Suhakam will hold a public inquiry into the alleged state sanctioned burning of some 28 homes in Kampung Koiboton 1, Beluran, Sabah.

The public inquiry will be conducted by a panel of three commissioners Dr Denison Jayasooria, Khalid Ibrahim and Zaiton Othman

Zaiton, a senior lawyer, will head the panel which is scheduled to hold the inquiry from Aug 15-17.

The incident in Kampung Koiboton 1 which took place last Oct 3 involved some 50 individuals from 20 families.

They were allegedly rendered homeless after the state Forestry Department razed the area which is located in the Paitan Forest reserve.

According to a report by Sabah-based Daily Express on Oct 31 last year, department director Sam Mannan in describing the homes as 'weekend retreats', said they were destroyed because they were built with illegally felled timber.

Possession of illegal timber is a violation of Section 21 of the Sabah Forest Enactment 1968.

Sam added that the department had to take action because the land had been earmarked for commercial activities.

Contacted today, Suhakam commissioner N Siva Subramaniam said some of the affected villagers claimed they have lived on the land for generations.

"Most of them are staying with friends. But one family is still living under the tent in the area since the incident," said Siva Subramaniam who visited the area recently with Suhakam colleague Simon Sipaun.

Witnesses come forward

According to a statement by Suhakam, the terms of reference for the public inquiry are:

To inquire on the burning of houses at Kampung Koiboton 1, Beluran, Sabah

To determine whether there was any violation of human rights of any person or party and their rights to the property during the incident

If violations of human rights had occured, the public inquiry panel aims to determine the following:

Which person or persons or agency or agencies was or were responsible

How did such violations come about

What administrative directives and procedures or arrangements contributed to the violations

What measures should be recommended to be taken to ensure that such violations do not recur

Members of the public who witnesses the Oct 3, 2006 incident or is capable of giving relevant information on the incident can contact Suhakam.