History of Bidayuh Highlanders

The Bidayuh are believed to originate from an area called

Sungkong, a mountainous region located in what we today know as West Kalimantan. Although recorded in there as early as

1621, in the mid to late 19^th century, the Bidayuh ventured

into the forests of Sarawak,including Bau, Padawan, Penrissen

and Serian to establish new settlements there. "Bidayuh"

means ’inhabitants of land’.

Four Bidayuh Kampungs, or villages, are located on the site

of the Bengoh Dam designed to meet the disputed water needs of

Kuching.

With no water conservation measures in place, repairs to

existing infrastructure neither under way nor planned

and hinging on a publicly suppressed Kuching Water Supply

Study, the proposed Bengoh Dam catchment will consume an area of 12,700 hectares, the dam itself swallowing up to 8.5 square

kilometres of flora and fauna including 199 Bidayuh families,

their heritage farms, fishing, hunting and burial grounds, their customs, practices, and their Native Customary Rights.

The Bidayuh Kampungs are accessible only by foot and yet

some homes have solar power, generators. The two Upper Bengoh

schools have satellite dishes and Internet access. Everything, from refrigerators to fuel, building materials and furniture are carried by porters crossing bamboo bridges, negotiating steep slopes, frequent storms and mud.

There are 4 Kampungs affected by Bengoh Dam’s.

1. KAMPUNG TABA SAIT, 54 FAMILIES

2. KAMPUNG REJOI, 41 FAMILIES

3. KAMPUNG SEMBAN TELEG, 50 FAMILIES

4. KAMPUNG PAIN BOJONG, 54 FAMILIES

Construction began well before any one knew what was going on.

The Environment Impact Assessment had not yet been made public and bull dozers were already clearing Bidayuh farmlands for a quarry sparking a series of injunctions to prevent further trespass into what has become another one of the many native customary land disputes sitting in Sarawaks courts.

The dam’s construction was awarded to Naim Cendera Lapan, a

company headed by Sarawak’s Chief Minister’s first cousin, Hamed Sepawi. Naim Chendra Lapan outsourced the job of building the dam to the Chinese company,Sino Hydro, for half of the contracted budget. Considered business as usual

amongst the powerful corporate elite in Sarawak, the links

between them and government are deep and well protected.

The Bidayuh have none of the protections afforded Sarawaks

private companies. The Government has sent its own people to do the work of Naim Cendera Lapan, enlisting Bidayuh to support resettlement. Whilst some Bidayuh have have signed blank documents others have been bribed with offers of more land and money to turn against their community leaders and intimidate their supporters.

Taba Sait, Pain Bojong and Rejoi will be fully submerged when

the dam is fully completed in July 2010. In all, 199 families

with a total population of around 1,300 people will be displaced No amount of compensation will replace the Bidayuh’s culture and their traditions. Resettlement will lead the Bidayuh out of their land and into a world many Bidayuh claim they have no need for.

Everything we ourselves do and find it and with have that thing free, and then when if we have some money also we don’t have to spend to buy other things but just to spend for my children to school only. So those other things we don’t have to buy.