More than 200 Orang Asli from the Temiar community in Gua Musang, Kelantan, are seeking Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's intervention in the battle over their ancestral land.
Accusing the PAS-led Kelantan state government of being insensitive to their plight, the Orang Asli are hoping that Putrajaya will make a difference.
Their memorandum was received by Mahathir's political secretary Abu Bakar Yahya outside the Prime Minister's Office.
The group's spokesperson Nik Mohd Syafiq Dendi Abdullah told reporters there had been no response from the Kelantan state government since their first meeting held in 2013.
"Since then (2013) until now there has been no action or acknowledgment by the state government to resolve our land issues.
"This is despite the fact that we represent the Orang Asli living in the areas and have a better understanding of our own situation," Nik Mohd Syafiq (photo) added.
He also said the Kelantan government insisted that their network was an unregistered NGO.
Nik Mohd Syafiq, who heads the Kelantan Orang Asli Youth Network, said this left them with no option but to erect blockades since Feb 18 this year.
According to him, the problem stems from the Kelantan government's refusal to recognise the concept of ancestral lands.
"The state government should recognise ancestral land territories," he insisted.
Nik Mohd Shafiq said the state government's argument that there are no Orang Asli reserve lands should be rejected as it was a result of "ignorance" with regard to their ancestors' existence in the areas for thousands of years.
Among others, the Orang Asli demanded that the federal government investigates a local company involved in logging activities in their area; put a stop to all other activities by private companies in the areas; as well as to set up an Ancestral Land Tribunal towards a formal recognition of their rights to land.
The group is also scheduled to meet with Mahathir this afternoon and further discuss their demands for a formal recognition of their ancestral land rights.
According to Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Kelantan president Mustafa Along, a Musang King durian plantation company had demolished a blockade set up by the Temiar community on Aug 4.
The latest escalation was despite a recent visit by Rural Development Deputy Minister R Sivarasa to the blockade, during which he promised to help resolve the dispute between the Orang Asli villagers and the plantation firm. -Mkini
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