SRI AMAN: - Another 11 more Iban NCR land owners from Abok in the Pantu District in Sarawak have been arrested on Friday 18 September for harvesting oil palm fruits from their own land.The arrest was made following a police complaint filed by the Pelita-Tetangga Akrab oil palm plantation.
This is the second arrest this month in the district. On 4 September six Ibans from Kasindu were picked up together with their three tons of oil palm fruits on a similar offence. They have been released after their statements were taken.
Cobbold John, an NCR land owner and oil palm planter said that a group consisting of 20 Iban males and five women in the group of 32 people last Friday was rounded up and spent a night in the custody of the Police. They were then allowed to go. Eleven others have their statements taken and are going to be charged.
"This is a clear case of harassment," said Nicholas Mujah, Secretary General of the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association. "They are not going to be charged and yet they will have to spend one night in the custody of the police. It shows that the companies are able to exert influence over the police and government."
The communities' farm land was taken by Pelita-Tetangga Akrab in 2003 in a joint venture to plant oil palm, despite immediate protest and the filing of a court case by the communities affected. Though they have claimed to do this JV with the community, the vast majority of the communities had rejected the project and their right to free, prior and informed consent ignored.As a desperate measure, the villagers have taken to harvesting the oil palm fruits that were grown on their land. Though numerous reports and complaints to the police have been made by the villagers, these have fallen on deaf ears.
"The government wants the natives not to leave their NCR lands idle. But when the native communities want to develop their own land by planting cash crops such as oil palm, they are being penalised", said Mark Bujang, Executive Director of Borneo Resources Institute, Malaysia (BRIMAS).
In Sarawak, native land rights are recognized by the Sarawak State Constitution and their rights to these lands have been reaffirmed through several key judgments in the Malaysian Courts. – The Broken Shield
Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com
