But pay for it, former owners told
KUCHING: The Sarawak government will return a 40-acre land in Kampung Seroban to its former owners — but only if the latter pay for it.
The land was acquired by the federal government through the state government in 2005 for the construction of SMK Serian No 2.
However, the site was later deemed unsuitable and the project was cancelled.
Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Datuk Seri Michael Manyin Jawong said compensation amounting to about RM1.25 million was paid to the landowners.
“The land now belongs to the state government because it has not been fully transferred to the federal government either.
“If we (state government) were to give back the land to the former owners, yes we can (provided the former owners compensate the state government).
“According to the law, if we want to offer the land to the public, the former owners will be given priority but they have to pay for it. It cannot be free. If they don’t want, we can offer to anybody,” he said.
Manyin said this when met by the media after attending the Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) ceremony between Sarawak Research and Development Council and its partners Curtin Biovalley Sdn Bhd and Cambridge Academy of Therapeutic Sciences at Pullman Hotel here, yesterday.
On the project’s cancellation, Manyin mentioned that results from Geoscience (Department of Mineral and Geoscience Malaysia) revealed that there was a stream under the proposed site.
“So, it (site) has to be abandoned. Otherwise, the school would have been built a long time ago,” he said, adding that the site was dangerous and any building on it could collapse.
He further said that the state government was in the process of identifying a new site.
On Wednesday, Serian DAP chief Edward Andrew Luwak stated that about 20 previous owners of the land had urged the state government to return the land and to reissue the land lease.
