At a crossroad. This may no longer hold true to the Bario highlands in Sarawak as the road had already been built connecting the hilly district with Miri in northern Sarawak.
Development vs nature
Good for development, you say. I would say that too except that the road was not built by the government but by a logging company, according to a grassroots environmental group Borneo Resources Institute.
Institute coordinator for Sarawak, Raymond Abin, said this road might result in more highland forests being logged and this would spell the end of the pristine nature of Bario.
“From what I know, the road was constructed by a timber company, not by the Government. Does this mean that the timber firm has been given the right to harvest the timber in the forests where the logging road runs through?”
A front for timber extraction
He said the institute was worried that the construction of the logging road was merely “a front for the opening of the whole Bario highlands for timber extraction.”
Ba’Kelalan state assemblyman Nelson Balang Rining has confirmed that the logging road had been constructed right into the heart of the 5,000 feet high Bario mountain range, according to The Star.
Important link
“The construction of this logging road is a very important move to link the people of the highlands with the outside world. This logging road will enable the interior folks to travel all the way from Bario to Miri by land, something that was impossible before.
“This logging road is crucial because it will open up accessibility to settlements that were once only linked by flights. It will facilitate easier transport of fuel and food into the remote highland settlements,” he said, adding that the journey from Miri to Bario via the logging road will take at least 13 hours.
The road from Miri will cut through Marudi, Long Banga, Padilih and up the slope of the Bario highlands to the Bario Airport.
The Bario highlands is similar in geographical settings to the Genting highlands. Populated by the Lun Bawangs and Kelabits minority ethnic groups, Bario is well-known for its fragrant rice and tourism spots. Balang on Wednesday said the logging road belonged to Samling Corporation, not the state or federal Government.
“The road will remain under the jurisdiction of Samling. However, it is the people’s wish to see the road eventually upgraded into a Government-road. I hope the Government can adopt the road and tar-seal it in the near future,” he said.
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