IOI Corp has agreed to return native customary rights land to Sarawak villagers — report

KUALA LUMPUR (March 18): Oil palm plantation company IOI Corp Bhd is reported to have agreed to return 5,000ha of native customary rights (NCR) land to villagers in Tinjar, Sarawak under a resolution, which resulted from more than two years of engagement by both parties involved in the disputed land after the provisional lease was issued by the state government in 1996.

The Borneo Post, quoting Sarawak’s Assistant Minister of Local Government and Housing Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil, reported today that the community leaders and longhouse chiefs yesterday accepted IOI Corp’s offer to return the land in Long Teran, Long Labing and Long Lapok from the provisionally-leased area under its unit Pelita Plantantion Sdn Bhd in Tinjar.

“This could only be achieved with engagement from the reputed company which recognises NCR rights and civil society, arriving at this agreement involving the Iban, Berawan, Penan, Kayan and Kenyah communities in Tinjar.

“This proves that land already inside the PL (provisional lease) can still be taken out if there is genuine NCR ownership,” said Penguang, who is also the Marudi assemblyman.

It was reported today that the meeting between IOI Corp and the villagers yesterday was chaired by acting Miri resident Abdul Aziz Mohamad Yusuf and attended by longhouse chiefs from Long Jegan, Long Tabing, Long Tuyut, Long Teran Baru, Long Teran Kanan A and Long Teran Kanan B, among others.

According to the news report, there were 365 registered claimants and other individual claims to the disputed land which started when IOI Pelita began planting in 1998 after the provisional lease was issued by the state government in 1996.

It was reported that Penguang also proposed that perimeter survey under Section 6 of the Sarawak Land Code be carried out by the Land and Survey Department for the 5,000ha of land to be gazetted as community reserves.

“This is to ensure that outsiders don’t take the land away, and I will leave it to the community to work out the demarcation of the respective borders,” he said.

At the time of writing today, IOI Corp had not issued a statement in response to news reports on the company’s agreement to return the 5,000ha of NCR land to the villagers in Tinjar.

On Bursa Malaysia today, IOI Corp shares were traded unchanged at RM4.24 at 10.58am, with a market value of about RM26.6 billion.

IOI Corp has 6.27 billion issued shares, according to its latest quarterly financial report.

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