There may finally be a solution soon to the land issue involving the government and the native farming community living near the multi-billion-ringgit hydro dam project in central Sarawak.

bakun dam location map At the hearing of an inter-parte application for an injunction to stop the demolition of houses built along the highway by the natives, lawyers proposed that a joint inspection and survey be carried out to determine if the actual location of the remaining 37 houses in Uma Apan are located within the gazetted road reserve along Bakun road, as claimed by the government.

The matter was heard in chambers before justice Sangau Gunting, with the government lawyers led by former state attorney-general JC Fong.

Representing the plaintiffs from the longhouse with a population of several hundred people was a panel of three Orang Ulu and two Iban lawyers - Baru Bian, Paul Raja, John Antau, Harrison Ngau and Janting Antalai.

Uma Apan is one of four longhouse communities in the Bakun area who claim that their native customary rights to their ancestral lands have been violated by the development of the Bakun hydro-electric dam project, now still under construction.

In mid-July this year, a land-and-survey team, armed with heavy machinery and police escort, moved into the area and started to demolish more than 10 farm houses along the Bakun highway before lawyers managed to apply for a court injunction to stop them.

Hearing of the inter-parte application, scheduled to be held this morning in Bintulu, has been postponed to Sept 24.

At the outset of the hearing in chambers today, Baru Bian, leading the counsel for the indigenous group, proposed the joint inspection and survey which was agreed to by the other party.

Government lawyers are arguing that the houses targeted for demolition are standing on a road reserve which was gazetted in 1997 at the start of the Bakun dam project.

Happy with the arrangement

baru bian Baru said if the survey, to be carried out jointly by the land and survey department and surveyors to be appointed by the natives, showed that the houses were indeed built on the road reserve, they (the natives) are ready to move out.

According to Baru, the question is whether the houses are built on the road reserve which has been gazetted and for which the government claims compensation has been paid or whether the natives are claiming native customary rights to the land beyond the gazetted road reserve.

"That is why we want to determine the actual location now," he added. "The natives are happy with the arrangement and will go along with it."

The government’s action in demolishing the houses along the Bakun highway has caused a lot of anger among the affected natives in the area and also concern among ruling political parties.

Two days ago, 500 Orang Ulu, mostly Kayan and Kenyah, applied en masse to join PKR and another 500 would be joining shortly.

"They have given up hope on BN (of ever resolving their land problem)," according to Paul Raja, who is also PKR Bintulu chairperson.