SUHAKAM NEEDS MORE BITE IN HANDLING SERIOUS CASES

Suhakam needs more bite in handling serious cases

KOTA KINABALU June 13, 2012: The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia Act 1999 needs to be amended if Suhakam was to shift from its role as a mere observer to that of a commission that can bring cases with blatant violations on human rights to court for prosecution.

Suhakam Chairman, Tan Sri Hasmy Agam told media members during a press luncheon held at the Suhakam Sabah office near here yesterday that the problem facing Suhakam now is that it is powerless to bring cases involving violations on human rights.

“When we go to court, we only act as observers and we give our opinions,” he said.

NATIVES CAN GET BACK LAND IF CONDITIONS NOT FOLLOWED — SIPAUN

Natives can get back land if conditions not followed — Sipaun

KOTA KINABALU June 10, 2012: Indigenous people in Sabah will be able to get back their native land from plantation companies if there are no proper documentations on the issuance of land titles.

Independent consultant of the national inquiry on land rights of the indigenous peoples in Malaysia, Tan Sri Simon Sipaun, said that at the Suhakam public hearing on native land rights here yesterday.

“Land titles can be revoked if they fail to oblige by the terms and conditions in proper documentations.

RCI MUST HAUL UP ANYONE

RCI must haul up anyone

Kota Kinabalu May 20, 2012: The Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrant issues in Sabah must be kept short in order to keep its focus on the real objective.

Suhakam Commissioner Jannie Lasimbang said it was important that the RCI be given the authority to subpoena anybody they want to facilitate in the investigations.

"What we want is investigation into the extraordinary population boom,"

SABAH SUHAKAM RECEIVED 153 COMPLAINTS ON LAND ISSUE LAST YEAR

Sabah Suhakam received 153 complaints on land issue last year

KOTA KINABALU May 11, 2012: The Sabah chapter of the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) received 250 complaints last year, mostly related to land issues.

According to the 2011 Suhakam Annual Report issued today, the commission resolved 45 cases while the rest are under investigation.

LAND ISSUES DOMINATED COMPLAINTS – SUHAKAM

Suhakam Annual Report 2012

KOTA KINABALU April 26, 2012: Matters pertaining to land issues dominated the complaints received by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) in Sabah last year.

Its Annual Report 2012 stated a total of 250 complaints were recorded throughout 2011, and of the number, 153 were on land matters.

Other complaints comprised 29 on undocumented migrant workers, citizenship (15), birth certificates (12), social services such as education and welfare (11), employment issues on accidents, unpaid salary or Employers Provident Fund and work permits (10), police matters on preventive detention and inaction on reports (nine), five each on detention of family members at Temporary Holding Centres and court cases, and one on detention under the Internal Security Act 1960.

FARMER CLAIMS SHE LOST 15-ACRE LAND TO FORESTRY DEPARTMENT

Farmer claims she lost 15-acre land to Forestry Department

TAWAU 1st July, 2011: A farmer in Sungai Menteri claimed that she lost her 15-acre land when it was identified as being inside a Class 1 Forest Reserve which forced her family to seek shelter with relatives at a nearby village.

Yok anak Serit, 55, who is a mother of three children, said she and her husband began farming on the area in 1985 after they obtained a Land Application under his name.

According to her, 100 other farmers in the same area suffered the same fate when their land, also still under Land Application, was taken by the Forestry Department in February last year for being inside a Forest Reserve.

“If it is true that our land is within a Forest Reserve, then why is logging permitted there before we moved in and during our time there?” she asked at the SUHAKAM National Inquiry on native customary land rights here yesterday.

When they still had the land to work on, the family could earn up toRM2,000 a month but now the family had nothing to live on. Her husband who is already 76 years old can no longer work due to old age.

“Even wild animals have a place to live so why not us?” asked Yok left her hometown in Sarawak in 1975 to live in Sabah.

Another farmer from Ulu Landau, Arita Rudiansah Abu Bakar, 41, submitted a memorandum to SUHAKAM on behalf of 540 farmers seeking help from the government after their land was taken by the Forestry Department in 2009.

Each one of them had been working on an area of 15 acres for the past 28 years before the land was taken.

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Suhakam terima 500 aduan berkaitan isu tanah

Pengerusinya, Tan Sri Hasmy Agam berkata, kebanyakan pengadu mengemukakan isu yang hampir sama iaitu memohon pembelaan berhubung hak mereka ke atas tanah adat yang diduduki atau diusahakan.

INKUIRI NASIONAL MENGENAI HAK TANAH ORANG ASLI DI SABAH

Inkuiri Nasional Mengenai Hak Tanah Orang Asli Di Sabah

KUALA LUMPUR, 25 Mei (Bernama) -- Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia Malaysia (Suhakam) akan mengadakan satu Inkuiri Nasional mengenai pencabulan hak asasi Orang Asal dan Asli ke atas tanah adat mereka di Sabah dari 17 Jun hingga 5 Julai ini.

Suhakam dalam kenyataan hari ini berkata inkuiri itu akan mengkaji punca sebenar masalah berkaitan hak tanah adat secara meluas daripada perspektif hak asasi manusia dan akan mengesyorkan langkah penyelesaian bersesuaian terhadap masalah ini.

"Sehingga kini, Suhakam telah merekodkan lebih 1,000 aduan berhubung pencabulan ke atas tanah adat di mana Sabah mencatatkan aduan tertinggi iaitu 834 kes antara tahun 2002 hingga suku pertama tahun ini, diikuti Sarawak, 229 kes dan Semenanjung, 45 kes," kata kenyataan itu.

Beliau berkata proses inkuiri itu akan bermula dengan satu siri konsultasi bersama pihak-pihak yang berkepentingan di Sabah meliputi hampir kesemua daerah termasuk Tambunan, Tenom, Nabawan, Pensiangan, Sipitang, Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Tuaran, Ranau, Kota Belud, Papar, Kuala Penyu, Beaufort, Kudat, Pitas, Paitan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Tawau, Semporna, Kota Marudu, Kinabatangan dan Beluran.

Suhakam juga dalam kenyataan itu menasihatkan orang awam yang akan mengemukakan penghujahan mereka semasa siri konsultasi ini supaya membawa geran atau permohonan geran, gambar-gambar, peta dan surat-surat berkaitan sebagai bukti.

SABAH CATAT JUMLAH TERTINGGI ADUAN BERHUBUNG MASALAH TANAH DI NEGARA INI

Sabah Catat Jumlah Tertinggi Aduan Berhubung Masalah Tanah Di Negara Ini

KOTA KINABALU, 19 Mei (Bernama) -- Lebih 1,000 aduan berhubung dakwaan pencabulan terhadap hak tanah masyarakat pribumi direkodkan oleh Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia Malaysia (Suhakam) di seluruh negara setakat ini, kata Pesuruhjaya Suhakam Sabah Jannie Lasimbang.

Beliau berkata Sabah mencatatkan jumlah tertinggi aduan iaitu 834 antara 2002 dan suku pertama tahun ini, disusuli oleh masing-masing 229 dan 45 aduan di Sarawak serta Semenanjung.

"Pencabulan ini yang berlaku dalam pelbagai bentuk, lama tertunggak, berterusan dan bersistematik telah menjejaskan hak komuniti ini," kata beliau menerusi satu kenyataan di sini hari Khamis.

Sehubungan itu, Jannie berkata pada 10 Mei lepas, Suhakam mengumumkan secara rasmi penubuhan inkuiri nasional mengenai hak tanah Orang Asal dan Asli di negara ini.

Beliau berkata inkuiri nasional itu akan mengkaji punca masalah berkaitan tanah hak adat (NCR) secara komprehensif daripada perspektif hak asasi manusia dan akan mencadangkan penyelesaian sewajarnya terhadap masalah berkenaan.

Jannie berkata panel itu terdiri daripada anggota suruhanjaya Suhakam -- Tan Sri Hasmy Agam selaku pengerusi, Jannie dan Muhammad Shaani Abdullah dan akan dibantu oleh Tan Sri Simon Sipaun sebagai juruperunding bebas, yang dipilih oleh suruhanjaya itu berdasarkan pengetahuan, pengalaman serta kepakaran meluas beliau dalam bidang hak penduduk pribumi.

Beliau berkata penyelidikan yang berterusan turut dijalankan berkaitan perkara itu termasuk meneliti kes membabitkan pertikaian tanah, undang-undang dan dasar yang menjejaskan tanah pribumi.

Jannie berkata inkuiri nasional itu akan memulakan proses berkenaan dengan mengadakan beberapa siri perundingan dengan pemegang kepentingan yang berkaitan di Sabah, dan bagi tempoh 17 Jun hingga 5 Julai, perundingan bagi inkuiri itu akan meliputi hampir semua daerah di negeri ini.

Beliau berkata apabila proses perundingan itu selesai, panel inkuiri akan mengadakan sesi pendengaran awam di venue yang sama untuk mendengar keterangan daripada saksi utama.

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Sabah has highest complaints on land problems in the country latest!