Friday November 6, 2009
Orang asli protest against clearing of plantation
ROMPIN: Some 300 orang asli from five villages in Muadzam Shah here staged a peaceful demonstration yesterday to protest against the clearing of their two-year-old oil palm plantation in Kampung Tanam.
According to their land development action committee chairman Othman Gudeh, 44, the villagers from the Jakun tribe had cultivated the 1,800ha of land on their own although they knew it belonged to the Government.
“However, a clause in the Orang Asli Act permits orang asli communities to open any land close to their villages for their benefit.
“So we made use of that clause to improve our living, as we calculated that with full capacity of oil palm fruits in four to five years, we could earn some RM3,000 extra each,’’ Othman said.
Peaceful rally: The orang asli protesting against the oil palm project in Kampung Tanam, Muadzam Shah, Rompin yesterday. He said part of the plantation was bulldozed last month by Rompin district authorities for a company involved in East Coast Economic Region (ECER) projects without prior negotiations or discussions.
“We support ECER projects. However, there is other vacant land suitable for the projects, so why did the Government decide to take land planted with oil palm?
“We have forwarded the matter to the relevant authorities, including the Orang Asli Affairs Department, but there has been no action taken so far,” Othman added.
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