NEWEST UPDATE ON NUMPANG SUNTAI'S AND SEBANGAN NATIVES' STRUGGLE TO PROTECT OUR NATIVE CUSTOMARY RIGHTS LANDS AND SEBANGAN RAINFOREST.

Sebangan is located in the State of Sarawak, Malaysia.

Numpang Suntai and 14 others, representing 276 Iban families from the 15 longhouse communities of Kampung Entanggor, Ensika, Lumut, Arus Dayak, Tongkah Dayak, Tongkah Dayak Lubuk Manta, Tongkah Dayak Atas, Tongkah Dayak Rumah Panjai, Lunying, Belimbing Besi, Ketimbong and Bajong Ili, Bajong Ili Atas, Bajong Ili Tengah, Bajong Ili Baruh, all situated at Sebangan, Simunjan, Sarawak, filed their civil suit at the Kuching High Court on November 1st, 2010.

This case was heard at Kuching High Court on August 8th though August 19th 2011. This civil court proceeding is far from over. It is to continue on November 8th through 11th, 2011 and will reconvene again on December 19 through December 23rd, 2011.

Named as defendants in the civil suit are Quality Concrete Sdn Bhd the timber concession holder, Loyal Billion Sdn Bhd the logging contractor, 2 government appointed community leaders Penghulu Merum anak Babu and Ketua Kampung Agu anak Kaleng, together with the Director of Foresty and the Sarawak State Government.

The Sebuyau and Sebangan Ibans still need your moral and financial support to fight against illegal loggers. Your contributions will pay for the legal expenses and the cost of transportation, lodging, and food for Sebangan villagers who will be attending the proceedings in Kuching.

We desperately need your support to save our NCR heritages and our prestine environment from further destruction. If we lost this case, we will lost our land and forest to timber tycoons and oil palm plantation owners. Losing this case is losing our life line, our means of survival. Without our land and forests, we the Dayaks, the natives of Borneo, we have nothing.

In the USA please e-mail christinasuntai@gmail.com for postal address and other information. Or you can use Pay Pal by clicking Donate and you can use any credit cards to donate on-line. Thank you for you donations and support.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Free all Seven: Numpang, Mujah, Neli, Phillip, Sadun, Bawi and Tinsi


Supporters of Seven Detained Protesters
 I am Numpang's sister so I am going to talk about my brother from a personal point of view and let you know how dearly we love and admire him.  Mujah, Sadun, Neli, Phillip, Bawi and Tinsi are loved just as much by their families and the rest of their relatives but I could not do them justice because I do not know them as much as I know my own brother, Numpang Suntai.  We want all seven of them to be set free and be back with their families.  We will fight for their releases!!!  All Sebuyau and Sebangan Ibans and our Malay relatives who also own property at Selabu, please show your support and be at their hearing on Monday. 

The only “crime” my brother Numpang ever commited in this scenario is because he was helping our relatives and working with Nicholas Mujah in Sebangan to fend off the illegal loggers, Quality Concrete Holdings from destroying our native customary rights lands and forests. 

One of his nephews says: 
My uncle Numpang has been the cause of change to his community no matter whether he is there or in Miri. I remember the time his leadership in building salt water tide protection system in Bajong. As a result, farming in the area flourished as the village could control the salt water from coming in. My point is he continues to do so even at the time he and My Aunt Helen should retire and have a more relaxed life. 

He called me before he surrenderd to the Police and said, “If anything happened to me, at least I know I am doing something good to help our relatives.” My brother is not a well man and I hope they will let him take his heart medication properly as he does have irregular heartbeats. 13 years ago he had a stroke and he still cannot make use of his left hand or even knot his own tie. 

My brother is a good man and never commit any crime in his life, not even a parking ticket!   He is taking care of our 97 father who is waiting anxiously for his return. He is very popular and well loved by all his family, his siblings, his nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins all the relatives from Sebuyau to Sebangan and from Sadong to Debak and Sibu. 
Numpang and his American relatives

He just retired and was enjoying a good easy life away from the hustle bustle of the coperate world. But he and his wife Helen, cannot be just a bystander while the wanton destruction of our Native Customary Rights  forests happened right before their eyes. 

We all know that evil things happened when good men remain silent. Numpang and Helen refused to remain silent.   I hope the Iban leaders will never let other people say this about the Iban tribe of Borneo “Iban punya bodoh” or “Iban punya takut.” Meaning,”Ibans are stupid.” “Iban are cowards” 

So please help with the release of Numpang, Mujah, Neli, Phillip, Tinsi, Bawi and Sadun and let them go home to their families.
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