20/03/2025
I was in Marudi in December 2024 on a visit by car from Miri. Gone are the days when we had to rely on the daily express from Kuala Baram to Marudi.
This photo is about a long boat in the mighty Baram River. When I was the Medical Officer of Health in 1988, I travelled up to Tutoh Apoh area, Long Lama and all the way to Lio Mato by boat. It was me and a few staff. I visited all the villages, such as Long Bemang, Long Bedian, Long Kevuk, Long Lama, Long Miri, Long Pillar, Long Naah, Long San, Long Jeeh, Long Moh and Lio Mato in this long boat. Very little has changed. Most evidently, the number of people in these villages is decreasing. Basic amenities are still lacking, but the mobile network connects nearly everyone in this region of Ulu Baram.
The photo signifies the difficulty for us to work to reach the people of Ulu Baram and also how difficult it was and still is for the people there to come to Marudi for treatment, welfare and social activities in Marudi.
