Penan setup blockade against logging

By Community Reporters

2001-07-16 | Penan community from Long Benali and Ba Pengaran in the Ulu Baram of Miri Division started a new blockade on 5th July 2001 against logging which has encroached onto Native Customary Rights (NCR) land.

Penan community from Long Benali and Ba Pengaran in the Ulu Baram of Miri Division started a new blockade on 5th July 2001 against logging which has encroached onto Native Customary Rights (NCR) land.

The communities are blockading against the logging company Shin Yang Timber Company, a subsidiary of the Miri-based Shin Yang Corporation. Shin Yang is also involved in a dispute with the Ulu Niah Iban community in which 10 community people are still awaiting justice in court. The community face death penalty if convicted by the Miri High Court on charges of murder (Refer to the oil palm section in Rengah for news on this on-going case).

The affected community had sent news that as of Sunday, 15th July 2001, five police personnel lead by a Corporal Stanly from the Long Lama police station and a Corporal Wan from the Marudi police station, had gone to the blockade site. The police had warned that villagers and community people would be arrested.

To date, no one has been arrested.

Representatives from the two communities had gone to alert other nearby villagers of the blockade and seek support and solidarity.