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Extracted From Malaysiakini
Ibans held for 'threatening loggers'
Tony Thien
Oct 11,
Fifteen Ibans were detained in
the Simunjan police lock-up in
Initially, five were arrested by
a police party within a timber concession area awarded to the Kuching-based
First Binary Sdn Bhd. They were sent to the police lock-up on Monday afternoon.
The others, including spouses of
some of those detained, were held that night at the police station when they
went to lodge a report against the timber company. The 15 are from Kampung
Sual, located just outside the concession area.
In the police report made on
behalf of the group by Retty ak Lemu, the Ibans said
the company had encroached into their customary rights land and that the
logging activities had damaged their trees on Sept 30.
That day, they said they
persuaded the drivers of the company's three tractors to hand over the keys to
them. The following day, they heard the drivers were back at work.
Mat ak Tanggon, at 63 the eldest
in the group, told a press conference at the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association
headquarters in Kuching that the five arrested at the site had gone into the
forest to look for timber to make handles for long knives, and not to cause
mischief or threaten anyone as alleged by the company.
They were not told why they were
detained, even when they were released on Tuesday, he said.
"We were released just like
that. We resent the manner in which we were arrested, just like someone
catching chickens," a member of the group said.
Another expressed suspicion over
the grounds of their detention.
"They think we are
trouble-makers which we are not. For the last three months, the company has
been working day and night. Trucks have been transporting logs out at night.
So, we decided to stake out the area to monitor the activities," he said.
'Revoke licence'
call
The Ibans want the authorities to
revoke the timber licence and further urged the police to respect human rights
and customary native land rights while carrying out their duties.
The company was issued with a
timber licence T/8404 for a one-year period from
First Binary director Lau Pung
Sung told malaysiakini that his company was already compensating natives living
in Kampung Temiang, which lies within the concession area. They are paid RM20
for every tonne of timber taken out.
He added that at a recent meeting
chaired by the area penghulu, it was determined that the Ibans from Kampung
Sual had no right to claim NCR land within the concession area.
"It appears there is a
dispute between the two longhouses, but as far as our company is concerned we
are paying the rightful claimants compensation at the agreed rate," Lau
said.
However, the Ibans from Kampung Sual are not giving up. They have taken their case to the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia and intend to complain to the local authorities about the alleged destruction of their trees.