Trial starts for Pahang Orang Asli land rights suit against govt

 

A bid by Orang Asli villagers from Kampung Pos Lanai in Kuala Lipis to secure their land from encroachment by Putrajaya and the Pahang state government went to trial today.

The civil action is being heard by the Temerloh High Court in Pahang for the next three days.

“Today we have emboldened ourselves to testify in court,” said Pos Lanai Orang Asli Land and Territories Action Committee chairperson Jeffry Hassan outside of the court.

A video of Jeffrey’s remarks was published by PSM on social media - which has been supporting the community to take legal action.

The Orang Asli from the Semai tribe named the federal and state government, state Lands and Mines Department director, state Forestry Department director, and Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) director-general as defendants.

They are seeking a court declaration that they are the sole holder of customary and land rights of Pos Lanai, as well as for the government to gazette the village as an Orang Asli settlement protected under the Aboriginal Peoples Act.

Pos Lanai Orang Asli Land and Territories Action Committee chairperson Jeffry Hassan

They also want the courts to bar the defendants from carrying out any activities that could harm the land.

The suit - filed in 2021 - is not the first time Pos Lanai Orang Asli have had to take action to safeguard their forest home.

In 2011, there were plans to erect a dam near Pos Lanai, but the project was scrapped by the Pakatan Harapan government in 2019 after the residents took the matter to court and held several protests.

Later in 2020, there were also plans to develop a rare earth mine covering an area that can fit in 924 football fields in the nearby Ulu Jelai forest.

While the project was rejected by the Department of Environment, authorities have found illegal mines in the area as recently as last month. - Mkini