Almost an Army Cadet, Always a Forester

By K C Lingi

The book is about the trials and tribulations of Laing as a forest surveyor and partly as a community officer dealing with local forest people. In his works, he encountered the Penans and related some anecdotes of Penans and white men. He talked about the dialogue with Kayan, Kenyah and Penan; Long Moh Agreement which excluded the Penans. He was involved with Baram Operation Master Plan and witnessed subsequent blockades by Penans against logging. Penan blockades at Layun, "Blockade Satan" and Sebatu brought fame to environmental activitists like Bruno Manser, Harrison Ngau and Anderson Mutang. He oversaw heli-logging, ISO9001 documentation and sustainable forest management certification. He was able to share his experience and knowledge with interns and under-graduates who chose forestry as a career. His more than two decades of working in the forest has enhanced his appreciation of nature conservation and cordial engagement with Penans.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Nov 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781482895131

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Copyright © 2014 K C Linggi and Laing Imang. All rights reserved.

ISBN

978-1-4828-9512-4 (sc)

978-1-4828-9513-1 (e)

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04/02/2014

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Contents

Preface

Chapter One

Almost an Army Cadet

Chapter Two

Always a Forester

Chapter Three

Encounters with the Penans

Chapter Four

Lost in the Jungle and in Translation

Chapter Five

Dialogue and Missed Opportunity: The Long Moh Agreement

Chapter Six

A New Beginning

Chapter Seven

Master Plan for Baram Operation

Chapter Eight

Blockade Satan and Sebatu Blockade

Chapter Nine

Heli-logging, ISO 9001, and SFM Certification

Chapter Ten

Epilogue

Appendix I

Apoh Incident

Appendix II

A Decade of Achievements by the Bridge and Infrastructure Unit (BIU):

Steel and Concrete Bridges in Ulu Baram

Appendix III

A Good Forestry Practice: Reduced Impact Logging (RIL)

Preface

Laing Imang joined Samling in 1982 and was assigned to the forest Survey and Engineering Unit (SEU). We came into personal contact when the Bridge and Infrastructure Unit (BIU) was set up in 1992 to expedite the construction of new bridges and camp buildings and other infrastructures such as fuel depots and workshops.

It was only in 2001 that we got the opportunity to work together when both of us were assigned to the FOMISS Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) project, which was renamed as Sela’an-Linau Forest Management Unit (FMU). A section of the FMU was earmarked for Forest Management Certification under the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) scheme.

I have encouraged Laing to write a book about his working life and experiences as a forester, because it also mirrored the development and progression of the forestry operations and the impacts on the local communities in Ulu Baram.

Hopefully, the story of Laing will be able to give a human face to the trials and tribulations of a forester working in the forest and living among the local communities.

K C Linggi

August 2013

Chapter One

Almost an Army Cadet

Laing left Tanjong Lobang College in 1971, and the following year he was accepted into the army as a cadet. At that point, the government was recruiting many young men into the military forces. Some of his schoolmates invited him to work in the private sector, but he had no interest in doing so. Although his ambition was to be a soldier, his parents opposed the idea. When he was leaving his longhouse at Long Bemang, his aunt started to cry, and so did he while sitting in the longboat. Their penghulu (village chief) comforted him and advised him not to proceed with the journey. According to the Kayan belief, the sadness of shedding tears was not a good omen to start a journey,