Filed under: Dams, Indigenous People, Land, Logging, Media Reports, Oil Palm
By Tony Thien
from malaysiakini.com
2008-12-19 | Some turned up to receive their compensation happily; many others were there to protest, carrying placards to express their dissatisfaction and unhappiness with the government.
This was the scene at the community hall in Bengoh, a largely Bidayuh settlement an hour’s drive from Kuching, which greeted the entourage of VIPs at the cheque presentation ceremony yesterday.
State Public Utilities Minister Awang Tengah Ali Hassan was there to officiate at the ceremony, accompanied by several Bidayuh state representatives including minister Michael Manyin, Dr Jerip Susil, James Dawos and Peter Nansian.
The compensation was for three Bidayuh villages – Rejoi, Pain Bojong and Taba Sait – which were directly affected by the construction of the RM320 million Bengoh dam meant to be the main source for Greater Kuching’s water needs up to 2030.
bengoh dam bidayuh protest sarawak 191208 02The protesters, from two of the three affected villages, are prepared to forego the handsome payments, in some cases as much as RM200,000 or more for each recipient, and prefer to keep the ancestral land where they have lived and farmed on for decades, planting pepper, cocoa and padi.
They protested peacefully outside the community hall carrying placards – some of which read ‘Kerjaan Penipu’ (Government is cheating) and ‘Kami tak mau pindah’ (We don’t want to move). Scores of policemen were present.
Naim Cendera again
The cheques totalling about RM15 million also included compensation for a fourth nearby Bidayuh village, Semban. Although Kampung Semban is not going to be submerged, it forms part of the resettlement plan.
The Bengoh dam project has been awarded to Naim Cendera, a company linked to close associates and relatives of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, and sub-contracted to a mainland Chinese company, Sino Hydro.
The main grouses of the protesters, comprising more than 50 heads of families from the three villages, were unsuitable relocation sites, inadequate compensation and non-recognition of their NCR land.
Group spokesperson Simo ak Sekam, 48, said they were not interested to move to a new 332-acre site, about 10km away and presently inaccessible, at Jalan Bau/Semadang.
Apart from the financial compensation for their lands and other properties, they have also been offered a 0.15 acre plot each family for housing and another three acres for cultivation, together with other facilities and services.
Awang Tengah described it as a development-oriented resettlement site, urging all villagers from the four kampungs to accept the plan and not oppose the project as it would be beneficial in the long run for the people in Greater Kuching.
All in, 199 families with a total population of about 1,300 will be displaced by the dam project from the four villages.
According to a brief from Naim Cendera distributed to reporters covering the cheque-presentation ceremony, three villages – Taba Sait, Pain Bojong and Rejoi – will be submerged when the dam is fully completed in July 2010.
The villagers will start moving out in May 2009 and to be resettled by June 2010 before the diversion tunnel is plugged and impoundment begins.
The government’s financial compensation is for all land within the designated reservoir area, including all crops, buildings, fish ponds, etc in the three villages. Compensation is also to be paid for Kampung Semban and all cultivated areas outside the designated reservoir area.
All graves are to be exhumed and reburied at the designated new burial ground in the resettlement area, but the protesting villagers say the 20.5 acres reserved for this purpose at the new resettlement site will not be big enough.
About 100 students from the two primary schools within the dam catchment area – SK Taba Sait and SK Semban – will be transferred to SRK Bengoh.
One intriguing aspect
Malaysiakini also learnt that there are proposals for the private sector to develop hill resorts in the Bengoh area and that studies have already been carried out for this purpose.
The dam covers an area of about 1,600 hectares.
Meanwhile, lawyer and PKR Stampin division head See Chee How, acting for the villagers, told Malaysiakini that an intriguing aspect of the resettlement site at Jalan Bau/Semadang is that an area of about 3,000 hectares has been leased to a company known as Salcra Jaya Sdn Bhd, a RM2 company with Deputy Chief Minister and Salcra chairperson Alfred Jabu listed as one of the two directors and shareholders.
The other director/shareholder is Salcra general manager Vasco Sabat Sinkang. It is learnt that the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra) will hold a certain amount of shares in Salcra Jaya Sdn Bhd.
Locals say the timber stand in the area leased for oil palm cultivation is premium grade and of maximum girth and has never been logged before. The land has to be cleared first before planting of oil palm.
At yesterday’s ceremony, the headmen from the four affected villages as well as nearby two villages – Bengoh and Danu – also received from Naim Cendera Sdn Bhd RM2,000 in cash in a brown unmarked envelope in RM100 bills.
This was believed to be for the villages to celebrate Christmas next week.
From The Daily Express
01 December 2008
Kuching: Sarawak will reward informants of illegal logging. Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud wants a fund to be set next year.
“The move will encourage villagers, especially those living in and near forest areas, to report to the authorities of any intrusion into state forests.
“Our timber resources must be protected at all cost,” said Taib, who is also Sarawak Forestry Corporation Chairman.
He called on corporation officers to work closely with the Penans and other tribes to be guardians of the forests. “(But) we have to identify who are our friends and our enemies (among them).
The corporation should also upgrade its log tracking system to separate the illegally sourced logs from the ones harvested with permission.”
Adding that Sarawak was a model in sustainable forest management, Taib said it had to step up the development of planted forests to relieve the pressure of sourcing timber from its permanent forest estates (PFEs).
“My worry is that we are a bit slow to achieve the target of planted forests.”
He indicated the State Government was prepared to look for funds to finance planted forest projects, and that it may even take over such development initiated by the federal authorities.
Taib said the state has decided to convert 20pc of its forest areas to planted forests, with the target of developing one million hectares of forest plantations by 2020.
He said with fast growing timber species, the one million hectares planted forests could yield 15 million cubic metres of wood a year.
Sarawak now harvests some 11 million cu m of timber a year, including some 9.2 million cu m from PFEs. More than half of the log production is reserved for the local timber processing mills.
Meanwhile Sarawak’s log tracking system will be extended to cover all regions from January.
Sarawak Forestry Corporation Sdn Bhd chairman Datuk Dr Yusoff Hanifah said Sibu was the only region implementing the system now.
He said the extension of the tracking system was made possible with the implementation of Forest Net – a wide area network which serves the Forest Department, Sarawak Forestry Corporation, state Planning and Resource Management Ministry, Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC), state-owned Harwood Timber, state Treasury and other stakeholders.
Forest Net will connect main timber monitoring and assessment centres, comprising district forest offices and export points, main nature conservation centres (national parks and wildlife sanctuaries) and three research and development sites.
“With due diligence and documentation, each log produced can be traced to its original stump or the forest of origin. “Steps to further enhance verifiability for legality of source include 100pc tree-tagging and computer tracking,” he added at the Sarawak Forestry Corporation’s fifth anniversary dinner on Friday.
To strengthen enforcement work, Dr Yusoff said an effective system had been installed to ensure the forest agencies were backed by the police and Customs Department.
On the international front, he said Sarawak Forestry and Forest Department was working closely with the Itto (International Tropical Timber Organisation) – Cites (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) collaborative project to conduct an assessment of ramin (a precious timber species).
This project would ensure that export volumes of Ramin are maintained within sustainable levels, he said.
Filed under: Campaign
Dear Friends and Friends of Friends,
What Rainforest would like to apologize for our near-hiatus status over the past 6 weeks, which have resulted in almost no news or postings, or news that are way past its shelf life.
We were away and access to the internet was limited, and whenever the internet was available, there simply wasn’t enough time to maintain this website.
However, we are now back and is glad to continue to bring you more news and updates on the rainforest and its inhabitants.
Please continue to regularly log on to www.whatrainforest.com and tell your friends about it. Also, please tell your friends and associates who have thought that we are gone to come back.
We appreciate your support and encourage you to step out of your house to hug the first tree that you see today.
Cheers,
The What Rainforest? Team
Media Statement by Penan Support Group c/o Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM)
10 December 2008
It has been three months since the Swiss-based NGO, the Bruno Manser Foundation(BMF) released the press statement on the rape and sexual abuse of young Penan women by logging company workers.
It has been two months since The Star followed up the BMF press statement and provided details of rape and sexual abuses in Middle Baram in Miri Division, Sarawak.
Two young Penan mothers had since been sheltered by NGOs and friends in Kuala Lumpur and they had made two police reports with Bukit Aman.
NGOs are cooperating with Police
KL-based NGOs continue to cooperate with the Sexual Assault Unit of the Police Headquarters in Bukit Aman. The NGOs have facilitated the presence of the Penan women at Bukit Aman each and every time such requests were made by the unit for the Penan women to provide statements and clarification. Such cooperation has been progressing well on a professional level, with the last session taking place yesterday, 9thDecember 2008.
Under such circumstances, it is highly inappropriate for the IGP and the Bukit Aman CID head to make public statements contrary to such cooperation and its on-goinginvestigation.
No case again?
We are puzzled by statements from the police suggesting that the police’s initial investigations show that there is no case to prosecute.
This seems like a repeat of what happened to the 1994 NGO-facilitated rape report of a 12-year-old Penan girl which gave more than sufficient details and information to enable the police to nab the rapist and the other perpetrators. Yet we were only informed recently that that case had been thrown out by AG’s chambers due to insufficient evidence gatheredby the police.
We are providing copies of the police reports made in 1995 regarding this case to demonstrate the leads and names mentioned that should have led police to at least an arrest.
Sarawak media not reporting the full truth
We also condemn the outright attempts at white-washing the latest rape and sexual abuse cases by the Sarawak-based The Borneo Post newspaper on numerous occasions. The Borneo Post’s reporting on the issue reflects blatant biasedness and lack of journalistic professionalism.
NGOs hiding the victims?
We take objection to the police’s insinuation that we hid two victims in KL for 9 days before making the police reports as we wanted to coax them as to what to say to the police.
This further demonstrates the insensitivity and lack of understanding of the police top brass in handling rape and sexual abuse victims, especially those from isolated, marginalized and long-abused communities.
Why we sought help from Bukit Aman?
The original intention of the victims and the Penan communities to seek support in KL was to avoid the biased Sarawak police that they had come accustomed to. However, thestatements and actions coming out of Bukit Aman are of increasing concern to us. And raises questions about where the Penan victims can go to now.
Our offer
The police have said that they are unable to meet the people from the community as part of their investigations. This is not surprising as the Penans do not trust the police or anybody from the authorities.
The NGOs in Sarawak who have a good working relationship with the Penans and who are trusted by the Penans, are willing to take a team of women police officers from BukitAman into the Penan homelands for them to meet the other victims and whoever else the yneed to interview. But only women police officers from Bukit Aman are to be in the team.
In conclusion, we call upon the police to be professional and free of bias in itsinvestigation into the latest allegation of rape and sexual abuses of Penan girls and women.And for them to see to it that such crimes are not perpetuated in Sarawak or elsewhere.
Penan Support Group c/o Suara Rakyat Malaysia
10 December 20082
Kuching Sarawak East Malaysia:
. 9th December 2008. Kuching High Court ” David Wong” today delivered a pre- Christmas gift to the Iban Native’s communities of Kampong Sungai Raya, kampung Temiang, Kampung Keniong and KampongTebun Simunjan, Kota Samarahan.
In his Chamber decision to a suit filed by a reforestation cum Oil Palm plantation Company ” Rejang Heigh sdn bhd” a sister company of giant Rimbunan Hujau to apply for injunction to stop the native from putting blockade to their work within their lease which is claimed by the native as their Native customary land.
The Iban native are determined to fight all out to defend their ancestral land no matter if it mean they have to sleep days in the police lock up( indeed four leaders were arrested on 24th October 2008).
It was very cool and cloudy surround the court house, there came their lawyer “Dominique Ng” with a smiling face out from the chamber with his right thumb up (mean good news).
There on the court entrance over it corridor he was immediately surrounded by his client “the poor rural Native” what transpired in between the 6 eyes of the Honourable judge, the company’s lawyers and himself.
Lawyer Dominique Ng told that the judge had thrown out the company’s application for injunction against the Iban native from Simunjan, further the court had told the learned parties that the Iban native had been proven to have the element of Native customary right over land with legal proof provided therein. however the written judgement will only be delivered 9th January 2008.
So upon the last word from Dominique the Iban native shouted in happiness that got the attention of every one including journalists and police men. One elders Tuai Rumah ajen anak Wen was seen singing Christmas song and followered by all others. So it really a Happy Christmas Gift.
There was no mention of fixed date for the trial proper yet.
Ngap Sayot.
from Malaysiakini.com
by Tony Thien, Dec 5 20008
Owners of native customary rights (NCR) land, representing more than 220 people from two Iban longhouses in Ulu Niah, Miri, protested in front of the Kuching High Court yesterday.
Holding up placards, the group of about 100 expressed anger over the failure of a plantation company to honour its promises to them.
They had signed a joint venture in 1997 with KTS Group subsidiary Niamas Istimewa Sdn Bhd and Sarawak Land Development Board, a statutory body and a shareholder of Sarawak Plantations Bhd, to develop 2,508 hectares of NCR land for oil palm.
Under the Konsep Baru land development scheme, the landowners would hold 30 percent of the equity, the government agency 10 percent and a private investor 60 percent.
Spokesperson Changgai anak Dali said Niamas Istimewa Sdn Bhd had made an initial payment of 10 percent of the agreed sum.
However, he said it has not paid a single cent of the 30 percent by way of unit trust shares to the landowners over the last nine years, even though the harvested oil palm has brought returns to the joint-venture (JV) company.
The landowners have also learned that 10 percent of the equity of the JV company has since been sold to the private investor without their knowledge.
Changgai, 57, told Malaysiakini that the group had asked Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu and State Land Development Minister James Masing to intercede for them, but that there has been no result.
Complaint of encroachment
The landowners, who had travelled from Miri by bus, took the opportunity to mount the protest while in Kuching to lend support to Changgai who is facing a legal suit filed by another company.
Plantation company BLD Resources Sdn Bhd had applied for an injunction to prevent him from entering land under a provisional lease (PL), which it had obtained by the state government.
In 2005, the Land and Survey Department had issued the company a PL known as Lot 91 Sawai Land District, covering1,803 hectares, for oil palm cultivation.
Changgai is alleged to have trespassed on about 80 hectares within the area by planting it with food crops and oil palm.
The case was heard in chambers yesterday before Judicial Commissioner Abdul Hamid Sultan Abu Backer, who allowed an adjournment.
This was on application by the plaintiff’s counsel George Lo on the ground that the suit should include the Sarawak government which issued the PL.
Changgai is represented by Miri-based Orang Ulu NCR lawyer Harrison Ngau.
Other residents of Changgai’s longhouse will file a separate suit against the company for encroaching on what they claim to be NCR land within the PL area.
It was agreed to consolidate all the cases for hearing on Jan 13 next year.
