MIRI: The Sarawak government has been served with a court injunction restraining any of its enforcement agencies from conducting any further demolition works against the homes of the Bakun people who had been issued eviction notices by the State Land and Survey Department.
Bintulu-based lawyer Paul Raja, who is representing a section of the affected folk in Bakun, served the injunction on the State Secretary’s Office and the Sarawak Attorney-General’s office Tuesday morning following his successful application for the order in the Bintulu High Court.
Raja applied for the injunction following urgent appeals from the people in Bakun who had been issued eviction notices by the department. Some of their houses and farm huts had already been demolished.
Last Tuesday and Wednesday, some 30 enforcement teams from the Bintulu Land and Survey Department bulldozed houses and farm huts in four different locations some 20km from the foot of the RM6bil Bakun hydroelectric dam project in Belaga district, about 250km from Bintulu town.
The department said the houses in Bakun earmarked for demolition were illegal premises built on state land.
The affected Bakun people, from some 400 families, said they have native customary land rights in the region because they had been staying there for more than 130 years.
On Wednesday, the affected folk staged demonstrations and blockades to stop the enforcement teams from destroying more structures, and also filed a police report against the department, as well as the court injunction.
Lawyer Paul yesterday told The Star the injunction covers all enforcement agencies under the jurisdiction of the state government.
Bintulu-based lawyer Paul Raja, who is representing a section of the affected folk in Bakun, served the injunction on the State Secretary’s Office and the Sarawak Attorney-General’s office Tuesday morning following his successful application for the order in the Bintulu High Court.
Raja applied for the injunction following urgent appeals from the people in Bakun who had been issued eviction notices by the department. Some of their houses and farm huts had already been demolished.
Last Tuesday and Wednesday, some 30 enforcement teams from the Bintulu Land and Survey Department bulldozed houses and farm huts in four different locations some 20km from the foot of the RM6bil Bakun hydroelectric dam project in Belaga district, about 250km from Bintulu town.
The department said the houses in Bakun earmarked for demolition were illegal premises built on state land.
The affected Bakun people, from some 400 families, said they have native customary land rights in the region because they had been staying there for more than 130 years.
On Wednesday, the affected folk staged demonstrations and blockades to stop the enforcement teams from destroying more structures, and also filed a police report against the department, as well as the court injunction.
Lawyer Paul yesterday told The Star the injunction covers all enforcement agencies under the jurisdiction of the state government.
