Tering, Berawan communities object to Mulu National Park extension

MIRI (Aug 8): The Tering community in Mulu has sent a letter to Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) opposing plans to expand Mulu National Park, a Unesco recognised heritage site, saying it will encroach into their ancestral lands.

A letter authored by Dennis Along and dated August 7 this year was sent to SFC, purportedly to represent the objections of the Tering and Berawan communities of Long Terawan and Kampung Sungai Melinau in Tutoh.

“We as the community of the Tering component of the Berawan-Tering village community of Long Terawan wish to oppose the proposed extension of the Mulu National Park.

“The land area subject to the said extension belongs to our ancestors. The ancestors of Long Terawan were the Berawan people and the Tering people who are distinctly different from one another,” said Dennis.

The chairman of Miri Tering Community Association and signatories handed over their protest letter to the office of SFC in Miri yesterday.

The Berawans originated from Long Patah but their community expanded into Mulu, whereas the Terings have settled in Mulu since time immemorial.

This had caused war to break out between them before both communities decided to make peace and settled there together.

The letter added that in 1977, the Sarawak government gave permission to the Royal Geographical Society to conduct scientific research in Mulu for the purpose of constituting a natural reserve in the form of a national park.

This expedition was well documented in the two books entitled ‘Finding Eden’ and ‘Mulu, The Rainforest’ written by Robin Hanbury-Tenison, the leader of the Royal Geographical Society’s expedition to Mulu.

Dennis said in the ‘Finding Eden’ book, there were photographs of members of their community that joined the said expedition to assist Robin and mention of Engan, a Tering, who was appointed the first warden of the Mulu National Park.

The site where the said expedition’s base camp was located (today, The Marriott Mulu Resort Hotel) was an old longhouse being set aside by Penghulu, later Temenggong, Baya Malang for the use of Robin and his team of scientists.

The affected community has earlier sued a company and Sarawak government in maintaining their rights over the land area now subject to the said extension.

The Sarawak government later interjected to inform the Court that the respective registered leases granted to Radiant Lagoon Sdn Bhd were cancelled and annulled and further, sought indulgence of learned counsel for the plaintiffs to withdraw the said lawsuit.

“This event is sufficient proof that our claims are genuine and strong,” said Dennis.