On 28th October 2021, we had a fruitful session under the lead of Pemanca Bong Jong Long, Paku Kapitan Pui Shak Sin and Sarawak Research Society (SRS) with the community members who teach at schools and run small businesses in Paku Town, Bau District. Chairman of SRS, Assoc. Prof. Dr Hiram Ting shared about responsible tourism and the importance of community engagement. The audience seemed to receive the sharing well.

 

The attendees included Chairperson of Persatuan Penganut Shak Bong Kung Paku Kapitan Pui Shak Sin, Chairman of Hwa Gong Bau Historical Society Pemanca Bong Jong Long, Principal of SJK Chung Hua Paku Mr Choo Nyit Shin, Chairman of SRS Assoc. Prof. Dr Hiram Ting, Nicholas Tiong, 6 community leaders (JKKK) and 8 stall traders in Paku Town

 

The session started at 1:30 PM and ended at 3:00 PM. We hope to gather some useful data before coming up with a proposal to discuss with the local authorities. More importantly, this session helped break the ice between us and the community members. We listened to their concerns in order to know them and their works better. We believe that earning their trust is an important step to move forward. This is another milestone of a long but exciting journey.