The forests of Kampung Sebir, Labu is home to the Temuan Tribe of Negeri Sembilan.

A serene and agrarian society, the Temuan tribe have lived in the forests for well over 200 years in peace and harmony with the land and nature.

But of late, the quiet and relative peace of this aboriginal or orang asli village has been shattered by the jarring sounds of bulldozers and electric chain saws.

the antidote article long kerong sarawak timber logging samling 090609 04 Timber loggers have invaded the forests of Kampung Sebir, felling trees that have been here, some for far longer than even the Temuan tribe.

Village head Tok Batin Uvan Bujang lamented the destruction of not just nature but of a very old and ancient way of life.

"They (the loggers) cut down trees as they please without asking for our permission. By right, they should see me first," he said angirily.

The 86 year old village head, who was also a former army officer, said that the authorities have never cared about their plight and no one has ever visited them or their land.

Bulldozed down

A citizen journalist video taken in late April this year highlighted the plight of the Temuan peoples.

The video shows trees felled by bulldozers and forests that have been cleared,

But it is uncertain who exactly are these loggers for whom they work for.

The villagers have expressed their dissatisfaction with the Negeri Sembilan state government for not caring about the Temuan people's rights to the land.

Bujang has made an appeal asking "for the government to be more proactive about us. Please don't allow the cutting down of our trees. It is my hope that the current government will (speak up for us)," said Bujang.

Click here to watch the video.

Video contributed by Nick Josh Karean, a fellow of the Malaysiakini-ICFJ citizen journalism workshop.