Bringing JOY to the highlands

http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/01/06/bringing-joy-to-the-highlands/

by Chang Yi. Posted on January 6, 2013, Sunday

JOANNA Joy is not only the MAS agent in Bario but also the owner of a large Bario pineapple garden and a homestay business.

PINEAPPLES FOR LUNCH: Kelabit friends bringing Bario pineapples for the afternoon meal prepared at the homestay. All dishes are individually cooked for each group.

A mother of two young adults who have been educated in Kuala Lumpur — one already working and the other completing his studies — she has, in response to the call of familial duty, returned to the Bario Highlands to look after her aged mother and adopted parents.

When she was a little girl, her parents allowed their relative to adopt her. So, she has two sets of parents like many of the indigenous people of Sarawak.

Joanna who had her early education in Bario, studied in Institut Teknologi Mara after completing secondary school. Upon graduation, she worked and got married and then found a job outside Bario – the usual story of young Kelabits. However, the highlands had been beckoning to her.

Her children are now fairly independent and chasing their own dreams. Her daughter has graduated with an MA in biotechnology from University Malaya and her son is studying to become an IT programmer from ITM.

The conditions were, thus, right for her to return and contribute to her hometown in the state’s scenic highlands.

Besides looking after her aging mother and adoptive parents, Joanna has put her time to good use by helping her people wherever she can. Presently, she is also holding down two jobs — as operational manager of Bario Airport and MAS agent.

She said she is not going to retire yet because she still has many dreams to fulfill. A few years ago, she started a pineapple farm on a piece of land near the airport. And not long ago, she opened a homestay business.

When friends from West Malaysia and overseas visit her, she is happy to show them her pineapple farm. She planted the young suckers with the help of her relatives, and is now harvesting as many as 10 to 15 fruits a day — sometimes more. Any surplus will be made into jam.

Challenging problems

However, Joanna has problems using her food processor to make jam. When the Bario dam is low, there is virtually no electricity for the community. And since power supply is dependent on the water level in the dam, it is not everyday that she can use her food processor to make jam. Fortunately, there is a generator at the secondary school in the area which she can rely on when the need arises.

HOME-MADE: Joanna’s home-made pineapple jam.

Joanna also faces a serious problem in her pineapple business. Sending the fruits by air to Miri is very expensive. She sells her pineapples at RM2 per kilo to passengers and relatives.

Malaysian Airlines allows free luggage of 10kg. Passengers are weighed before checking in with their hand luggage. Each pineapple easily weighs up to 3 kilos. If someone buys a box of pineapples, he or she may have to pay an extra RM30 surcharge because of excess baggage.

Relatives bringing a pineapple or two for their family or friends would usually wait for a friendly passenger to help hand-carry the fruits for them to Miri. That’s the way of the people in the highlands – always ready to help each other.

Besides pineapples, Joanna’s family also plant rice. If she cannot farm the land herself, she will ask other padi planters for help — perhaps on a sharecropping basis.

In the past, her parents had no problem planting enough rice to feed the whole family for a period of two years. Will she allow her land to lay fallow for the next few years?

In fact, Joanna is having to face many issues related to growing rice and pineapples in the highlands. Can she get a grant to start a pineapple jam cottage industry? She has been sourcing for help from friends and government agents but to no avail so far.

She sells her home-made jam at counters that are open to her but she has to remember not to over-produce because her refrigerator cannot operate 24 hours a day due to limited electricity supply in Bario.

Moreover, many of the better educated younger women who bemoan the lack of basic utilities – adequate electricity supply, for example – in the area have left to find work elsewhere.

Airport Homestay

WITH VISITORS: Joanna (right) and her visitors in front of her homestay.

Homestay business in Bario is irregular. Things usually pick up only during festive celebrations.

However, for holiday-makers – both local and foreign – homestay accommodation and related facilities are available in Bario as well as nearby villages which offer attractions like kayaking and salt mines.

One popular setup is Joanna’s Bario Airport Homestay which offers good food. The chef frequently comes up with “very refreshing dishes.” Fresh talipia from Joanna’s pond next to the homestay is available everyday!

Dessert consists of a huge plate of freshly-plucked pineapples, and vegetables bought from the surrounding homesteads although green-thumbed Joanna grows most of her own vegetables.

Joanna Joy is a shinning example of an enterprising Kelabit woman who meets her challenges with plenty of cheers. If the challenges she is facing can be overcome, many younger highlanders would probably stay back to work and help boost the local economy.

With plantation roads linking Bario to Marudi, the future looks good for those Kelabits hoping to return home after their retirement — and even for the younger ones after their education outside the highlands.

According to a young government officer in Marudi, there might be more jobs in Bario in the future as more businesses can be opened up. With so many possibilities, the rural-urban migration which has been affecting many Bario families, could see a reversal.

Natives threaten army with court injunction

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/12/07/natives-threaten-army-with-court-injunction/

Joseph Tawie | December 7, 2012 

KUCHING: Angry villagers in Ba’Kelalan have threatened the Malaysian Royal Army Engineers Regiment with a court injunction if they persist in building the Ba’kelalan-Bario road.

 The construction of the RM40 million road connecting Ba Kelalan to Bario in Sarawak, at the cost of an essential water catchment area has angered local villagers.

“If need be, we will apply for a court injunction to stop the army contractors from proceeding with the road construction,” said Baru Bian, a lawyer and Ba’Kelalan assemblyman.

Bian said that he had written to the chief of the Armed Forces that the villagers did not want the road (Ba’Kelalan-Bario road) as it passes Sungai Muda, which is a water catchment area.

The villagers have instead proposed that road be built from Belingi-Lepo Bunga-Bario. This would then safeguard the catchment area.

“The villagers have objected to the road being built through Sungai Muda as it would affect the water catchment area at Sungai Muda,” he said.

Bian, who is Sarawak PKR chief, said he was disappointed with army’s reply that only a few people were against the road construction while the majority of the villagers were for it.

“The folks in Ba Kelalan wants to protect Sungai Muda because its destruction would affect the lives of about 2,000 villagers from Punan Kelalan, Long Muda, Long Kumap, Long Langai, Long Lemutut, Buduk Nur, and SK Ba’Kelalan, an international award winning school,” he said.

In the letter, the army also said that the few people who rejected the road were the supporters of the Bian and that it reflected a very bad image.

“I have submitted a list of 152 villagers who are against the construction, and I will be calling for a big meeting in Ba’Kelalan on Dec 16, 2012,” said Bian.

“If the army still persists in carrying out the construction, we will apply for an injunction. It is  typical  of the BN mentality to blame the problem on the opposition.”

What about NCR rights?

On the reason given by the army that it is a ‘security road’ having its strategic importance to the forward operation base along the border to Lapo Bunga Cam, Bian said that it appeared that the army refused to listen to the people.

“Are they are serving the people or are they serving their own interest?” he asked.
He also questioned whether the road was properly planned as there was no EIA report and did not appear to involve the state authorities.

“And what about the native customary rights land of the people? Have they been excised out? My suspicion is that the project is improperly done and I urge the army to listen to the people,” he said.
Last month the villagers set up a blockade at Pa’Patar and Arur Lutut which is near the water catchment area called Sungai Muda.

The villagers claimed that contractors had already cleared about a kilometre stretch of the jungle despite their disagreement to have the road built through Sungai Muda.

The villagers told reporters last month that the army had explained to them that they opted for the Sungai Muda route because it is 20km shorter than the Belingi-Lepo Bunga-Bario route, and thus would incur less cost.

The villagers, however, did not buy that story because the Belingi-Lepo Bunga-Bario route is already there and merely needed small improvements, such as culverts.

The construction of the RM42 million Ba Kelalan-Bario Road started on Oct 1 and is expected to be completed by Sept 2014.

Defence minister Ahmad Zaidi Hamidi said army would implement the project under the Blue Ocean Strategy, and the road was a continuation of the 75km Long Luping-Ba Kelalan Road which was completed in September last year.

Villagers set up blockades to halt Ba Kelalan-Bario Road project

http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/12/villagers-set-up-blockades-to-halt-ba-kelalan-bario-road-project/#ixzz2BzoqQHYp

Posted on November 12, 2012, Monday

BLOCKADE: Ba’ Kelalan folks set up a blockade near Sungai Muda.

BA KELALAN: Cheesed off for being kept in the dark by the government and their elected representatives, about 20 villagers in Ba Kelalan set up blockades last Thursday to thwart construction of the Ba Kelalan-Bario Road before it destroys their water catchment area.

The blockade was erected at Pa’ Patar and Arur Lutut, which is near the water catchment area called Sungai Muda.

Villager Paren Padan claimed that the contractors had already cleared about a kilometre stretch of the jungle despite the villagers’ strong disagreement to have the road built through Sungai Muda.

“During a meeting which was held when Lawas MP Dato Henry (Sum Agong) came here, we agreed that the road be built through Belingi-Lepo Bunga-Bario because it would not affect our water catchment area in Sungai Muda.

“However, since then we have not received any more information or official word from the government, Henry nor Ba Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian,” he claimed.

Paren added that his people sincerely hoped that the government would build the road through Belingi-Lepo Bunga-Bario, and urged their elected representatives to keep them updated on the latest happenings.

Construction of the RM42 million Ba Kelalan-Bario Road started on Oct 1 and is expected to be completed by Sept 2014.

According to a Bernama report in September, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zaidi Hamidi said heavy machinery from the Royal Army Engineers Regiment were already in Ba Kelalan to implement the project.

Ahmad Zaidi was quoted as saying that the project came under the Blue Ocean Strategy, and was a continuation of the 75km Long Luping-Ba Kelalan Road which was completed in September last year. That project, like the Ba  Kelalan-Bario Road project, is also a Jiwa Murni project.

The folks in Ba Kelalan are all out to protect Sungai Muda because its destruction would affect the lives of about 2,000 villagers from Punan Kelalan, Long Muda, Long Kumap, Long Langai, Long Lemutut, Buduk Nur and SK Bakelalan – an international award winning school.

Villagers told reporters last month that the Royal Army Engineers Regiment had explained to them that they opted for the Sungai Muda route because it is 20km shorter than the Belingi-Lepo Bunga-Bario route, and thus would incur less cost.

The villagers, however, did not buy that story because the Belingi-Lepo Bunga-Bario route already exist and merely needed small improvements, such as culverts.

‘Include social component in EIA study’

http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/10/27/include-social-component-in-eia-study/

Posted on October 27, 2012, Saturday

KUCHING: The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study on the Ba Kelalan-Bario road project should include a social component to document and identify cultural and historical sites.

Former Ba Kelalan assemblyman Datuk Nelson Balang Rining said the area surrounding the project was a former settlement of the Lun Bawang and Kelabit communities.

“Features like Batu Sinuped Perupun, Batu Nangan, Batu Barut, Beliau and Abang are found in the area apart from burial sites and old ruins of long houses. There is a request for the relevant agency to couduct such study,” he said when contacted yesterday.

On Oct 23, Balang who is also Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party secretary-general also responded to complaints of locals that the road project would affect the water sources of six villages and a primary school in the area.

The locals said destruction of the water catchment area at Sungai Muda would contaminate their drinking water, and water used for their paddy fields and livestock.

Balang pointed out then that the EIA study must be done as soon as possible and before the government proceed with the construction work. The EIA study should be conducted to make sure the area was not adversely affected.

Construction of the RM42 million Ba Kelalan-Bario road started on Oct 1 and is expected to be completed by September 2014.

The Royal Army Engineers Regiment is already in Ba Kelalan to carry out the project under the Blue Ocean Strategy – an extension of the army’s Jiwa Murni programme. About 2,000 villagers from Punan Kelalan, Long Muda, Long Kumap, Long Langai, Long Lemutut, Buduk Nur and an international award-winning school SK Ba kelalan will be affected by the project.

Current assemblyman Baru Bian claimed that the EIA study had not been conducted yet, so called on the government to listen to the needs of Ba Kelalan folks.

He added that since there was no extinguishment of NCR land status in the area, the (road) route did not have to be fixed and could be modified according to the people’s wish.

Baru who is State Parti Keadilan Rakyat chief, said they were not against development but want the road to benefit the people, not the contractors.

He went on to say that the villagers did not even mind sub-standard roads as long as one of their main water catchment areas in Sungai Muda was not destroyed.

“We have sub-standard roads from Lawas to Ba Kelalan but we don’t mind as long there’s a road. I want to make it clear that the people do not want their water catchment area and jungle destroyed because it is the source of their livelihood,” Baru said.

Idris: New economic activities will stem tide of rural-urban migration

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/11/24/sarawak/9963728&sec=sarawak

Thursday November 24, 2011

By ZORA CHAN: zora@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: New economic activities need to be created in rural Sarawak, otherwise more youths will move to urban areas.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala said areas like the highlands of Bario and Ba’Kelalan today saw a lower population as many had migrated to urban areas, leaving mainly the old to farm the land.

“Mass rural-urban migration among the younger generation is a problem in Sarawak and other parts of the country.

“We have to think how to get the young to stay on. We do not have the answers yet but hopefully we’ll have some solutions by early next year,” he said.

Seeking a solution: Idris at the dialogue session with community leaders and elders from Ba’Kelalan and Bario in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

Among others, the Rural Transformation Programme (RTP) would address this phenomenon by providing new economic activities as well as basic infrastructure in rural areas, Idris said during a dialogue with a delegation from Bario and Ba’Kelalan here on Tuesday.

The 32-member delegation comprised Lun Bawang and Kelabit community leaders and village elders, led by former Bukit Mas MP Mutang Tagal.

Earlier, the visitors and Lawas MP Datuk Henry Sum Agong paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, to thank the Federal Government for upgrading an abandoned logging road from Long Luping to Ba’Kelalan using soil stabilisation technology supplied by Hanayin Engineering Sdn Bhd.

The RM52mil project, spanning 75km, was completed in two years by the army under the Jiwa Murni outreach programme.

Idris, whose home town is Bario, said under the RTP, the Government would improve basic infrastructure like roads, water and electricity supply in the interior.

“With better infrastructure, it will be easier and more economical for farmers to sell their produce at the nearest town or city.”

Citing examples, he said Bario was also famed for its pineapples but it was difficult to sell them elsewhere in the absence of roads linking the highlands to the nearest town and neighbouring villages in Ba’Kelalan.

He welcomed suggestions from villagers to start new economic activities like empurau breeding and rubber plantations in the highlands, adding that such ventures had taken off successfully in Long Peluan, Ulu Baram.

Idris promised to push for the implementation of the Ba’Kelalan-Bario road so that folk in the area would enjoy better connectivity.

During the dialogue session, among others, Rurum Kelabit Sarawak vice-president Dr Philip Raja urged Idris’ ministry to consider turning the state’s as an agropol for the northern region.

He said the idea came about a few years ago from former Miri Resident Datuk Ose Murang and to date, no budget had been given towards this.

“The proposal also aims at transforming Bario into a town or semi-urban area,” he said, adding that such development would also boost tourism in the pristine highlands.

No one will be left out in nation’s march towards progress, says PM

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/11/23/sarawak/9957041&sec=sarawak

Wednesday November 23, 2011

by ZORA CHAN: zora@thestar.com.my

PUTRAJAYA: Barisan Nasional will keep its promise to bring development to rural areas, particularly in Sarawak, to ensure progress throughout the country.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the Government was committed to this through its ongoing Rural Transformation Programme.

“The Government understands the predicament of rural folk and their thirst for development.

“We’ll make sure that development in the country will be inclusive and people from every nook and corner will feel and enjoy the nation’s progress,” said Najib.

“When Barisan promises to do something, we are sure to deliver them,” he said when welcoming a delegation comprising Lun Bawang and Kelabit community leaders and village elders from the highlands of Ba’Kelalan and Bario to Seri Perdana here yesterday.

The 32-member delegation was led by Lawas MP Datuk Henry Sum Agong and it was, among others, aimed at thanking the Federal Government for upgrading an abandoned logging road from Long Luping to Ba’Kelalan using soil stabilisation technology, as well as to raise other urgent matters in Henry’s constituency.

The project, spanning 75km and included a few access roads to several villages, started in mid 2009 and was completed in September.

Ba’Kelalan is about 150km from Lawas. The stretch between Lawas and Long Luping remains a logging track.

Najib said the upgraded road between Long Luping to Ba’Kelalan was the first to use such a method, with help from the army through the Jiwa Murni community outreach programme.

He said if the Government used conventional method, it would cost about RM250mil and a few years to complete.

“This is a huge amount for a rural area with such a low population and deemed not feasible economically.”

“However, the people are desperate for the road and through the Jiwa Murni programme, the road has been sealed and this only costs RM52mil. This project also shows that the army and people are inseparable,” he said.

The upgraded road has shortened travel from Lawas to Ba’Kelalan from eight hours to three, and sometimes two days depending on road and weather conditions.

He said the impact of the project was tremendous to the people as villagers enjoyed lower transportation cost and cheaper daily necessities.

Giving examples, Najib said: “I was told that a can of soft drink used to cost RM3 but now it’s RM2, while a cylinder of gas that costs RM60 is now RM45 in Ba’Kelalan.”

Looking at this success, he said, more rural areas would benefit from the Defence Ministry’s Jiwa Murni programmes.

Therefore, more rural roads would be built with help from the army which is faster and cost effective compared to conventional methods by the Public Works Department.

Earlier, Henry said Lawas was in dire need of a new airport as the present one had limited space for expansion and was often flooded during bad weather.

“Lawas also needs a technical school that offers diploma courses because presently the area does not have such an institution for school-leavers.”

He said the highlands of Ba’Kelalan and Bario also required a primary school.

“The Bailey bridge over Sungai Pengalih along the Pan Borneo highway built under the Colombo Plan also needs to be upgraded as more and more heavy vehicles are using it.”

Henry added: “The people are also requesting for dirt roads / logging tracks connecting Ba’Kelalan and Bario, Ba’Kelalan and the border with Indonesia, and Lawas to Long Luping be upgraded as well.”

Cheaper by 75 per cent: Army builds 75km Long Luping-Ba Kelalan road for only RM52 million

http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/11/23/cheaper-by-75-per-cent/

by Philip Kiew. Posted on November 23, 2011, Wednesday

WELCOME: Najib greets the Kelabit and Lun Bawang community chiefs led by Sum (left) as they arrive at his official residence. – Photo by Jeffery Mostapa

Army builds 75km Long Luping-Ba Kelalan road for only RM52 million

PUTRAJAYA: The Long Luping-Ba Kelalan Road in Lawas has been hailed a new-breed project that reflects the perfect cooperation between the Public Works Department and the Armed Forces.

Built under the military’s ‘Jiwa Murni’ project, the 75km road costs only RM52 million, slashing 75 per cent from the estimated RM250 million if implemented by conventional contract.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the project was a new development concept which had never been carried out before.

“What attracts me and the government most is that the project, under the old thinking, would need to wait for quite some time as the allocation needed was substantial but it could be completed very quickly after we had taken the decision,” he said when receiving an entourage of Kelabit and Lun Bawang community leaders at Seri Perdana, Putrajaya yesterday.

The 41-member delegation led by Lawas MP Datuk Henry Sum Agong was there to thank the prime minister and the government for the road which was completed in September this year.

With the completion of the road, they said travelling time from Lawas to Ba Kelalan now only took about three hours compared to up to three days in the past.

Barely eight days after becoming prime minister, Najib sent his political secretary Datuk Shahlan Ismail to Ba Kelalan to assess the people’s needs and make recommendations.

“He came back with gruesome pictures of the road condition, and it would take a long time to resolve with the conventional concept, and that is why we decided that a new concept was needed,” Najib said.

Earlier, Sum in his speech thanked Najib for the road which the people had long been waiting for.

He also urged the prime minister to consider their request for funds for the new Lawas Airport, Bario-Ba Kelalan road, a secondary school in Ba Kelalan highlands, replacement of Pengalih bridge built under the Colombo Plan along the Pan Borneo trunk road, approval of a diploma-level technical institute in Lawas and minor projects such as village roads, bridges and jetties.

On behalf of the people, he also expressed their gratitude and appreciation to Minister of Defence Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi and officers from his ministry, Armed Forces, Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU), Sarawak Development Office and all those involved in the construction of the road.

Also present at the function were Zahid and top officials from the Armed Forces and its engineering corps, and Sarawak Development Office director Datuk Kamal Hussein.

Bario-Ba’ Kelalan road project to complete by next year

http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/07/25/bario-ba%E2%80%99-kelalan-road-project-to-complete-by-next-year/

by Ghaz Ghazali ghazghazali@theborneopost.com. Posted on July 25, 2011, Monday

‘LET THE FEST BEGIN’: Idris Jala hits the ‘tubung’ – a traditional wooden instrument – to mark the launch of the annual Nukenen Food and Cultural Festival in Bario. Seen in the background (right) is Assistant Minister of Tourism, Datuk Talib Zulpilip.

BARIO: The construction of road connectivity between Bario and Ba’ Kelalan will run aggressively towards completion by the middle of next year, says Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Idris Jala.

He added that many key projects to facilitate the rural development of Bario and Ba’ Kelalan had already been approved by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“Currently, the road from Ba’ Kelalan to Lawas is being built by our soldiers (Royal Malaysian Army) under the programme ‘Jiwa Murni’. Hopefully, it should be ready by the middle of next year, with the road construction from Bario to Ba’ Kelalan will go on from there,” he told reporters during the ‘Nukenen Food and Cultural Festival’ here, which ended last Saturday.

The annual four-day fair was launched by Idris Jala, with Assistant Minister of Tourism, Datuk Talib Zulpilip and MASwings Sdn Bhd’s (MASwings) managing director Datuk Captain Mohd Nawawi Awang were also present as guests of honour.

On investments for the road project, Idris Jala stated that the approved Bario-Ba’ Kelalan road project was valued at a total of RM40 million.

“Apart from the road, we have also received approval for the 24-hour electricity project for all of Bario. While I cannot state any offhand figures on the project value, I believe that the costs will be determined by the mode; either by solar or hydropower generation.

“What I can say is that some of it (project works) have begun this year, while most of it will go into full swing next year.”

Meanwhile, Idris Jala – also the chief of the goverment tranformation programme’s working vehicle, the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) – expressed his pleasure to see that the annual Nukenen Food and Cultural Festival had already garnered substantial interests amongst governmental agencies, foreign associations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as well as tourists since its inception six years ago.

“I’m a Bario native. To see this festival being held independently by its own people really makes me proud. I understand that it had also generated interest amongst government bodies such as the Tourism Ministry as well as Fama (Federal Agriculture and Marketing Authority), especially on local produce such as the famous Bario rice and highland spring salt,” he enthused, adding that approved allocation for the Bario rice project had amounted to RM27 million.

Idris Jala was optimistic that with much basic infrastructure being implemented to date, Bario would emerge as a promising destination for many industries, amongst which would prominently include agriculture and eco-tourism.

“For instance, this food festival here – done by the community for the community – is one of many initiatives to fully commercialise the native products of Bario.

“Now with the air linkage provided by MASwings, which I regard as the ‘lifeline’ of Bario as well as the ICT infrastructure provided by Maxis Bhd, Bario can be linked to the world.

“Adding this to more infrastructure projects under the Government Transformation Plan (GTP) over the next few years, a lot more villages here will get good clean water supply as well as good accessibility by way of new roads,” he added.

Under GTP, allocation towards providing for the rural basic infrastructure programme throughout the country, including Sarawak, had been so far valued at about RM3 billion.

Borneo logging road puts rainforest, indigenous communities at risk

http://news.mongabay.com/2008/1022-borneo.html

Borneo logging road puts rainforest, indigenous communities at risk

mongabay.com

October 22, 2008

A 186-mile (300-km) logging road to the top of the Bario highlands in northern Sarawak puts the state's increasingly rare natural forest at risk, warns the Borneo Resources Institute, a grassroots environmental group.

As reported by the Malaysian Star, the road was constructed by Samling Corporation, a timber company, to open up the interior to industrial logging.

"From what I know, the road was constructed by a timber company, not by the Government," Raymond Abin, Sarawak coordinator for the Borneo Resources Institute, told the Star. "Does this mean that the timber firm has been given the right to harvest the timber in the forests where the logging road runs through?

"Our institute is worried that the construction of this logging road is merely a front for the opening of the whole Bario highlands for timber extraction," he continued. "The Bario highlands is a very ecologically-important region. The ecosystem and the weather system there is very fragile."

Vast swathes of the biologically-rich Bornean rainforest that once blanketed Sarawak have be heavily logged since the 1980s. What forest remains is increasingly being replaced with industrial oil palm plantations.

The Bario highlands are populated by the Bawangs and Kelabits minority ethnic groups.

STEPHEN THEN. Concern over logging road into Bario highland. Malaysian Star. Wednesday October 22, 2008