Kampung Stenggang unhappy with Land and Survey Dept reply, hold protest

A group of villages of Kampung Stenggang in Bau district yesterday held a protest against the giving of Provisional Lease (temporary ownership) of Kampung Stenggang, Bau Native Customary Rights (NCR) land to a private company for development of oil palm plantation
The group of land owners who claimed they were the rightful owners of the affected land located at Stungkor Land District wants to make known that they were totally disagree with the state government’s decision in giving the affected land to the company under Provisional Lease (PL) Lot.410, 421, 422, 423, and 424, Block 6 Stungkur land District and Lot 3, Block 7 within the vicinity of Kampung Stenggang, Bau
They claimed that affected land is

their our Native Customary Land because their ancestors had been cultivating land in that area way back since White Rajah Brooke Era for shifting cultivation farming or other sosio-economic activities.
The villagers also claimed that their ancestors had lived at temporary settlements within the affected land area, such as Balung Sibodoh, Balung Seruboh, Balung Sido’oh, Balung Brosi Oma, Plaman Undur, Plaman Spoki, etc., after they moved out from Bung Bratak.
“It was only thereafter that our ancestors finally settled at the present site of kampung Stenggang in 1953,” said chairman of Kampung Stenggan Land Action Committee Carolus Joim.
He said the people of kampung Stenggang people were neither consulted nor given any prior notice regarding the proposed development of land in the affected area.
“In fact we only found out about the matter when a unidentified man gave to one of our JKKK members a copy of the approval from Land & Survey Department Headquarters, Kuching giving the provisional Lease(PL) of the affected land to First Binary Sdn Bhd.
“In other words we were not properly notified about the issue instead, we were neglected and never given our constitutional rights to speak and give our opinion when major decision was made about our land,” he said.
Carolus said prior to this, they had never authorise anybody to act on their behalf particularly in relation to the status of and our rights over the affected land.
“On this matter we have given a protest letter dated March 16, 2010 to the Director Of Land & Survey Department Kuching but the department has not come forward to meet the people of Kampung Stenggang, Bau to settle the issue,” he said.
The kampung people forward their problem to SUHAKAM, local YBs and to relevant authorities but there is no positive outcome. Therefore, the affected poor people of Kampung Stenggang (mostly farmers) have to collect money RM600.00 from each land owner just to engage a lawyer to bring the case to court.
Carolus said the general feelings of the kampung people at this moment is very sad, angry, feel betrayed by the government.
“Why we have to pay money and bring the case to court just to get back our own land,” he added.
We send another letter on April 4, 2011 to Land and Survey department and we received the reply on 1 April, 2011 but the landowners were not happy with the contain of the letter because in the letter only mention: “kerajaan memutuskan untuk membuat semakan semula ke atas kawasan yang telah dikeluarkan dengan surat hakmilik sementara (PL) kepada First Binary Plantation (Kuching) Sdn.Bhd….”.
The people of Kpg Stenggang also reiterate that the affected land given to the company is Kampung Stenggang, Bau Native Land and the rightful owners of the land were the affected people of Kampung Stenggang, Bau.
He said the rightful owners, want the State Government to cancel PL that was given to the company with immediate effect and the said affected land to be recognised as Native Customary Rights (NCL) land.
“Generally we support the government noble intention in developing the state but were are not happy the way PL was given to certain people/company especially related to Native Customary Land,” he added.