THE Semai Orang Asli of Ulu Geruntum, Gopeng, are angry Perak has failed to scrap a mini-hydroelectric dam project, which encroaches on their ancestral land.
The tribe was hoping Pakatan Harapan would reverse the decision of its Barisan Nasional predecessor to build the hydro dam in the lush jungles where they have been living for decades.
Despite calls to stop the project from the tribe, activists and other civil society groups, the state government gave the green light for the project to resume last year.
The Semai have been fighting to scrap the project since 2012 because they fear it will destroy the local ecosystem and their livelihood. – February 4, 2020.
Ulu Geruntum Semai youth spearing fish at Sg Geruntum, Gopeng, Perak. The river not only provides drinking and bathing water, it’s also a source of food for the Semai. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 4, 2020.A ray of light shines on Kg Poh, one of the six Semai indigenous settlements in Ulu Gerutum, which stands at the foot of the Titiwangsa ranges in Gopeng, Perak. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 4, 2020.The Orang Asli having a cup of tea for breakfast at their hut before going for work. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 4, 2020.A Semai youth fishing with a spear. Any catch of the day will later feed his family. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 4, 2020.Semai women cooking for a wedding at an Ulu Geruntum village. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 4, 2020.A Semai woman harvesting wild ferns near the Sg Geruntum bank. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 4, 2020.Ulu Geruntum Semai youth fishing at Sg Geruntum, Gopeng, Perak. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 4, 2020.A Semai woman collecting her laundry in Ulu Geruntum. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 4, 2020.A number of newly built huts at the banks of Sg Geruntum. On January 29, 2020, the Ulu Geruntum Semai received a letter from Perak Hydro Renewable Energy Corporation to demolish the huts. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 4, 2020.A Semai woman walking past a banner protesting against the building of a mini dam near her settlement in Ulu Geruntum, Gopeng. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 4, 2020.A Semai boy sitting on the graveyard of his ancestors. Perak Hydro Renewable Energy Corporation bulldozed the area to build an access road to its mini hydro-project in the village. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 4, 2020.Semai tribesmen from Ulu Geruntum in Gopeng, Perak, visiting the remaining graves at Ulu Geruntum after half of them were destroyed in 2018 to make way for an access road to a mini dam near their village. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 4, 2020.Construction of a mini hydroelectric dam across Sg Gerentum in Gopeng, Perak, has resumed despite strong opposition to the project. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 4, 2020.A signboard advertising the Ulu Geruntum mini hydroelectric dam was damaged by a group of villagers as a sign of protest against the project. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 4, 2020.Construction workers at the site of the Ulu Geruntum mini hydroelectric dam in Gopeng, Perak, pushing their lorry. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 4, 2020.Ulu Geruntum Semai folk, including children, surrounding an excavator at the site of a mini hydroelectric dam project in the village. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 4, 2020.
The Perak MB is a soulless person. The power is in his hands. If he really wants to stop this destruction he can do it but he doesnt. Such beautiful pristine forest will be forever gone if they build the dam.
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Posted 4 years ago by Elyse Gim · Reply