Bengoh film-viewing and download here!

Bengoh dam has become added burden on the back of villagers displaced!

The Bengoh film is finally available for on-line viewing and download:
1. You Tube
2. Engagemedia

Reviews here:

Issues of Bengoh dam spreaded further -powered by film!

Just when the power that be think that the small number of villagers affected by Bengoh dam will fade away without anyone noticing them the new Bengoh film `Ulu Bengoh Darom Piin' stirs up a storm in its Kuching screening-even to the extent of catching attention of the Utusan Borneo-a Malay mainstream media that usually stay clear of such `controversial' issues. As more people get to know about the plight of the villagers there will be more scrutiny on the way the dam project was handled-and more pressures on the government to get it right in coming up with appropriate compensation package and options for the villagers. So readers can contribute to the solution by passing on the bitter story of these Bengoh folks. Make sure that their problems will not be forgotten in the government's handling of the Rm300+mil project!

Isu penduduk terjejas Empangan Bengoh terus tarik perhatian

Posted on November 9, 2011, Wednesday

MENUNGGU BEROPERASI: Pemandangan udara Empangan Bengoh yang kini sudah siap sepenuhnya namun belum dapat beroperasi kerana penduduk terjejas masih belum dipindahkan disebabkan pembinaan Skim Penempatan Semula yang belum siap.

Bengoh film turn heads in Kuching!

A very positive review of the film by Hornbill Unleashed-`boost for participatory democracy in Sarawak':

Films and Freedom

— Hornbill Unleashed @ 12:03 AM

Pak Bui
The Freedom Film Fest received an enthusiasic welcome when it came to Kuching and Miri during the last weekend of October.
This is the fourth year this excellent film festival has come to Sarawak, showing challenging films about human rights, politics and democracy, sexuality, religion, indigenous people’s issues and society – far more intriguing films than the standard commercial drivel in our cineplexes.
The five films screened were free, in more sense than one. The festival was open to all Sarawakians, and all were welcome, with only a collection box going around.
The crowd in Kuching were mostly young, bubbly and courteous. There were around 300 people packed into the narrow conference room at the Harbour View Hotel.
Many of the participants – for they  weighed into debates and discussions, and were not simply a passive audience – were college students, from all ethnic groups.

Why were Bengoh folks not asked if they want to move out of dam area?

Bengoh dam is making news for all the wrong reasons-the Auditor General's report is an example. But the dam is also open to other criticism viz the dam is designed to supply 2100mil litres of raw water/day to Kuching, which only consumes 600mil litres of raw water/day. The dam is over sized-such that the politicians are talking openly about releasing a big part of the water to generate electricity! Were the Bengoh folks ever asked if they agree to sacrifice for all these anomalies?

Joseph Tawie
Why is the Sarawak government forcing Bengoh Dam natives to shift to a resettlement scheme which the Auditor General’s Report 2010 has described as ‘unsuitable’?
The Sarawak government has been urged to immediately carry out a census poll on the 394 families from four villages affected by the construction of the multi-million ringgit Bengoh Dam.

Vague compensation package that won the Bengoh voters?

Look at these promises to the Bengoh villagers affected by the Bengoh dam:
* FREE housing to replace the old houses-BUT the Federal government which is expected to foot the bill has not approved it; what if the approval never come?
* MORE land than 3 acres will be given to displaced villagers; Currently the re-settlement area in Kg Semadang is rather congested-with existing residents using most of the lands; where can the government find new land for the Bengoh  villagers?
* Consultation with the people eg choosing their re-settlement area; However the government re-settlement area is chosen by the government alone; Most importantly the people are not consulted on whether they want to move-only the compensation is being discussed;
Can such vague promises win over the voters of Bengoh? The only circumstance where they can `impress' the voters would be when there is no challenge to these vague promises from other candidates.

Bengoh natives still blur about compensation package

Joseph Tawie

 | November 1, 2011

The Sarawak government must ensure that the natives affected by the Bengoh Dam don't end up 'poorer and marginalised'.

KUCHING: The Sarawak government must pay the families and villagers who are affected by the construction of the Bengoh Dam adequate compensation that takes into account their immediate and long term needs.

Making this call, a former diplomat John Tenewi Nuek said the villagers had made a “tremendous and invaluable sacrifice” in leaving their ancestral sites.

“The affected villagers are making tremendous and invaluable sacrifices for the construction of the dam and it is only fair and just that they be given a comprehensive, adequate and fair package of compensation that takes into account their short-term as well as their long-term interests.

Bengoh film in the news: rural folks are key to change in Malaysia!

Activists reveal Bengoh villagers puzzling voting trend

By Yam Phui Yee

To whose benefit… the Bengoh Dam will benefit greater Kuching and Samarahan but displace about 1,500 Bidayuhs from their ancestral land. Photos courtesy of Joachim Leong In rural Bengoh, Sarawak, 1,500 villagers will be displaced by the Bengoh Dam. They have to give up their ancestral land, relocate and settle for compensation they are not sure is fair and whether it will be forthcoming. Despite faithfully voting in the Barisan Nasional government for years, they still lack basic amenities. But, they still vote for the BN.