KAPIT: Villagers must get their Native Customary Rights (NCR) land surveyed to ensure there are no boundary disputes.
Minister of Land Development Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing pointed out that the current land dispute in Sungai Kain was a result of some villagers refusing perimeter surveys.
“Some people there prevented the Land and Survey Department from doing it. The area which is in dispute is very small, about 10 per cent, while the rest they have done it already — had their land surveyed. Don’t stop others from surveying their land,” he said during the Kapit Gawai Dayak celebration on Friday.
“The 10 per cent has not been surveyed. We are going to discuss it later. The government is willing to discuss it. If this is justified, let us just do it. But do not stop it, otherwise we have problem every time people come in they do not understand where the NCR land boundary is. This is the result of the 10 per cent of land not being surveyed, where the problem arose. In Sungai Kain that is the main reason behind it.”
During a visit to the site earlier, Masing had called on the Land and Survey Department to verify the boundary between state land and NCR land in the area to amicably settle the dispute.
“I don’t blame the contractor or Forestry. I believe they’re ignorant because no one told them illipe trees can’t be cut for commercial purposes. However, it’s allowed for salvage clearing. Salvage clearing is allowed if there’s a permit to develop the NCR land.”
Longhouse folk from Sungai Kain had complained of their illipe trees being cut down on what they claimed to be their NCR land.