Tampayasa chapel near propsed Kaiduan Dam blessed

PENAMPANG – The new chapel in Kg Tampayasa Ulu Papar was blessed recently.

Archbishop John Wong officiated the blessing on 20 Oct 2016.  He was assisted by Fr Fundes Motiung, Fr Wiandigool Runsab and another priest.

The chapel, St Julius I, is about 20-minute drive by 4WD from Jalan Penampang, before Kg Buayan.  It is within the vicinity of the proposed controversial RM2.8 billion Kaiduan Dam Ulu Papar.

The dam construction was proposed in 2014 to ensure Sabah be spared from water crisis  in 2030.

However, if it proceeds, the new chapel, as well as 2,000 homes of Indigenous families in 11 villages will be under water.  These families will stand to lose their homes, livelihood, and history.  Moreover, it will destroy the last and largest forest in Papar District.

A year earlier,  Mary Giun of Kg Terian lamented, “Why do the lands of the natives, our lands, have to be the ones sacrificed?  Not only for dams but for other development projects including big scale oil plantations or sold off to big companies.  Why does it always have to be the lands of the natives?”

A representative of the Taskforce against Kaiduan Dam, she was taking part in the peaceful demonstration held in 2015.