Bidayuh women lured by foreign men with glib tongues into drug trafficking

KUCHING - Bidayuh women should be wary of a certain group of glib foreigners out to lure them into illegal activities, including becoming drug traffickers or 'mules'.

The alert comes from Natural Resources and Environment Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Dr James Dawos Mamit, following several cases of Bidayuh women becoming victims of the foreigners who have links with international drug trafficking syndicates.

"Do not fall into the trap of this group of the foreigners who will only cheat the women who eventually end up as drug traffickers.

"Therefore Rela teams should be mobilised to investigate the background of foreigners to know their purpose of entering our villages. Chase them (foreigners) away if they are found to have bad intentions.

"I wish to remind our Bidayuh women to be extra careful and not to be easily influenced by those irresponsible foreigners," he said at the 10th anniversary dinner of the Bisapug Association of Sarawak at a local restaurant here last night.

Meanwhile, Dawos also advised the Bidayuh community to be united and strong

in fighting for their rights, and reject PAS' hudud law.

On education, he told the Bidayuh to equip themselves with the necessary knowledge and skills so that they were able to compete with other races.

At the function, Dawos handed over a RM15,000 government grant to association president Paul Kawin Pipo and promised another RM5,000 for the association to organise its activities.

In his speech, Paul said the association would focus its activities on education and culture to produce more graduates among the Bisapug community, as well as preserve its culture.

Bidayuh Bisapug clans reside at four villages in Padawan near here, namely Kampung Simpok, Mundai, Sarig and Pesa. – Bernama