BARAM: Indigenous community leaders from the district, here, have traveled to UNESCO headquarters in Paris to voice their opposition to a proposed mega-dam project they claim threatens their ancestral lands and a World Heritage site.
The delegation, including community chiefs, human rights advocate See Chee How (independent assemblyman for Batu Lintang), and Mulu National Park activist Willie Kajan, met with senior UNESCO officials to discuss the planned Sungai Tutoh cascading dam project.
According to Kajan, who spoke to media upon returning from France, the proposed dam construction would result in extensive flooding affecting over 20,000 indigenous residents across the Baram region. The activist expressed particular concern about potential impacts on Mulu National Park, which holds UNESCO World Heritage status.
“We had no alternative but to seek international attention, particularly from UNESCO, given Mulu’s protected status,“ Kajan explained.
“The planned cascading dam system along Sungai Tutoh threatens to flood vast areas in the heart of Baram district.”
The delegation raised concerns about ecological damage and displacement of indigenous communities who depend on the region’s forests and rivers for their livelihoods. Despite local protests across 29 settlements, state authorities have indicated their intention to proceed with the project.
During their Paris visit, the Sarawak representatives met with several UNESCO officials, including Asia Pacific Regional Head Gurung Himalchuli, community programmes coordinator Garance Ameline, Indigenous Peoples Affairs director Berta De Sancristobal, and programme specialist Zou Yueyu.
The indigenous leaders presented their case about ongoing large-scale land clearing for logging and plantation development, arguing that additional dam construction would accelerate environmental destruction in their ancestral territories.
However, Sarawak government officials maintain a different perspective.
Deputy State Minister Datuk Gerawat Gala recently defended the project’s preliminary phase, stating that ground preparation work near Long Kevok settlement had commenced successfully with local community support.
Gala, who represents the Mulu constituency under the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition, argued that the dam project would generate essential electricity to drive rural development throughout Sarawak.
He shared social media posts suggesting local indigenous communities had welcomed the project team.
The controversy highlights ongoing tensions between development initiatives and indigenous rights in Malaysia’s largest state.
Sarawak PKR chairman Roland Engan has called for meaningful consultation with affected Baram communities before proceeding with construction activities.
The indigenous delegation’s appeal to UNESCO represents an escalation in their campaign against the dam project, seeking international intervention to protect their traditional lands and the region’s biodiversity.
