Unimas to set up telecommunication centre in Kpg Tringgus, similar to e-Bario

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Miro (centre) and Kadim on his left arrive at the village to a traditional welcome.

BAU: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) has a plan to set up a telecommunication centre in Kpg Tringgus, here, similar to e- Bario in Bario.

Its vice chancellor Datuk Professor Dr Mohd Kadim Suadi said such facility would greatly benefit the local community.

He said Unimas had set up such centres in Bario (e-Bario) and in Peninsular Malaysia for the Orang Asli, which have proven to have immensely helped the local people.

He added that the centres in both areas have enabled the local people to communicate with the outside world and also improve their socio-economic standing.

“We (Unimas) have a plan to build a telecommunication centre here (Kpg Tringgus), but that depends on the availability of fund,” he told reporters yesterday.

Earlier, he attended the opening of a multi-disciplinary Bungo Range Expedition which was declared by Serumbu assemblyman Miro Simuh at Dewan Siradjak in Kpg Tringgus, a village near Sarawak-Indonesia border. The expedition runs from Dec 5 to 10.

Kadim added that the building of the telecommunication centre would also depend on the findings of the expedition, which involves 150 researchers of various disciplines from the university.

The expedition covers the southern part of Bungo Range National Park which can be accessed from Kpg Tringgus.

“Bungo Range has been selected as the expedition site because of the lack of biodiversity studies done in the area although it has been listed as an important national park in Sarawak since 2009,” Kadim said.

He added the expedition was initially planed in Bario, but was cancelled.

He said the expedition would also carry out a concerted and integrated research on the surrounding communities, which has not been carried out before.

He said the outcome of the expedition would contribute to the documentation of the diverse  flora and fauna in Bungo Range and provide a complete data on the social structure and economy of the local community.

Another important aspect included in the study is the pattern of current usage of natural resources in the area. Such  information will become a reference for a more comprehensive planning of Bungo Range National Park in terms of conservation and development in the future.

“Tourism potential is one example of how the local community can benefit from the study,” he added.