Longhouse demolition leaves 120 homeless

By Tony Thien

Malaysiakini

2007-01-04 | Eleven Iban families comprising 120 people have been forcibly evicted from their longhouse along the Bintulu-Bakun road in Sarawak.

State authorities claimed the longhouse was located on government-owned land.

A team of 200 enforcement personnel from Kuching assisted by 20 police personnel used two bulldozers and chainsaws to tear down the longhouse after the time frame on the eviction order issued on Oct 4 had expired

The demolition took place despite the natives having gone to court to try and obtain an injunction order until the case is heard.

According to Borneo Research Institute Miri Sarawak (Brimas) field officer cum coordinator Mark Bujang, the families refused an offer by the land office to be temporarily housed in a hall along the Miri-Bintulu road.

He said they feared the move would be interpreted as conceding that the Ibans have no locus standi over the native customary rights (NCR) land they have occupied for the past two decades.

The NCR land belongs to the Penan community of Kampung Yoh and the Iban families have an agreement with them which allows the latter to utilise the land for an indefinite period.

Bujang said the families have decided to stay among the rubbles of their demolished longhouse and are putting up temporary sheds.

Inhumane action

Meanwhile, Alliance of Native Customary Land Rights Sarawak (Tahabas) chairperson Augustine Bagat had sent a letter today to Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud regarding the demolition.

He condemned the move, describing it as inhumane and disrespectful of native customary rights.

"We are also concerned with the welfare of the evicted longhouse dwellers who do not have a place to stay.

"Do they (the authorities) have a programme to build a new longhouse or is it their intention to totally ignore their plight?" he asked.

Bagat said the families had already gone to court to seek an injunction and the speed with which the authorities had moved in to evict them without waiting for a trial date to be set was most regrettable.

He urged the chief minister to intervene and stop any further action as well as to compensate the families for the losses suffered.

Copies of the letter was also sent to Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu , Minister of Social Development and Urbanisation William Mawan and Land Development Minister Dr James Masing.

The affected families have also sought help from Bintulu Member of Parliament Tiong King Sing and DAP state assemblyperson for Kidurong Chiew Chin Sing.

Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia) secretary Nicholas Mujah told malaysiakini he had been informed that the village chief Tuai Rumah Nyawin ak Ganeng's brother Kandawang was taken to the Bintulu police station after he alleged confronted the enforcement personnel.

He said most of the men from the village were at their farms when the enforcement team came to carry out the demolition work..

Mujah said he was told that two other Iban longhouses in the area might also be similarly affected, even though no eviction notices had been issued.

Meanwhile ...........

The Star Online

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/1/9/nation/16480646andsec=nation

Tuesday January 9, 2007 [accessed 9 Jan 2007]

Wanton land clearing around Bakun, claims rep

By STEPHEN THEN

MIRI: Forests and native customary land as far as 100km from the Bakun hydroelectric dam site in central Sarawak are being bulldozed and cleared for all kinds of commercial and agriculture development.

Alleging this, Kidurong state assemblyman Chiew Chin Sing said the land clearing was excessive.

"This is a worrying development. It seems the state government is bent on opening up every area stretching from the RM6bil Bakun project site to Bintulu town, which is some 150km away," he said.

He claimed that the latest incident of land clearing took place last Thursday, involving a longhouse known as Rumah Nyawin along the Bakun-Bintulu road. He said the state Land and Survey Department bulldozed it, leaving more than 100 native people homeless.

Checking with department officials, he was told they had to bulldoze the longhouse as the residents there did not have land titles.

"The entire Bakun-Bintulu stretch is being aggressively opened up for all kinds of commercial projects, from timber logging to oil palm plantations to agriculture projects," he told The Star.

Chiew, who is state DAP deputy chairman, said more than 300 uniformed workers from the department as well as the police and the army took part in demolishing Rumah Nyawin.

"The residents had applied for NCR land title many times but their applications had been rejected. Now, they have lost everything," he added.

A check with the state Land and Survey Department confirmed that it has received directives to demolish Rumah Nyawin to pave the way for certain agencies to move in and start agricultural projects.

Reference Links

• Malaysiakini