NATIVES INTENSIFIES BLOCKADES AGAINST PULPMILL PROJECT
TATAU (18.11.00): Over 150 people from 11 Iban longhouses community joint forces to stop the Borneo Pulp & Paper Sdn. Bhd (BPP) in constructing its pulp mill and supporting infrastructures project as the protest entered its fourth day today. The community pledges to continue the blockade until Borneo Pulp & Paper Sdn. Bhd ceasing its entire operations within their native customary rights land.
Today the people put up another two blockades on the subsidiary roads linked to the BPP pulp mill construction site. For the last few days, BPP has been using these two roads to continue with its operations in the area. The people have performing ‘miring’ (traditional ritual ceremonies) on these two roads. They erected wooden structures across the roads and hang all the ‘piring’ (stuffs used in the ‘miring’) on the strings over the roads.
Ever since the blockade was set up on 15th November, a team of policemen and special branch police with some government officers from Tatau has made frequent visits to the blockade site to negotiate with the people. The longhouse people were asked to dismantle the blockade. The police are also looking for their leaders so that they can bring them down to Tatau for further negotiation. However, the longhouse people informed the police that the blockade could not be dismantled as it was erected in accordance to their ‘adat’ (custom). They told the police that if negotiation is to be held it must be done on their customary land at the blockade site itself.
The people were told that if they remove the blockade, BPP would offer them compensation for the pig, chickens and other stuffs that were used in the blockade. They rejected the offer and told BPP to stop its work immediately and to respect the Court as they have filed a suit against BPP and the State Government of Sarawak.
In November 1998, Jalang Anak Paran & Anor took a legal representation action against the extinguishment of their native customary rights and acquisition of their lands by the State Government of Sarawak and Borneo Pulp & Paper Sdn Bhd for the establishment of pulp mill project.
This morning, the Sarawak State Attorney General Datuk J.C. Fong faxed a letter to BPP office in Bintulu instructed BPP to lodge a police report in order for the police to take action against the people. Datuk J.C. Fong is also a member of the Board of Directors for BPP. He warned the people for staging the blockade, as it is an illegal assembly on state land.
Latter in the afternoon, a group of six policemen led by a Police Inspector Jopeny from Tatau and Bintulu visited the blockade sites. The police intimidated the people that if they still insist of holding the blockades and do not dismantle it soon, the authority would take stern action and there could be possible arrests.
However, the people are firmed in their stand that what they are doing is to defence their rights and protect their customary lands from continuous encroachment and destruction by BPP. Once again, they told the police that a legal suit had been filed against BPP and that BPP must respect the Court and cease its operations immediately while the Court has yet to fix the date of hearing for the case. Further, the people requested the police to advice BPP to stop its operations and only with that the blockades will stop.
The 11 affected longhouses are Rumah Entika, Rh Munggu, Rh Gerunsin, Rh Suran, Rh Ringkai, Rh Meluda, Rh Polis, Rh Maring, Rh Arjey, Rh Ali and Rh Jeti in upper Tatau River, about 45 KM south of Bintulu town.
