FORESTRY DEPARTMENT DEMOLISHED VILLAGERS HOUSES AT THE MUKIM PENANGAH - TONGOD

                                                        BY: REBECCA CHONG

KINABATANGAN: The Sabah Forestry Department has allegedly, in an operation, destroyed homes, cottages and crops of villagers in its territory in Mukim Penangah, Tongod here, since April this year.

Local leaders are concern with the wellbeing of the villagers who have been living in the area since before the land was entitled to the Sabah Forestry Department.

Kinabatangan UPKO Komulakan Chief, Willy Frous Darinsok, who is one of the villagers, said that over 3,000 villagers are affected by the action taken by the department.

Kuamut Assemblyman, Masiung Banah, has since last year acknowledged that the forestry department was entitled to the land with six villages.

“It was learnt that Masiung has submitted a proposal to the Sabah Forestry Department to move the department’s land to other part of the State’s Land which is further from the villages so that the locals would not be affected by the department’s activities.

“However, after the proposal was submitted last year, there is yet to be any answer from any party” he said while adding that the crops of the villagers include paddy, vegetables, rubber trees and oil palm.

Wily then urged that the proposal to be studied and speed up as the villagers are losing their homes and their source of income in a very short time.

“The operation to destroy crops and homes within the department’s land is still going on until today” he said to the reporters yesterday.

Six villages in Mukim Penangah affected are namely Kampung Mangkawagu, Kampung Saguon, Kampung Tampasak, Kampung Aliptang, Kampung Tinangah and Kampung Dewara. All the six villages fall under the Kuamut constituency.