Probably lack of consultancy between the land owners and also the company. Check if the all tuai rumahs have been duped to surrender land to the company.
BN = Beginning of the End
That was bad to accuse someone to harvest fruit from his own ochard.
Sarawak Headhunter,
Which company did the "adding salt to the wound" thing?
Thanks.
Self-exiled Sarawakian.
STAR ONLINE Wednesday August 27, 2008
"MCA Youth demands apology from Bukit Bendera UMNO Chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail over racial @ PP by-election"
Where are the Dayak MPs voice?????
"Datuk Wong Soon Koh asked the new PKR MP to concentrate on being a responsible opposition"
Where are the Dayak MPs voice ?????
"Sarawak MPs slam salt aid for Penans as 'tasteless act'"
Where are the Dayak MPs and DUN voices ?????
All Dayak MPs and DUNs are like dogs with tails BETWEEN THEIR 2 LEGS! At this time SHOW SOME COLOR lah.
Next time do not blame the Dayak rakyaat especially the the younger voters to REJECT YOU ALL!
....when Sabah and Sarawak really move forward.....it will be the end of Malaya's subjugation upon us!
Jangan kibar bendera pada 31 Ogos...tarikh itu berunsurkan kolonialisma!
Kibarlah bendera pada 16hb. September....Hari Malaysia yang tidak pernah diiktiraf oleh Malaya!
Mengapakah Sabah dan Sarawak dimestikan meraikan 31 Ogos kalau bukan Malaya mahu menonjolkan bahawa ia adalah "TUAN" keatas rakyat Sabah dan Sarawak!
Malaya tidak pernah menghormati keramat Hari Malaysia...pada tarikh 16 September adalah cuti umum di Sabah/Sarawak (tapi itu pun dikatakan sebagai harijadi TYT!)...manakala di Malaya langsung tiada cuti umum!
Bukankah itu tidak patriotik? Jalur Temberanglah...
aku...dari Sabah
Sarawak Headhunder Blog.
Keep posting your articles in your blog and continue to expose things that should be exposed.
Be in the league of RPK to ex[pose the truth.
Its up to ppl to rebut and see whether they can sell the rebuttal. Anyway readers can see the trees from the forest.
Keep up the good work Sarawak Headhunter.
Things have gotten so bad that these people are accused of stealing from their own land? Well, I never. What next? How on earth did we allow Sarawak to get to this pathetic state of affairs? And for 26 years? The mind boggles. Time is not on our side so I hope the Sept. 16 tsunami of Anwar's will indeed come to fruition. Will the Sarawak lawmakers have the guts to do it so that, for a change, they do something right for the state? What do my fellow bloggers think? Will they, won't they? I suspect the Sabah lawmakers are braver than ours, but I would like to be proved wrong.
You will have heard that the PM has promised heaven and earth in his budget; this can only mean one thing: he takes Anwar's threat seriously and his budget is one way of deflecting this threat. But this is not responsible governing; it is a knee-jerk reaction and I hope the Sarawak lawmakers are not hoodwinked by this. Imagine a one-month or $1,000 bonus for civil servants!!
Sarawakian & Sabahan.We are under colonised again.
hari M'sia adalah 16th Sept 1963 bukan 31st Aug 1957.pada tahun 1957 m'sia belum ujut lagi.patut 45yrs not 51yrs.
read these.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_of_Sarawak
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20-point_agreement_%28Sabah%29#Point_7:_Right_of_Secession
"PATRIOTIC FOR SARAWAK & SABAH ONLY"
We dayaks are known for our bravery from Brookes times to fighting the communists. Agik idup agik ngelaban was our motto Those was yesteryears, now what waas our motto. Udah stengah idup enggau kenak nipu baruk laban? Then if so too late. Almost everywhere in Sarawak the dayaks are been bullied worst still our Penans brothers and sisters. It never cross my mind that our dayaks MP/ State Cabinet Ministers are there to help us. Mistake, they are there to help us be poorer and poorer but robbing us lah. They are a laughing stock in the Parliment, what a shame!!! I don't mean to personal attack but this is true. Hope there really stand to the motto of Agik Idup Agik Ngelaban and not as bedau ngelaban udah chabut...bachuk
Its no point to ask where are the Dayaks YBs but these longhouse folks are keep voting these YBs.
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