‘Most Tamin folk affected by highway agree to move’

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Gira (front) walks along the wooden plankway that leads to SK Saint Matthew hall. Behind him is Sempurai.

Gira (front) walks along the wooden plankway that leads to SK Saint Matthew hall. Behind him is Sempurai.

SIBU: The majority of residents from 20 longhouses in Tamin who are affected by works on the ongoing Pan Borneo Highway project have agreed to be relocated.

Tamin assemblyman Christopher Gira Sambang said some of the longhouses there had been demolished after the residents received compensation from the government.

He listed Rumah Bundak, Rumah Masam, Rumah Sylvester Jelian, Rumah Chendai, Rumah Kunsun, Rumah David, Rumah Ghani, Rumah Rining, Rumah Kenneth Lone, Rumah Kiruh, Rumah Jiram, Rumah Andie and Rumah Hamatabikirie Naga as among the affected longhouses.

“It involves about 1,500 residents altogether. However, some (residents) are refusing to be relocated because they are dissatisfied with the amount of compensation that they are getting.

“So far, (residents of) Rumah Kenneth Lone and Rumah Ghani have been relocated. The folk of Rumah Masam, which was demolished recently, are now occupying a temporary settlement,” he told The Borneo Post after officiating at the ‘Community Development Programme: Arts, Sports and Culture’ at SK Saint Matthew in Nanga Sekuau on Sunday, organised by Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC).

Explaining further on the relocation exercise involving his constituents, Gira said every household of the affected longhouses had been and would be compensated accordingly, based on certain criteria. For example, he said those living in a wooden longhouse would be given compensation rates that were different from those awarded to residents of a concrete longhouse, he said.

“For example, Rumah Rining receives between RM150,000 and RM160,000 in compensation per door, as their former longhouse was occupying a road reserve site.Some of the wooden longhouses get RM80,000 per door (in compensation),” he said, adding that he had allocated RM15,000 from his fund for works on the new site for Rumah Rining.

He added all longhouse residents in Tamin affected by Phase 1 of the Pan Borneo Highway project – stretching from Sibu/Bintulu Roundabout to Sungai Kua – had received their compensation.

“The payment to affected longhouse residents from Batang Kua to Arip is being processed now. The residents there are given three months to vacate their old longhouses upon receiving the compensation. They can still negotiate with the relevant authorities, should they disagree with the exercise,” he said, stressing that any obstacle

would delay this RM16 billion highway project spanning 1,089km from Telok Melano in Lundu to Lawas.

SRDC chairman Sempurai Petrus Ngelai, his deputy Robert Lau Hui Yew, organising chairman Kusa Buan and SK Saint Matthew headmaster Mawang Nili were present at the community programme on Sunday.