The 550 Bidayuh residents of Kampung Entubuh have won a rare victory in preventing the private sector from taking over their land for a government-approved project, malaysiakini learnt today.

Due to last-minute intervention of politicians and officials who respect native customs, the government has abandoned the idea of using the site for a proposed inland port near the Tebedu international check-point.

The village faces a new industrial zone being developed by the state Ministry of Industrial Development (MID).

Last month, when the villagers were told of the proposed acquisition, they thought it would be the end of their connection with land that had been passed down through generations.

Land officials had told them that they would have to give up their rights and submit a claim for compensation.

There about 100 houses in the village, many of these being modern structures with utility services. The village is a few kilometers from the new township of Bandar Mutiara, where two-storey shoplots and government offices are being built.

Tebedu is a trading centre, which has made it an attractive site for an inland container depot and part of the free trade zone.

'Write it down'

While some of the villagers were relieved with the latest news, others were more wary and said they wanted to see the reversal of the decision in writing.

" We want to see the end of any act to extinguish our native customary rights to the land," said one.

Malaysiakin i recently reported that the village committee had asked the elected representative Michael Manyin - also a state minister - to demand that the government retracts its decision.

The villagers remained firm that they would not relocate whatever the consequences, but pointed out they had not been offered alternative sites for resettlement.

Manyin, a Bidayuh from the area, is a vice-president of Chief Minister Taib Mahmud's Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu.

The committee had also sought the help of the Serian member of Parliament Richard Riot and local government officials.

"If there had been proper planning, this would not have happened in the first place," said opposition State Reform Party president Dr Patau Rubis.

Malaysiakini learnt that the government had allocated an alternative but smaller site of about 50 acres - or one-seventh the size of the original site for the inland port.

The new site, on the other side of Tebedu road opposite Kampung Entubuh, is on an industrial estate land being developed by MID.

According to sources, Kuching Port Authority is in charge of the inland port project. The state cabinet has given approval to a local transportation and logistics company, Sinar Mekar Sdn Bhd, to operate the port.

"We will take over the site as soon as it is ready," said Sinar Mekar managing director Augustine Wong, who added that he expected work to start in January.

The inland port will consist of warehouses, offices and open yards for storage of various kinds of cargo.

TONY THIEN is malaysiakini 's Sarawak-based stringer.