An aerial view of Kamping Pain Bojong.
Students from the village with Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr James Dawos.
TUSA Jam used to plant padi, cassava and some rubber trees at his farm in Kampung Semban Teleg.
In 2007, he and about 1,600 others from four villagers – Kampung Semban Teleg, Kampung Rejoi, Kampung Pain Bojong and Kampung Taba Sait – were informed they would be moved out of their homes and land at Upper Penrissen to make way for the construction of the Bengoh Dam-Bengoh reservoir.
“At first, I was not happy. But in the end, I accepted it because I knew we will never have the chance to enjoy the fruit development if we continued to stay here,” Tusa explained.
Since the government retains the right to the land without title, there was not much farmers like Tusa could do – or so he thought.
Along with the others from the four kampungs, Tusa had to relocate to the Bengoh Resettlement Scheme (BRS), about 42km from Kuching City.
Kampung Semban Teleg is about four hours’ walk from Bengoh. It is situated on the highest ground and the most difficult to reach.
In fact, the villages and the surrounding native lands are well above the proposed catchment area. So the government only compensates for the houses and the land on which the houses were built.
The affected villagers are given free new homes and agricultural plots for farming. Each family gets a detached concrete house (on stilts) on 25-point or a quarter acre of land. Each unit has three bedrooms, a kitchen and two washrooms.
The families may wall up the ground floor if they wish to extend their house.
Tusa is among hundreds of villagers who have moved out of their old kampungs, accessible only on foot. The father of two is happy he now has a decent home built by the government.
He said while there were other outstanding issues to address, generally, the villagers were happy with the move.
“Of course, there are times I miss my old home, my village and my land. Our old place was our own area where we could move freely. Here, we can’t go beyond our own perimetre. So it’s a bit difficult to hunt or do other jungle activities.”
Tusa said although it was cheaper to buy goods now, he is worried some of the villegers might soon run out of money since they had no income yet.
“It’s a bit tough for farmers as they have not started to open up their land for farming yet. Even if they start now, it will some years before they see any returns because crops like pepper may only start bearing fruit after two years.”
Tusa’s fellow villager Tommy Kian, a pepper planter, said the resettlement scheme had given the affected villagers a better life in terms of basic infrastructures and amenities.
The 42-year-old is happy with the relocation because the area is sited near an urban setting with easier access to electricity and water supplies, health care service and education.
“The new village is 10 times better than the old one,” he said, adding that he no longer worries about his health problems as the medical centre is just a few kilometres from his new home.
He believed the other villagers also felt more comfortable at the resettlement area with many now owning TV and refrigerators, making life more convenient.
“At the old village, it gets really dark at dusk. Now, we see light despite the sunset,” he noted.
However, despite the improved amenities, Tommy admitted the villagers were facing challenges adjusting to their new environment.
They now have to start from scratch, producing food for their own consumption and for sale. Previously, they collected sustenance from the jungles, harvested their farms and fished in the river like generations before them.
“Most of us already have ripened pepper vines and mature rubber trees at our old village but here, we have to start all over again,” the father of four said.
He added that some of the villagers were starting to plant vegetables for their own consumption or for sale around their compounds while others, especially the younger villagers, work in town.
Kampung Semban headman Bujus Kian said most of the villagers were adjusting to their new environment and they now understood relying on crops cultivation in the new area would not be sustainable since they did not have big enough land to farm.
He added that the villagers had to try very hard to adjust to a different landscape after leaving their old homes.
However, he noted one of the good things to come out of the relocation was that their children could go to school, the villagers could buy cheaper goods and work in the towns.
“If we used to spend about RM110 refilling a gas tank in the old village, now we only spend about RM30.
“Also, previously, to fill up a gas tank, we had to pay a porter RM80 to carry it from our kampung to Kampung Bengoh and back again. We also had to pay RM30 to top it up.”
Bujus also said the villagers were still negotiating compensations for their lost farmlands with the government.
Kampung Taba Sait’s new village head Sayang Bidi said from the outset, the relocation was right and there was nothing they could blame the government for.
He added that the villagers were now living in up-market three bedroom houses and they could farm and harvest from the agricultural plots made available to them.
He believed the soil is rich and the villagers could have good harvests once they worked the land.
“At least, compared to our old farm, all the land here is accessible by vehicles. We no longer have to worry about carrying fertilisers or seedlings on our backs or shoulders.”
Sayang thanked the government for giving the villagers fair compensations and opportunities, saying they would not see a prosperous future had they not relocated.
He said the villagers now had access to basic infrastructures such as roads, electricity supply, nearer health centres, education services and job opportunities which were not available in the old area.
“For us all, it’s a new life and experience. After centuries outside the mainstream of development, we are now stepping into a modern life.
“Although we are happy living in decent homes, we are still hoping to receive the moving grant the government has promised us,” he added.
While many are happy with the move to the new resettlement area, others do not feel the same.
According to BRS task force committee chairman Itodio Peu, some 24 families from Kampung Taba Sait refused to accept the compensations and the new homes, and took the case to court.
He said two families had decided to leave the group and join the others at BRS.
He added that so far, about 125 families from all the four villages were staying in their new homes while the rest, except for the 24 from Kampung Taba Sait, are expected to move in after the padi harvesting season.
“I think all should move in before Gawai. So we are expecting a very different scenario at this year’s Gawai which will be celebrated in modern style,” he added.
A raised-floor home at Kampung Semban Teleg.