72 Homes Demolished and Burned

What is affected

Housing private

Type of violation

Forced eviction
Demolition/destruction
Dispossession/confiscation

Date

01 August 2004

Region

A [ Asia ]

Country

Malaysia

Location

Sabah1

Affected persons

	Total 360
	Men 0
	Women 0
	Children 0

Proposed solution

Details

Development

Forced eviction

Costs

Demolition/destruction

Land losses

- Land area (square meters)

- Total value

Housing losses

- Number of homes

- Total value €

Duty holder(s) /responsible party(ies)

	State
	Sabah Forestry Department, Local Police

Brief narrative

In August 2004, the Sabah Forestry Department, the Police, and Rela officers (members of a volunteer corps controversial for their violent tactics) forcibly evicted several hundred local villagers for allegedly encroached forest reserve land. The officers arrived at the villagers’ homes without prior notice and forced the residents out of their houses. The officers demolished some of the 72 homes with bulldozers, set fire to the remaining ones, and confiscated the villagers’ property, including all livestock. During the eviction, Forestry Department officials also confiscated several cars, motorbikes, and chainsaws belonging to villagers. Residents were handcuffed and sixteen men were arrested and detained for two to three weeks. Reportedly, the land on which the residents had set up their village – Kampung Puteri Tambausung – was not classified as forest reserve. The evictees, who were left homeless, were forced to seek shelter with friends and relatives or rent rooms in lodging houses.

Source: COHRE
http://www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0002751/3-Forced_evictions_COHRE_Dec2006.pdf

Costs

€ 0

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