MIRI – A group of native land activists and PKR members staged a protest in Miri around noon against the Sarawak government for not consulting them over a border surveying exercise.
Natives from Long Terawan and Mulu National Park held a silent protest while holding up banners and posters near the Miri-Pujut Highway.
Willie Kajan, a native rights activist, said the protesters congregated to Miri in a show of dissatisfaction despite both villages located about 200km away from the city.
Asked why they staged such a protest during the Covid-19 pandemic as Miri is a danger zone, he told The Vibes that it is necessary, as the state government undertook boundary surveys without permission.
“The state authorities have not consulted us and yet they see it fit to survey our land according to their definition of boundary limits.
“We natives have the right to decide how big our land is and where our boundaries are based on our ancestral heritage.
“We reject the survey by the state government since it has not consulted us.”
When pointed out to him that Miri remains a Covid-19 red zone, Kajan said the protest was held on a small scale, with protesters dispersing within a few minutes.
“We just wanted to voice our frustrations over the way the survey on our land is being done.”
Natives of Long Terawan and those living in Mulu National Park are at loggerheads with the state government concerning the area of their native customary land.
They are also protesting a move by a plantation company to open areas along the fringes of Mulu National Park to plant more oil palm. – The Vibes, April 26, 2021
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