By Shikin Louis
SIBU, Aug 12: Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has proposed an archaeological study on human settlement in Niah Caves.
He said new discoveries by the University of New South Wales, Australia, have suggested that human settlement existed about 60,000 years ago in the Niah Caves, exceeding the previous discoveries of 40,000 years.
In addition, the historical site has recently been listed as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
“In other words, there is a historical background that can be explored, and we can explore how people lived at that time and how we inherited the way of life of people in Niah Caves.
“I think it is very important because, in Kalimantan, there isn’t any UNESCO historical site that reflects the human settlement in Borneo,” he said when speaking at the 18th Biennial International Participatory Design Conference (PDC 2024) held at the University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) here earlier tonight.
It is the first time that PDC is being hosted in Malaysia and Asia.
With the theme ‘Reaching Out: Connecting Beyond Participation’, the prestigious event brings together participants from 24 countries with the aim of growing new alliances with research communities, stakeholders and practitioners, enabling structured exchanges that transform design initiatives both locally and globally. — DayakDaily
