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By
Shahrullizan Rusli
KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 (Bernama)
-- Land exploitation, especially those carried out illegally around the Main
Range near Gombak, Selangor and Bentong, Pahang, is increasingly threatening
the livelihood of the Orang Asli community there.
The exploitation which leads to the destruction of the forest in the areas
concerned are greatly affecting the settlers of Kampung Sungai Relang, an Orang
Asli settlement located about 10km from the
From a settlement that used to accommodate scores of families, the population
of the Orang Asli community from the Temuan tribe living there had declined to
only five families as a result of the reckless exploitation and encroachment of
the land there.
The settlement which is equipped with a kindergarten is now quiet with many
empty houses.
Village Tok Batin, Mail Aweh, 60, said most of his people had to move out. The
younger groups migrated to the urban centres while the rest either moved to the
Batu 12 Orang Asli Settlement, Gombak or settlements which are much further in
the interior of the
"Since the forest exploitation became more intense, our sources of staple
food and income including scented wood, rattan, wild fruits and fish in the
village and villages near Bentong have been declining.
"We feel very sad over the attitude of outsiders who are totally
unsympathetic with regard to the Orang Asli community. Most of us feel that
there is no longer any future for us here, so we have to migrate
elsewhere," said Mail who used to look for the "Tongkat Ali"
roots or the "Bunga Pakma" to be sold to traditional medicine
practitioners.
He was also complaining about the lack of efforts by the authorities to attract
his people who had migrated to come back to the settlement.
"Not only has our forest been illegally exploited, our request for
electricity supply and other amenities are also not entertained...the reason
given is the cost of providing such amenities is too high, whereas our
settlement is located less than one kilometre from the Karak Highway,"
Mail said.
However, he conceded that part of the durian orchard there had been sold by the
settlers to outsiders several years ago.
Mail claimed that among those who exploited the jungles there were the buyers
of the durian orchard.
Jungle felling by these outsiders had destroyed the catchment area to the
extent that the streams which had been their source of water supply and fish
for ages had now disappeared or had become nothing more than a drain.
He also claimed that he had reported the illegal forest exploitation there to
the Department of Orang Asli Affairs on several occasions but "no action
had been taken until now".
Meanwhile, the Forest Department at Bukit Tinggi and the Bentong District
Office declined to comment on the illegal exploitation of the forest there.
-- BERNAMA