It's 16 September...

HAPPY MALAYSIA DAY 2009 TO ALL MALAYSIANS. THIS IS THE ONLY DAY THAT I RECOGNISE. I WILL TELL MY KIDS TO REMEMBER THIS DATE FOR AS LONG AS THEY LIVE THEIR LIVES.

It happened again....sighhh...

Yes...it was another slippery and dangerous diversion road! This time, the diversion road is just a few minutes before reaching the junction of Jalan Terbat & Jalan Mongkos in Tebakang, Serian. It also caused quite a massive traffic jam as early as 0630am on both ends of the tar sealed road.

The tar sealed road is currently under repair due the damage done by the heavy downpour that happened some time back in February!! The repair work has been going on for nearly a month. Most users of the road said that the repair work is too slow. All together, there were 3 repair work that had been done along the Mongkos Road so far including this current one.

Stranded on both ends!



A bus was stuck almost in the middle of the diversion road because it couldnt go up the slippery side of the road.


Some daredevils on motorbikes and in the van took the chances going down and up the slippery road.

GROUP REACHES GRATEFUL PENANS AFTER ROUGH THREE-DAY JOURNEY

(The Star) LONG TANYIT: After three days of hard work, a team of people managed to bring more than 10 tonnes of food to some 1,500 Penans who are facing acute food shortages in the Kapit Division.
About 10,000kg of rice and other essential foodstuff such as canned food, milk powder, sugar and salt arrived here and the nearby Long Lidem, Long Kajang and Long Abit.

Essential item: Penan folk and children receiving packets of rice from relief aid workers in Long Lidem.

These isolated settlements are more than 12 hours drive along a timber road from Bintulu town.
Essential item: Penan folk and children receiving packets of rice from relief aid workers in Long Lidem.
The food was delivered using a heavy-duty timber truck and a convoy of six four-wheel drives. The team was greeted with smiles, hugs and handshakes.
Long Tanyit chief Salu Ugat said he was grateful to God for answering the people’s prayers.
“Food shortages here are serious. It has happened several times this year already. We waited weeks for this food supply,’’ he said.
Long Lidem chief Naran Pua said the people were surprised that the team managed to make the journey.
“We thought we are being attacked when we suddenly saw the lorry and the 4WDs coming. This is the first time we are getting so much food. We have been facing food problems for six years,” he said.

Kind-hearted souls: The team of volunteers who made it to the settlements. With them is Father Ding (wearing batik).

The Miri Catholic Church, which is coordinating the relief aid collection, had two weeks ago received appeals for aid, saying the Penans had run out of rice and other food items.
Twelve volunteers from the Malaysian Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association, a non-governmental disaster and relief aid organisation, flew in from Kuala Lumpur after reading about the Penans’ plight.
The team, led by volunteer Captain K. Balasupramaniam, arrived in Bintulu on Wednesday and travelled to the Sungai Asap Resettlement Scheme in Bakun.
He met up with Reverend Father Sylvester Ding, who is coordinating the deployment of the food aid, and a village head Penghulu Saging Bit.
From Bakun, the team sought the help of a timber firm to help send 1,600 bags of rice and hundreds of boxes of dry food. The journey along the timber roads was difficult. The team faced problems like vehicle breakdown, bad weather and delays resulting from permit requirements to enter a logging concession area.
The team will now focus on bringing food supply to the Lusong Laku Penan settlement, SK Lusong Laku and the teachers living there.
The Penans in the Sarawak interior have been cut off from the outside world after a timber giant dismantled an iron bridge across the Sungai Linau because the area was going to be flooded for the Bakun Dam.
It is learnt that the company had placed several pieces of logs across the river for the people in Lusong Laku to use as a temporary bridge.

BGB says: Puji Tuhan. Now...where were their fellow Sarawakians? Where were the Kayans, Kenyahs, Ibans, Bidayuhs etc...when their fellow countrymen were in deep shits?

what a waste!

I stopped by this small swamp just by the roadside last Saturday to enjoy the view. I drive pass that place every morning. It is a beautiful place.

And then, yesterday (Monday), I saw these machines there. What a waste!

Jalan Mongkos needs major repair!

TEBAKANG. Fri, July 10.
A bus and a van were stuck on a muddy and slippery diversion road just before Kpg Payau Achau at Jalan Mongkos in Serian. That has caused massive traffic jams as early as 0630 am on both ends of the damaged main road. About a week ago, that section of the main road was damaged due to a heavy downpour. A contractor was called up to do the repair works. However, the repair works were poorly done says one resident who happens to be the owner of a nearby land beside the road.

That particular section of the road is not the only one that has been damaged by the bad weather. There are a few more along that road. One section after Kpg Krusen took almost 2 years to be completely repaired. Another 2 more damages right after that newly repaired section but no works has been done so far about those sections except putting up plastic barricades.

Most daily users and the nearby residents were furious and frustrated because of the bad condition of Jalan Mongkos. It seems like the authority has done nothing about the road. Most of those damaged sections were neglected for a long time like the one near Kpg Krusen which was very dangerous. The authority is urged to act fast before any unwanted accident happens to the users of the road.

BGB notes;

This piece of report will be sent to one of our local newspapers and I hope that it will be published for the locals to read and view, and most of all make their own judgements.

I say that this has gone too far and the authority should do more for the bidayuh people after neglecting us for 45 years now! The Bidayuhs have been supporting the government for 45 years and yet we got this in return.