Palm | Kelapa Sawit

The Star 28 Dec 12;

GUA MUSANG: Conversion of natural forests to latex timber clone (LTC) plantations completely destroys an area's natural biodiversity and ecology and could wipe out endemic species altogether, said environment and forestry expert Lim Teck Wyn.

“We are talking about thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of species.

“Some are known to be rare, some found only in Kelantan and some only in one specific location.

“If we destroy a locality like that, there is a possibility that the plant would be made extinct immediately,” he warned.

In addition, he said plantations contained very little minor forest produce, such as rattan or bamboo natural resources that the orang asli depend on.

He noted that the law currently allowed forests to be cleared as long as it was replanted with “timber producing trees”.

It would then still be considered a forest reserve, despite the fact that LTCs would drastically change the character of the forest, he said.

“In Peninsular Malaysia, there are plans to create more than 400,000ha of LTCs, while I hear almost 200,000ha has been planned in Kelantan,” he said.

Lim claimed that some of the clearing work done in Kelantan was a violation of the guidelines, with scant regard for the hill slope degree or an environmental impact assessment.

He said very few animals could live in plantations as well, which further affect orang asli villages throughout the area.

“The orang asli don't just live on a dot on the map.

“They live in a more complicated system which encompasses the forest surroundings,” he said.

Orang asli in dire straits
Isabelle Lai The Star 28 Dec 12;

GUA MUSANG: Years of protests have come to naught for an estimated 10,000 orang asli who are living in dire straits due to extensive logging and forest conversion in Kelantan.

Orang asli activists, who have accused the state government of turning a deaf ear to their grouses, are now upping the ante in the battle to have their land rights legally recognised.

One of them, Dendy Johari, 20, claimed that Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat's administration was not taking responsibility for their welfare.

“The MB must understand our problems as they affect us directly, day in and day out. We are not greedy for a lot of land.

“We just want our native territory to be ours and left unspoiled.

“We want to live in a forest full of natural resources.”

He said the orang asli were also disappointed with the state Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) as it had not assisted them despite numerous complaints about logging.

Water tanks were installed at the villages in 2010 but the water ran out within weeks, he claimed.

“We joked that the water tanks in the villages were mere decorative items. What use are they?

“We still rely on the river for our water needs,” he said.

Another orang asli activist, Awir Awe, said their villages, while left untouched, were surrounded by vast areas of logged forest which had been converted to monocrop industrial plantations, including latex timber clone plantations.

This has affected their livelihood as they depended on the forests for their food and materials for their craftwork, medicine and other daily requirements.

The logging, he claimed, had also muddied the rivers, while pesticide use in plantations had triggered fears of water pollution and health issues.

However, Awir said the orang asli were no longer taking the pillaging of what they deemed as their “native territory (wilayah adat)” lying down.

They are outraged that all of these activities have been done throughout the years with scant regard for their well-being as well as no prior consultation with them.

Awir is one of a rising number of people who have been fighting for their land rights to be legally recognised by the state government.

Memorandums had been sent, protests and blockades held, and complaints made but to no avail, he claimed.

“Now we are compiling evidence of the history of our occupation in this territory to show how we have used the land for years. Then we will bring this to the court, we will never give up,” he said.

He said they had also documented the chronology of events whenever a new area had been breached, including details about the company involved and the complaints made.

Due to the logging, Awir said even small animals such as squirrels, monkeys and wildboar that the orang asli hunted for food were becoming rare.

“It takes us six hours to hunt for game. When the rivers turn muddy, our rice turns red when we cook it because we have no other water source,” he said.

Kg Guling resident Adi Buru, 54, said all land surrounding the village had been converted into an oil palm plantation without prior engagement with the orang asli.

“Because of the polluted river as well, our children have worms in their stomachs and often have diarrhoea,” he said.

Kelantan has tried to improve the lives of orang asli
The Star 28 Dec 12;

PETALING JAYA: The Kelantan government has tried to bring development to the orang asli in Gua Musang and change their lives for the better through its plantation schemes, said state exco member Datuk Nik Amar Nik Abdullah.

He said the state government had hoped that the orang asli would find jobs working in the oil palm plantations where they could earn around RM300 to RM500 a month.

“But they are not interested. There are jobs, but the companies are forced to take in foreign workers,” he said in an interview.

Nik Amar said the orang asli found it “very difficult to open themselves to change”, adding that plantation work would offer them permanent jobs.

When asked about their unhappiness about the ongoing logging and forest conversion, he said he understood their feelings.

“But if all the forests cannot be touched, how is the Government going to obtain resources?” he asked.

Nik Amar also dismissed the notion that the orang asli deemed the territory around their villages as native territory (wilayah adat), pointing out that this was only applicable in Sabah and Sarawak.

“We will not stop them if they want to file a case against us. But we have acted according to the law,” he said.

He expressed hope that the orang asli can adapt to changing times and stop relying on the forests.

“It's better for them to take a chance, join the development. Their kids need education and a better life,” he said.

State Housing, Public Works, Utility and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Anizam Abd Rahman said he would verify with Jakoa and the land office on all the claims made by the orang asli.