BARAM: State authorities in Sarawak have been accused of preventing a Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) investigation team from accessing remote Penan communities affected by forest clearing operations in contested logging areas within Baram district.
The allegation has been raised by three human rights organisations operating in Sarawak.
Native rights lawyer and PKR member Roland Engan stated that officials from the State Forest Department blocked the Suhakam delegation from reaching the Data Bila settlement in upper Baram.
According to Engan’s press statement, the commission’s team had traveled to the area to look into formal grievances submitted by Data Bila residents, who claim large-scale timber extraction has taken place on their lands without authorisation.
“The SUHAKAM delegation has been barred from meeting with the affected indigenous people until now.
“This represents a clear breach of protocol, given that Suhakam is an official government institution established to monitor human rights matters across Malaysia.
“Their work should not be obstructed,” Engan said.
Two additional organisations—Save Rivers Network, an environmental advocacy group, and KERUAN, a Penan community association—have released statements supporting the position that Suhakam’s investigative activities should not be hindered.
Save Rivers director Celine Lim and KERUAN chairman Komeok Joe have urged state officials to permit the commission to assess conditions on the ground, noting that numerous indigenous residents are impacted by these land disputes.
Indigenous communities throughout Baram and neighboring Belaga district in central Sarawak have erected blockades opposing timber companies and oil palm operations that are clearing extensive forest tracts for commercial purposes.
These communities assert that the forests constitute their ancestral territories over which they hold Native Customary Rights.
