Sarawak has denied claims that it has not done enough to consult the local communities affected by the Murum Dam resettlement scheme.

Land Development Minister James Jemut Masing said the state government consulted the people continuously, including the Penan community and found that each of the communities had its own unique demand that needed to be addressed carefully to create a win-win situation.

"The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) should be more careful with their statement because it may create wrong impression," he told reporters after attending a tree-planting ceremony to mark the launching of the World 17th Interhash 2010 event in Kuching today.

azlan Masing said that problems faced by the local communities in Murum were not the same as those faced by the communities affected by the Bakun Dam.

"I'm sure they mean well, but they (Suhakam) do not get the full picture," he said, adding that the state government even stationed Penan officers to take care of the welfare of the community in Murum.

Yesterday Sarawak Suhakam commissioner Detta Samen was quoted by a national daily as saying that the Murum Dam resettlement project could face similar problem as Bakun if the local communities were not sufficiently consulted.

Detta said community leaders in the affected settlements were afraid that they would face problem adjusting like those who had resettled at the Sungai Asap project following the Bakun Dam construction.

The Murum Dam project covers 30,000 hectares of the Murum Valley in Belaga including Long Singu, Long Tangau, Long Luar, Long Menapah, Long Wat, Long Malim, Long Jaik and Long Singu, which have a population of 1,000 Penans.

It is expected to produce 900 megawatt of electricity by 2013.

- Bernama