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Extracted from Malaysiakini
S'wak govt ordered to compensate
Kedayan villagers
May
13,
The High Court in Bintulu yesterday ordered the
Justice Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahim also ordered the quantum for compensation to be
assessed before the Miri High Court deputy registrar on a date to be fixed
later.
“I hope the government will not appeal against the decision,” John
Antau, one of the two lawyers for the plaintiffs, told malaysiakini today. The other is Musa
Dinggat. Both are based in Bintulu.
Cited as respondents were the Superintendent of Land and Survey, the state
Planning and Resource Management Ministry and the Sarawak Government.
The government has 30 days from the date of judgement to appeal. It was
represented by a senior legal officer from the State Attorney-General's
Chambers.
Antau said he did not know what the quantum would be but estimated RM70 million
compensation for the plaintiffs based on RM100 for the planted trees almost
nearing maturity when the 3000-acre land from a gazetted communal forest was
acquired for the smelter plant.
In exchange for the land, the government had offered an alternative site at the
nearby Tanjung Payong and also carried out an inventory of all planted trees on
the acquired land for payment purposes.
High expectations
The villagers went to court in April 2002 to pursue claims
for compensation after the Land and Survey Department repeatedly ignored
requests.
According to Antau, the natives had high expectations when they entered a joint
venture with Chinese investors to plant teak trees as it would raise their
income and standard of living.
As their legal advisers, he and Dinggat would help the natives negotiate with
the authorities on the quantum of compensation and hoped the authorities would
be willing to do so.
Antau, who took up the case in 2000, said he was happy for the people of Kuala
Nyalau after a long court hearing and a lot of anxiety.