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Forest Department Officers Negotiating With The Residents
BALINGIAN (21 April, 2000): A group of six personnel from the Sibu Divisional Forest Department ordered to negotiate with the Dayak Iban longhouses community in upper Balingian area not to continue their blockade. Instead, the Ibans seeks the assistant of the Forest Department to take appropriate actions against logging company Alwayield Sdn. Bhd. that are causing further damage to lands and crops within their native customary land area. The Ibans told the forest officers they have suffered substantial loss as an impact of the logging activities of the company. They have no alternative but to resort to exercise of their rights of private defence by stopping the company from continuing its destructive activities on their customary lands.
The forest officers informed the Ibans that the company is harvesting timbers prior to the clearing of land for plantation by Novelpac Puncakdana Plantation Sdn. Bhd, which Alwayield Sdn. Bhd is said to be one of the shareholders. However, the Ibans maintained that it is their communal forest that was illegally encroached and that the company has no right to carry out logging within their native customary rights land territory. They complained that Alwayield Sdn. Bhd is carrying out illegal logging at the same time committing criminal trespass on and mischief to their lands, crops and forest. The forest officers then advised the Ibans to lodge a formal report with the Divisional Forest Department in Sibu so that investigation could be done.
Some police personnel from the Police Station in Balingian and Mukah who were deployed to the protest site have been trying to force the Ibans to stop blockading the logging road as the operation of Alwayield Sdn. Bhd has came to a standstill. The police even asked the Ibans to take legal action against the company. The Ibans replied that they have challenge the company to seek legal advice and/or to instruct their lawyers to institute legal proceedings against them if the company seriously believe they have rights by virtue of license, permit or lease granted to them by the authorities. However, until to date the company failed to do so.
As this is purely a civil dispute on rights over land, the Ibans sincere hope that the police as a law enforcement body will exercise their duty neutrally and fairly in their investigations and action. They assured the police that they have no intention to disobey they law and expect that the company will refer the matter to the court for the determination of our or their rights as the Ibans have settled and occupied their native customary lands since time immemorial. - BRIMAS