AN Orang Asli blockade in Gua Musang has been destroyed by men allegedly linked to a durian plantation company, two days after Deputy Rural and Regional Development Minister Sivarasa Rasiah threw his support behind the community.
Pos Simpor Orang Asli activist Nur Mohd Syafiq Dendi Abdullah said a large group of men arrived with heavy vehicles at the blockade at Kaleg in the Ulu Kelantan forest reserve about 6pm today.
Without warning, some of the men took out chainsaws and proceeded to cut through the wooden and bamboo barricades erected across the dirt road connecting Gua Musang to six Orang Asli villages.
The road also leads to a 400ha durian and timber clone plantation. The Orang Asli have maintained the blockade on the road for five months in a bid to stop plantation operations as they say it sits on their native land.
“They cut through the barricades and demolished the guard post next to it. They then drove their pick-up trucks and lorries to the plantation,” Dendi told The Malaysian Insight.
“It happened very fast. Fortunately, none of us were harmed,” he said.
Another Orang Asli activist, Mustafa Along said he had gotten into a shouting match with some of the men from the vehicles while the others cut down the barricade.
“One of them snatched my handphone away when I attempted to take pictures of them. It happened too fast for us to do anything.”
Mustafa said the men were going to a durian plantation located about two hours up the road from the blockade.
“I am sure they are headed to the plantation. There’s nowhere else they are going. They’re the only ones we’ve stopped at this blockade,” said Mustafa of the Kelantan Indigenous Peoples Network (JKOAK).
Mustafa said a police report will be lodged soon over the incident.
The Orang Ali community manning the Kaleg blockade have had a few tense confrontations with workers heading to the plantation.
In June, Dendi said he and about 20 other activists manning the blockade were almost run over by the worker’s vehicles.
A Malaysian Insight visit to the plantation found that it stretches over four low hills which have been cleared and are carved with circular roads.
The peaks of the two highest hills have been flattened for helicopter pads. It is ringed by closed circuit television cameras but there is no signboard indicating who owns it.
On August 2, the community’s blockade received strong backing from Sivarasa, the deputy rural and regional development minister, who said it was their right to protect their land.
He had also promised that any physical threats to the activists will be dealt with by the authorities.
Sivarasa said the federal government will start talks with PAS-ruled Kelantan to map and gazette Orang Asli customary lands so as to stop encroachment. – August 4, 2018.
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Posted 5 years ago by [email protected] · Reply
Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply
Posted 5 years ago by Aziff Azuddin · Reply
Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply
It seems they all condone such thuggish behaviour.. please do something urgently and show the plantation thughs the Government means busIness!
Posted 5 years ago by Thiruchelvam Thirunavukarasu · Reply
Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply
Posted 5 years ago by Belah Belah · Reply
Posted 5 years ago by Malaysia New hope · Reply