VILLAGERS HOLD DEMONSTRATION OVER ILLEGAL LOGGING

KUCHING, Sept 21 -– Villagers of Kampung Semadang at the 38km Jalan Puncak Borneo near here held a peaceful demonstration to protest illegal logging activities on their communal land forest.
 
They also protested the use of the 2.5km Kampung Semadang-Kampung Danu Road by a logging
company to facilitate movement of its machineries and transportation of logs.

Village chief, Samson Mangang said during a meeting today, the village’s development and
security committee and the villagers unanimously agreed to protest any form of illegal logging in
the forest.

He said they would prevent any vehicle or machinery from the logging company from passing
through the road and encroaching their land.

He said that on Friday, two of the logging company's machineries was seen entering the  intended logging area, via the newly-built road.

"The road is built for the convenience of the villagers and not for logging purposes,” said Samson, adding that several land owners had given away their land for the construction of the road  without any compensation paid to them so far.

Samson said the transportation of logs passing through the road would damage the road and pose
danger to other road users and the villagers.

He said, the logging activities would also pollute the rivers around the area as well as causing air pollution.

A check with the Forestry Department confirmed that there was no licence issued for logging activities in the area.

Kampung Semadang headman Samson Mangang (centre) joining the villagers during the demonstration.

Meanwhile it is believed that enforcement officers has questioned those individuals involved in brokering the logging activities.

At today's meeting the villagers also unanimously agreed to write to the State Land and Survey Department to stop the approval of the land area for the proposed Kampung Danu Palm Oil
Plantation as there are land disputes within the proposed plantation's area.

"We had discovered that quite a large area of our communal land are being encroached for the proposed oil palm plantation and we want to settle the matter first before the Land and Survey
can grant the approval," said Samson.