About 450 villagers from the Baram interior in Sarawak yesterday marched in the town of Long Lama to protest the mammoth Baram hydroelectric dam.

Commencing their march at the Long Lama sub-district office, they carried placards and banners while shouting slogans against the dam in Orang Ulu dialects, said NGO Save Rivers.

NONE According to the NGO's secretary Mark Bujang, ( left ) the demonstration was heavily policed, including anti-riot police while a police helicopter was spotted circiling overhead.

"However, no untoward incident happened...," he said in a statement.

Addressing the crowd at the demonstration was Baram Protection Action Committee chairperson Philip Jau, who urged community leaders to not be "easily manipulated by politicians with vested interests".

He added that 90 of Orang Ulu community chief Temenggong Pahang Deng's supporters had in response held a counter-demonstration inside the sub-district office.

Local chief taken to court

Temenggong Pahang Deng was on May 18 quoted by the Borneo Post as saying that the community supports the dam, which will displace at least 20,000 people.

azlan Covering 39,000 hectares, the project, part of the state's high profile Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score), is 1000 hectares larger than Lake Kenyir.

According to Mark, Temenggong Pahang Deng's statement had prompted Long Tap, Akah resident Dorus Katan to bring a case against the community leader at the Native Court.

Dorus had accused Temenggong Pahang Deng of violating Kayan-Kenyah customs by "lying", and had "created a lot of confusion and anger among the majority of the Orang Ulu community in Baram".

However, the case, heard yesterday prior to the demonstration, was struck out by presiding community chief Lenjau Kuleh on a technicality.

"According to Dorus, he will review the court's decision by consulting legal experts and will decide soon on the next course of action," Mark said.