KOTA KINABALU: More than 1,000 complaints of alleged infringment on the rights of native land have been recorded by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) throughout the country so far, said Resident Commissioner for Sabah Jannie Lasimbang.
She said Sabah had the highest number of complaints at 834 between 2002 and the first quarter of this year, followed by 229 and 45 complaints in Sarawak and the peninsula respectively.
“These infringements, which are in various forms, are longstanding, persistent and systemic in nature affecting the rights of these communities,” she said in a statement, here today.
In this respect, Jannie said, Suhakam formally announced on May 10 this year the setting up of the National Inquiry into the Land Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the country.
She said the national inquiry would examine the root causes of the problems relating to native customary rights (NCR) to land in a comprehensive manner from a human rights perspective and would recommend appropriate solutions to the problems.
Jannie said the national inquiry would start its process with a series of consultations with relevant stakeholders in Sabah, from June 17 to July 5, and that it would cover almost all districts in the state.
She said on completion of the consultation process, the panel of inquiry would conduct public hearings to hear testimonies from key witnesses. – Bernama