Iban landowners and oil-palm growers sue Sarawak government

By Tony Thien

Malaysiakini

2007-11-20 | Thirty-two Iban villagers from Kampung Wawasan in Niah, Sarawak, have filed three writs of summons, seeking compensation for the destruction of their oil palm plants.

The Iban from five longhouses have planted 300 hectares of oil palm since 2000. Harvesting commenced three years ago.

The defendants were named as Mega Jutamas Sdn Bhd (leaseholder of the land), the Superintendent of Land and Survey Miri and the Sarawak government. They have been given 20 days to appear in the Miri High Court.

Mega Jutamas, controlled by a well-known Miri family, has been allocated a 2,145ha area on a 60-year lease. The provisional lease was issued in November 2005.

Sarawak Dayak Iban Association secretary-general Nicholas Mujah told Malaysiakini today the leaseholder had sent men and machines, accompanied by armed policemen, to clear the site where the natives have planted oil palm.

Village chief Rajang anak Segalang, 41, of the 25-door Rh Rajang longhouse in Suai, Niah, was arrested by police last week, remanded overnight at the Miri police station and released the next day without being charged.

His arrest followed complaints that some longhouse people were putting up resistance to Indonesian workers engaged by the company.

"We are very concerned about outsiders being sent into the area to harass us. They are using gangsters, bringing in the police and even giving instructions to the police," Rajang alleged.

Youth arrested, released

Following Rajang's arrest, police also detained Chung Chuan Hua, 23, of Dayak-Chinese parentage.

He had been taking photographs when the company deployed two excavators to clear the native land under police monitoring, according to Nicholas.

Chung took photographs of the workers and uniformed policemen, who chased him demanding his camera. However, he managed to get away.

He was arrested at his house about 10am last Wednesday and taken to the Batu Niah police station, where he was remanded overnight and released the next day without being charged.

Nicholas said he and Rajang would be in Kuala Lumpur this week during the meeting of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil - an industry-driven initiative that seeks a balance between development and preserving the environment.

They plan to talk to European buyers, to drive home their point about the destruction to native land because of oil palm planting.