Villagers stage protest against cascading dam

Several villagers from Long Terawan in Mulu staged a peaceful protest in front of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office here yesterday.

The group led by local activist Dennis Along made several demands, including that the government not proceed with the construction of the proposed cascading dam in Tutoh.

He claimed that the communities affected by the dams, especially the Dayak, have not benefitted from such projects.

“We have had four mega dams in Sarawak, yet the Dayak community continues to be left out (in terms of development),” he said.

Dennis also called on the Sarawak government to stop the extension of the Apoh Tutoh National Park.

He claimed that the local communities were not given enough time to decide and submit their claims for compensation.

“We were informed by Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) that they wanted to gazette the extension of the national park, and we were given two weeks to make claims for compensation.

“This is not possible. Furthermore, we do not want the extension because this will become a Totally Protected Area (TPA),” he said.

Dennis argued that once the extension of the park is gazetted as a TPA, the communities there would not be allowed to enter the area for hunting, farming or fishing.

Another issue raised was the perimeter survey under Section 6 of the Sarawak Land Code in Long Terawan and Sungai Melinau in Mulu, which he alleged was done without any prior meeting with the affected community.

Dennis also urged the state government to make public the financial reports of villages that allegedly received ‘gifts’ from private companies for use of land.