Extracted from Malaysiakini

Arson: 80-year-old chief, five others remanded

Tony Thien
Oct 3, 07 2:29pm

Six Iban villagers, including an 80-year-old village chief, have been remanded for three days to facilitate police investigations into the torching of a workers living quarters.

The living quarters was used by Indonesian workers engaged by plantation company DD Gedong in Serian, Sarawak.

The Serian Magistrate’s Court issued the remand order today.

The six, who were arrested yesterday, are Tuai Rumah (village chief) Banyang Anak Nanany, 80 and Nanta Anak Kilom, 48, from Kampung Semada Tenggah, Tuai Rumah Taggong Anak Gunyang,70 and Munjut Anak Rentap,58, from Kampung Semada Belatok, and Tuai Rumah Buda Anak Ganja,53 and Rukit Anak Manggie, 40, from Kampung Semada Lama.

Also arrested was Iban businesswoman Ebi Anak Udin,48, who is also opposition Sarawak National Party (Snap) Wanita chief.

All seven were detained overnight at the Tebedu police station. However, only the six were brought to court while Ebi was released this morning.

Politically-connected

The plantation belongs to a group of politically-connected individuals, including an assistant minister from Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), which is led by Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.

According to Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia) secretary-general Nicholas Munjah, the Iban community in Semada, about 70km from Kuching City, are frustrated with the company for allegedly failing to keep its end of the bargain.

In the ensuing dispute over native customary rights (NCR) land, it was reported that more than 1,400 oil palm trees were destroyed.

Munjah said the Iban community has been complaining about the company destroying their plantations and fruit farms, but the authorities, including the police, have failed to act.

There is a growing number of land disputes between rural communities in Sarawak and plantation and logging companies, which the former claim are encroaching onto their native lands.

Some of the affected communities have resorted to taking the law into their own hands, by setting up blockades to prevent workers from entering.

The companies, on the other hand, turn to the police and Land and Survey Department for help in clearing the blockades.

Attempts to remove the blockades have met with resistance from the villagers, leading to arrests and with some even being charged in court.

“The problem is not going to end until and unless the authorities recognise that what it is doing is wrong, in issuing leases to companies without respecting the adat (custom) and rights of the natives to their land as enshrined in the Land Code and the Constitution,” Munjah said.