KUCHING: Natives, mostly Kayans, from Long Lepaut and Long Kesseh which is downsteam from the Baram Dam site are staging the third phase of their blockade in Long Lama, making the project area inaccessible to Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) workers and officials.
“Baram Dam site is now inaccessible..it is a complete shutdown..,” said local NGO Save Rivers Network chairman Peter Kallang.
He said the reinforced blockade made it impossible for cement trucks and workers to construct the access road to the dam site.
“SEB did send some people to talk to the natives. Two SEB staff coming from Baram, Augustine Supen Taja and Ding Juh, came and tried to talk to the natives, asking them to negotiate, but they (the protesting natives) just ignored them (the two SEB personnel),” Kallang added.
Kallang said there were between 100 ad 200 natives involved in the blockades.
“They come from the affected areas (by the dam project), and take turns to man the blockades and stage the protest,” he said.
“Baram Dam site is now inaccessible..it is a complete shutdown..,” said local NGO Save Rivers Network chairman Peter Kallang.
He said the reinforced blockade made it impossible for cement trucks and workers to construct the access road to the dam site.
“SEB did send some people to talk to the natives. Two SEB staff coming from Baram, Augustine Supen Taja and Ding Juh, came and tried to talk to the natives, asking them to negotiate, but they (the protesting natives) just ignored them (the two SEB personnel),” Kallang added.
Kallang said there were between 100 ad 200 natives involved in the blockades.
“They come from the affected areas (by the dam project), and take turns to man the blockades and stage the protest,” he said.
Kallang said the natives were determined to continue with their blockades, remaining firm, but in no way violent.
“In case the (SEB) workers return, the natives will chase them away again. They will continue to do so to make sure no works on the dam will start,” he said.
Acording to Kallang there was heavy police presence in the vicinity.
“Forty general operations force (GOF) personnel were there together with the surveying group (of SEB workers).
“However, they (the police) assured us that they were there to make sure everything was in control, and not to chase away anybody,” Kallang said.
20,000 natives will be displaced
The projected RM4-billion Baram Hydroelectric dam project is part of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score) project, and its reservoir would eventually submerge 39,000 hectares of land.
No less than 20,000 people from 26 longhouse communities would be relocated in the process.
The project has received intense objection from the Baram natives in recent years.
Last Thursday the protestors successfuly chased out 30 SEB workers doing geological studies upstream at the dam site.
The following day, the natives managed to chase away another group taking rocks in Batu Uroh and Mount Kelulong.
“These workers were from a different company under contract for SEB. They were looking for rocks, to be used as materials for the construction of the dam,” Kallang claimed.
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