LATEST UPDATE AT 7:00 PM, 26th December 2007
LANDSLIDE IN KAPIT CLAIMED 3 LIVES AND ANOTHER ONE MISSING.
RELIABLE SOURCE TOLD THE UNDERSIGNED THAT THE YOUNGEST ONE, AGED 12, IS STILL MISSING, BUT THE ODDS IS AGAINST HIM.
THE INCIDENT HAPPENED AT A SQUATTER AREA NEAR KAPIT TOWN. THE YOUNG BOY (STILL MISSING) WAS REPORTED TO BE VISITING THE GRANDMA FOR THE Xmas AND WAS SUPPOSED TO RETURN HOME TODAY.
There are many such squatter areas (without planning approval) in Kapit where the authorities found them prone to such disaster, the landslide, following years of logging activities. However, a local council employee who refuses to be named, told the undersigned that resettlement is the only choice left for many such squatter areas but resettlement would have political consequences because some of these people have live there for more than 20 years.
Years of deforestation has taken a heavy toll on the natural environment of Sarawak and landslides have become more frequent because of the over-felling of the primary forest in the upper Rejang river basin. Erosion along the upper Rejang banks due to these timber-felling activities has turned the Longest river in Malaysia into a muddy and sick river, just like the Yellow river (Huan He) in China.
The erosion over the years has caused heavy siltation to the Rejang river in Sibu and other coastal towns along the river's banks. as per my earlier posting http://davidwongsblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/one-and-half-inches-in-3-days-imagine.html
and
http://davidwongsblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/our-proof-rejang-river-and-sibus-flood.html
The state government had over the past decades given out timber concession licences to many timber giants who are closely linked to the BN's based politicians and political parties without due regards for the natural environmental and the natural habitat that were affected by the over-felling of the trees. Now the people are left on their own to live with what the BN's politicians called "natural disaster" that strikes ever so often.
David Wong
Boxing Day, 2007
p.s. The youngest victim is a relative of mine, a nephew in fact. Let us pray for a miracle, a miracle that Xmas might bring!
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5 comments:
I am so sorry to read about this.
Chris
Thank you, our prayers are with all the victims' family and those made homeless by the landslide.
Every year, many ars made homeless due to landslide, fire or other man-made disasters. The government normally only react after the tragedy and not taking any prior pro-active measures.
a few years ago, so many people in the long house were killed by the landslide. as usual the BN would do nothing. they will issue an investigation but what and where was the outcome? did you learn from those incidents or not? don't sit back to relax.
The environment destruction caused by mankind to satisfy their greeds has now been finally recognised in certain countries.
Global warming is the immediate threat that is more potent than all the nuclear arsenals combined.
Malaysia has to divert its economy to reduce its dependence on the natural resources. The short term gains from these can never be substained in the long run and the destruction to the environment can not be undone.
Of course,generally mandkinds are such short-sighted they only measure the immediate benefits/gains without a second thought for the future cost.
David Wong
Sorry David that the news was not good. I was told this afternoon that the boy's body has been found. The family was unhappy that the "rescue" efforts did not continue when darkness set in. I agree that there should be no stoppage, unless the area affected happened to be treacherous.
WHL
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