Baru Bian (born 9 September 1958) is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who has served as Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Ba'kelalan since April 2011.

[11] All the genuine Lun Bawang people should be able to trace their ancestry to one single common ancestor named Terur Aco.

[13] Baru's father, Bian Labo was trained at Lawas bible school which was under the Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) church.

[13] His experiences during journeys through the jungles and mountain streams led him to understand the value of native customary rights (NCR) for pemakai menoa (territorial domain) and pulau galau (communal forest reserve) and also the environmental protection.

[13] During the year-end school holidays in 1980, Baru Bian interviewed his father and his uncle Lasong Labo about the history of their family's NCR land.

[19] He attended Kolej Tun Datu Tuanku Haji Bujang for Form 6 at Tanjong Lobang, Miri, Sarawak.

[16] Baru taught himself about native customary rights (NCR) law through Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM), an NGO led by Harrison Ngau Laing, an environmentalist.

[26] In the same year, he represented SAM to Yokohama, Japan to protest against the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) for not including the issues of native customary rights in their report.

[28] Baru filed his first NCR case in 1991 on behalf of his extended family whose ancestral lands in Berunut was encroached by logging companies.

Therefore, Baru and his family members took part in timber blockades which successfully led Samling, a logging company to compensate them RM 100,000.

[32] In March 2011, Baru successfully led the legal defence team consisting of Civil Rights Lawyers See Chee How & Desmond Kho, resulting in the acquittal of Numpang Suntai who was accused of burning ten items of machinery in a logging camp at Sebangan, Simunjan District for encroaching the latter's ancestral land.

[41][42] Baru has been a popularly known activist and lawyer who had handled many ancestral lands as well as native customary rights cases and has strong support from churches notably SIB and Dayak community.

As an Orang Ulu of Lun Bawang descent, Baru is seen as a hero and fighter especially within the interior Sarawak's Dayak community for his selfless contributions.

Baru later tried to join newly formed Malaysian Dayak Congress (MDC) to succeed PBDS but its registration never get to be approved for 2006 Sarawak state election,[47] Baru chose to join Sarawak National Party (SNAP) instead to contest again the Ba'kelalan under SNAP ticket but had lost for the third time.

[13] Following the 2008 Malaysian general election (GE12) which see the ruling coalition, BN's lose its two-thirds majority in the parliament and five states to the opposition since Malaysia's Independence.

[50] Baru decided to rejoin politics again to strengthen the two-party system and joined People's Justice Party (PKR) in April 2008, the same time of formation of new Pakatan Rakyat, as a reforms-hopeful informal coalition.

[51][52] In 2013 Malaysian general election (GE13), Baru Bian decided to contest in Limbang parliamentary seat as PKR candidate.

[55] Baru retained the seat in the 2016 Sarawak state election as PKR candidate with an increased majority of 538 votes, also against Willie.

Amidst PH also changed their support to Anwar Ibrahim from Mahathir for Prime Minister, Baru had turned Independent rather than follow Azmin's group, joining BERSATU to form the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government with Muhyiddin as Prime Minister, and be accused a hypocrite as well as opportunistic politician.

[1] Baru has managed to retain the Ba'kelalan seat for the third term but as a PSB candidate in a 5 corner contest in the 2021 Sarawak state election.

[59][60][61] Baru met his current wife Yu Ching Sieu during his studies at Melbourne, Australia when he joined Overseas Christian Fellowship (OCF).

He participated in Young Christian Students Movement (YCSM) year-end mission trips during his secondary school years.

[68] Baru's memoir, The Long Awakening, coauthored with journalist Deborah Loh, chronicles the Sarawakian leader's personal and political life.