Six Ibans arrested for collecting oil palm fruits from their NCR land

ARCHIVES 2009

By admin-s On Sep 5, 2009

By The Broken Shield

SRI AMAN: Six Ibans were arrested at 3.00 pm on Friday, 4 September 2009 after what they claimed, collecting oil palm fruits from their NCR land. But Pelita Tangga Akrab oil palm plantation in Pantu lodged a Police report accusing them of stealing their oil palm fruits.

Police personnel from Sri Aman made the arrests following the report lodged by an officer of the company. The Police also seized a lorry loaded with three tons of oil palm fruits.

The six are Giang Ak Junit, 37, Mansu Ak Kasi, 33, Banyat Ak Dundang, 40, Riky Ak Kunjin, 30, Robby Ak Juny, 23 and Fradaus Ak Liang, 19 all from Abok, Sri Aman.

They were released about six hours later from Sri Aman Police Station on Police bail after their lawyer, Dominique Ng intervened.

According to Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA), secretary general Nicholas Mujah, who accompanied Ng to the Police Station, the six denied stealing oil palm fruits belonging to Pelita.

They only harvested the oil palm fruits from their own NCR land which Pelita planted with oil palm without their consent. But Pelita claimed the fruits are from their plantation.

Early this year, four persons were arrested for collecting oil palm fruits from their NCR land at the same plantation.