Also, many airplane flights have been suspended in Sarawak since August 14th. The Miri High Court rules that five Ibans are to answer charge of murder in the Ulu Niah case while six people were discharged after spending almost 2 years in remand at the Miri prison. 19 people were originally charged for the murder of 4 people, now its just 5 people left, charged for the death of only 1 person. Click here for the events leading up to the court's ruling. Under Malaysia's Internal Security Act, known as the ISA, officials do not need to file charges or get a judge's consent to hold a person incommunicado for 60 days.
Legal specialists say that Malaysia's law is among the world's most repressive security acts.
Meanwhile, the judiciary has been showing signs of renewed independence. Some scientists believe the canopy harbour Yellow fever, Human Monkeypox and possibly Ebola and AIDS, and its destruction could unleash other unknown diseases. The article was a cover story for the Far Eastern Economic Review. It doesn't directly speak of Sarawak and recent court cases like the Rumah Nor case. But by seeing how the justice system is changing in Malaysia as a whole, it makes it easier to understand recent changes in Sarawak.