Perak govt has encroached onto our land, claim Orang Asli

(FMT) – The Orang Asli community in Grik today claimed that the Perak government has encroached onto their land to carry out logging, barely a month after Putrajaya sued the Kelantan government for a similar alleged infraction.

Villagers from Kampung Tasik Cunex Grik have set up a blockade to prevent lorries from ferrying felled timber from entering the area.

On Feb 1, they lodged a police report on the matter.

They also claim the logging company and the Perak Forestry Department are threatening them.

Villagers claim the logging company brought in some machinery on Dec 19 last year and damaged pipes that supplied water to some 50 villagers in the Tasik Cunex area.

In early January, they said, they complained to the state government and the menteri besar about the matter only for it to fall on deaf ears.

A representative of the community, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said when the illegal logging began, they ramped up their protest.

“We protested, and when we were ignored, we set up a blockade.

“On Jan 31, a spokesperson for the logging company and a representative of the Perak Forestry Department said they will not hesitate to employ rough tactics if we prevent them from logging,” the spokesperson told FMT.

Meanwhile, Petubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka) president Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil called on the federal government to haul the Perak government to court.

“Don’t only sue Kelantan for destroying the lives of the Orang Asli,” she said, adding that logging was rampant in Perak.

Last month, Putrajaya filed a suit against the PAS-ruled Kelantan government over allegations of encroachment into Orang Asli settlements, the first such suit by the federal government involving native land rights.

It also wants an injunction to stop private companies from encroaching into native lands to carry out commercial activities.