Baram’s BN-appointed native leaders want the government to take immediate action against an NGO campaigning against the Baram dam in Europe.

 

“The leaders of Save Sarawak’s Rivers Network (Save Rivers) are spreading lies in Europe claiming that 60,000 indigenous people in Baram are behind them to stop the building of the dam.

 

“The lies are very damaging to us especially when they tell Europeans that they are representing all the Orang Ulu people in Baram and all against it,” the native chiefs said in a joint statement.

 

The statement was signed by Temenggong Joseph Ngau Lian of the Kenyah community, Penghulu Paul Kallang of Akah Hilir and San area, Penghulu Ajang Wan of Akah Patah area, and Penghulu Jalong Tanyit of Moh area.

 

“We, the leaders of the Orang Ulu people in Baram, have never appointed chairperson of Save Rivers, Peter Kallang ( left ), and his friends to speak for us.

 

“They are also using the Penans and other Orang Ulu people who are now manning a blockade at KM15 Baram road to solicit for funds for their own use. We want the government to take action against Save Rivers,” they added.

 

Meanwhile, Peter in a statement, said that the campaign has seen a lot of successful dialogues and meetings with government representatives.

They include civil societies, non-government organisations and corporate sectors in Switzerland and Norway, two of the countries which are involved in dam building in Sarawak. 

 

“The focus of the trip is to fight against the controversial proposal for constructing various large Hydroelectric Power (HEP) dams in Sarawak.

 

“The dams, if built, would effectively result in the inundation of thousands and thousands of square kilometres of bio-diverse forest, villages and agricultural areas. Most of the lands which could be flooded belong to the indigenous peoples who have lived on the lands for hundreds of years.

 

“The dams would also result in the forceful resettlement of the villagers, majority of who are against the proposed dams,” he said.

 

'Effective and fruitful'

Describing the tour in Switzerland as effective and fruitful, Peter who is one of the team members said that he was heartened by the response to the campaign.

 

“The meetings in Switzerland included one in Berne with the Swiss ambassador on the Free Trade Agreement with Malaysia,” he said.

 

Peter said that in Switzerland the delegation also met with ABB, one of the European companies involved in HEP dams in Sarawak.

 

“The company has agreed to review their business in Malaysia and they stated that they do not have any new deal with Sarawak Energy Bhd in HEP dams,” he said.

 

In Oslo, the capital of Norway the team had meetings with MP Suoroe Valen from the Socialist party and representatives from the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), among others.

 

The team had also requested a meeting with Norconsult, one of the European companies involved in the construction of the HEP dams in Sarawak. In Malaysia, Norconsult operates through its subsidiary, NorPower Sdn. Bhd.

 

However, the request was turned down. It replied that “as a professional actor in the consulting sector, Norconsult does not disclose information concerning client relations to other external actors”.

 

This prompted Peter to assert that the company was “willing to drown Baram but not willing to meet us.”