'Stay out!' Angry Penan villagers tell loggers

By Fauwaz Abdul Aziz

Malaysiakini

2008-01-04 | Still reeling from the death of their 79-year-old headman Kelesau Naan, villagers of the Penan community of Long Kerong in Upper Baram, Sarawak, issued a stern warning to outsiders - especially loggers - against entering their land.

Following the discovery of Kelesau's skull and bones last month - the villagers believe the headman was murdered by parties seeking to quell their anti-logging resistence.

The villagers are demanding to be notified before anybody seeks to enter their area.

According to Kelesau's family members, this is to avert any "untoward incidents" given the villagers' anger following his disappearance and death and their suspicions of outsiders.

"The villagers are angry because of my father's death. Right now, they do not want anybody to enter the territory without their permission," the late headman's son Nick told Malaysiakini.

Nick stressed that while tourists and other such visitors would be allowed to come into the village land and would not be subject to the same restrictions as logging workers, the villagers insist that they be notified beforehand.

"Kelesau's relatives and children cannot tell what is in the hearts of the people they may come across suddenly in the forest. Given what has happened, we are afraid there may be further disturbances, even another killing. Some may seek revenge for my father's death," he added.

Nick, a security guard at the Gunung Mulu National Park, lodged a police report over his father's death yesterday at the Miri police station. He was then directed to go to Marudi - about 40 kilometers away from Miri - as Long Kerong comes under the former's jurisdiction.

Attacked by wild animal?

Kelesau went missing since Oct 23 last year after having told his wife, Uding Lidem, that he was going to check on an animal trap he had set near their hut - which is situated near the Sungai Segita river about two hours walk from their Long Kerong long-house.

Having failed to discern any trace of Kelesau despite a week's effort and having combed the area using tracker dogs, the villagers feared that their headman - who was one among the leading figures in the Upper Baram Penan communities of Sarawak opposed to the logging of their rainforests - had been murdered.

On Dec 17, their worst fears were confirmed after Kelesau's skull and the bones of his thighs, ribs and hands suddenly surfaced near Sungai Segita.

Uding identified the bones as being that of her husband from the watch that was on one wrist and the sheath of Kelesau's parang found nearby. His nephew Martin has said there were indications Kelesau had been assaulted.

"His hand was broken and looked as if it had been hit by a sharp object," said Martin.

When contacted today, Martin said that villagers had ruled out the possibility that Kelesau had been killed by a wild animal as the headman had grown up in the area and knew how to take care of himself.

According to a statement by indigenous people's advocacy group Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF), two Penan villagers had also disappeared in the 1990s after disputes with logging companies.

BMF also noted that Kelesau was one of four plaintiffs and a key witness in a major Penan land rights claim that has been awaiting trial since 1998.