“SALUTE THE BIDAYUHS”

Below is an article written by an old school-mate (retired forest officer) entitled:

“SALUTE THE BIDAYUHS”    

Some readers might be obsessed by great news published in The Borneo Post on 14^th June 2011 captioned: “Dr. Jerip: Gov’t revokes licence to extract timber n Krokong-Tringgus area”. This is indeed unprecedented and almost unbelievable as far as revocation made due to water pollutions and encroachments into NCR lands.

Numerous protests in the past years over timber concessions and contractors in the forms of letters, blockades, human barricades and even litigations in court had not been seen to the extent of revocation. Complaints and appeals over pollutions affecting creeks, streams, rivers, siltation, and sedimentations due to the runoff and leaching, slope erosion, fish spawning areas and pristine home of many animals came to no avail.

In some concession areas, the problems were normally resolved by demarcating buffer zone but due to human greed, numerous complaints were made to competent authorities over illegal logging of this buffer zone. In Sarawak, wanton timber extractions are believed to be rampant and sporadic without adhering to the prescribed logging management plans. If enforcement could not cope up, why more timer licences issued?

While concurring to timber industry as one of the state’s major economies, there seem to be lesser mitigation towards the adverse logging impacts upstream. Authorities concerned must scrutinize these phenomena even before issuance of timber licence.

I SALUTE THE BIDAYUHS formerly called the Land Dayaks for their ability in propounding and resounding success toward this revocation. It should be emulated by other communities affected by adverse effects of timber extractions nearby their areas.

By Aki-Uchu (10^th July 2011)

Aki-Uchu ! THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your informative article.
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