Indigenous groups march in Miri demanding protection of customary land rights

A coalition of indigenous organisations - Hak Tanah Adat Bangsa Asal Sarawak, Save Rivers and Sahabat Alam Malaysia - coordinated a march that gathered roughly three hundred natives from Miri and other Sarawak districts, including Marudi, Baram, Niah, Belaga, Bintulu, Sibu and Kuching. Wearing traditional clothing, the demonstrators assembled at the Miri City Fan before proceeding to the Miri courthouse, where they handed a detailed memorandum to Senator Abun Sui Anyit, with intentions to share it with additional MPs and state assembly members.

Save Rivers managing director Celine Lim said the protest underscored persistent challenges in defending indigenous rights and land boundaries. SAM spokesperson Rety Sendi urged authorities to respect these rights and accelerate pending court cases involving NCR land encroachments. The memorandum cites industrial activities such as logging and oil-palm expansion as major threats, notes the lack of prior informed consent for developments, and demands that historic aerial photographs be released online and that the state land and survey department create an accessible database of all surveyed NCR territories.