ORANG Asli affected by the Nenggiri hydroelectric dam, now being built in Gua Musang, Kelantan, are planning to seek a court injunction to stop the project that will submerge their ancestral forests.

Kelantan Orang Asli Village Network (JKOAK) chairman Mustafa Along said the application will be filed by next month.

“A lot of documents are currently being reviewed by lawyers before the application can be filed, by next month at the latest.

“JKOAK will also hold a press conference when the application is filed,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

The network, which represents around 3,000 Orang Asli from 17 areas across Kelantan, are against the RM5 billion dam that will submerge 5,384ha of forests where ancestral graves are located and where they go in search for food and their livelihood.

Their previous appeals to stop the project, including a demonstration in Putrajaya outside the Prime Minister’s Office earlier this month, have fallen on deaf ears.

“We will stick to our efforts to stop the project. Legal action, if necessary, so we will apply for the injunction,” Mustafa said.

On June 7, Mustafa led more than 100 Orang Asli to Putrajaya to stage a peaceful protest and hand a memorandum to the prime minister. It was received by special officer Muhammad Faizal Sufar.

The protesters came from 17 districts in Kelantan, including Balar, Belated, Kampung Kuala Bering, Hau, Pulau, Tohoi and Gob.

The dam, in the state’s interior, will block the flow of Sungai Betis to generate 300MW of electricity. The groundbreaking ceremony for the dam took place on June 12.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Takiyuddin Hassan has said the project will proceed and begin generating electricity in mid-2027.

“If continued, this project will submerge important areas of Temiar Orang Asli that have historical value, namely Gua Cha and Gua Chawas, which are evidence of the community’s early existence. They also have artefacts that form the early history of Kelantan,” Mustafa said.

Previously, Mustafa had also said that villagers were compensated with only RM12 for every tree lost to the project.

Orang Asli affected also said they will not be able to adapt to their new settlement as it is different from their traditional way of life.

Orang Asli in Kelantan have long fought the authorities over various development issues that take away forested land, which they have depended on for generations and claimed as their ancestral land.

Throughout 2016, 2017 and 2018, there were several reports of blockades they had erected in various parts of the state to stop loggers who had been given permits by the state government. Most ended with police arresting the Orang Asli and dismantling the blockades.

In March last year, the villagers of Kampung Kelaik secured a court injunction to stop logging, mining and agricultural activities in part of Gua Musang. – June 22, 2022.