FIREFLY SIGHTINGS: Part of Bakam rivermouth branches into Sungei Naan where firefly sightings had occurred in the past.

RESIDENTS of Kampung Bakam and Mirians came out in full force to celebrate Pesta Bakam 2013 by the sea on the last weekend of April.

The two-day carnival enlivened Kampung Bakam, a 2,500-strong rivermouth settlement, with an array of fun activities and lots of fishing boats!

On normal days, Mirians would drive to Kuala Bakam in the morning to buy freshly-caught fish but now with everyone owning a mobile phone, city folk would make a beeline to the fishmongers’ stalls there as early as 8am when the message of a good catch comes through.

But for the Pesta this year, participants of the fishing competition, open to all communities, had already taken up positions on the beach or by riverbank on the left side Sungei Bakam before 8am.

Some came with their families or partners while others showed up alone.

Kuching-born Mr Phe is a keen fisherman who never missed a fishing competition in Miri where he has lived for the past 40 years. His father is Shanghainese and his mother is Hakka.

He enjoys the sea and the fishing most of all, apart from the friendly local people, especially the fishermen living around the mouth of Sungei Bakam and Luak Bay. And he goes out to sea when he has the opportunity.

His surname (which is rare in Chinese) is the same as that of the famous Korean actor Bae Yong Joon who starred in Winter Sonata. So it is not difficult to remember Mr Phe’s surname.

Fishing is the hobby of most men living by the sea or along the river. But it is nice to meet a woman – Madam Madinah (not her real name) – who also enjoys fishing at the competitive level.

She and her girlfriends took part in the 2013 Carnival fishing competition for “fun and friendship.”

Equipped with proper fishing gears and clad in fishing attires, they arrived at the mouth of Sungei Bakam before 7.30am to get a good spot.

ENTRY POINT: A tent pitched in front of the beach for Pesta Bakam.

Good response

The competition attracted over 100 fishermen and women. And before 9am, 40 fish had already been netted with the top price of RM700 going to the biggest catch.

The tide had just come up and the day was getting hotter but the fishermen and women braved the elements and waited patiently for the fish to bite.

There were plenty of food and other stalls under the marquee tents gleaming white and brilliant in the morning sun.

Youngsters arrived on their new bikes while some walked around happily, enjoying their free weekend.

Carnival spirit was in the air. People from different walks of life and races came for a good bargain or to spend a relaxing weekend. Fresh coconuts seemed to be best sellers.

Indeed, the Bakam area produces some of the sweetest coconuts in Miri Division. A coconut garden owner can sell 300 to 500 fresh fruits in a single weekend – and more during the Fasting Month.

The Bakam women were making the most of the occasion by displaying their cooking and baking skills.

Bread is produced from a home-based bakery in Bakam itself – something good for the enterprising Puan Hazlina.

This young woman is putting her entrepreneurial skills to good use by selling special
kebab made with her own recipe.

Pitta bread was stored in an air-tight food box while she prepared the fillings with the help of a friend.

Every food stall was so well-stuffed that visitors were spoilt for choice!

THE RIGHT SPOT: Participants taking up positions on the beach for the fishing competition.

An elder’s tale

According to a kampung elder, not very long ago, The Borneo Post published a story about siltation at the rivermouth.

He also said a man drowned in the area in 2011 when a fisherman’s boat capsized.

According to the kampung elder, the report at that time said the rescue team did not have proper equipment and the waves were too rough for the drowning victim to be saved.

He recalled that after the Landas, the sea was still choppy – and it was also difficult to pass through the shallow rivermouth. So the fishermen had to wait for the tide to come in before venturing to the fishing grounds.

There are two rivers in the area – Naan which flows north and Bakam which flows east.

The kampung elder also noticed that a lot plastic bottles were washed ashore while debris from upriver of Bakam were cluttering the beaches.

“This sort of pollution contributes to the poorer fish harvest,” he said.

Another fisherman also wanted The Borneo Post to highlight the shortage of lightings at the rivermouth settlement.

He said: “This place is good for families in the evening. And with better lightings, the fishermen can see the Bakam rivermouth better on their return from fishing trips at night or early morning.”

Kuala Bakam is about 30 minutes’ drive from Miri city. Most of the residents are Mirieks while some are Melanaus and Malays.

The seven villages there include Kampung Beraya, Kampung Nelayan Bakam, Raan, Tukau, Kampung Kuala Bakam and Sua – and they come under their headman, Penghulu Adam Bujang.

TAKING A BREAK: A group fishing enthusiasts taking
time off from the competition.

JUST AS GOOD: The fishing competition also attracted women anglers.

Much to offer

The areas around Sungei Bakam have much to offer tourists since their beaches are cleaner than most in Miri and Lutong.

Besides, the kampung houses are very attractive with their unique traditional architecture.

The Gua Chalet and some other homestays provide not only good lodging but are also on the city bus route.

Facilities such lightings, good public toilets and a few well-furnished and designed shops or markets can make this place even more attractive.

Perhaps, a boating company could be set up to take visitors for a cruise. Some foreigners have been looking for boats to take them fishing but mainly to no avail unless they have friends who are fishermen. Even so, this is quite hard to arrange.

A few years ago, there were talks about firefly- sighting trips for tourists at Sungat Naan. That got even the locals excited.

It looks like a vibrant future is not beyond Kuala Bakam.

POWER GENERATOR: The Batang Ai HEP large-scale projects have the potential for both positive as well as negative impact on local communities and the environment.

THE Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) which includes a slew of ambitious projects such as manufacturing and heavy industries and industrial areas, is projected to be the state’s main engine of growth over the next few decades.

The state also plans to build a series of large hydroelectric power dams (HEP) as clean, renewable energy sources to fuel the expected demand for cheap electricity by power-intensive industries wooed by SCORE.

However, despite the numerous expected socio-economic benefits, changes to the natural landscape and biodiversity has thrown a spotlight on the nature of man’s relationship with the environment and how closely they are intertwined.

Recently, thesundaypost visited Nanga Sumpa, Rumah Skarok and Nanga Mepi – three villages affected by Batang Ai HEP (BAHEP) – the state’s first and oldest operating HEP – to learn more about how the dam has impacted their daily lives.

The trip revealed that while BAHEP had brought significant improvements in terms of infrastructure and access to public facilities and services such as education and healthcare, it also created a number of additional challenges for the local communities.

For better or worse, those that had depended heavily on a natural resources-based livelihood had to learn to adapt to a cash-based economy. Some are still struggling to adjust and rebuild their socio-economic independence after nearly 30 years.

Interviews with residents from the three longhouses also suggested that while nature is resilient in some ways to relatively drastic changes, it’s also surprisingly fragile in others.

While far from being an accurate survey of the wide range of experiences of the estimated 21 villages affected by BAHEP, the interviews show any decision to modify the environment on a large scale, needs to be thoroughly studied from all angles, and supports the notion that all other options be given due scrutiny before any action is taken.

Tourism model

Nanga Sumpa is seen as one of BAHEP’s success stories for managing to successfully tap into the locality’s eco-tourism potential. An exclusive collaboration with a local tour agency dating as far back as 1987 has opened many opportunities for residents to earn additional income.

The villagers make traditional handcrafts such as baskets, mats, bead and seed necklaces, bracelets, pottery, and wooden carvings. They hang their products on simple boards, nails and strings along the length of the longhouse’s ruai (communal verandah area) — ready for sale to browsing tourists.

Andah Lembang, 65, works as a boatman, ferrying tourists in between creating traditional Iban pottery and taking care of his garden plot.

He receives a monthly salary as a boatman but was reluctant to reveal how much he earns, only saying it’s enough.

NO-MAN’S LAND: Boatman Andah Lembang from Nanga Sumpa carefully steers his boat through floating logs and other river debris trapped in the confluence where dam waters meet river waters.

Andah’s wife helps to demonstrate traditional weaving techniques to tourists.

His granddaughter Lenenggau Manggin takes turns with other villagers to cook for the tourist lodge residents for a small daily wage. In her spare time, she creates bead necklaces and sometimes accompanies Andah to craft exhibitions and workshops.

His son Jackson Engkamat, 32, helps with maintaining facilities at the lodge and accompanying researchers and tourists on jungle walks while also developing his skills as a tattoo artist in his spare time.

The villagers take turns to provide services for tourists to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to benefit.

The tourists stay in specially built lodges adjacent to the longhouse but are able to visit Nanga Sumpa at certain times to buy handcrafts and participate in certain activities.

Most tourists come because they are eager to experience Batang Ai’s natural beauty, learn more about local Iban culture and hopefully, catch a glimpse of orang utans.

Orang utans are often sighted in areas surrounding the longhouse because the longhouse folk leave them alone. So the primates don’t perceive humans as a threat.

“We respect the orang utans because according to our culture, they are related to our ancestors. It is taboo to hunt or kill them,” Jackson said.

Thus, indirectly, tourism has helped to reinforce the wildlife conservation value of Nanga Sumpa’s relatively undisturbed forest areas.

The dam lake has made it much easier for residents to commute to and from the mainland.

According to Andah, before the dam, it would take at least two days and one night, depending on the weather, to travel by boat between Nanga Sumpa and Lubok Antu for supplies. Now, the journey takes just 1.5 hours from the dam site to the longhouse.

However, travel is not without its obstacles. During the journey to Nanga Sumpa, boats have to run a gauntlet of floating logs and other debris trapped in the limbo of where dam waters meet the river waters, unable to flow upstream or downstream.

To prevent the logs from becoming water hazards, villagers fasten ropes at certain river stretches to trap them and organise communal work parties to clear the debris from the river.

Despite being so close to a HEP, Nanga Sumpa still relies on generators for electricity. The residents continue to use water from the river and water catchment areas for their daily needs.

While some carry out subsistence farming, many no longer fish or hunt, preferring to buy meat and other daily necessities from the mainland, instead of gathering and preparing what they needed from the surrounding forests and rivers like their forefathers.

Jackson said river fishing was much more difficult now compared to before the dam. Before, fish like the prized empurau were plentiful and easy to find in the clear, fast-flowing rivers around their village. But now, the supply of river fish has decreased.

“Nowadays, even if we could find empurau to catch, they are very small. Not like before when one fish could easily be the size of my leg calf, and we could catch enough to fill a boat within a short time,” he noted.

Andah told thesundaypost the impact of the dam was mostly beneficial to them as their longhouse was located upriver and outside the danger zone and did not have to relocate.

Most of their lands and gardens were also not submerged by the dam, so they could continue to grow rice and farm the land as they did before.

CAPTIVATING: A scenic view of the dam area.

Modern conveniences

Rumah Skarok lies on the mainland, just 15 minutes by road downstream from the BAHEP jetty. While its residents had lost some of their native land to the dam 30 years ago, a significant part was not affected — so the residents did not have to relocate and were able to carry on with their traditional livelihoods of planting rice, rubber and pepper.

Retired tourism industry employee, Christopher Kiding, 58, said they did not feel the loss of the natural forests since much of their land had already been developed for farming and agriculture when the dam was built.

However, rivers are another matter altogether.

“No one dares to bathe in or drink from the river. The water emits a foul smell and causes our skin to become itchy if we bathe in it,” he said.

In other aspects, there’s little doubt the dam has brought great benefits. The present Rumah Skarok is an attractive, spacious concrete longhouse close to the main road and connected to the main electricity grid.

The residents enjoy the convenience of electricity, piped water and mobile phone network coverage round-the-clock.

In terms of income, most of the residents were able to forge a decent living, Christopher said.

The Batang Ai resort, set up by an international hotel chain, as well as the dam itself have helped create jobs for many of their residents who not only work as direct employees but also contractors and other third-party service providers to these two establishments.

But local jobs opportunities are limited. Many of Rumah Skarok’s younger generation take up jobs as offshore workers and government employees outside Batang Ai.

The remaining residents plant rubber, pepper and oil palm for income. A few have also taken up breeding tilapia in the dam with the support of government aid and subsidies.

“The newer generation has benefited a lot from the dam. They have easy access to roads — so it’s easier for them to move around to look for jobs outside our village and in the bigger towns and cities,” Christopher noted.

“Some are working with small-time contractors who train them for projects. Down the road, they will gain the ability and knowledge to become contractors themselves and benefit from local government projects.”

But the upgrading of roads has also made it easier for outsiders with unscrupulous intentions to enter the community. A few years ago, the villagers managed to detect and stop illegal logging on their communal lands with the aid of local police, according to Christopher.

He is also concerned the wide dispersal of the younger generation in search of work will cause them to lose touch with their cultural roots.

A female resident of Rumah Skarok who preferred to remain anonymous, shared Christopher’s concern that the younger generation were less knowledgeable about their Iban culture and traditions.

“Many of our young people don’t know or even, if they have heard of it, have never seen many of our traditional customs which their grandparents and parents practised. Not just our children, even my own generation knows less than what our parents’ generation knew and practised,” she observed.

“But even if we forget our traditions, what’s important is that our budi budaya (cultural mindset) and budi bahasa (respect for elders and traditions) are preserved.”

PASSING THE TIME: Children watching boats passing by in front of their school on the banks of Sg Delok.

On-going struggle

The last longhouse thesundaypost visited, Nanga Mepi, was one of 10 villages identified as in the danger zone due to their proximity to the dam. Thus, it was and continues to be more deeply affected by BAHEP than Nanga Sumpa and Nanga Skarok.

Present headman Lawin Sidai, 54, estimates up to 70 per cent of Nanga Mepi’s NCR and communal lands were affected by the dam.

He hails from Debak but moved to Nanga Mepi in July 1982 just after his marriage and was thus able to witness the uncertainty and difficulty prevailing at that time.

“I arrived a few months before the village moved to the resettlement area in October 1982 just in time to help pack up and move everything by boat,” he recalled.

“The first few years were difficult for everyone. Everything required money. Before, our life was easier. We did not need much cash as we could take what we needed from the forests and rivers.”

“When we moved to the resettlement area, everything was there – house, water, electricity. But where could we find our resources? At that time, we were not entitled to gather resources from the land. Everything we needed to pay (for the right to gather).”

There was also the general misconception that the displaced villagers were cash-rich and could afford anything they wanted.

“Because of the government compensation at that time, outsiders were saying Lubok Antu kaya (Lubok Antu is rich). But it was only for some. New families like me and my wife, and also small families like my father-in-law’s had it difficult,” Lawin said.

Each family was allocated three to four acres to plant oil palm and five acres for rubber, managed through agencies such as Salcra.

Each family was also given one acre of land to plant vegetables and promised two more acres for planting padi. However, the government could not find enough land to purchase due to shortage of land at that time.

In the end, the villagers were given RM4,000 in 2007 or 2008 in lieu of the two acres.

To farm enough food for their families and to make ends meet, the villagers had to rent out additional land from surrounding villages. They also had to adjust to not living next to a river.

There was also a lot of confusion on the status of the land which were not submerged under the dam waters. The villagers were given to understand the said land still belonged to them but Lawin said they were prevented from farming the land by Sesco.

The shortage of land continues to affect them even today. When Nanga Mepi first resettled, there were 26 families. Now, there are 40 families and the longhouse is bursting at the seams from lack of land to build additional housing.

Lawin shared that they had recently petitioned the government as well as their elected representatives for a secondary site for the second generation of villagers to live on so that their families can stay close together.

He also hopes the relevant government agencies would look into creating more job opportunities in other sectors that would have a spillover effect on the community such as setting up factories to process the tilapia being bred in the dam into products like keropok.

Conclusions and considerations

The varying experiences of Nanga Sumpa, Rumah Skarok and Nanga Mepi show that managing the socio-economic impact of a HEP is a complex issue and that there is much room for improvement in terms of ensuring local communities are able to fully reap the purported benefits of HEPs.

While government economic assistance and resettlement programmes often have good intentions, successful implementation requires continuous, concerted inter-agency efforts that can adjust to changing local needs and social-economic eccentricities.

Local communities being thrust into the current of urbanisation need support and guidance that will enable them to grow and adjust to their changed surroundings at a pace they can manage so that they can achieve socio-economic independence.

For example, many locals were unable to sustain aquaculture efforts to breed tilapia for sale despite the provision of government aid, infrastructure and fish feed subsidies.

However, a few individuals have succeeded on their own. This suggests that socio-economic programmes meant to benefit locals need to be customised to suit local practices and peculiarities, and that continued, consistent advice and support from the government is just as important as financial and infrastructure aid and subsidies.

The experience of these three villages highlights the immense socio-economic and environmental challenges that come with changes to the natural environment and relocation of communities that accompany HEP construction.

The interviews suggest that the impact on biodiversity can be both positive and negative and that more in-depth research into the influence of HEPs on natural capitals, especially in areas of high conservation value, is required and should be taken into account when deciding to build a dam.

If there is no other option but to build one, then all efforts must be fully made to ensure that negative fallout is minimised, if not eliminated.

JOLLYGOOD WALK: A section of the 600 people who took part in the first Walk in the Park. – Pictures courtesy of Musa Musbah from Malaysian Nature Society (MNS).

THERE are compelling reasons to preserve Piasau Camp in Miri.

First, preservation will – among other things – ensure the historical significance of the place is not lost on the present and future generations. And secondly, in terms of conservation, the survival of the wildlife found in the area, especially the oriental pied hornbill, which is totally protected under the State’s Wild Life Protection Ordinance (1998), will be greatly enhanced.

Piasau Camp is synonymous with Miri’s oil and gas industry that could be traced back 100 years, starting with the first oil well dubbed The Grand Old Lady on Canada Hill.

The hornbill, on the other hand, is indisputably the king of birds in Sarawak which is also known as the Land of the Hornbill. Also, the hornbill is featured in the State emblem.

The forested area around the Camp was cleared in the 1950’s to build 175 wooden houses for Shell employees. Located northeast of Miri and separated by Miri River opposite the city centre, it is a peaceful expatriate community with no fencing.

YOUNG PAIR: A pair of young oriental pied hornbills.

Camp to be closed

It is said Piasau Camp will be relinquished to the government soon although the land lease to Shell extends to 2029.

While Shell Malaysia chairman Ian Lo recently assured the company will not relinquish the land, except for lots at the riverside, his confirmation that the housing quarters at the Camp will be closed by September this year has caused concern among Mirians, particularly history and Nature enthusiasts.

This had prompted some 600 Mirians from all walks of life and the expatriate community to join the inaugural Walk in the Park on April 6 to support calls to make the Camp a permanent Nature Park to be called Hornbill Park.

The idea of the Walk was mooted by Datuk Sebastian Ting, the then political secretary to the Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister, and the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), Miri Chapter, chaired by Musa Musbah, who is also the honorary wildlife ranger of SFC.

Ting has also gathered several professionals to form the Hornbill Park pro-tem committee of which he is chairman. The other office-bearers are Musa (deputy chairman), Dr Roland Mattur (vice chairman), former Pujut state assemblyman Andy Chia (secretary) and Miri Indian Association president, Karambir Singh (treasurer).

Due to the overwhelming response to the first Walk, a second Walk in the Park will be held today (May 19), starting at 4pm at the Tenby International School.

Concerned Mirians and visitors are urged to turn up in full force to support the proposed setting up of the Hornbill Park at the Camp. Once established, it will be the first park in the country specially dedicated to the conservation of hornbills.

The people’s voice

Ting has urged Shell and the authorities concerned to preserve Piasau Camp as a permanent Nature Park to protect the hornbills – and also as an re-creational area for the present and future generations of Mirians.

“This is a beautiful place within walking distance from Miri city. Just imagine so many people are coming for the Walk today – more than 500 Mirians very concerned and would like to see what’s next for Piasau Camp.

“If you ask around, most people want to keep this place as it is. Miri came about because of oil and part of this oil is Piasau Camp. We have 100 over acres here,” he said.

Mairead Boland, a data manager from Holland working with Sarawak Shell, concurred with Ting on the urgency to set up the Hornbill Park.

“We came here in June. Previously we were in Brunei and Kuala Lumpur but we really want to be here close to the sea and the Park is gorgeous,” she said.

Mairead and her retired husband, David Daton, an avid bird watcher, are among over 20 families still staying at Piasau Camp.

For another Shell staff, Wouter Rensink and his wife Alice, Piasau Camp is also close to their hearts.

“I came here in 1978 on my first posting, so I know this Camp quite well. It’s the only place in Miri where you can walk and cycle safely – and I see many people cycling here. It’s pity that an area like this will be gone soon,” he said.

Rensink, a training graduate from Holland, has been staying at the Park for almost 15 years and he loves to walk their dog, Sara, there.

Dr Tarek Latif, a former surgeon with Miri Hospital, said: “It’s good to keep the Camp as a Nature Park for people to enjoy. People are happy and healthy – and the birds are happy too.”

Rogayah Zainuddin, treasure of the Miri Amateur Swimming Association, said Piasau Camp has been her family’s home for 19 years up to the time her late father Temenggong Zainuddin retired from Shell.

“I really miss staying here – so peaceful. When we first moved out to our own house, my father insisted we shouldn’t install grills on our windows and doors. But soon, the burglars had their ways and we were forced to install grills. It’s not like here at Piasau Camp – we had the birds and edible plants – no burglars,” she said.

CURIOUS: A young naturalist watching birds through a telescope.

Studies and findings

Several studies have been conducted since 2006 at Piasau Camp and the surrounding areas.

Musa and Anthony Wong were among those behind the studies to identify bird species in the area and their conservation status as well as other species requiring special protection. They will come up with recommendations in a masterplan for the project site.

Musa said the oriental pied hornbill or southern oriental pied hornbill (anthracoceros albirostris convexus) is native to Piasau Camp, adding that along with this hornbill, another species Wrinkled hornbill has also been spotted in the area.

The first report of these birds breeding in the area was made in the 2006 by a Dr Giana. In early 2010, some of the birds flew out of their safe haven, foraging for food around Miri, Piasau Utara and Lutong. This was when a lot of sightings was reported.

After doing numerous interviews, Musa concluded that the hornbills had been farmed and hunted by people who had access to the area. They farmed these birds under the very nose of Piasau residents.

He said surveys showed at least 15 hornbills and many other types of birds such hill myna, little egret (egretta garzetta) and intermediate egret (mesophoyx inter-media) have been found at Piasau Camp since 2006.

“The maximum number reported was 15. Five were seen flying around the Miri Golf Club course, Piasau Utara, Lutong, Piasau Jaya and Miri City itself which is outside of their safe area.

“Until today, the whereabouts of the rests are not known. They could have been killed by irresponsible people. I heard a lot of such stories when I was watching these birds,” Musa added.

“There are now three known nesting sites in the area and strangely, the distance between the nests is almost 650 metres apart and in a straight line. This might be their territorial distance. One nest is on the ground, the other is two metres above the ground while the third is 10 metres above the ground.”

Musa’s latest observation on May 14 revealed that the nest that is two metres above the ground is occupied – and the female oriental pied hornbill will lay and then incubate her eggs for 112 days (3.8 months) before coming out into the open.

The nest on the tree is about 10 metres from the road, 15 metres from a house and some 50 metres from the popular Piasau Boat Club (PBC) House.

There is a lot of traffic noise from trucks, delivery vehicles and cars. At any time of the day, people are jogging and talking loudly while children are cycling or running along the foot path parallel to the road.

“It would appear from current observations that a noisy, busy urban environment is not a deterrent to the selection of a nesting site and to successful breeding,” he said, adding that while hornbills are mostly forest birds, the oriental pied is the exception.

“As long as there are sufficient food and cavity trees for nesting, it is able to survive around human habitation,” Musa explained.

He said hornbills are people-friendly, putting them at high risk to poachers.

“Hornbills are monogamous – they pair for life. The male is the sole provider. So it would be tragic if the male is killed while its mate and the chicks are still inside the nest. The whole family will be wiped out. Moreover, the female and the whole brood also depend on the male to break the nest from outside when the time is right.”

Quoting the report by Wong on past bird surveys around Miri region and field surveys in and around the study area at Shell Lutong facilities and Piasau Camp, Musa said total of 102 bird species from 39 families have been recorded.

Of the lot, 12 are considered globally threatened, 34 protected under the Sarawak Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998 with three listed as totally protected and the rest protected. One endemic species (dusky munia lonchura fuscans) was also recorded.

The three totally protected species are oriental pied hornbill, cattle egret (bubulcus ibis) and white-bellied sea eagle (haliaeetus leucogaster).

“The oriental pieds were recorded within the forested area of Piasau Camp. It is believed the mature forest there provides the necessary breeding grounds for them,” Musa added.

Wong’s report recommends that mature forest within Piasau Camp be preserved for the survival of these magnificent birds.

HORNBILL PARK NEEDED: Mirians showing support for the preservation of Piasau Camp.

Additional facts

Feb 13 is Love Hornbills Day and it is a big affair in Thailand and India but not so much in Malaysia.

It was a day initiated by Prof Pillai Poonswad, a pioneer in hornbill conservation in Thailand and hailed as the Great Mother of the Hornbills more than 30 years ago. Her purpose was to save threatened hornbills and their rainforest habitats.

Malaysia is home to 10 of 54 globally known species of hornbills, eight or nine of which are found in Sarawak.

However, the IUCN Red List Of Threatened Species has categorised the rhinoceros hornbill, the helmeted hornbill, the black hornbill, the oriental pied hornbill, the bushy-crested hornbill and the wreathed hornbill as globally threatened.

Piasau Camp is home to the oriental pied and the wrinkled hornbills.

In Malaysia, penalties for keeping hornbills as a pets and for killing, hunting, capturing, selling, trading or disturbing them, or possessing any recognisable parts of the bird are severe – a RM25,000 fine and three years’ imprisonment.

All hornbills are revered and the rhinoceros species seems to hold a special place in most Sarawakian native cultures. It is closely associated with the god of war and of bird of omen – Singalang Burong, a significant figure in Iban legends and folklores. The festival of Gawai Burong is held in its honour.

The Orang Ulu community believes the casque (the distinctive curved, bony growth from the head of the rhinoceros hornbill above its beak) holds mystical powers and whoever owns one could use it to control and influence another person.

The horn, when carved, can be worn as accessory such as pendant and ring while the unique black and white tail feathers are used to adorn traditional head dresses and regalia used only during the most grand and sacred of occasions.

This widespread reverence for the rhinoceros hornbill is one of the reasons why the bird forms part of Sarawak’s State Crest and is the State bird.

The setting up of the Piasau Camp as Hornbill Park is thus very timely. It will also complement efforts to make Miri a preferred resort city in the region.

NOBLE GESTURE: Undergrads making pledges to donate their organs.

CURTIN University in Miri received 100 pledges in a recent campaign to get more people to donate their organs.

Organising chairperson Marzuki from Medan, Indonesia, went bald even before the target was reached.

His enthusiasm was contagious, triggering an overwhelming response to and a good in-campus awareness of the need for organ pledging.

Curtin’s organ donation drive has warmed the hearts of the lecturers, students and the community.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent organisations the world over have been conducting campaigns to get people to pledge their organs to save lives over the last 20 years or so. And in this living-saving push, Miri is in the forefront in the state.

Organ pledging and donation campaigns in the Division are held as often as possible by volunteers — they are not once-a-year events.

“However greater awareness should created everyday,” advocated retired teacher Teresa Wong.

She and her husband already pledged their organs a few years ago.

“I can be a living donor for a kidney and a part of my liver, and my husband is willing too. There is no harm in that,” she said.

Curtin students writing their pledges on the campaign board.

Saiful, one of Miri Red Crescent’s longest serving staff, has pledged to donate all his organs.

“After all, when our souls have gone to heaven, we should give our organs to some people who need them.

We don’t really have to keep these organs. We cannot take them with us, anyway,” he said.

Looking at some developed countries, we see that organs donation and pledging is gathering momentum.

In neighbouring Singapore, HOTA (Human Organ Transplant Act) assumes all citizens (except Muslims) are willing organs donors. The ONLY caveat is if a citizen has explicitly opted out.

Originally, HOTA only allowed for the harvesting and transplantation of kidneys but was expanded in 2004 to include livers, corneas and hearts.

A further amendment in 2008 allowed for Muslim residents (exempted from mandatory donation) to receive the same priority if the need arose for them to have an organ transplant themselves.

Outside of this policy (for a Muslim), if you have opted out of HOTA, you subsequently fall to the bottom of the waiting list should you need an organ transplant in the future.

Singapore performed an average of 49 transplants per year over the last decade. The city state is not the only country with regulations requiring mandatory organ donation.  Brazil, Belgium, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and Spain all have similar laws.

CAMPAIGN: A banner to encourage the public to pledge their organs in Miri.

In Australia, for example, there were about 1,080 people on the kidney transplant waiting list in Australia last year but only 237 live kidney donors. About 290 Australians donate an organ each year.

In the latest development, the Australian government is planning to spend about £890,000 on donor payments over the next two years. Each donor will be paid a weekly £414 for six weeks while he or she is not working. To many Australians, this is a fair deal.

Lending a hand to the Red Crescent, the Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities (MAPCU) Organ Donation Campaign 2012-2013 was initiated to increase public awareness of organ and tissue donation, and motivate Malaysians to become donors by tackling misconceptions on organs donation.

The slogan is Give a Life, Gift of Life and the campaign is supported by the National Transplant Resource Centre, a subsidiary of the Health Ministry.

In Malaysia, the number of people who have pledged to donate organs from 1997 to January this year has reached 214,687 — less than one per cent of the population. However, awareness is being raised gradually through campaigns and very hard-working volunteers.

According to Lina, one of the helpers in a Miri Organ Donation Campaign, held at the Bintang Mall recently, there are many obstacles or beliefs in the way of organs donation.

First, most families do not hold with their members pledging their organs. Secondly, they feel it is not auspicious for them to give away their organs. And thirdly, they have a lot of fear over pledging — worried that their organs will be “harvested” even before they breathe their last.

Many college students who visited the Organs Pledging stall at Bintang Mall said they were very positive about organs donation and were willing to pledge all their organs to save lives. They feel it’s a good thing to do — leaving something behind in this world.

Public and private organisations can call up the Red Crescent in Miri to set up organs pledging counters at their functions.

In this way, more awareness can be raised of organs donation. The Miri Red Crescent mobile number is 0168674138 if you need more information.

According to Miri Red Crescent life member Dr Uma Devi, donating organs is a very spiritual act.

“What’s wrong with leaving some organs in one’s will? What’s wrong with pledging one’s organs? We humans should be free to dispose of our organs in any way we want,” she said.

Though retired, Dr Uma still works part time at the Miri Polyclinic. She continues to give talks on health and healthy eating especially in the rural areas.

OPENING ACT: Sarawak’s very own West Jazz Band in an electrifying performance.

RENOWNED BAND: Lisa Quartet taking centre stage.

HAPPY COLLABORATION: Lisa joining Gavin Hope (vocalist) and other members of The Nylons in entertaining the crowd.

MIRI: Thousands of music lovers from near and far thronged Parkcity Everly Hotel here on Friday to watch the 8th edition of the Borneo Jazz Festival, one of the international events held every year as part of the Miri May Fest.

Minister of Tourism Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, Assistant Minister of Communication Datuk Lee Kim Shin, Miri City Council Mayor Lawrence Lai and Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) CEO Datuk Rashid Khan were among those attending the festival.

WOOING CROWD: A member of West Jazz Band captivating the crowd with her unique performance.

Home grown West Jazz Band from the state started the ball rolling with their performance of the Hot Latin Rhythms to the Swing Jazz Era and electrifying Funky Rhythms.

The second band to keep the festival goers transfixed was the award-winning Lisa Quartet (‘Bell Awards’ Best Australian Jazz Vocal Album) which is well known to jazz and world music listeners as an ensemble of creative improvisers incorporating India and African elements in their work.

Lisa, known as an exceptionally creative vocal stylist and improviser, also joined The Nylons from Canada, the last band performing for the night.

The Nylons, renowned for their vibrant live show and good rapport with the audiences, are the perennial favourite for all age groups.

Equally entertaining was a performance by Grammy Award winner, The Scott Martin Latin Soul Band, from the west coast of USA.

The band featuring three generations of the Martin family is best known for the Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz –a rich selection of jazz compositions.

Apart from enjoying the music and songs, the festival goers also could buy a good selection of food and drinks, souvenirs and craft products offered by vendors at the festival venue.

The two-day Borneo Jazz Festival which ended last night is an effort to promote the city on the world music map.

Oswald Braken Tisen: Acting deputy general manager of Sarawak Forestry, the agency tasked with managing and conserving forests within Sarawak.

MANY rural communities who live in resource-rich areas are often presented with conflicting choices of how to benefit socio-economically through the exploitation of natural resources.

Rural communities tend to be heavily reliant on their natural environment for all their needs, including food, water, shelter and transportation. Their traditional way of life has been shaped by centuries of learning through trial and error how to co-exist sustainably with their surroundings.

In natural resource-rich developing countries thirsty for modernisation through socio-economic development, the temptation to modify the natural environment using methods that will yield quick, profitable results, is great.

With few exceptions, man has always sought to change the environment for his benefit, such as through agriculture for sustenance and commerce. The advent of modern technology has introduced automation which makes it exponentially easier and more cost effective to carry out these activities on a broader scale, with relatively less resources and for greater returns.

This also means the potential for disruption to natural ecosystems and biodiversity is also exponentially increased, unless protective measures are legislated and fully enforced.

Unfortunately, how the issue of development and conservation has been shaped in the public eye by various lobby groups pits the proponents of rapid socio-economic development against conservationists, often forcing the rest of the population to make an “either-or” stand.

In the end, it is the local communities who stand to lose out the most, no matter which side wins.

Fresh perspective needed

In reality, development does not always have to be sacrificed for conservation and vice versa. There is a growing body of economic research and evidence that suggests protecting biodiversity can translate into significant monetary benefits, and not just for the eco-tourism sector.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC DILEMMA: Harvested logs sit on the banks of a heavily silted river, awaiting transportation in Lawas. Utilising natural resources in this way can bring much needed jobs and income to rural communities but also results in extensive and drastic change to the natural environment within a short time.

In developed nations, general conservation debate and perspectives have shifted more towards treating the environment as natural capital to be used and nurtured like other forms of capital for socio-economic benefit.

Natural capital can be defined as the Earth’s land, water and the biodiversity contained within them while ecosystem services are simply the stream of vital services flowing from natural capital to the people.

The Natura 2000 network, initiated by the European Union (EU), represents one of the world’s first efforts to recognise the importance of preserving biodiversity and sustainable natural capital.

Among the grim figures cited is that cumulative declines in biodiversity and associated ecosystem services globally will affect global gross domestic product (GDP) by possibly up to seven per cent of world annual GDP by 2050 (Our Natural Capital: A Profitable Investment In Times of Crisis 2012).

The above report also cited a forthcoming study for the European Commission which is believed to be among the first of its kind to attempt to identify and quantify the links between biodiversity and overall economic well-being on such a large scale.

The said study conservatively estimates that the Natura 2000 network could economically generate 1.7 to 2.5 per cent of EU GDP – that is between EUR200 to 300 billion per year.

Another cited study suggests failure to enforce existing legislation and meet future biodiversity targets could cost the EU up to EUR50 billion a year.

Due to a lack of direct cost-benefit analysis, the impact of the network on other society is yet to be quantified but its benefits are expected to far outweigh the costs.

The Natura 2000 network has taken the traditionally narrow development-vs-conservation argument and expanded it to include species and habitat management, restoration, compensation, research support, and long-term, sustainable financing.

Local lessons

It may seem there is little for Sarawak to learn from the large-scale biodiversity conservation and management plans being formulated and implemented halfway across the world in Europe.

However, the state government has planned slew of ambitious projects as part of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE), including dams, heavy industries and industrial areas in its bid to propel the state into high-income status.

In addition to this, Sarawak now has 1.2 million hectares of oil palm cultivation – with plans to increase it to two million hectares by 2020 – to tap into current global trends of high crude palm oil prices.

Thus, the need to protect and manage the state’s natural capitals for future economic benefit as well as the challenge of doing so are only likely to intensify, given the increase in long-term large-scale and disruptive interaction with the environment.

Laws in place

Contrary to common public perception which tends to be heavily influenced by the views of foreign environmental groups, conservation in Sarawak follows a structured biodiversity conservation programme.

“The state’s national parks are established and expanded based on needs where it is deemed most critical to conserve species across a wide range of natural habitats,” said Oswald Braken Tisen, acting deputy general manager of Sarawak Forestry, the agency tasked with managing and conserving forests within Sarawak.

He said conservation efforts had to be focused on where it could make the most impact as it would not be practical to effectively conserve all of Sarawak.

“We cannot conserve everything, otherwise where would people live,” he noted.

“For land area, the government has pledged to allocate at least 10 per cent to be put aside for this through our masterplan which was established in 1987.

“Whatever people may say about the government not conserving the environment, I would say they are wrong. The state government does listen to what we have to say.

“Of course, the process can be slow – some areas may take 20 years – but we’re getting there.”

He pointed out that more often than not, areas identified for conservation already had people living there and it would be impractical to just expect them to adjust overnight.

“We cannot forget there are people living there. We work to ensure the communities are engaged and their responses and needs should be well-documented and taken into consideration.”

In terms of biodiversity conservation policies, Sarawak is ahead of many other states in Malaysia – and even some countries globally, Oswald said.

The first environmental legislation gazetted by the state was the Forests Ordinance in 1958. It was followed by the Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1990, established based on the findings of a special select committee which included state lawmakers.

In the mid-1990s, the state government engaged Sarawak Forestry and the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York, USA, to come up with a wildlife masterplan. Their findings were subsequently translated into the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998.

CHANGING WAY OF LIFE: A farmer walks by a field of ripening hill padi near the Bengoh Dam, about 40km from Kuching. When fully impounded, the dam will help ease the long-standing water supply problems in the surrounding areas. However, it will also mean that 204 families from four villages will have to be relocated to a resettlement area.

Reflect reality

Oswald highlighted that the state government was not adverse to implementing new legislation or amending existing ones to reflect current realities and needs.

He also supported the view that it was important to review environmental legislation from time to time.

“Yes, there is a need to take another look at the legislation because times change and today’s generation may look at things differently. The change must reflect current needs and also the views of society.

He also agrees with the suggestion that the existing legislation would benefit from taking into account more recent scientific research studies, bearing in mind how much our knowledge of the natural environment has increased over the past few decades.

“We use world conservation opinion to guide what we do, so I think we’re not too far wrong. We subscribe to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) standards and guidelines, which are international guidelines based on government and non-government conservation stakeholders,” he added.

There are now 800,000 hectares of protected areas in the state, including national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

Sarawak Forestry is targetting 1.2 million hectares but if it is successful in gazetting all the areas which it has identified, it would exceed this 10 per cent mark.

COMMERCIAL BIODIVERSITY: A frog sits on a tree leaf in Mentawai, Gunung Mulu National Park. Recent studies in the European Union suggest that investing in biodiversity management and sustainability can translate into significant economic benefits, compared to losses resulting from non-investment. However, the commercial potential of investing in biodiversity outside the tourism sector is mostly underdeveloped and underexplored within the state.

Monetising biodiversity

Oswald pointed out that the ecosystems in Europe and Sarawak are very different, and how people use biodiversity to benefit socio-economically is different, and thus, the legislation must also reflect this.

“In terms of the economics of biodiversity, we need scientists and conservationists who have the knowledge and are passionate about it to engage with the decision-makers.”

He singled out increased environmental awareness among the general public as well as among legislative decision-makers as the most crucial component of moving Sarawak closer to better managed, more sustainable and ultimately, more commercially profitable models of biodiversity and conservation.

However, he agreed with the suggestion the state has some way to go to building a strong set of laws, systems and practices that would enable it to harness its biodiversity and natural capital to fully participate in international commerce.

“Using the example of wild crocodiles – is it wrong to use crocodiles to make money? It is not wrong as long as it is sustainable.

“But because we are living in a connected world, we are always under scrutiny. We cannot trade our wild crocodiles because other countries are saying, hey, you are not managing your crocodile populations. That’s because way back in 1985, our crocodiles were mostly extinct in most rivers.

“The situation has reversed now and our wild crocodile populations are increasing but we still need to demonstrate to the international community we can manage them properly before we can trade wild crocodiles internationally.”

That’s why local conservation legislation and practices should always reflect local needs as what works overseas may not be as effective or practical here, he concluded.

ON THE ROAD TO THE OLYMPICS: File photo shows Joseph at the airport before leaving for Athens, Greece in June 2011.

Joseph Choo will be among the many who will gather at tHe Spring Shopping Mall’s premier carpark at 6.15am to race in the 10 km run on June 16, 2013. But Joseph is no ordinary runner. He is a seasoned competitive runner known for his fierce determination. And he is an Olympian.

Like many runners, Joseph runs a lot for health reasons and because he loves it. In fact, he will be coming all the way from Sibu to participate. But there was a time when the 31-year-old faced great difficulties with his bodily movements. Celebral palsy affected his movement and motor control. Physical stiffness of his body limited his balance and flexibility. It also discouraged him from physical activity. His mother, Mrs Choo, recalls that the outside world just did not seem that friendly to Joseph. But things started to change when he joined his father to participate in Hash runs on some weekends.

CELEBRATION: Joseph showing off his bronze medal while posing with officials and teammates of the Malaysian contingent in Athens, Greece in July 2011 (Photo courtesy of SOSWAK Sibu).

He discovered the joy of running. The occasional run became more regular. His enthusiasm and running ability also caught the eye of volunteer officials of Special Olympics Sarawak (SOSWAK). Mdm Chew Siok Cheng, currently secretary of the Sibu chapter of SOSWAK, first met Joseph about nine years ago. At the time, she noticed the difficulties that Joseph met in indulging in his new hobby – bodily stiffness, flexibility, balance and movement. She and her fellow volunteers encouraged the young athlete to train more seriously to start participating in organised events and competitions. Soon they cannot fail to notice the good that running did to Joseph. He extended his network of friends, his health was certainly better, and his physical balance and flexibility greatly improved. Bowling became and still is another of his recreational passions. And he was getting better with his running. He was now aiming for the stars. He set his sights on competing in the Special Olympics World Games.

DOGGED DETERMINATION: Joseph scaled Mount Kinabalu in 2005 (Photo courtesy of SOSWAK Sibu).

The Special Olympics World Games are organised by the world’s largest non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of sports for children and adults with special needs. The first Special Olympics World Summer Games took place in 1968 and it became regularly organised every four years since 1975. Since 1977, the Special Olympics World Winter Games have also become a regular fixture of the international sports calendar. Joseph was among the six from Sarawak selected to form the 35-member Malaysian national contingent for the Special Olympics World Summer Games held in Athens, Greece from June 25 to July 4, 2011. He had met the qualifying standards to compete in the half marathon (21 km). This was Joseph’s crowning achievement so far. On 3 July 2011, he obtained the Olympic bronze medal when he clocked 2 hr 16 min 02 sec to finish third in the half marathon in a field of international competitors. The 2011 Athens Games attracted 7,500 special athletes from 185 countries who competed in 22 sports.

Joseph is a transformed man today. His mother and Mdm Chew speak today about the remarkable journey that he has undertaken since he first discovered the joy of running over 14 years ago. He works in his family business and drives on his own. He recently returned from an holiday overseas with his friends – not the first time he has done so. He is described by his family members and SOSWAK officials as a physically fit, confident, self-motivated, very disciplined and very independent young man. Join him and others in the 10 km Spring Live Active Run on 16th June 2013.

SUN LOVER: A Komodo dragon takes in the sun.

THE volcanic hills of Komodo Island rose above the clear blue green waters of the Flores Sea, in contrast to tales of riptides and unpredictable currents around the island home of the myth creating Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis). We arrived with the start of the December monsoons and the seemingly dead grass was beginning to reawaken and cover the hills in living green.

Dragons haunt myths around the world. These fearsome foes battle in ancient and current literature. Who can forget the terrifying and evil Smaug in JRR Tolkien’s classic ‘The Hobbit’ or in the myths from Japan, Korea and other Asian countries? In Sarawak, very large old pythons, according to traditional beliefs, slide into rivers and are transformed into dragons. In ancient China they symbolised royalty and remain culturally important symbols today.

Dragons are not myths – these ancient creatures, despite being listed in Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which prohibits the trade of the animal or parts of it, continue to be top predators on Komodo Island and other islands that compose Komodo National Park in Flores, Indonesia.

The park was officially opened in 1980, declared a Man and Biosphere Reserve in 1986 and a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) World Heritage Site in 1991.

The creatures during my two-hour visit held me in amazement. A sunbathing dragon had staked out a beachfront view and it was still there when we left. Although I am fairly positive it did not intend to be a photo opportunity for visitors, it did not seem to mind – although our guides kept a close watch for sudden movements.

This dragon and several of the others we saw appeared lethargic as they lay on oversized bellies, but they are capable of speeds of up to 18km. As top predators on the island, they are capable of using their large very muscular tails to knock over prey and curved talon to attack. The bit of the dragon’s backward pointing serrated teeth injects a poisonous mixture of bacteria into the prey.

These cannibalistic creatures hunt smaller dragons, deer, wild boar and wild buffaloes, while the young dragons of up to about two years inhabit palms subsisting on other reptiles, insects, mammals, birds and eggs.

The well-marked sandy trail was edged with stones and visitors were clearly instructed not to wander and to remain with their guides. Despite reading about the dragons, the reality shook me and I knew that I was entering their world.

As we started, our guides froze and pointed – a Komodo dragon was on the move and heading towards a small herd of deer. It ran on its short legs with its head held high through the scrubby forest. We watched until it was hidden from view.

Young dragons hatch nine months after the eggs are laid and instinctively climb tall palm trees to avoid being eaten by the adults. They remain here, sheltering in holes in the trunk, for about two years and then return to the ground to grow to maturity.

The path curved through budding low-level brush. The rains had just started bringing with them a reawakening. Gentle lime-green tamarind (assam jawa) leaves fluttered in the wind, and the wild cotton tree (kapok) was dotted with cotton balls.

Komodo dragons are solitary animals but two large males had staked out a small pool: an unusual sight as dragons generally avoid other dragons except during mating and during feeding frenzies when the larger dragons get first choice at large prey. The languid giants tasted the air with their flicking red tongues.

An adult Komodo dragon generally weighs about 90kg and is three metres long. Its tail and body are approximately equal in length. Its greyish brown wrinkled hide blends in with the dry savannah grasslands of the islands.

The rotten egg smell of sulphur became stronger as we approached the top of Sulphurea Hill. We did not see any dragons here, but the hill was alive with other wildlife. A brilliant orange oriole floated down the hill from tree to tree. The shrubby forest was waking from its drought caused sleep and was bursting with green pockets. The path down wound back to the dock through the forest and we startled a small family deer herd.

Myths and reality met on Komodo Island and the dragon reached my primordial element. The sea and the other islands add beauty to the mystery.

For more information on Komodo National Park or Flores go to www.florestourism.com.

SHARED PASSION: Raut Kading’s 12-year old daughter feeding semah by hand. She often helps her father feed and play with the fish to condition them to human touch. She shares her father’s dedication and interest in taming and rearing the fish for their village’s tagang.

THE sharp clanging of an empty tin can, struck repeatedly against a large boulder, rings above the loud rush of water, calling them from every nook and cranny of Sungei Tengoa.

At first, as the sound fades away, it appears nothing significant has happened. But on the river banks, Raut Kading, a tall pony-tailed man, puts down the can and pours some dried fish feed onto the palm of his hand. He casts the feed into the waters.

Immediately, the river’s surface begin to bubble with fish rushing to grab their share of the nutritious bounty.

Satisfied that the fish have heard his call, Raut stands on the water’s edge and drops more feed into the churning water. The fish respond by literally throwing themselves at his feet to get at more tasty morsels.

Raut Kading

Raut proceeds to wade into the river until he is standing right in the middle of the cloud of swarming silver bullets. He lowers a fist full of fish feed into the water, keeping just big enough gaps between his fingers and flat of his palm that the fish can suck out the feed with their lips (if there is such a thing as fish lips) with loud kissing sounds.

As Raut pours out a fresh batch of feed into his palm, the fish continue to teem around him, rubbing their bodies against his legs like purring cats and sometimes butting their heads on his body to get closer to him.

Swimming in money

These are not exactly the type of fish you can expect to find in your local supermarket.

Raut is surrounded by thousands of ringgit worth of ikan semah, a local freshwater fish highly prized for its sweet tasting flesh.

Right now, wholesale price for the fish in Lawas is about RM60 per kg but the price can rise to two or three times more in restaurants in major towns and cities in the state.

Raut has a natural instinct for showmanship. That morning, as his grand finale, he takes out a baby’s bottle with a plastic teat that has a modified opening large enough to allow fish feed to pass through. He fills the bottle with feed and water before lowering it into the river.

Immediately, the fish surge forward and jostle for position to suck on the teat. Watching fully grown wild semah being hand-fed from a baby’s bottle feels surreal, to say the least.

Unsurprisingly, many people find it difficult to believe his village has managed to tame semah so successfully.

“We’ve had some say that the photos on the sign at our village’s entrance which shows what we are doing, is fake and has been digitally manipulated,” Raut told thesundaypost.

“Some people have tried to replicate what we’ve done but with little success. They claim since they cannot do it, then we are bluffing them.

“So what you’ve just seen with your own eyes is a lie,” joked the normally quiet-spoken man.

Humble beginnings

But this is clearly anything but fraud. The fish are so used to human touch that they allow people to stroke their scaly bodies and even carry them.

How did Long Lidong, a small Lun Bawang village of roughly 110 people about one hour from Lawas town, manage to achieve such an astonishing feat?

It began in 2006 when the villagers, under a smart partnership with the guidance and support of the Inland Fisheries Division, Department of Agriculture, Sarawak, set up a tagang system.

Tagang (the Iban word for ‘restricted’ or ‘off limits’) is based on the tagal system widely adopted along stretches of rivers in Sabah.

It works by allowing the village to limit and control the number of fishing activities along the river which has been demarcated for tagang purposes.

Under Long Lidong’s tagang system, about 2.4km of Sungei Tengoa is divided into red, yellow, blue and green zones. Any harvesting or fishing activities along this stretch must receive the prior approval of the tagang committee.

MEALTIME: Raut feeds the semah with specially formulated feed that will help them to put on weight quickly.

Green zones can be fished three to four times a year while blue zones are only harvested once a year.

Fishing in yellow zones are only allowed in emergencies or under extraordinary circumstances such as if the village is in need of urgent funds.

Red zones are breeding grounds for the fish and totally protected from all fishing or harvesting activities at all times.
Before the tagang was set up, Inland Fisheries staff and Long Lidong villagers conducted a survey to ascertain the health of the river as well as identify species of aquatic creatures living in it, including fish, frogs, prawns, and crabs.
Once the baseline has been established, it will be easier for the government agency to monitor changes in the river and its corresponding animal populations over a certain period of time, and to intervene, if necessary.

Recently, a number of semah were implanted with microchips to track their growth rates as well as other biological indicators.

Thus, in addition to providing a means of sustainable income and protein for the village, the system will also help to strengthen and protect the biodiversity of Sungei Tengoa as well as provide valuable research and historical data on animal populations and river water quality.

Time and patience

The first three months of implementation were extremely frustrating as the villagers’ efforts did not seem to bear results.

“We would scatter feed on the river but not see a single fish. The feed would just float away uneaten, carried downriver by the current. We felt disappointed,” Raut recalled.

Gradually, things started to change, and by the end of the first year, they began to see the desired results. The number of fish in the river also started to increase.

Getting the fish to acclimatise to human presence and touch was a whole different challenge altogether.

Raut was inspired by a video one of the Inland Fisheries staff had shown the villagers of a woman in Thailand getting wild fish to eat from her hand.

“I thought whatever other people could do, we could do better,” Raut remembered.

“I was so keen that I tried to mimic everything she did in the video — even to the extent of dressing up in the same coloured clothing whenever I fed the fish!”

Taming the semah is a time-consuming process which follows a set of strict schedules to feed, swim and play with the fish to get them used to humans being in close proximity with them.

It requires great discipline and patience to get them to trust humans. Once trust has been gained, it must be maintained with regular feeding and contact with people.

Challenges and concerns

For the tagang to be a long-term success, the villagers need to be disciplined not only in taming the fish but also waiting for their numbers to increase to a level where it can be sustainably harvested on a regular basis.

As word of Long Lidong’s success spread, it began to attract curious visitors. Some heard of it from the Inland Fisheries Department, others saw the signboard outside their village and decided to drop by for a closer look.

Unfortunately, their success also drew the unwanted attention of poachers looking to make a quick profit.

There are now only fish in the red zones which the villagers are able to keep a watchful eye on during the day. At night, they let fierce dogs out to deter intruders. This is all they can do for the time being to keep the poachers at bay.

TAME: The semah raised by Long Lidong are so tame that they can suck out fish feed from a baby’s bottle held by Raut.

The bigger challenge that Long Lidong’s tagang faces is its reliance on a healthy, sustainable and balanced ecosystem.

Clean, fast-flowing rivers such as Sungei Tengoa are ideal for semah to breed and grow fat on forest seeds and fruits, sometimes preying on smaller fish. Its favourite food is said to be the nutrient-rich fruit of the ensurai tree. However, across Sarawak, pollution from logging has caused the number of semah and its more expensive cousin the empurau to decline, pushing up prices all over the state as supply cannot keep up with demand.

Although Sungei Tengoa is still relatively silt-free, Long Lidong lies in prime logging territory. Not far from the village further up the logging road connecting Lawas with Ba Kelalan is the Merarap logging camp.

The river which runs by it is milk chocolate brown from silt and mud due to logging activities as well as other debris from erosion. The high level of sedimentation means oxygen levels required to sustain aquatic life is very low.

Raut is concerned Sungei Tengoa may suffer a similar fate in which case, the village’s past six years of blood, sweat and tears would be all for nothing.

“We know there are various companies eyeing the land around our village for logging and oil palm. This area still has many wild animals and clear rivers because the forests are untouched. We are worried logging licences will be issued for the land upriver and this will definitely affect our tagang,” Raut shared.

Future hopes

As one of the project’s pioneers and the former chairman of the tagang committee, Raut nurses high hopes for the system to grow and expand.

He said the villagers are well aware of its highly unique eco-tourism potential and value, and that there are plans together with various government agencies for them to set up homestays to cater to the expected demand.

Some public facilities, including a roofed porch overlooking the river, two toilets and a changing-showering area have been constructed with more being planned over the next few years to cope with anticipated demand.

The village is just off the Lawas-Ba Kelalan road which was recently improved and is experiencing increasing traffic. The villagers hope to be able to divert some of the visitors towards their tagang.

Long Lidong also has much untapped potential to become an eco-attraction for nature and bird lovers as it is close to Paya Maga, an area of mountain forest in the headwaters of the Trusan River where the endemic Bornean Oriole (also known as Black Oriole) is found. The village itself is surrounded by views of lush, unspoilt forests and beautiful mountain ranges.

There are now 23 villages across Sarawak which have adopted the tagang system. However, Long Lidong stands out because it has managed to develop a unique natural attraction that will continue to draw local and international interests for many years to come.

The public interested in visiting Long Lidong to find out more about their unique tagang system can contact Madam Roselyn Kading (0198468079).

To help cover maintenance costs of the system, a minimal entrance fee is charged — RM2 per Malaysian adult, RM1 per Malaysian child, RM4 per person for foreign nationalities and RM2 per child).

For visitors wanting to immerse in the water with the fish, fees of RM5 per Malaysian adult and RM10 per adult of foreign nationality is charged for every 10-minute block.

For those justing want to dip their feet, the charges are RM2 (for Malaysians) and RM4 (for foreign nationalities) for every 10-minute block.

KEMC TEAM: Dr Lee (front row — left) with his team of lecturers for this year’s KEMC. — Photos courtesy of Muhammad Rais Sanusi

IN a hospital emergency room, the number of patients requiring immediate care can be unpredictable as they can come in any time.

Emergency specialist doctors and nurses are the first to make sure these patients are attended to and, if required, sent to the appropriate medical departments for further tests.

However, the continuous flow of patients being wheeled through the double doors of the hospital can be chaotic, especially when the emergency department (ED) is under-staffed.

“The biggest problem faced by hospital EDs is that there are many people coming through the door and, for general hospitals in particular, there are more patients than staff — and you have to see everyone of them,” emergency specialist Dr Lee Joon Chong explained.

The Sarawak-born doctor who now works as a senior consultant at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) Emergency Medicine Department in Australia, told thesundaypost when there was a lot of patients coming through, one of the problems a doctor might face was the insufficient amount of time to pick up the signs of injury.

“Some of the patients’ injuries may appear very minor at first but could worsen later. For instance, a trauma patient complaining of a headache may actually be bleeding in the brain,” he pointed out.

Another problem is the shortage of beds due to full wards and as such, patients coming through the ED may not be admitted.

IN PROGRESS: Dr Keiko Morioka, an emergency specialist from Lyell McEwin Hospital, Adelaide, demonstrating the procedure for an ultrasound.

“Usually, they are admitted only temporarily in the ED which, in turn, becomes an access block – a term used to describe overcrowding in emergency department.

“This scenario is very common in Australia, New Zealand and even at the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) in Kuching,” he disclosed.

Emergency medicine course

To help maximise the capabilities of available medical staff, Dr Lee came up with the idea to conduct a short emergency medicine course for junior doctors.

“Three years ago, a few of my colleagues in Adelaide were saying perhaps it would be good to do some teaching in an overseas country.

So I told them to come to SGH. Since I’m from Kuching, I know the hospital’s Emergency Department director Dr Chan Hiang Chuan.

“We both worked as medical officers at SGH Emergency Department around 15 years ago and before we went to do our specialised training, we promised that one day we would meet up and do a project together,” Dr Lee recalled.

And true to their promise, they came together to start a project called the Kuching Emergency Medicine Course (KEMC) in 2011.

Dr Lee said his good friend Dr Chan was more than happy to organise the project which got off to a promising start and was extended to not only junior doctors but nurses and medical assistants as well.

According to him, KEMC was introduced initially to teach junior doctors emergency clinical skills and knowledge.

“But what happened is that when we worked with Dr Chan, we found out that at most smaller hospitals in Sarawak, it’s the senior nursing and medical assistants who play an important role in running the department.

“So Dr Chan will do the recruitment and organise the course while my colleagues and I will come here voluntarily to teach,” he said, explaining that KEMC’s main objective is to help the participants develop their clinical skills relevant to the emergency department.

“For us, the key is that the participants are chosen because they are involved in emergency medicine — or they have interest in emergency medicine – and, therefore, they come here with the intention to learn rather than sit back and enjoy the course.”

Opportunity to learn

This year, a total of 19 doctors and 15 medical assistants and nurses from various districts in Sarawak such as Kapit, Kanowit, Sarikei and Sibu, attended the three-day course, consisting of lectures and workshops, conducted at SGH by six emergency specialists and an emergency nurse from Adelaide, and Hamilton in New Zealand.

“What we want to ensure is that when the participants return to their hospitals in Kapit or Limbang, they know what to do in emergency situations,” Dr Lee explained.

The participants attended lectures in the morning, followed in the afternoon by a clinical skills workshop, divided into three categories — medicine, paediatric and trauma, conducted by specialists such as Dr Andrew Giles.

This emergency specialist from RAH who participated in KEMC since its inception, is responsible for teaching topics such as critically ill respiratory diseases, resuscitation and ultrasound, among others.

“Teaching is something I’m very passionate about and is also part of my job at RAH where I teach the junior emergency specialists,” he said, adding that the participants of KEMC had been very keen to learn the clinical skills for emergency medicine.

Workshop participants are taught how to manage people during trauma. They learn the procedures of inserting a drain into a chest, doing ultrasound to look for injuries in the abdomen and putting tubes into the airway if a patient has difficulties breathing — and they have to perform a surgical airway in the throat, if required.

“What’s different about KEMC is that every participant will have to be involved in every workshop so they will have a chance to learn. It’s all very hands-on,” Dr Lee said.

He referred to an incident in Sri Aman last year where a patient was brought to the hospital unable to breathe.

“The medical assistant who attended to the patient had participated in KEMC in April last year and the incident happened just two months later.

“So the medical assistant was able to perform a surgical airway by making an incision in the neck and putting a pipe through.

“When the patient was sent to SGH, it was found that inserting the pipe through the incision was quite difficult because of the patient’s build.

“In that sense, the participants bring back what they learned and apply it — and this makes all the difference to the patient. In fact, the medical assistant in Sri Aman saved the patient’s life,” Dr Lee said.

Learning to use ultrasound

KEMC has also proven beneficial to nurses.

Those who do not normally carry out ultrasound have the opportunity to learn the procedure such as using ultrasound to see if there is free fluid in the tummy which may show whether there’s injury in the stomach for people in trauma.

“Initially, some of the nurses said they didn’t usually do ultrasound but we have received feedback that once taught the procedure, they will take the initiative to perhaps borrow the ultrasound machine from the radiology department to help patients because they have learnt how to do it.

“So for those who are not doctors, they have learnt the skills and when you’re stationed at a small hospital in the rural area where there’s not a lot of medical help around, then you are it.

“With the skills acquired, the medics will have the confidence and know-how to carry out the procedure,” he stressed.

As an emergency specialist who has seen his fair share of trauma patients over the years, Dr Lee said one of KEMC’s objectives was to see participants venturing into emergency medicine as a specialty after attending the course.

“That’s what we want — more people to be trained as emergency specialists as there is not enough of them right now,” he said, adding that so far, a few of them had chosen emergency medicine as a specialty.

Describing emergency medicine as an exciting field that’s never boring, Dr Lee said most emergency doctors enjoyed the hands-on approach to their job.

“We like to do things that make a difference. For example, if you have a heart attack, we will stabilise you before you proceed to the heart centre or if you are bleeding, we will try to stop the bleeding before sending you to the operating theatre.

“More importantly, when there are patients who come through the door, we can’t say I want to see you or I don’t want to see you. In a way, we are the people who stabilise the patient.

“It’s exciting but also stressful because we don’t know what is coming through,” he added.

DIFFERENT STYLES: A collage showing individually cloth-wrapped tofu. — Courtesy of Doreen Pui from her blog (http://my123favourites.blogspot.com

THE unassuming tofu-maker who has been supplying Mirians with fresh soy bean curds since the 1960’s, looks as alert and strong as any middle-aged man even though he is past his 80th birthday.

Perhaps, not many people outside the close-knit Hakka community in Krokop really know octogenarian Pui Tze Kien other than his tofu stall at the Miri Central Market.

And because he and his family call it a day before 9am 24/7 except on their own limited off-days, not many customers get to find out more about the old timer.

His working hours are our sleeping hours, according to a good friend.

Pui’s son Simon showed great sense of humour – no doubt inherited from his parents – in the way he described his old man: “My father started out as a skilled teen-age craftsman who made an unmentionable item very necessary for the Chinese in Sibuti.”

Now, you might be wondering what this particular item is. Well, it’s a wooden box made from a whole tree trunk and the maker must know how to plane very well.

It took a long time to just make the planks fit together perfectly otherwise, according Chinese beliefs, the feng shui would not be good for the family.

The item is used for one’s final journey. And you might have to be a Chinese to make the right guess.

Pui started out as an apprentice in Sibuti, making traditional Chinese wooden coffins.

However, he was soon to also became well-known as a craftsman, making wooden items like little stools, benches, tables, cupboards and the like — aside from baskets, using bamboo and local rattan he often purchased from travelling Iban friends.

THE EARLY DAYS: A young Pui when he first started as an apprentice tofu maker from Sibuti.

In 1960, when the Chinese coffin business in Sibuti was on the wane, Pui decided to move to Miri to seek his fortune. There, he said he was lucky he could apprentice himself to a master tofu maker.

The Pui family tofu legend was, thus, born in Krokop. His brand of tofu has helped many people in Miri and Brunei too.

Tofu is in high demand among the Chinese, especially for the vegetarians and the health-conscious.

However, over the past 20 years, more Malays and other ethnic groups have also been buying tofu from Pui’s stall.

A humble and very simple man, Pui dreamed of operating only a small family business in the town. And in 1960, he found his niche – making tofu from skinless soy beans.

There were two or more steps in the process not used by other tofu makers. And for this, Pui needed two machines – one for peeling the skin of the soybeans. This machine was relatively cheap and he ordered one from China.

But what about a blowing or winnowing machine to separate the skin and the beans in order to save time?

Pui made another trip to China to find out whether there was such a machine there. He needed one because daily manual winnowing was too tedious a chore for him and his young wife, especially when they were making tofu from eight bags of soy beans everyday to meet the demand of the growing Miri town.

On his return from the trip, he set about making his own wind-blower — completely from wood. It was a great engineering innovation — and an unbelieveable piece of handicraft even to many 21st century people.

Pui’s 50-year-old wooden, fuel-less, environment- friendly machine is still in perfect working condition.

“I just looked at the machinery available in China and had a few ideas. When I came back, I designed my own machine — a simple rotary wheel with a simple handle to generate air pressure.

“By turning the handle, I introduce air into the tube. The lighter soy bean skins get blown horizontally towards an opening and the heavier beans get pushed out at the lower end and down to a receiving bag or basin. The faster I turn the handle, the more air flow is introduced. Simple as that,” he explained.

PUI’S INVENTION: The home-made winnowing wooden machine.

Pui should be given a patent right and a special innovator prize for his invention. Perhaps, a university can adopt his machine and exhibit it. It should also go down in Malaysian history as a made-in-Malaysia soy bean skin separator made of Sarawak wood.

The family business today remains a small venture. From the beginning until today, they work with eight bags of soy beans, seven days a week, and almost 358 days a year within the confines of their small terraced house in Krokop.

The Puis have five sons and one daughter. Interestingly, many people attribute this to the couple eating a lot of bean curds and other bean products. The third generation of the family is also predominantly male.

Doreen Pui, the daughter-in-law is a Hakka-Nyonya and has a home-based cake and bread business while taking care of her own three little boys.

Doreen’s own mother is a famous Miri Nyonya kueh maker, selling at the Miri Central Market (ref: http://my123favourites.blogspot.com/2013/01/easy-homemade-tofu.html)

Tofu made by the Puis is very popular at the Central Market. By 8am, most will be sold out. And by 9 am, the family is ready to collect all their equipment and fetch their matriach home.

In fact, most people have to order in advance.

One long-time loyal vendor gets his supply from the family at their home and supplies the Brunei market.

He reaches the Puis’ home by 4am and is on the road to Brunei in half an hour.

Other loyal buyers come to the house to get their supplies as well. The Puis make normal pressed or water tofu, but their most famous product is the hand-made tofu cake wrapped and shaped by a piece of handkerchief-sized muslin cloth and set in a series of rectangular racks in contrast to other tofu businesses which make their tofu cakes, using square tins.

The Puis’ tofu cakes come in two colours — white and yellow.

The latter is coloured by the best turmeric powder which adds more health benefit to the tofu. Using the most hygienic methods, the Puis, including their daughters-in law, continue to use the traditional ways of preparing tofu.

Their stall opens as early as half past five in the morning and they take a rest only after a festival day and Chinese New Year. They do not want to disappoint their customers!

According to Simon, it’s a pity making tofu may just end with his generation. He and his wife are into a new business and he is sure their three boys will be pursuing their own dreams.

His sister-in-law is now doing most of the work in the wee hours of the morning, helping his parents.

Pui and his wife are semi-retired and enjoy afternoons drinking tea with their friends or going out for a home visit with relatives.

Pui’s unique cloth-wrapped tofu cake has put Miri on the map of Malaysian cuisine in a special and heart-warming way.

People often say “love at first bite” and it’s very true of this tofu cake of Miri.

HITZ.FM DEEJAYS: This is the part of the sea where Erica and Cassy carried out their underwater broadcast.

AFTER collecting three tons of rubbish from 14 dive sites within 168 hours (7 days) in and around the Tunku Abdul Rahman Parks here recently, Malaysia won the right to be included in the Guinness World Records as having the Longest Underwater Clean Up.

The record bid was successfully attempted by Astro Kasih and involved 134 divers who collected rubbish on the seabed over the said duration, bringing up old clothes, plastic bottles and bags and a pile of other rubbish.

The eight-day campaign culminated in a ceremony where Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman congratulated Astro hitz.fm for taking the lead in yet another exemplary initiative under its CSR arm – Astro Kasih.

The Chief Minister was represented by Tourism and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun at the function.

For two participants, however, the event was a catalyst to soar to greater heights and fulfill their ambitions.

Erica Sham Szemia and Cassandra J Albanos – call us Erica and Cassy they say – are deejays with hitz.fm based in Sabah but during Astro’s bid, they were deejays broadcasting from underwater, speaking out to audience all over Kota Kinabalu from 15 feet, if not more, below the surface. The feat was made possible with the assistance of Royal Malaysian Navy who lent them the diving equipment with interface supply breathing apparatus.

According to their coach Lieutenant Commander Mohd Nizam Wan Chik, a Royal Malaysian Navy diver, the girls were trained for two weeks on how to use a diving gear more akin to the equipment used for underwater walking.

“This equipment uses surface air supply which makes it different from scuba diving. The breathing apparatus gets its air supply above the surface of the water, so there is no question of running out of air,” he explained.

Mohd Nizam said communications during the broadcast were made possible by sophisticated gadgets that, under normal circumstances, would enable the diver to speak with his comrades on board the Navy boat or ship.

“However this time, it was used for broadcasting,” he said, adding that in the Navy, during peacetime, the apparatus was used for underwater maintenance and repair of the vessel’s hull

“During wartime, we use it for backup and other purposes according to the needs at hand,” he shared.

Mohd Nizam who has been in the Navy for 26 years, said it was quite easy to teach the girls the mechanics of the apparatus and they did extremely well.

“They are, indeed, the first two women to use these gadgets and broadcast a message from under water in Malaysia,” he added.

Erica, bouyant about the whole adventure, said she was very happy she managed to do the underwater broadcast.

“It was exciting and challenging but I managed to do it. It was a whole new experience for me. To be able to talk from under the sea – it’s very hard to describe.” This young lady, attached to
hitz.fm for the last three years, had worked with various companies before but readily admits finding a “radio career” very exciting.

Meanwhile, Cassy said she was very happy to have taken part in the Astro Clean-up project, believing their underwater message would create awareness of the importance of keeping a clean environment, both on land and sea.

They both hope to do another interesting outdoor broadcast in the future and Erica looks forward to the invitation to broadcast on air outside. The two girls can be heard over the radio from 4pm to 8pm everyday.

INTERESTING ADVENTURE: Cassy and Erica with their posters

WINNING TEAM: Kong (left) and Lee.

NOT many movies about Sabah are being screened on the national cinema circuit.

Except for a few locally produced telemovies, screened only within the state, very few Sabahan productions have premiered in the big cinemas in the peninsula.

One of the reasons could be that movies shot in the state are few and far between.

However, this may change soon as a local philanthropist and businessman is planning to make Sabah the location for his first celluloid venture.

Peter Kong of Ferry Labuan Sdn Bhd is looking into the matter seriously as he feels it’s high time Sabah produces a movie of its own.

“I’ve always been interested in entertainment and was very much into music and bands during my youth. I enjoyed that part of my life but I have moved on,” he shared.

Kong said deep down he always has a soft spot for the arts – and now that he feels he is in a position to do it, he wants to try making movies in Sabah.

HOPEFUL: Lee’s album featuring the song Mama.

“I know this is a long process and will take time but I feel I can do it.”

His first project will kick off this year.

“I’m planning to make a movie based on a song called Mama sung by Peter Dickey Lee. For some reason, this song touches me deeply. The way I interpret this song is quite simple but I think most of us will feel its poignancy.

“This song is about a mother who gave her all to bring up her only son. She tried to raise him up the best she could, giving him proper schooling and caring for him but in the end, peer pressure and influence got to him and he got into drugs and other vices.

“In the end, he regretted his action and went home to ask for his mother’s forgiveness but it was too late – she had already passed away,” he said of the movie’s storyline.

Kong said the message of the movie to cinema-goers, especially youths, in the state is that they should appreciate the elders for giving them life and making so many sacrifices for them.

“Furthermore, they should respect the elders and past leaders for their nation-building efforts,” he added.

“A movie can have a special message but most people will interpret it their own way,” said Kong, the new owner of the Waterfront Hotel in Labuan.

He will assemble his team – crews, cameramen, directors and writers in the next few months.

After that, auditions will be conducted throughout Sabah and Labuan to recruit local acting talents.

Kong said it would be a medium-cost movie.

“We hope to release it in Malaysia initially and then explore markets like Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei and China.

“Some people believe our local movies are not as good as theirs, especially those shown in China, but I’m sure we can surmount this with a good universal storyline,” he said, adding that since Malaysians were watching the movies produced by these people, there was no reason why they could not watch the local productions as well.

Kong is looking at a 160-minute movie, featuring Sabah’s attractive natural environment as the backdrop.

“This will ensure that the artistic values of the movie are enhanced by the beauty of Nature in this part of the country.

“Besides, the movie will showcase the culture and traditions of Sabah and promote Labuan as a tourist destination in the Southeast Asian region.

Kong hopes the movie will be completed by the end of this year and distributed and shown to its target audience by 2014.

Meanwhile, Peter Dickey Lee, when asked about the possibility of his song being used in a movie, said he felt honoured and humbled.

“I never expected my song could attract that sort of response from a well-known entrepreneur but since it did, I’m very grateful and hope the song will feature in the movie. I’m sure with this sort of exposure, the song will be heard by more people.”

The start of auditions and filming will be announced soon.

TOKEN OF HELP: Committee member of Association for Children with Special Needs Sibu Peter Sia (left) presenting some angpows (red packets) to Fang Ling for her excellent UPSR results.

IF Yap Fang Ling fails to achieve her dream of becoming a lawyer, the whole Sibu community should bear the responsiblility for it.

A strong statement, no doubt, but what Dr Toh Teck Hock, paediatrician & head of Clinical Research Centre, Sibu Hospital, who made this statement, was emphasising was that all opportunities should be given to disabled but gifted children like Fang Ling — who are among a marginalised and neglected group in our society — to achieve their ambitions.

Fang Ling is born blind but she is academically gifted. She scored 4A and 1B in her UPSR last year and is now doing her secondary education at SMK Sungai Merah. She is interested in reading law after her schooling.

Anyone who knows Sibu well will not blame Dr Toh for his statement. For after all, the locals have managed to parlay the support of the government, NGOs, private individuals, local representatives — MPs and state assemblymen — and trained personnel like Dr Toh into a care centre called the Agape Centre.

The Centre, as its name sugggests, is a place of love and acceptance, housing the paediatric clinic of Lau King Howe Memorial Children Clinic, where Dr Toh is serving, and four NGOs — Association for Children with Special Needs Sibu, Sibu Autistic Association, Methodist Care Centre and Special Olympics Sarawak, Sibu Chapter.

“The good relationships between the private sector and the government are clearly at work here. People are not selfish and there is no personal agenda. Everyone contributes in his or her own capacity for the betterment of the marginalised and the needy,” Dr Toh told thesundaypost.

WELL-EQUIPPED: A children playground in the courtyard of the Agape Centre.

The land for the Centre was given by the government while the construction cost was borne personally by Lanang MP Datuk Tiong Thai King. All the other equipment came from various NGOs.

The four NGOs, housed in the Centre, provide services, management and financial support independently. It’s an exemplary case of a successful community effort to address the needs of marginalised communities, especially ‘special’ children.

Creating awareness

According to Dr Toh, 15 to 20 per cent of children are born with disability of various forms and severity. The visually impaired like Fang Ling and John (not his real name) who was born with multiple-disabilities, account for 0.5 per cent of the total number of babies born each year.

As such, it’s no surprise the setting up of the Agape Centre was so readily welcomed and accepted.

Awareness of the needs of ‘special’ children came late to Sibu. In 1998, the Law King Howe Memorial Children Clinic was started by the Paediatric Department under the Health Ministry, followed by the setting up of various NGOs for ‘special’ children.

The idea to set up the Agape Centre was mooted in 2000 and finally realised in 2006. Subsequently, there was a sharp rise in awareness of the needs of ‘special’ children in Sibu.

ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE: Some ‘special’ children literature on sale at the Agape Centre.

Once the seed was planted, it took on a life of its own and started to grow. Parents of ‘special’ children and normal children, began contributing to the Centre. Disability, after all, is everywhere if one cares to look around.

Dr Toh was persuaded to return from Melbourne in 2004 to join the paediatric clinic at the Agape Centre. He is the natural choice because he knows most of these children and is also one of the prime movers behind the surge in awareness of the needs of ‘special’ children like Fang Ling and John.

At one stage or another, they have all stepped into the Law King Howe Memorial Children Clinic to see him for consultation.

As the needs of some of the ‘special’ children were apparent and urgent, Dr Toh together with the parents started to appeal for a primary integration class for the visually impaired to be set up.

The Education Department gave its nod in 2009 and the class was subsequently formed at SUDC No. 3. It was again a community effort.

Seeking young ones

One advantage of having the paediatric clinic at the Agape Centre is that ‘special’ children can be identified at very young age.

Advocating early intervention and education opportunity for these children, Dr Toh popped this question — what happened after the diagnosis?

“Although ‘special’ children may be born with certain genetic defects, the way they turn out is very much influenced by their parents or family and their living environment,” he explained.

Citing the example of obesity, he said genes could be blamed to a certain extent but at the end of the day, the environment and education played an even greater role.

An effective education may lead to a healthy life which could also bring obesity under control. In tackling health problems, Dr Toh believes prevention is better than cure — or correction in the case of congenital disabilities.

Dr Toh Teck Hock

“What these children need is the same as what all children need — education.”

When Dr Toh first started to serve the Sibu community, some of the autistic children he saw had already reached the age of seven, eight or 12. By then, they had already formed complicated behaviour where correction was hard or even impossible.

“At that stage, what we can do, as doctors, is very minimal — apart from giving medication. And most times, medication does not help,” he said.

Early intervention will prevent that from happening.

The younger the disabled children are educated, the more receptive they will be to what is taught them — which also means less problematic behaviour. However, this can be costly as early training requires a lot of resources.

To cast the net wider, the Paediatric Department at the Centre, together with the NGOs, have been working with kindergartens to help these pre-school establishments detect disabilities among their students.

“Now, we see children with autism being trained at the age of two years compared to 2004 when the children we were seeing were already seven or eight when their behaviour was already too complicated to correct,” he said.

The work on ‘special’ children in Sibu started with limited resources, especially in terms of professional manpower. However, Dr Toh had preferred not to wait until all facilities and manpower were in place to take the first step — with or without resources.

“We can continue to demand for qualified professionals in every area such as psychologists, speech therapists and so on. But we know this is not going to happen soon and if we continue to wait, we will miss the golden opportunity to train these children.

“We can just sit back and complain but we will not get anywhere. Or we can make the best of whatever resources we have and take the first step to make things better,” he added.

The next thing after identifying and educating the ‘special’ children is to educate the parents themselves.

“The parents need to recognise and accept their children’s disabilities. They have to do so as early as possible rather than denying it or waiting to deal with it only when their children are older. By that time, it will be too late.”

The lost ones

After pushing for the primary school integration class in at SUDC No. 3 in 2009, Dr Toh saw the urgency — four years down the road (2013) — to start a similar school at the secondary level not just for Fang Ling but 10 more like her.

There are 40 impaired vision cases on Dr Toh’s list, of whom 14, born between 1993 to 2000, can now attend secondary school.

“Three are in Batu Lintang while Fang Ling will attend SMK Sg Merah. My question is where are the rest?”he asked.

Since the Education Department has agreed to revive the secondary school integration class for visually impaired, Dr Toh is looking for those children missing from the education system.

“The big challenge here is that some parents cannot see any hope for further improvement in their disabled children. To these parents, as long as the children stay healthy, it’s enough. In this respect, I think the parents should be more demanding,” he stressed.

Never give up

Parents should not give up on their ‘special’ children but instead seek every possible avenue to give them more effective learning, Dr Toh said, adding that parents should be more positive about what their ‘special’ children could accomplish.

“We should never give up hope. Every child is special.

AGAPE CENTRE: A new landmark in Sibu — one that symbolises close communal spirit where everyone chips in to help the marginalised group of ‘special’ children.

It’s a matter of recognising what the child can do and pushing the child one level up — and that level has, of course, to be realistic. Every child is different. Everyday the child makes an improvement, it’s a success.”

For academically gifted ‘special’ children like Fang Ling, every opportunity or resource should be provided to help her continue her studies. And there should be high – rather than low — expectations of her performance.

For other ‘special’ children, a success may mean a step taken, a word uttered or a gesture acknowledged. All these successes should be celebrated.

“We have to be honest with ourselves and parents need to accept their children the way they are. With realistic expectations, whatever improvements we witness will be something to celebrate,” Dr Toh added.

Admittedly, for ‘special’ children, success may be slow as only a step can be taken at a time.

For a success to happen, it means many hours of hard work on the part of many — parents, teachers, therapists as well as minders who give encouragement, guidance and help in what little way they can.

It will take the whole society to give ‘special’ children a chance at life. The Sibu community has stepped up to the plate for Fang Ling but it also has to pool their resources to come through for severe cases like John’s.

Dr Toh who describes the Sibu community spirit as unique, is keeping the faith — that various sectors of the community will continue working hand-in-hand to give all ‘special’ children love, hope and a better life.

WALKWAY: The wooden five-foot way at Anding.

WE were visiting the land of the Kayans at Sungai Asap and beyond in Belaga-Kapit Division.

“We will stop by Anding, the halfway town and R and R (rest and recreation) before moving on,” our tour guide and relative said.

We were actually looking forward to stopping at Anding – a place with a Chinese signboard.

At first glance, it was a dusty R and R with lots of people and workers wearing all sorts of work clothes.

Some were nicely dressed in overalls while some in the ubiquitous blue jeans and fashionable baseball caps.

Anding or Ang Ding – which means Peace at the Top in Chinese – is a complete bazaar under one roof or rather a town under one roof minus a few government facilities, in my opinion.

A good friend of our driver from the nearby longhouse invited our group for a visit.

He’s quite an important Kayan leader in this area, speaks good English and like most other indigenous people, is very hospitable – and quick to invite even strangers to his kampung.

The Kayans at Sungai Asap and the Indonesian workers from the nearby plantations enjoy the facilities of the halfway town.

The Chinese and other races stop by to buy food stuff from the supermarket and the native tamu before continuing their journey up country.

Some stop by just to have a good meal or meet up with friends.

PATIENCE: A Kayan woman doing her bead-work while waiting for customers to come and buy her farm produce.

Some come to enjoy the air-conditioning of the Anding supermarket! An original lumber pitstop which started as a small road side stall, the supermarket is now the favourite place of the local population and workers who have come to work on the plantations, timber camps and other industries.

Anyone who has visited Hualien’s Lin Tian Shan Forestry Centre in Taiwan can visualise Anding as a possible beginning to a thriving enterprising new lumber-oil-palm township.

If the palm oil and timber industries continue to boom, this little bazaar will boom and bloom as well like Hualien after 1938.

The Lin Tian Shan Forestry Centre has become a fully functional and self-sufficient lumber community.

There, the Japanese built a lumber transportation railway and freight transportation ropeway as well as staff dormitories, a clinic, a welfare centre, a rice store, groceries, a laundry shop, a fire department, a kindergarten, and an elementary school.

It’s amazing what can be found under one roof.

Aside from the happy smiles of the young men from the local oil palm and timber companies and the serious business looks of those who come in with their mud-caked Hiluxes, the little super store at Anding is filled with chatty women, comprising restaurant servers (waitresses) and native hawkers peddling fruits, vegetables and bead works.

The restaurants here serve fast food like any others in the cities.

There are over eight dishes to choose from and more than 60 tables for customers.

All are the typical collapsible Foochow round tables.

One can take the round tops off and roll the tables away.

The legs can be folded and placed upright against the wall.

The halal section is partitioned off nearer the other end and employs a pretty waitress who introduces her food well.

Her assistant is also very forthcoming with explanations.

He will show you the freshly cooked soup and give you a free full bowl (without asking) if you order your food served in individual plates.

When ordering your mixed rice on a platter, you have to ask for soup (which is free) otherwise you might forget about it.

“We don’t want to waste our soup,” the assistant said light-heartedly.

It’s usually because most people like to order 100 Plus or even beer first that they forget about the soup.

Halal soup kosong is made with beef bones, lots of pepper and serai.

A sprinkling of spring onions help to make the soup kosong warm and healthful.

There are also rooms to let at Anding.

A couple, in particular, will catch your eye – VIP Room #1 and VIP Room #2.

Five-foot ways are common in most Southeast Asian cities and towns.

And yes indeed, they are found at Anding too.

Believe you me.

The five-foot ways here can be found fronting the four small Chinese stores.

A toy shop, a telephone shop, a sweet shop and a general store face the main gated entrance.

Young mothers sit on the benches provided by these shops, waiting for transport to pick them up.

Many native women sell their crops and fish like ikan labang, tengedak and baong.

Two very delightful items to buy are fresh ginger and fresh rice from the hills.

The equatorial heat beats right down to the cement, the sand and rocks around Anding.

Outside are some tents where native farmers sell their harvests.

According to one operator, when the demand increases, it’s easy to set up more tents.

One native woman does her bead work as she waits for customers to buy her rice and vegetables.

What a wonderful way of mixing business with hobby! A thriving mechanic workshop and car-wash can be found here too.

They come in handy because after Anding, the roads – mainly timber tracks – become very bumpy and dusty.

It’s good for visitors to recognise that at Anding, hospitality and good manners hold sway.

It’s also safe to talk to strangers, stroll into the main supermarket and share a story or two with the Kayans and Kenyahs who are not only working hard but also supporting their families in the surrounding longhouses.

Some Penans are already catching up with the other groups now that they are exposed to modern timber and oil palm corporations.

As one drives out of Anding, one cannot but feels like driving through the heart of Sarawak’s timber and oil palm industries amidst rural and remote longhouse communities.

Along the way, one passes by longhouses and small farms.

A Kayan cemetery can also be seen from the roadside.

Two huge iconic trees of life carvings are mounted on two huts, marking the grave sites of the higher ranking Kayans.

Here one can find lots of old stories of brave men and women who defended their lands and protected their tribes just a hundred years ago.

Today they are looking at another form of “occupation” or “development.

” Times are changing. Will Anding stand the test of time? Will this one-stop super bazaar stay under one roof? Or will it bloom into a real Sarawakian town?

HISTORICAL SITE: Wallace visited Santubong while collecting and studying the natural world of Borneo. — Photo by Mary Margaret

IMAGINE mid-Victorian times in England.

In the red corner of this verbal boxing contest was Charles Darwin and in the blue corner none other than Alfred Russel Wallace.

It was, I believe a victory for the latter, for his prompting led to Charles Darwin’s publication in 1859 – ‘On the Origin of the Species’.

Wallace, 10 years later, published his equally famous book, ‘The Malay Archipelago’.

November 2013 marks the centenary of Wallace’s death at the wonderful age – especially in the early 20th century – of 90 years and 10 months.

Darwin led a relatively privileged life at a private school, later studying medicine at Edinburgh University and then Theology at Oxford University.

By contrast, Wallace was born into a very big family, in a village near the small town of Usk in South Wales.

He attended a grammar school, leaving at age 14 to train as an apprentice surveyor, later working on the survey of early rail lines.

He was essentially a selfeducated man and an avid reader of books on the natural world, philosophy and social issues.

Darwin was selected to accompany the HMS Beagle expedition to circumnavigate the world.

Wallace by chance met up with a Mr Bates and, as Wallace was unemployed at that time, they sailed from Liverpool in 1848 to explore the Amazon River and its tributaries for the next four years.

Wanderlust clearly prompted Wallace to explore the Malay Archipelago from 1854 to 1862.

Darwin’s nearest port of call to Southeast Asia, after leaving Sydney, Australia, was in the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean.

His real claim to fame was exploring the West Coast of South America and, in particular, the Galapagos Islands.

Wallace, however, had visited two equatorial/tropical environments for a total of 12 years, where little was known about the fl ora and fauna to Western naturalists until his books and lectures revealed the depths of his knowledge.

In February 1858, Wallace declared his theory on evolution through natural selection, based on his expeditions to the Malay peninsula, Borneo, Indonesia and the Philippines.

As a naturalist, he may well have fi rst coined the phrase “origin of the species”.

That month he sent a paper to Darwin on this subject, but he did not know that 20 years earlier, Darwin had imagined the same theory but had done little about recording it on paper.

Fearful of being pipped to the post by Wallace, Darwin responded in July 1858 in his lecture to The London Linnean Society at which he presented Wallace’s paper together with his own fi ndings.

Darwin graciously assured all present that he and Wallace were co-founders of the theory of evolution! Both worked in different environments: Darwin essentially in the Galapagos Islands and South America and Wallace on or near the equator.

Wallace, on many occasions, stayed with Rajah James Brooke at the Astana in Kuching.

Finally, Alfred Russel Wallace has been recognised as the cofounder of natural selection by the Natural History Museum in London where, in January 2013, his portrait now graces the main hall and looks down on the statue of Charles Darwin.

You can view an archive of all of Wallace’s correspondence with Darwin on the Natural History Museum website.

Why did they both have long beards? Was this typical for natural scientists in their day or was it through evolution? The article I wrote in thesundaypost on Aug 14, 2011 on ‘Toeing the Wallace Line’ (regarding Wallace’s delineation of the difference in species of the Indo-Asian and Australian continents and their joint meeting ground in ‘Wallachea’) has now been eclipsed by scientists in 2012 at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, by their joint publication – ‘An update of Wallace’s biogeographical map of the world’.

This modern map of zoogeographic regions is created by combining data on the distributions and phylogenetic relationships of 21,037 species of amphibians, birds and mammals.

Globally, the scientists have identifi ed 20 distinct zoogeographic regions, grouped into 11 realms.

This map and its revelation is the product of technological and scientifi c discoveries in the late 20th and early 21st centuries – a far cry from what Wallace achieved in the 19th century.

It almost fi ts the map of Wallace’s observations.

Did Wallace pip beat Darwin to the post? There is no dispute that Wallace’s paper to Darwin shook Darwin up to write about his own thoughts.

Many biographies have been written on Wallace but all agree that he had a Victorian ‘boyish’ fascination for the natural world.

Whilst he is declared as the father of biogeography, I rate him as one of the founders of geomorpholgy (the study of landform development), for he had an eye for the landscape, its local geology and its formation.

In the autumn of 1866, he spent a month in North Wales observing Snowdonia’s mountains and valleys.

In 1867, he presented a paper, in the ‘Quarterly Journal of Science’ on ‘Ice Marks in North Wales’.

It began, “One of the most interesting branches of modern geology, and that on which recent researches have thrown most light, is the inquiry into the exact modes by which the present surface of the earth has been produced.

” In his erudite style, he described glacier movements and their erosional and depositional forms in great detail.  It is a joy to read. So deep was his understanding of all things in the natural world, it was no surprise that Dublin and Oxford Universities conferred honorary doctorates upon him.

Sadly, apart from his publications and lectures, Wallace lived his latter days in relative poverty.

Truly, in the world of natural sciences, Wallace was way ahead of his time.

In 2013, his very signifi cant scientifi c discoveries have fi nally hit the headlines.

To read more go to www. scienceexpress.org; www.nhm. ac.uk; http://wallace-online.org; and http://wallaceletters.info.

The Malaysian Nature Society
Established in the 1940, the Malaysian Nature Society is the oldest scientifi c and nongovernmental organisation in Malaysia. Our  ission is ‘to promote the study, appreciation, conservation and protection of Malaysia’s nature heritage’. Our 5,000-strong membership, spread across 12 branches nationwide, come from all walks of life, bound by a common interest in nature. For further  nformation on membership or our activities in Kuching, call Kwan on 019-8349499. For information on our activities in Miri, call  azeri Abghani on 085-453185. You can also visit www.mns.org.my or http://mnskuching@blogspot.com.

SPECIAL CHILD: Fang Ling was born with vision impairment but she is smart and has a good ear for music.

IT was late into the night.

A shadow was seen drifting slowly in the dark across the Kuching SMK Batu Lintang dorminatory for the disabled.

Once in a while, the dark shadow made strange unintelligible noises.

At other times, a one-sided conversation seemed to be going on.

When first light broke, the shadow of the night faded away — and everything returned to normal.

So rumours began making the rounds that the dormitory was haunted.

“That was no ghost at all. It was my son,” laughed Amber (not real name), 49, whose son John (not real name), 11, has multiple disabilities — visual impairment, attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autistism.

As SMK Batu Lintang is the only school in Sarawak equipped with facilities for children with visual impairment, Amber sent John there two years ago, hoping her son would not only receive formal education but also learn to be independent.

To her disappointment, John, being hyperactive, proved too much of a handful for the school to manage even after one staff was assigned specially to him.

With much regret, the school sent him back to his parents.

SILENT SACRIFICES: Fang Ling’s father, Yap Yak Bee and her mother Tang Chui King. It takes a lot of sacrifices to bring up a special child but both parents are taking the challenge in their stride.

“John can’t travel in a plane. He can’t stand loud noises. He sleeps during the day and plays at night. He really had a very hard time staying at SMK Batu Lintang,” Amber explained.

John is now staying with his parents in Sibu, attending Sekolah Perbandaran (SUDC) No. 3 at Jalan Bandung — the only school (or class) in the Division offering primary education for visually impaired pupils.

According to the School Supervisor of Sibu Education Divisional Office, there are three teachers at SUDC, of whom two have been specially trained to teach visually-impaired students while the third is an assistant teacher.

In 2012, there were nine pupils, including John. This year, only seven remain after Yap Fang Ling, 14, left and one pupil had passed on.

Trying time

Fang Ling, born with impaired vision, was ‘drifting’ before finally settling down at SUDC No 3. She tried SMK Batu Lintang before but it did not work out.

“Usually, the school (SMK Batu Lintang) will not allow parents to stay but they made an exception for me. We stayed at the dormitory for two weeks.

“When it was time for me to leave, I couldn’t bear the thought of letting Fang Ling stay behind all by herself. She was only six or seven then. Both of us left eventually.

“But off and on, we went back to SMK Batu Lintang for about three months each time. While there, we learned to use the braille typewriter,” said Fang Ling’s mother Tang Chui King, 46, who operates the family’s grocery in Selangau.

Fang Ling attended primary three and four at SJK Tong Ah, Sibu. She just sat in class and learned through listening.

Understanding her situation, some teachers modified their teaching methods to accommodate her while others tried asking the other students to read out the contents in their books so that Fang Ling could pick up, Tang recalled.

Living in Selangau, a town 45 minutes from Sibu, Tang had found it very difficult sending Fang Ling to school everyday. So arrangements had to be made for her to stay in Sibu with relatives and for the latter to send her to and from school everyday.

It was a tedious process, especially when her parents also had to look after their grocery business. It was even tougher for them when it came to helping Fang Ling with her studies.

“We tried reading out the contents of the syllabus to her as much as we could. She would type out what we read in braille and use it for revision later.

“Sometimes, I couldn’t even pronounce some of the words in the book. All I could do was to spell out the words for her,” Tang said, admitting that was the toughest part.

Although the school fee was reasonable, expenses incurred in engaging domestic help as well as sending Fang Ling to school could be quite high.

But her parents did not complain.

“We could still cope. Of course, we tried saving where possible. For example, the papers Fang Ling used to type her braille notes were recycled from those left at the dumpster.”

CONFIDENCE: When it comes to study, Fang Ling is confident as she is well prepared.

Turning point

Joining SUDC No. 3 in 2010 was the turning point for Fang Ling. It was cikgu Saptura who discovered that though blind, Fang Ling is very smart and academically gifted.

Cikgu Saptura, specially trained to teach visually impaired secondary school students, soon noticed that Fang Ling was no ordinary student and with the right guidance, she could even be “a high flyer.”

“She was the one who reminded me repeatedly that Fang Ling has potential and is exceptionally good in her studies.

“Whenever we missed class, cikgu Saptura would call to remind me to send her. She is the one we really have to thank for Fang Ling’s progress,” Tang said.

Under the tutelage of the three teachers at SUDC No. 3, Fang Ling completed six years of primary syllabus between 2010 to 2012. She passed her UPSR with flying colours — 4A and 1B — last year and is now doing her secondary education at SMK Sungai Merah.

Young Fang Ling has three wishes — to have the opportunity to continue her secondary education (study law later), to receive some guidance on playing the piano and to own a braille Bible.

So far, she has been fortunate to have her first (secondary education) and second (playing piano) wishes answered.

The first wish was fulfilled when the Education Department set up a secondary school integration class for visually impaired in Sibu after being informed of Fang Ling’s situation — that she had tried attending SMK Batu Lintang but was too young at time to stay at the school all by herself and that there is no such class in Sibu.

The second wish came true when her former pastor showed her how to play the keyboard.

“Fang Ling started playing on a toy keyboard. We noticed she could play any melody she heard.”

Realising she may be musically gifted, her parents bought her an electronic keyboard.

“Although without any formal piano lessons, she had been playing for the Sunday School class. Her former pastor who knew a bit about playing the piano was the one who taught her the basics,” Tang recalled.

That was enough to open the world of music to Fang Ling.

The pastor gave her a collection of hymes and songs and she learned to play them by ear. Now playing the piano has become Fang Ling’s favourite pastime.

As a Christian, Fang Ling’s third wish is to own a braille Bible. And that wish is about to come true too as a Borneo Post executive has already ordered a copy for her.

A probable setback is the Bible comes in 40 volumes, measuring 6 feet high. The Borneo Post is yet to get a confirmation whether Fang Ling’s family can manage the storage of the Bible.

NEW TEXTBOOKS: The Education Department has set up a secondary integration class at SMK Sungai Merah for Fang Ling and others like her in Sibu.

Different learning curves

Comparing the cases of Fang Ling and John who had both studied in SUDC No. 3, one cannot help but notice that the former, who excels in her studies, seems to be getting all her wishes fulfilled while the latter, although attending class regularly, seems to be making little headway.

No one should be blamed for John’s slow progress as the learning curve of every handicapped child is different although the same set of rules or principles apply when an educational institution is involved.

While one “special” child may fit into SMK Batu Lintang or SUDC No. 3 perfectly, another child may find difficulty doing the same.

As such, it would be impossible for the government or any benevolent NGOs to cater specifically to the needs of every disabled individual.

The best any institution can do is to provide a centre for one form of disability but at the end of the day, the same general guidelines or rules still apply.

Fang Ling’s case has been easier because her natural gifts are obvious and distinctive. On top of that, she suffers only one form of handicap.

And when society, as a whole, steps forward to lend ready hand to the handicapped, one sees a glimmer of hope for Fang Ling and “special” children like her who are mostly marginalised and overlooked.

John is not as obviously gifted and his handicaps seem more complicated. And while society celebrates Fang Ling’s success, what about John and disadvantaged kids like him?

Apart from his own home, is there a place in our society where John will not be mistaken for a ghost?

While Fang Ling is blessed with intellectual gifts – notwithstanding her visual impairment — let us be reminded there is still much to be done for all our “special” children, including John.

THEIR HOME: Florence, her niece and her family live in a wooden home standing on silts above the river.

THEIR HOME: Florence, her niece and her family live in a wooden home standing on silts above the river.

THE bright sunshine lights up the whole waterfront.

From a distance, one can see the open sea – the South China Sea. Sometimes, the glaring reflection from the shimmering water can hit passers-by like a lightning flash.

The morning sea breeze blows gently through the new man-made delta of Miri River.

Occasionally, a sea-going boat chugs through the channel, passing a fishing boat speeding towards a new fish landing place near the ever popular Muara Malay and Indonesian Food outlet.

This morning scene at the Water Front of Miri is beautiful and inspiring.

The Miri Water Front (part of Miri River at the curve towards the new river mouth) is a good place to wander – and stay – for a while before making your way towards the nearby Chinese kopitiam (coffee shop) or a local Malay food outlet of your choice.

To the left of the new rivermouth is a new bargaining place for the freshest of fish and prawns caught by fishermen who had just returned. They would have gone out to sea at about 2am.

On the far right is a row of dilapidated wooden shacks which have been around for more than 50 years. Part of this kampung, known as Kampung Wireless, has already been demolished to make way for the now popular Miri Water Front.

LIVES STOCK: An old goat in Kampung Wireless.

A local newspaper reported that over 2,000 people are still living in this row of wooden homes.

According to a local historian, the Colonial Wireless Office cum station used to be situated at the end of the kampung and the road leading to the office was called Wireless Road.

Kampung Wireless is different from all other kampungs. It is the only one in Malaysia.

The wooden shacks are homes to mutli-racial settlers who have been migrating to Miri since the 1900’s.

Their ancestors had been fishermen, seamen, Pakistani clothe and carpet salesmen, migrant workers from the Ulu and as far away as Kuching, temporary oil industry workers and part-time labourers who had decided to stay on.

It can be a real treasure trove for anthropologists who wish to study oral history, rural-urban marriages and perhaps mixed marriages and even a micro-history of fishing families of Miri, just to name a few possible topics.

The older parts of Kampung Wireless have water and electricity supply. The ‘newer’ buildings are not provided with these utilities yet.

While most of the homes have flush toilets, many still resort to the old ablution style of using the river as sewerage. Hence, one recent study categorised Miri River as “one of the most polluted in Malaysia.”

A Melanau salted fish producer named Florence said: “I have come here to help my niece with her young children. Because I’m not married, I have stayed on for the last 10 years. Now I help her make salted fish. Her children are in school already.”

Florence has worked in Sibu and even Kuching, helping relatives. She speaks Hokkien, some English, good Malay and her own Melanau dialect.

Being a Roman Catholic, she said it was good for her to be staying “quite near the city” where there is the St Joseph’s Cathedral.

Her niece Maria, 41, said her grandfather came from Mukah.

“We just stay here. It’s nice. Now I’m a mother of two children and it’s easy for them to go to school.”

Her husband, a fisherman, is from Kuching but has been living in Miri since their marriage. He and his friend share a small fishing boat.

Maria and her aunt (Florence) make salted fish out of the small fish which cannot fetch good price in the market.

DRYING PROCESS: Salted fish drying under the strong Miri sun.

Maria’s husband sells fish to the main market as well as to friends who place orders for certain types of fish from him when the fish are avialable.

“Just enough to eat and save a bit lah,” she said.

Placing salted fish on rooftops and platforms outside the wooden shacks is the cleanest way to dry them in the sun.

The air over the riverside is fresh and clean. There is no air pollution here. The women line the fish in neat rows. The freshly salted fish gives out a special aroma.

Florence and Maria sell their salted fish at RM24 per kg or RM2 per small plastic packet.

The work they do is not regular. When times are good, they make more money. There are more bad than good days. Now it’s hard to tell when the good weather will come – unlike the old days.

The wet months from November to January used to prevent Maria’s husband from going out to sea. But nowadays, it may rain anytime, any day. Sometimes, a good day of fishing may be cut short by a sudden storm.

“Waste of good diesel,” Maria sighed.

Another Melanau fisherman who lives in a small house with pots of flowers hanging from the awning, and little decors in the front porch, said life has been good to him.

He does not have to spend much. In a sense, he only needs a motorbike to go on some excursions. He can stay near his boat berthed just outside his backdoor.

He reckoned no one could have a simpler life than his. He would jump into his boat, collect his friend and they would be at sea in a matter of minutes.

When it rained heavily, they would call off the fishing trip and return home – usually to find hot cups of tea, prepared by his wife, waiting for them.

According to him, two fishermen usually work together in one boat.

Kak who has a Chinese father and a Malay mother has been living in Kampung Wireless since she married Ali, a former sea captain.

Captain Ali, 83, from Kuching, is happy to be living in the kampung above the water.

Ali is now 83 and has children who are professionals. He said they all have their own homes.

But Ali and his wife prefer staying in their wooden home by the river since they got married 60 years ago.

“I think the government will make us move. But I’m staying on. My right eye is failing me already and my health is not good. Even my grandchildren prefer staying here with me. This is home, a beautiful home.”

Asked if he and his wife would join their teacher son at his home, Ali said: “I’m happy here. We will be very bored living further inland. After all, we have great neigbhours and we can talk about the sea and fishing everyday.”

Ali’s face lifted when he saw his oldest grandson coming around the corner, followed by his eldest daughter-in-law and another grandchild. This was a great day for him, getting visits from so many people.

Children growing up at the water’s edge go to school as far as SMK Dato Permaisuri after studying six years in nearby SK Syed Othman.

They seem very relaxed playing under an empty house just behind a row of Chinese shophouses fronting Jalan Kampung Wireless. Most own fancy bicycles.

The children seem very lively, satisfied, optimistic and healthy.

Is this a sign that Kampung Wireless will see another happy generation of fishermen and fisherwomen at the water’s edge?

Indeed, the water’s edge is another sub-culture which adds depth and richness to the urban landscape of Miri.

Temenggong Vincent Lau

BEING an immediate family member of KTS Group founder, the late Datuk Seri Lau Hui Kang, does not mean you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth.

As the late timber tycoon had made his own fortune, he expected all his sons to prove themselves worthy of the positions of responsibility entrusted to them.

For many years, as Hui Kang’s eldest son, Temenggong Vincent Lau Lee Ming has been living up to his late father’s legacy by volunteering to serve the Sibu community and getting involved with the guilds and clan associations in the Division.

While serving with these NGOs, his top priority has been the betterment of Chinese education which he has spent time and money to achieve.

Vincent is a man of few words and the people in Sibu are used to his “doing more than talking” way of getting things done.

He is known in Sibu to treat people with the same sincerity regardless whether they are rich or poor, educated or illiterate.

As Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) candidate tasked with wrestling back the Sibu seat, Vincent spoke to thesundaypost of his vision for the riverine town and his understanding of the aspirations of the Chinese there.

Despite the strong presence of DAP, he hopes to win back the seat with the fundamentals of good politics such as a sincerity and a diligence to serve.

Q: Can you share with us a bit on your background?

A: I grew up at Bukit Lan on the outskirt of Sibu and attended the primary school there. Then I went to Sacred Heart Secondary School until Form Five. After that, I did bachelor of economics at Adelaide University, Southern Australia.
When I came back to Sibu, I had no choice but to join my father’s company, which, at that time, was still a small trading firm.
My first job was as credit controller. I held different positions after that — until I became a board member. My present position is deputy managing director of KTS Group.

Q: We understand you have been involved very actively with NGOs such as guilds and clan associations for many years. What is the driving force behind this?

A: I have always been involved with NGOs such as the United Chinese Association and the Sibu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. I was also with the Red Cresent Society, the Sibu Amateur Athletic Association and many others.
Of all my social undertakings, Chinese education is closest to my heart. I have been president of the Sarawak United Association of Private Chinese School management board for the last five years.
This is one organisation I have been involved with for more than 10 years, starting with the Sibu United Association of Private Chinese School management board.

Definitely, my involvement is not for any personal gain. Since I have the financial capability that I would like to put to good use by helping the community, I channel it to various NGOs. My only aim is for the betterment of our community.
My father was very much involved in charity and social works when he was alive. Somehow, it’s natural for me to carry on from where he left off. I guess he had set a good example and I have been following in his footsteps without realising it.

Q: You have been enjoying a comfortable life, why do you want to venture into politics now?

A: When I was first offered to stand, I knew I had the option of taking the easy way out, especially when I have already been appointed as Temenggong, the highest Chinese community leader.

But when duty calls, as an SUPP man, I have to answer it. And as a local Chinese born and raised in Sibu, I owe it to the people of Sibu to accept the challenge.

If Sibu continues to fall into the hands of the opposition, it will slide even further backward and in no time, become a backwater town if nothing is done about it.

Q: Any other reasons why you decide to take up the challenge to stand in Sibu?

A: I don’t want Sibu to continue falling into the hands of the opposition because I believe BN is still able to form the government. There are statistics to prove this even though the opposition claim they will win enough seats to form the government.

We have already lost Pelawan, Bukit Assek and Dudong to the opposition in the last state election. Because of that, Sibu loses out a lot.

That’s one of the reasons I have decided to stand. I don’t want Sibu to fall into the hands of the opposition again — if I can help it.

What Sibu needs is development. When I go around town, people share with me their needs and requests. Sibu needs more representation. Let us be realistic. Less BN representation means less allocation. Sibu will drift further backward.

That’s why I have decided to stand. I’m hoping that because of my past contributions to the communities through my involvement with NGOs, church and Chinese education, the people can see my sincerity to serve.

I hope they will vote for me to allow me to serve them more effectively and in wider scope.

Q: What’s your vision for Sibu and how do you plan to make it happen?

A: Developing Sibu is a challenging task. It’s not only that we don’t have natural advantages — in fact, we have quite a few disadvantages compared to other towns in Sarawak.

For example, our land is sinking and there is the lack of tourist attractions. We don’t want Sibu to be left behind. We want Sibu prosper.

I alone cannot transform Sibu. I will need a team to do that.

During the time when we had many state representatives and two MPs, we had quite a strong team called Sibu Visionary Team which came up a vision and plans to systematically develop Sibu.

Then we lost Sibu in the Sibu by-election. And in the last election, we lost another three state seats. So now, the Sibu Visionary Team cannot function effectively.

There is a lot of catching up to do. Now, Senior Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh is zeroing in on the education aspect. We already have the Laila College and we are setting up the Sarawak University College of Technology.

We will have to see to it that the effort is continual and intensified to ensure there are education opportunities not only for locals but also those outside Sibu. Only with an influx of population can the economy of Sibu be boosted.

With regard to sinking land, as we have large areas of peatland which give us a lot of drainage and road problems, we need large amount of funds for maintainence. If I’m elected, I will fight for more funds to maintain the infrastructures of Sibu.

Another area of great economic potential which I think should be developed is agriculture since Sibu has large land area.

One of my priorities will be helping the smallholders to attain sustainable agricultural growth. Hopefully, we can help them get more government assistance to ensure stable income.

There are many reasons why smallholders in agriculture are not prospering. We will look into it and see how to make small-scale agriculture properous and viable.

The expectations of the youths are also an issue close to my heart. For some reasons, perhaps due to the generation gap, we are unable to be of the same frequency with them. I have to look into how to better connect and interact with them.

For big projects to be brought into Sibu, I think I have to work with other BN leaders. I think my role will be to complement Dato Sri (Wong Soon Koh). We hope through collective effort, we can bring Sibu to greater heights instead of being left behind.

Q: How much effort have you put in since being informed you are SUPP candidate for Sibu?

A: Since SUPP announced I am the recommended candidate, I have been going to the ground to meet the people.
Despite my involvement with NGOs, I believe I still need to get closer to the people so that they can see what kind of person I am.
The other thing I would like to say is SUPP, as an organisation, is an excellent one. But due to internal problems, it could not function as effectively as we would like.

Ever since I was named SUPP candidate, I have tried to be in touch with the different units and their leaders in the hope to revitalise and rebuild confidence for the party.

You ask me how hard I have been working. I believe I have been working very hard though it may still be not enough.

Q: The doubt Sibu people have about you is your ability to debate in Parliament in Bahasa Malaysia. Would you like to comment on this?
A: That was my handicap. However, I have been working very hard to learn the language. I have been going to the ground. And I have been giving speeches in Bahasa Malaysia not only in bumiputera-majority areas — I have also been communicating with the people in the language as well. It has been going on quite smoothly and I believe if I continue to learn the language, in no time, I will be able to overcome the language barrier.

Q: How do you gauge your support in the upcoming polls?

A: As far as bumiputera areas are concerned, we are quite confident of support, particularly from the longhouse folk because our previous leader, the late Datuk Robert Lau, had served the areas well. The rural people still remember Datuk Robert Lau fondly.
On his part, Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh has been also serving the areas well.
Policywise, the bumiputera voters understand what BN have done and can do for them. BN have been looking after them well all this while. So far, BN MPs have been able to deliver what they promised. I think BN and, thus, SUPP, still hold the trust of these rural voters.

Q: What about the Chinese voters? What do you think the Chinese want?

A: The Chinese are very concerned about education but as far as I see, the Chinese are generally quite happy with the basic education which the government has been providing.

Of course, there remain some grouses such as equality in scholarship disbursement and fair opportunity in choosing the desired courses in universities. Other concerns of the Chinese include a favourable business environment and equal opportunities within in the civil service.

What I think the Chinese want cannot be explained in simplistic terms. As far as the Chinese are concerned, it’s no longer about basic needs. The Chinese are now talking about fairness of policy, good governance and transparency.

As a Chinese, I understand what the Chinese want and as far as I can, I will not only voice out what the Chinese want but also try to work with other Chinese elected representatives in influencing policies so that the collective aspirations of the Chinese community can be fulfilled.

Q: What do you think is your strength that you can offer Sibu voters?

A: I hope the people can appreciate what I truly am. If before SUPP’s recommendation for me to be the Sibu candidate, I could serve the people without any ulterior motive or expectation in return, surely I can serve them even better if elected.

I believe I have the capacity to change things and the sincerity to make things better. I hope those supporting the opposition will change their mind because they have seen what I have done for them even before I stand as a candidate.

Q: To contest for the Sibu seat means you are practically taking over from your late uncle, Datuk Robert Lau. Do you think that helps in your campaign?

A: The late Datuk Lau and I grew up together. Though he was my uncle, as the youngest brother of my father, he was only four years older than I. As a Chinese, I was expected to respect him as an uncle despite of our close age. We turned out to be more like brothers than uncle and nephew.

I learned a lot from him. He had many virtues. He was dynamic, passionate and a man of action. Characterwise, I must say we are quite different. However, one thing I believe we have in common is the passion to serve.

Instead of saying I’m taking over from the late Datuk Robert Lau, I see myself continuing his good work and his legacy to make big changes and bring greater development to Sibu in particular and Sarawak in general.

But I still prefer people to judge me based on my own merits rather than riding on the name of my late uncle.

STEP CAREFULLY: Group members venture down the entrance to Semedang Cave. — Photos by Peter Lai

WELL, it was not the yellow brick road, but like Dorothy from ‘The Wizard of Oz’, 23 Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) members and friends ventured into an adventure.

They climbed through a mountain and into a hidden garden.

Some of the people of Kampung Temurang, Padawan, which was the starting point, visit this paradise almost daily. But for the MNS members and friends, it was far from our comfort zones.

We were off, through the jungle and the mountain. The clearly marked trail led the way through the forest. The shaded coolness of the mixture of fruit and jungle trees was a relief after the mid-morning heat.

The path quickly headed upwards and we clambered over the limestone formations that had been eroded by the passage of time, wind and rain.

The hand of nature had created miniature limestone mountains, spotted with plants that thrive in these rocky conditions. Roots wove through the rocks via cracks and around them. However, we were in need of handholds and only gazed upon these miracles briefly as we clambered over.

We skirted the edge of a cliff and then out of nowhere the ‘door’ to the mountain appeared. A sunlit opening covered with low-lying vegetation was on our left. The plants and trees enveloped the fallen rocks.

In geological terms this area is called a doline. A doline is an open hole that is formed by the collapsing of a cave or that has filled with vegetation.

We then scrambled over a boulder garden at the Semedang Cave’s mouth and into the coolness. Rounded stalactites clung to the upper mouth of the cave, foreshadowing the wonders to come. In we went, following our guides who confidently led us into the dark recesses.

The whitened limestone walls of a narrow passage in the light of the many torches looked like the moon. This flowing rock – moon milk – looks like milk flowing down a gentle slope that suddenly solidified.

A fruit tree garden had sprouted under the bat roost. Fruit bats bring fruit into the cave, suck the liquid from them and then drop the seeds. The seeds germinate, but in the blackness they have no chance of survival.

The passage twisted and then the exit bathed in an aura of green plants appeared. One of our guides stood majestically silhouetted by the light. The route to the exit was littered with giant boulders that we stepped and crawled over, as well as leaped and jumped onto.

Our guides, we learned, had led us through the more difficult of the two entrances into the hidden garden. The garden, which is intensely cultivated with vegetables, chilli peppers and black/white pepper, is surrounded by mountains. The commonly used route by the residents of Kampung Temurang is literally a walk in a park.

Meanwhile, we slid into the garden along an impromptu trail that led to a clear, fast flowing stream. This we followed, and then on our left was another cave – the entrance to the more common way into the garden.

AMAZING DESIGN: Stunning formations are seen off the beaten track in Rambus Cave.

But before returning to our comfort zones, we strolled through the garden. Secondary forest and fruit trees shaded the undulating path that crossed several bamboo bridges.

These bridges are ingenuously simple. A large bamboo stem is supported in the cross section of several bamboo stems that form Xs. The bridge is tied together with vines, ropes or wire. A bamboo railing is added to the top of the Xs and in a blink of an eye a bridge is constructed.

The soldier-like rows of black pepper greeted the intrepid explorers. The pepper vines are supported on a belian pole and the stems curl and snake up. The pepper vines were fruiting and some berry bunches had turned red. They were ready for picking. Hot chilli padi peppers were inter-planted with the black pepper.

We retraced our steps through the garden and climbed up the stairs in Rambus Cave. The worn path through the cave showed constant use.

However, our guides once again took us off the beaten track.

The cave walls resembled solidified flowing milk. Near the end of the passage, string-like beetle larvae fluttered in the slight breeze as they caught inattentive insects. Unfortunately the larvae do not glow like the glow-worms, also beetle larvae, in some caves in New Zealand.

Time was up and we had to retrace our steps. We left the cave, went down the stairs and back through a cocoa plantation. We returned with memories and respect for the community which farms the mountain.

The Malaysian Nature Society
Established in the 1940, the Malaysian Nature Society is the oldest scientific and non-governmental organisation in Malaysia. Our mission is ‘to promote the study, appreciation, conservation and protection of Malaysia’s nature heritage’. Our 5,000-strong membership, spread across 12 branches nationwide, come from all walks of life, bound by a common interest in nature. For further information on membership or our activities in Kuching, call Kwan on 019-8349499. For information on our activities in Miri, call Nazeri Abghani on 085-453185. You can also visit www.mns.org.my or http://mnskuching@blogspot.com.