CJMY
The Orang Asli Kelaik wage a fierce legal war to reclaim their ancestral land, stolen by logging and greed.
At the Kuala Lumpur High Court, their raw testimonies from March 10–12 laid bare a chilling truth: deforestation and unchecked companies shred their heritage.
This isn’t just a courtroom clash—it’s a desperate cry to save a way of life.
Picture this: sacred sites smashed, rivers choked with filth, farms gone.
That’s the reality for the Kelaik, a Temiar community in Gua Musang, Kelantan.
They’re suing 14 entities, including the Kelantan government, for trampling their rights.
What Orang Asli Kelaik revealed in court
Ahak bin Uda didn’t mince words. He told the court logging razed their farms and fouled their rivers.
No consent, no warning—just destruction.
Anjang bin Uda, village secretary, backed him up with maps and records, proving their roots run deep.
Aziz bin Angah added the gut punch: sacred burial rites now falter.
Experts like Dr Kamal Solhaimi bin Fadzil piled on evidence—cultural docs and a 2012 police report.
“We wait and see,” Anjang said.
The judge nixed an in situ visit for now, delaying a firsthand look at the wreckage.
Next, Greenpeace’s Nur Sakeenah Omar fired up the cause.
“Orang Asli guard our forests,” she said.
“Give them their land rights—or watch it all burn.”
SUARAM’s Amirah Haziqah traced the saga back to 2012.
“Years of ruin, yet they stand firm,” she marvelled.
Why Orang Asli Kelaik case shakes Malaysia
This battle echoes beyond Kelantan. Orang Asli across Malaysia face the same gut-wrenching loss—land snatched, forests felled, rights ignored.
The Kelaik case could flip the script.
A win might force accountability, shielding Indigenous lands from corporate claws.
Since 2009, companies have gnawed at Kelaik’s forests.
Pollution now taints their food and water, per a GivingHub campaign.
The lawsuit, filed in 2021, pits three villagers against ten firms and four state bodies.
It’s David versus Goliath, with heritage on the line.
Also, the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) rule got trashed here.
That’s a global standard Malaysia flaunts but fails to enforce.
The Orang Asli Kelaik demand it—and rightly so.
Web digs reveal a 2025 trial schedule: June 15–16, August 26–27, October 27–29.
Each date’s a pulse in this long-haul fight for justice.
The Orang Asli Kelaik don’t just want their land—they need it to live.
Next hearings loom, and the world watches. Civil groups vow to keep the spotlight blazing.
Visit www.givinghub.asia to back their cause.
Justice here could rewrite Indigenous rights. Don’t let their voice fade.
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