Kelantan Forestry Director Defends State Government

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KOTA BARU – After much flak from social media users and orang asli sympathisers, the Kelantan Forestry Department director has come to the defence of the state government, saying that the mentri besar has approved more than 900ha of land for the indigenous people.

Zahari Ibrahim, in a lengthy press statement posted on a WhatsApp group with the Kelantan media, defended the move by his enforcement team to bring down 35 bamboo huts and three blockades built by the orang asli from the Temiar tribe in Gua Musang since late September.

He also said that Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob had approved forest land covering 973ha at Pos Gob as an orang asli reserve and was in the process of getting it gazetted.

“Another 15,000ha of permanent forest reserve will be allocated for the orang asli to roam and hunt. All this will be discussed with the Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa),” he said in the statement.

Zahari also dismissed condemnation by netizens and orang asli sympathisers over the move by his enforcement team. He congratulated his team instead for their swift action.

He denied that they were cruel towards the activists, of whom 47 were arrested and released after a day in lockup.

“We have negotiated this matter with the orang asli since the first blockade in March at Pos Gob.

“Negotiations were ongoing and on June 20, the orang asli and loggers reached an agreement, and the blockade was removed.

“However, on Sept 27, another group of orang asli started to amass, camp and build barricades to stop logs from leaving the Balah permanent forest reserve,” he said.

The state government, he added, had been patient with the orang asli by ordering stop-work orders on any logging activities at the 239ha and 404ha compartments and giving them a two-week ultimatum to dismantle the illegal barricades.

Meanwhile, Jaringan Orang Asli Kelantan secretary Mustapa Along, who was one of those arrested in the Nov 29 crackdown, said the orang asli had no choice but to take such drastic action after negotiating with the Kelantan government for the past 23 years.

“I have never heard about the move to gazette the land for orang asli reserve. This is an attempt by the Forestry Department and the Kelantan government to justify their aggression against the minorities,” he said when contacted – thestaronline