By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Nov 11: The Sarawak Government has gazetted another 2,326.31 hectares of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land involving several communities in Samarahan, while distributing RM5.26 million in compensation to landowners affected by two development projects in the division.
A total of 679 land titles have also been handed over to 622 recipients under the NCR land survey programme.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said the gazettement under Section 6 of the Sarawak Land Code was part of the government’s continued efforts to establish clearer land boundaries and protect recognised NCR land.
“Today’s presentation of Land Title Certificates is deeply meaningful as it offers certainty and protection to landowners,” he said at the Handover Ceremony for NCR land gazettes, land titles and compensation cheques for Samarahan Division today.
He said key privileges of land titles issued under Section 18 of the Sarawak Land Code included exemption from land tax and premium payments, as well as tenure in perpetuity.
“This reflects the Sarawak Government’s commitment to ensuring the rights and interests of the people remain protected,” he added.
According to Samarahan Divisional Land and Survey Superintendent, Ahmad Raslan Yaiyah, as of Nov 11, 2026, a total of 23,839.69 hectares of land in the Samarahan Division has been surveyed under the New NCR Land Survey Initiative under Section 6 of the Sarawak Land Code (SLC), with 11,044.93 hectares already gazetted.
Meanwhile, Awang Tengah said land acquisition remained necessary to facilitate public infrastructure projects, with affected landowners entitled to appropriate compensation in accordance with prevailing laws.
This included land acquired for the Samarahan Administrative Centre and Kampung Sageng Riverbank Erosion Protection projects, for which a total of RM5.26 million in compensation was distributed to affected parties.
He emphasised that land acquisition was carried out in accordance with prevailing legal provisions, including Chapter 81 of the Sarawak Land Code and the principles enshrined in Article 13 of the Federal Constitution.
He pointed out that the law provided that no person could be deprived of property except in accordance with the law, while compulsory acquisition or use of property must be accompanied by adequate compensation as provided by law.
Separately, the Sarawak government also handed over 39 land titles under Section 13 of the Sarawak Land Code to 33 recipients in Kampung Moyan Laut for agricultural use.
Awang Tengah said the titles carried a 60-year lease tenure. The government has also set the land premium at RM200 per acre for recipients of the Section 13 titles in Kampung Moyan Laut.
Awang Tengah also encouraged landowners to make productive use of their land by participating in modern agriculture programmes offered through the Ministry of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Sarawak (M-FICORD).
“The Sarawak government provides various forms of assistance and initiatives in agriculture and land development. I encourage landowners to take the opportunity to participate in Modern Agriculture programmes through M-FICORD,” he added.
Also present during the event were Asajaya assemblyman Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Kota Samarahan assemblywoman Datuk Rubiah Wang, Deputy Director of the Sarawak State Development Office Wan Fadillah Wan Ahmad, Deputy Director of the Land and Survey Department Sarawak Sr Rozlan Putit, Resident of the Samarahan Division, Mohamad Irwan Bahari Bujang, and Land and Survey Superintendent for the Samarahan Division, Ahmad Raslan Yaiyah.– DayakDaily
