KUCHING, Oct 25: Over a hundred villagers from Simunjan have come to lend support to five individuals who have been charged at the Magistrate’s Court in Simunjan today for holding illegal assembly and causing mischief.
According to their defence council Dominique Ng, they were accused of conjecturing an illegal assembly where violence were used on April 23, 2019 on what the five claimed to be their native customary rights (NCR) land.
The five were being charged under Section 147 of the Penal Code. Under the said Penal Code, they may be sentenced to two years’ imprisonment or fine or both, if convicted.
Additionally, they were also being charged under Section 143 of the Penal Code, for causing mischief at the same place and time. If found guilty, the five may be jailed up to six months or fine or both.
The five were released on bail.
The court has set Nov 22 for pre-trial management and Dec 6 and 12 for hearings to be heard at Magistrate’s Court in Serian, upon the agreement of both the prosecutor and the accused. — DayakDaily
