Evacuation, not eviction: Sabah minister says of Bajau Laut

 

Evacuation notices were issued to 273 illegal settlements in the Tun Sakaran Marine Park waters from May 2 to 4 due to safety concerns, said Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew.

She said the notices were distributed following the shooting incidents in Darvel Bay in Kunak, as well as cross-border criminal activities in the unauthorised settlements.

“The sovereignty of the country’s laws must be upheld; hence the demolition and evacuation of the unauthorised settlements were carried out from June 4 to 6. 138 settlements built in the hot zone were demolished and the owners tore down the rest of the settlements.

“These measures were agreed upon in several meetings involving relevant agencies such as the Sabah Parks, district offices, and the police, including eight authorised representatives from Sabah Parks communities.

“They unanimously requested the unauthorised communities be immediately evacuated from the gazetted areas,” she said.

She said this in a statement in response to the issue about the alleged eviction, demolition, and burning of houses in the Tun Sakaran Marine Park that went viral on social media.

On the allegation that the authorities set the structures on fire after demolishing them, Liew said based on police sources, some of the owners put their houses ablaze, recorded it, and posted the video on social media to gain sympathy from netizens.

She said the operation involved the police, the Semporna District Office, the Immigration Department, the National Registration Department, the Semporna District Council, and the Eastern Sabah Security Command.

Tun Sakaran Marine Park is one of the areas gazetted as Sabah Parks, and fishing, building unauthorised structures, and farming in these parks are considered offences under the Parks Enactment.

- Bernama