FIFTEEN civil society groups want Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari to give a definitive answer on the status of the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve (KLNFR).

The group, which calls itself the Save Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve movement, said they will continue to fight to preserve the land.

They are also discussing litigation if efforts to prevent the degazettement of the forest fails.  

Environmental group, Pertubuhan Pelindungan Khazanah Alam Malaysia (PEKA) exco, Damien Thanam Divean said Amiruddin must remember that the people have rejected the degazettement of KLNFR.

“Even the Selangor assemblymen have all passed a motion to reject the degazettement,” he said during a press conference today.

Divean said they want Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah to stop the degazettement.

KLNFR is opposing Selangor’s plans to cut down and develop 931ha of the peat swamp forest which borders Cyberjaya, Putrajaya, Putra Heights and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to make way for “mixed development”.

It was reported that the degazettement will displace almost 2,000 Temuan Orang Asli from their ancestral land.

On September 29, Orang Asli community leaders objected to the move and expressed their displeasure at a town hall meeting on Pulau Carey.

Early last year, Amirudin had said the administration wants to develop 931ha of the land as it is degraded forest and a source of bushfires.

Temuan tribe representative Shaq Koyok said it is crucial that their voices be heard.  

“Since the beginning of this issue the state government did not consult us. This place has the history of the Temuan.

“Treating us unjustly is shameful. This area is our identity. Degazettement is not an option.”

KLNFR will embark on a signature campaign, urging Amirudin and his exco members to cancel the degazettement.

The campaign is hosted on Greenpeace Malaysia website from today until March 4.

Last year, the number of online signatures reached 129,034. They had also run an email campaign hosted on the Greenpeace website, which reached 1,500 emails within two weeks from October 29 to November 11. – February 4, 2021.