Angry villagers claim police using excessive force in arrests

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MIRI: The police arrested eight villagers of Rumah Gansor, Rumah Tarang and Rumah Ansang for alleged involvement in an oil palm fruits theft syndicate last Friday.

The villagers allegedly stole oil palm fruit bunches from Sacheiw Plantataion Sdn Bhd, which operates a plantation on Native Customary Rights land (NCR) of residents of the two longhouses, according to a press release from the Information Department yesterday.

A police contingent comprising General Operations Force (GOF), traffic and officers from Batu Niah, Miri and Kuching went to Sungai Sebatu, Suai to carry out the arrests.

According to Cassidy Robinson Ran from Rumah Gansor, excessive force was used by the police who pointed their firearms at the unarmed villagers when carrying out the arrest.

One of the villagers Adrian Michael was assaulted before being arrested with his underage son, who is only nine years old.

Eleven of the villagers’ vehicles were also seized by the police and brought to Miri Central Police Station (CPS).

The longhouse welfare funds amounting to RM10,500 which was supposed to be deposited at a local bank in Batu Niah was missing from the vehicle after it was seized by the police and brought to Miri, it was claimed.

Villagers from the three longhouses were angry with the way the police and other authorities handled their dispute with the plantation, which has been left unresolved since 1996.

“The police treated us as if we are dangerous criminals. They came in an aggressive manner and uttered harsh and insulting words and pointed their weapons towards us.

“We are only farmers working on our own lands and we have tried numerous times to meet and dialogue with the company but it never kept to its promises,” said Abang Ramba from Rumah Gansor.

He claimed the company had ignored their protests despite his people writing letters and holding meetings with the relevant authorities since it encroached their NCR land.

The eight villagers, Chaya Abang, Sudin Minggat, Elvister Entir, Fabian Jati, Robin Siri, Adrian Michael and two underage boys, are still being held in remand at the Miri CPS.