Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Let The Baram Be Dammed?

BARAM DAM A GIFT FROM GOD TO THE PEOPLE OF TELANG USAN?

My dear brothers, sisters, anak-anak, cucu-cucu from the Orang Ulu communities and the Dayak Iban and Bidayuh.

My name is LAKE’ JARO’. Nice meeting you all again to listen to this old Penan rumbling from deep in the jungle.

BARAM DAM A GIFT FROM GOD TO THE PEOPLE OF TELANG USAN:
According to our Yang Bohong Lihan Jok, ADUN Telang Usan.

The location of the dam across the Baram River will be between the inflows of the Sungai Patah and Sungai Kahah from the left and Sungai Hit from the right, as going upstream.The height of the main Baram dam would be 162 m (520 FEET) above foundation level. The closest longhouse to the dam will be 520 feet under water. The dam structure across the Baram River has a crest length of 685 m and the crest level is 180 m above sea level. The construction would be designed as a roller-compacted concrete (RCC) gravity dam. Due to the topographical conditions in the project area, a 70m high Saddle dam will be constructed approximately 5 Km south-west of the project site.

Who are affected by the Baram dam?

At least 20,000 indigenous peoples will be affected and displaced by the dam. These peoples are the Kayans, Kenyahs and Penans whose longhouses and villages are situated along the course of Baram River valley, locally known as Telang Usan. Their settlements are well located on below, above and around of the project site.The downstream longhouses/villages are Long Laput, Sungai Dua, Sri Kenawan, Uma Bawang, Long Miri (Daleh Pelutan), Long Pilah and Long Kesseh.

In the upstream and within the dam reservoir area are Long Na’ah, Long Liam, Long San, Patah, Long Selatong (Kiri & Kanan), Long Apu, Long Julan Asal, Long Julan Pelutan, Long Anap, Long Palai, Long Je’eh, Long Moh, Long Sela’an and Long Semiyang as well as some villages in Akah River that are Long Beku, Ba Abang, Long Tap and Long Tebangan.

The Baram dam would submerge an area of 38,900 hectares (389 sq km) (note by Sarawak Headhunter: more than half the size of Singapore) of land and forest. The area is 90%  native customary land, and consists of pulau galau, pemakai menoa, temuda, cultivated lands, gardens, villages, churches, graveyards, community forests and sites of historical significant. The people are going to lose their longhouses, villages, properties, way of life, their pride their very soul.

This mean that more than 50% of the Kenyah Longhouses and people, 45% of the Kelabit longhouses and people and 80% of the Penans in the Telang Usan area are going to be relocated like animals to a holding area like Sungai Asap. Imagine the chaos, the destruction of their life and the misery the displaced people will suffer. The Dam will be built very soon and YET THERE IS NO PLAN FOR THE AFFECTED PEOPLE PUT FORWARD BY THE GOVERNMENT UP TO THIS DATE.

The construction of Baram dam will create a catchment area of 896,600 hectares (8,966 sq.km) (note by Sarawak Headhunter: more than 10 times the size of Singapore) for an installed capacity of 830 MW. Within the catchment area are some major settlements of indigenous communities: the Kayans, Kenyahs, Kelabits, Sabens and Penans.

The dam will submerge the existing government schools, Medical clinics, airstrip and other building facilities.

Who will benefit from the Dam?:

The chief minister and family and cronies. Their company will team up with the Chinese company to construct the dam. Taib Mahmud's company will supply all the materials for the dam while collecting and selling all the timbers within the 896,600 hectare catchment area. Selling the timber will give Taib Mahmud and family hundreds of million of ringgits. Taib will also use our money to construct the access road to the dam. OUR YBs Lihan Jok and Jacob Dungau Sagan will get the crumbs and the right to stand as BN candidates during the coming elections, for their roles in helping Taib to ROB and “KILL” the Kayans, Kenyahs, Kelabit and Penan of Telang Usan. Sadly for US we chose  to lose everything for helping to Vote YB Lihan Jok and YB Jacob Dungau Sagan. So I think the Orang Ulu and the Dayaks deserve to be poor by their own choice.

To construct the dam the government will borrow money to the tunes of Billions of ringgit. People like us will pay for the loan through increased taxes, cut in subsidies etc. Taib Mahmud and family has grabbed all and put their monies overseas as exposed by Sarawak Report.

YB LIHAN JOK's area will not be affected physically by the DAM. His Longhouse at Long Bedian will not be flooded even though the PATAH area will be flooded. However he will be very happy because all the wild animals such as the Babi, Kijang, Rusa etc..etc will move to the Apoh area as the animals escape from the 38900 hectares of flooded area in Baram. So he can organize hunting trips with Jabu, James Masing and William Mawan.

So to conclude, the Baram Dam is a gift from God to YB LIHAN JOK and cronies BUT A DEATH PENALTY FOR THE PEOPLE OF TELANG USAN. OUR ONLY WAY OUT IS TO VOTE THE BN OUT IN THE NEXT ELECTION. HIDUP PAKATAN RAKYAT!......

I am,  yours sincerely 
Lake’ Jaro’
Penan Lung Late’

Please listen to www.radiofreesarawak.org

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

YOU COULD SAY SARAWAK IS ONE OF THE FEW COUNTRIES THAT IS SHRINKING IN SIZE BECAUSE OF ONE MAN'S GREED!