Melikin folk to file suit against plantation firms

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SEEKING JUSTICE: The villagers make known their desire with their land outside the police station.

SERIAN: Some 300 people from 17 villages in Melikin near here will be filing legal suit against two plantation companies which they alleged had encroached into their native customary rights (NCR) land.

The decision to file the legal suit was taken after a closed door dialogue session at the police station here yesterday involving the authorities and five individuals representing the villagers.

The session ended in a deadlock.

Several representatives were seen leaving the police station even before the session ended.

Speaking to reporters outside the police station later, one of the representatives, Igat Biju, said he left the dialogue session because he felt that the villagers were not well represented.

“There is no use for me to be there if all the villagers are not involved since this involves their land.

“If the authorities want to hold a dialogue session, it should be held in the open, involving all the villagers and not a closed door session held at a police station,” he added.

Igat said it was not fair to limit the number of people to join the dialogue session considering that all the villagers were involved in the matter.

“It will not be fair for the rest if any decision from the dialogue session is achieved based on the decisions of only five of us,” he said.

Sharing the view was a representative of Kpg Engsebang, Tuai Rumah Patricia Pantau, who also questioned the sincerity of the authorities in holding the dialogue session.

“It is not fair that they only chose five representatives for the dialogue session. If they are really sincere to talk to us they should hold an open dialogue in the village,” she added.

Patricia said all the villagers wanted was impartiality on the part of the authorities in solving issues involving them and the plantation companies.

“On Sept 1, they (plantation companies) demolished the bridge built by the government. As a result of that, we lodged several reports at Serian Police Station together with all the evidence but there was no action taken by the police. That’s why the villagers are very unhappy,” she added.

Patricia said the villagers were also unhappy because when the police suspect anything, it was always the villagers who would be detained.

She was referring to an incident whereby five villagers were detained by the police last month on suspicion of setting up a blockade to stop a plantation company from encroaching into their NCR land.

They were also said to have burnt a makeshift wooden bridge belonging to the plantation company.

However, they were released on bond at the end of the two-day remand.

In their quest for justice, the villagers have sought the service of See Chee How to represent them in court in their suit against the two plantation companies.

“We are in the process of filing legal suit against the two plantation companies which will be done as soon as possible,” he told reporters outside the police station here yesterday.

See was also present at the police station in his capacity as the villagers’ lawyer. He was however not allowed to join the dialogue session as his name was not included in the invitation letter.

In their claims, the villagers want the court to declare that their land is NCR land and want it (land) to be excluded from the provisional list, and claim damages from the two plantation companies for the damages caused.

Sources said that Balai Ringin assemblyman Snowdan Lawan, deputy police commissioner Datuk Law Hong Soon, representatives from Land and Survey Department, Serian District Office and the plantation companies also attended the dialogue session.