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, May 20, 2011

Numpang Suntai's High Court Appearance on May 10th 2011

Numpang to know outcome of prosecution’s appeal on May 24
Posted on May 11, 2011, Wednesday
Taken from Borneo Post



STRONG SUPPORT: See (second left), Numpang (sixth left) and Chan (fourth right) outside the courthouse complex.
KUCHING: The High Court here yesterday fixed May 24 to decide whether to dismiss the prosecutor’s appeal against the discharge and acquittal of a self-declared Native Customary Rights (NCR) land defender Numpang Suntai from the charge of intimidation.
Yesterday Numpang appeared before High Court Registrar Zubaidah Zharkawi who adjourned the case after receiving submission of replies from Numpang.
He was represented by Counsel See Chee How.
After the court proceeding, See related that they had not received the hardcopy of the notice of appeal from the prosecution side.
Instead they were told by the police through the telephone, he added.
“Numpang was only told to attend the court for mention of his case through the phone. Initially, we did not even know what they were appealing for,” See said.
Numpang allegedly intimidated timber camp workers at Sebangan Sebuyau area at 2.45pm on Oct 18 last year.
Then in March, Simunjan Magistrate Court discharged and acquitted him because the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against him.
Criminal intimidation comes under Section 506 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum seven years’ imprisonment or with fine, or both, upon conviction.
Numpang was also among seven others who were arrested early last year when they were said to have set up a blockade at the area to
stop the logging company workers to extract logs from their land.
However, the rest were freed and he was the only person charged.
Apart from See, who is Batu Lintang assemblyman, Teja (West Malaysia) assemblyman Chan Lih Kang who is also Party Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) supreme council member was also present at the courthouse.
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