KUCHING, Feb 16 ― Land acquisition by the Sarawak government for the implementation of public development projects must include appropriate compensation, said Deputy Premier of Sarawak Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
According to him, compensation would be given to landowners for all land obtained for development purposes, based on the evaluation conducted by the Land and Survey Department Sarawak.
He said that the compensation would be duly evaluated based on several factors, including the crops or existing building structure on the land, as well as its size and current market value.
“The compensation must be appropriate; this is in line with the State Land Code, Chapter 81 and Article 13 of the Federal Constitution, which, among other things, states that no one can be deprived of his or her property except as provided by law.
“No law shall provide for the taking or using of property by force without adequate compensation,” he said in his speech at a cheque presentation ceremony, where RM23,425,726.90 in compensation was distributed to 70 landowners for the acquisition of their land for the Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) project here today. ― Bernama
