Battle for NCR Land Rights in Sarawak Continues
On July 5th hundreds of protestors and over 20 native social rights groupsgathered in Miri to express their opposition to a proposed amendment that would significantly dilute indigenous land rights. Following the rally, an amendment was passed that limits the Native Customary Rights (NCR) domain to 1,000 hectares and fails to recognize indigenous land designations such as
Pulau Galau and
Pemakai Menoa, terms that refer to traditional land management practices. Native social rights groups are still working through what exactly the amendment will mean, as the language introduces uncommon terminology.
Najib Arrested as New Government Investigates 1MDB Scandal
One of the first actions b the new federal government was to re-open the investigation into 1MDB, the world-wide corruption and embezzlement scandal that many believe was orchestrated by former Prime Minister Najib and his family and associates. On July 3rd Najib was arrested in “a stunning fall from grace”. He has since been released on bail and has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Read more about the case in The Guardian.
