Orang Asli to plead for PM’s intervention to protect their land
By Philip Ho, Klik4Malaysia
The Orang Asli from Kampung Gong in Pekan, Pahang, had held an emergency meeting recently on the continued trespassing and encroachment of their native customary land.
The Orang Asli villagers had already lodged a police report against the alleged trespassing by a private corporation but to-date, the enforcement has been lacking.
Kampung_Gong270211bThe private corporation continues to clear the forest and rubber estates belonging to the Orang Asli while the villagers could only watch helplessly as their native customary land is being violated.
It was learnt that the private corporation was clearing the land in order to build a factory and also to convert the remaining land into a plantation.
In light of the alleged lack of enforcement and protection from the police, the Orang Asli from Kampung Gong had decided after the emergency meeting to write a petition to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to plead for an intervention.
The villagers are worried that if the government do not intervene and if the authorities continue to ignore their pleas, the villagers would end up losing everything.
Kampung_Gong270211a
The petition is also expected to contain requests to the federal government to help expedite the recognition and the gazetting of Kampung Gong and the surrounding areas as the native land of the Orang Asli villagers.
The Orang Asli is also pleading for basic infrastructure and facilities, such as water supply, electricity and a school.
Currently, the Orang Asli children at Kampung Gong do not attend school as the nearest school is located some 5km away from the village.
Sources revealed that the Orang Asli will be submitting their petition to the prime minister soon.
