BELAGA: Residents from 15 longhouse communities in the upper Belaga River region have initiated legal proceedings against a timber and plantation company, citing unauthorised logging activities and environmental damage that allegedly triggered severe flooding in their ancestral territories.
The collective lawsuit, filed at the Bintulu High Court, represents approximately 10,000 indigenous residents who claim their native customary rights (NCR) have been violated through what they describe as illegal forest clearing operations.
According to Abun Sui Anyit, the legal counsel representing the Belaga communities and senator, the case involves 54,478 hectares of forested land that the indigenous groups assert falls within their ancestral domain.
“These communities are indigenous natives with established ancestral native customary land rights over these forests,“ Abun stated.
“The logging activities proceeded without obtaining their consent, and they are now seeking judicial redress.”
The affected residents belong primarily to the Kenyah and Penan ethnic minorities, both indigenous groups with deep historical ties to the Borneo interior.
The legal filing includes both an injunction application and a civil suit designed to prevent the company from continuing its operations in the disputed area. Affidavits from community members supporting the case have been submitted to the court.
Abun, who also serves as Sarawak PKR information chief, emphasised that the communities have exhausted other options and are now turning to the judicial system for protection of their rights.
“The villagers have brought their grievances to the Bintulu High Court as a legal avenue for obtaining justice,“ he explained.
The lawsuit comes in the wake of devastating floods that struck Belaga district during an intense rainfall period in the second week of last month.
According to the communities’ legal representative, the settlements most severely impacted were those situated in areas where forest clearing for logging and oil palm cultivation had taken place.
“The flood situation was extremely serious,“ Abun noted during previous statements to media. “The worst-affected longhouses and riverside settlements were those located in zones that had undergone clearing for timber extraction and plantation development.”
The flooding submerged numerous settlements, rural roadways, and bridges across the district, disrupting life for thousands of residents.
The 15 longhouses participating in the legal action are:
Uma Pawa Long Urun
Uma Badeng Long Dulit
Uma Udau Long Siwan
Uma Jayan Long Apok
Uma Bisi Long Liten
Uma Bayak Long Telepe
Uma Pait Data Sengelang
Uma Labang Long Tengah
Uma Dang Long Tengah
Uma Besie Long Pera
Uma Ating Long Balan
Uma Robert Long Tekuwet
Uma Dikan Long Dulit
Uma Anthony Apau Urun
Uma Pawa Long Aie
Belaga district, home to approximately 50,000 people, occupies a vast territory in central Sarawak along the border with Indonesian Kalimantan. The district’s size is comparable to the entire state of Pahang, making it one of the largest districts in the state.
The remote location, situated in the heart of Borneo Island, places these communities far from major urban centers. Bintulu, where the High Court hearing the case is located, lies approximately 200 kilometers from Belaga.
The upper Belaga River region where these communities reside remains one of Sarawak’s most remote areas, with longhouse settlements accessible primarily by river transport and limited road networks.
