After months of fund raising drive, the Dayak Memorial Park should be ready by mid-June. With a minimum fees of RM2,000 (for adult) and RM1,000 (for children), it is indeed a reliever for the Dayak community in Miri who has been facing with problem burying their beloved ones.
For more info on the Dayak Memorial Park, please surf to http://dam.org.my for details.
To those youth in Miri who would like to join Dayak Association Miri, kindly contact myself or visit their website for further info.
The Executive Committee of the Dayak Association Miri paid a courtesy call to our new Resident, Mr. Gani Ugay yesterday. The Resident was brief on DAM’s activities by our President, Mr. Alexander Isut Karin. Also present was the Chairlady of Serakup Indu Dayak Sarawak, Miri branch, Mdm. Jenny Jeli.
By Abdul Hakim Bujang
Source: Sarawak Update
Frustrated contractors who are unable to secure the clearing job for Bakun Dam biomass is believed to have spread false information as an act of revenge to demonised the government, said Natural Resources Environmental Board (NREB) controller, Dr Penguang Mangil.
“I have the contract with me here and all the figure put up by the Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) are wrong,” Dr. Penguang told Sarawak Update in a telephone conversation.
Dr. Penguang was commenting on reports by Anil Netto and Stephen Then.
He said the NGO was confused between the size of reservoir and the area that have to be cleared for safety reason and eco-tourism potential.
“The reservoir size is the size of Singapore but they are not clearing all of them. They will only be clearing at the elevation 180 meter to elevation 228 meter above sea level within 15 kilometer radius of Bakun Dam which is only about 455 hectare,” Penguang explained.
The areas beyond that would not be cleared at all and the allegation by the NGO is completely wrong.
“I believe there is some motive because many are angry at not getting the job contract, there are so many applicants of course not all will be getting the job,” he said.
Penguang also explained that areas with slope more than 35 degrees within the stipulated area earmarked for clearing would not be touched to avoid erosion and environmental disaster.
Penguang said they have frozen all burning permit since the beginning of the dry weather and all the existing fire are mainly bush fires in peat area.
“The peat fires are happening in Miri, Sibu and Mukah. The problem with peat fire is you are not going to see the flame but there will be a lot of white smoke,” he explained.
He said the public should stop pointing fingers and have a closer look at the Satelitte imagery of haze map that clearly shows big fire beneath Kuching and Kota Samarahan, but across the Sarawak border.
Penguang said the authorities are working closely together to monitor bush fire as the following week is expected to witness the return of the dry South Westerly wind.
“Now we are still enjoying the rather wet South Easterly that blow the haze away from our direction but once the South Westerly wind came it would be (different story),” he said.
He called upon the so called concern NGO to come forward and tell NREB what can they do to help mitigate the bush fire and stop whining and complaining that government is not doing anything.
“The police, army, local councils and us are working together, the fire brigade are working around the clock to put out the bush fire, what have the NGO do and please tell us which area they could help fight this peat fire in this kind of weather?” he asked.
Isu kelewatan pembukaan tanah perkuburan Dayak di Sungai Dalam, Lambir dianggap selesai selepas Persatuan Dayak Miri (DAM) selaku pihak yang diberi kepercayaan menguruskan tanah itu bersetuju bekerjasama dengan komuniti Iban dalam mencari dana.
Presiden DAM, Alexander Karin Isut (gambar) memberitahu, perkara itu diputuskan dalam satu mesyuarat dengan wakil Pejabat Residen, Pejabat Daerah Miri, ketua rumah panjang serta ketua masyarakat Iban di Rumah Dayak petang tadi.
“Kita sudah berbincang mengenai perkara ini secara meja bulat, dan saya percaya ia tidak menjadi isu lagi.”
“Apa yang penting sekarang, semua pihak sudah mencapai kata sepakat untuk sama-sama mencari dana memandangkan masalah kewangan merupakan penyebab utama kelewatan kubur itu dibuka,” katanya ketika dihubungi petang tadi.
Alexander sebelum ini berkata, ia mengambil masa kerana DAM perlu bekerjasama dengan Persatuan Dayak Iban Sarawak (SADIA) dan Kesatuan Kebangsaan Dayak Sarawak (SDNU).
Baru-baru ini, seramai 12 ketua rumah panjang di Miri menggesa Persatuan Dayak Miri (DAM) menjelaskan situasi sebenar berhubung kelewatan pembukaan tanah perkuburan itu di Lambir yang diluluskan kerajaan tahun lepas.
Kelewatan itu menyebabkan masyarakat Iban di sini mendakwa mereka terpaksa mengemis tanah perkuburan di kawasan luar setiap kali berlaku kematian.
Ini kerana, perkuburan di Jalan Riam dan Batu 8 Jalan Miri Bintulu tidak mencukupi dan semakin sesak.
Mengulas lanjut, Alexander berkata, setakat ini mereka sudah mengumpul RM10,000 iaitu termasuk RM5,000 disumbangkan Timbalan Ketua Menteri Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam, RM4,000 oleh Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Pujut Andy Chia manakala RM1,000 hasil kutipan ahli-ahli DAM.
“Kita juga sudah mendapatkan bantuan Pejabat Daerah Miri selain meminta bantuan Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) untuk membina akses ke kawasan perkuburan itu,” katanya.
Sementara itu, Ketua Masyarakat Iban Bahagian Miri, Pemanca Wilson Siang Lim berharap masyarakat Dayak dan DAM dapat bekerjasama khususnya dalam mencari dana.
“Kita berharap isu ini dapat ditangani sebaik mungkin memandangkan inilah satu-satunya kubur yang disediakan kerajaan untuk komuniti Dayak.”
Sementara itu, Kerajaan pada Mei 2008 meluluskan tanah perkuburan yang terletak di Sungai Dalam dan memberi milik kepada DAM untuk menguruskan bagaimanapun selepas setahun ia belum dapat digunakan sehingga menimbulkan tanda tanya di kalangan komuniti Iban.
Source: Sarawak Update
