Was Naroden cheating?

KUCHING: Angry Ibans of Kampung Lebor about 20 minutes drive from Serian have another round of victory when they are allowed to collect oil palm fruits from their 3,000 acres of the native customary rights land which have been planted with oil palm.

In February this year, the 70 families of the village have won their civil suit against Tabung Haji when a High Court judge ordered that the 3,000 acres of the land be returned to the land owners as they have proved that the lands were their native customary rights land.

In spite of their victory, the Ibans are, however, not only disallowed to enter their own land, but were also prevented from harvesting the oil palm fruits.

They gave Tabung Haji until June 25, 2012 to hand over the land to them, failing which they would mount a blockade.

Starting on June 24, 2012 the natives mounted the blockade and would continue to do so until a decision was made.

On Tuesday afternoon, both parties were summoned to the Serian Police station accompanied by their respective lawyers.

During the discussions, both parties agreed that each party should be allowed to collect oil palm fruits from their own respective areas.

The Ibans can collect the fruits from the 3,000 acres which the Court had ordered to be returned to them.

According to lawyer See Chee How, who represented the natives, the two parties agreed to allow each other enter their own respective areas.

The Ibans are allowed to enter their own 3,000 acres and harvest the oil palm fruits, while Tabung Haji is allowed to harvest the oil palm fruits from their own areas.

As a result of this agreement, the Ibans agreed to dismantle the blockade.

See said that this is another victory for the Ibans.

Tracing the history of the case, Sigan anak Degon said that when their land was taken by Nirwana Muhibbah, a company owned by Assistant Minister Naroden Majais, the natives filed a civil suit against the company in 1998.

The case was heard in 2003, and the decision of the High Court was made on 23 Feb 2012. According to See, Tabung Haji is rather an innocent party as the original suit was against Nirwana Muhibbah, a company owned by Assistant Minister of Bumiputera Entrepreneur Naroden Majais.

When the suit was filed in 1997 against his company, Naroden was alleged to have sold the area to DD plantation. The DD plantation on realizing the problem with the natives sold the area to Tabung Haji.

According to the 2005 reports of the Land and Survey Department, Naroden has some 16,488 hectares of land, the bulk of these lands are native customary rights land.

These lands have been given to his companies namely Pelita Nirwana Muhibbah, Gedong Plantation, Hydroflow and Indranika Jaya.

Like in Gedong, Naroden’s companies in Simunjan are being sued by the Ibans for ‘stealing’ their NCR land.

Machinery and quarters burnt down

SEBUYAU: Fire on Monday afternoon (18 October) destroyed a block of two storey quarters occupied by timber workers, a store, six tractors, two logging trucks, a pick up and an excavator belonging to a logging company.

Six tractors were left in the forest, while two logging trucks, a pick up and an excavator were in the camp site when they were found to have been destroyed by fire.

The destroyed properties are owned by Royal Billion Sdn Bhd, a logging contractor of Quality Concrete Holdings. Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud’s sister Raziah is a director of the company.

The amount of loss is yet to be estimated.

It is not immediately known how the fire started or who were responsible for it.

The logging company, Quality Concrete Holdings, has been in the centre of dispute after the Forest Department has given it a licence to carry out logging activities in the disputed 3,305 hectares of forests which the Ibans from six longhouses claim to be their NCR land.

When negotiations failed the Ibans have also brought their case with the Police, the district and resident offices, the lands and surveys and the Forest department.

When all these failed, the natives since last Friday have erected a blockade (see picture above) to stop the workers from the Royal Billion company encroaching into their native customary rights land.

They have also stopped a "tongkang" from loading timber that has been extracted from the disputed area.

Nicholas Mujah, one of the leaders from the six Iban longhouses, said the villagers were not aware of the fire as they have been stationed at the blockade.

He said that it could be the work of arsonists who want to put the blame on the villagers.

“The villagers who put up the blockade are about four kilometres from the camp site and they were not aware what was going on in the camp.

“It (fire) must be the work of people who want to put the blame on the villagers,” said Mujah, urging the police to carry out an immediate investigation.

Iban Natives mount blockades against logging company

SIMUNJAN SARAWAK: About 120 Iban natives including women from Kampung Ensika, Kampung Entanggor, Kampung Tungkah Iban, Kampung Arus Sebangan are in full force once again setting up blockades to defend their communal land and forest from being destroyed by a logging company Hock Tong Hin (forest licence Holder of T/5090) and its contractor Forest Wealt Sdn Bhd.

This is the second time they have set up blockades to save their communal forest. The previous blockade was made on 14th day September 2006 and subsequently a suit was filed in 2007 (Suit No 22-118-2007) against the same licencee (Hock Tong Hin) which then their contractor was Roundtree Timber Sdn Bhd. The case trial has been set on the 8th December 2009.

Their spokesman, Nicholas Mujah said he had made a police report on the incident at the Simunjan Police Station on 9th September 2009 and also lodged a complaint with the Sarawak Forest Corporation whom he believed is the authority entrusted by the government of the day to deal with logging thief in the state.

“I am very much saddened and of grave concern with no action by authorities to stop government’s assets and monies being stolen in a bright daylight,” he said, alleging suspicious collusion between the SFC especially SAPU section and the logging company.

Mujah further said that when he and colleagues went to SFC office at Serian on the 8th September 2009 to check the validity of the said logging operation, they met one man who later acknowledged himself from the logging concession T/5090. He was seen to really control the office (like just sitting all over the tables belonging to the corporation freely as if on our first glance he was the boss there).

Mujah said: “And when told that the man is the officer from the logging company I approached him about our complaint. He told me that he can only say that I have to refer my complaint to their head office in Kuching.”

Mujah, however met the officer in charge by the name of David Mohamad who took down his little statement. The said officer had promised to call him in a few days later while making arrangement for a transport for field investigation.

Until today the officer has not called to him, claimed Mujah.

Meanwhile at the blockade site the natives had successfully met the “mandor” and stopped the locomotive laden logs from removing them from the communal area.

The blockade is still going on for the third day running. The people are yet to meet the police as normally expected.

Nicholas also said that the people are determined to defend their land and forest even if there are arrests to be made by the police.

“I am already immune to this situation and I will face the authorities and challenged them in the court of justice if my people are harassed or intimidated,” he said. – The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

Ibans mount blockade against Naroden’s companies

About 100 Iban land owners from Kpg. Sungai Lingkau, Melanjok and Sekendu in Simunjan today (5 May) mounted a blockade to prevent workers of Hydroflow and Melur Gemilang from entering their NCR land.

A manager from the company promised the landowners who maintained the blockade not to enter the area, and to bring out all the machinery.

The landowners expected the manager to lodge a report with the Police and they also expected to be arrested in the defence of their land from being encroached into.

Hydroflow and Melur Gemilang are owned by Yang Berhormat Naroden Majais, the Simunjan State assemblyman. He is known as the "Simunjan King of oil palm", owning more than 48,000 acres of land including NCR land of oil palm.

Meanwhile, six longhouses in the Kpg. Samalatong/Kepayang area will meet on Wednesday night to reject the offer of DD Plantations and Pelita Holdings Sdn. Bhd. to develop their NCR land. The agreement has already been signed between 46 longhouse chiefs with the DD Plantations and Pelita Holdings Sdn. Bhd.

But the landowners from these six longhouses prefer their NCR land to be developed by SALCRA where their equity participation is 70% as compared with 30% given by DD plantations and Pelita. - The Broken Shield