A group who represent the majority of Long Semiyang have taken a decisive stand by lodging a police report at the Miri Central Police Station against a company, condemning its logging activities in their native customary rights land, reports the Borneo Project.
The group asserted that logging had begun without their consent, despite unresolved discussions over overlapping claims with the neighbouring settlement of Ba Sebateu.
Speaking on behalf of the group, David Bilong stated: “We, the villagers of Long Semiyang, object to the destruction of the forest and any logging activities. The neighbouring settlement of Ba Sebateu claims the area is theirs, but this has been Long Semiyang NCR [native customary rights] even before they settled here.
“We are still in the midst of discussion and have not decided on anything yet. But [the company] has already started to log even before we gave our consent.”
Community members report that signboards placed by Ba Sebateu have appeared in areas that are generational farmlands and paddy farming sites of Long Semiyang. They believe the company is exploiting these overlapping claims to bypass the rightful process of obtaining consent from all native customary rights-holders.
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Florence Bilong, another representative, voiced the community’s anguish: “It is so devastating to witness huge trees that we have protected for generations being cut down and dragged out by machinery lately. To the company, these trees are just commodities, but for us, the thriving forest is crucial to our survival.”
Long Semiyang has long been committed to community-led conservation, including the United Nations Development Programme small grant programme-funded ecotourism and conservation project Tubo’ Tuan Temedan Ulang (TTTU) and another initiative supported by the Habitat Foundation under the Ministry of Finance.
The community fears that unchecked exploitation will undermine these efforts, threatening both their environment and their livelihoods.
Samban Tugang from Save Rivers, who witnessed the logging activities, said: “Overlapping claims are typical between neighbouring communities and settlements, but it should not be used as a loophole for outsiders to exploit a community’s NCR for their benefit.”
The Long Semiyang community urges the public, civil society and policymakers to stand in solidarity with Indigenous peoples as they defend their ancestral lands.
Their struggle is not only about protecting native customary rights but also about safeguarding forests that are vital for biodiversity, climate resilience and the wellbeing of future generations. – The Borneo Project
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