CH A PT E R 2 The inhabitants of the 6 villages situated near the area, namely Kg. Telaga, Kg Boluuh, Kg. Datong, Kg. Sungai Eloi, Kg. Gumpa and Kg. Ungkup (G6), claimed to have native customary rights to the area. The majority of the inhabitants fall within the hardcore poverty group. They are indigenous natives comprising the Rungus, Tombonuo and Suluk Sungai ethnicities. They also call themselves “Orang Dua Alam” or “People of Two Worlds”. This is due to the fact that they spend half of their time farming on land and the other half fishing, catching crabs, cockles, edible snails, etc for sale or for self-consumption. They don’t really engage in open sea fishing. They rely on the mangrove swamps for their source of income and protein. The establishment of the Shrimp Aquaculture Project in the area resulted in the destruction of a large area of mangrove swamps, depriving the locals of their communal harvesting grounds since 2013. They have also not been allowed access to certain harvesting grounds because the company is blocking certain tributaries of the river with large barges. The womenfolk have been harassed and are not allowed to wander freely in the mangrove areas. They have also experienced a sharp loss in income and food supply. Action by SUHAKAM Sabah Office SUHAKAM, upon receiving complaints from the said villagers, contacted several state government agencies expressing the concerns of the indigenous community but unfortunately, there was no response. After the 14th General Election, SUHAKAM conducted a second field visit from 12 - 14 October 2018. Most of the villagers voiced their disappointment and frustration, saying the new government had taken no action either. However, a day after the visit to the Shrimp Project, the new Sabah Minister of Agriculture, Datuk Junz Wong, visited the project. During his visit, he declared that there would be no further deforestation of mangrove swamps. He announced that a request for another 1,000 acres from the company for the shrimp project was rejected by the Ministry. SUHAKAM ANNUAL REPORT 2018 93