The Temerloh High Court today rejected the application for a judicial review by two Orang Asli to have water and electricity supply connected to a multipurpose building in Kampung Pasu, Mukim Jenderak.

Judicial commissioner Akhtar Tahir said that the move by the Temerloh District and Land Office and the Pahang government in not supplying water and electricity to the building was appropriate as the structure was illegally built.

Akhtar said that the land where the building was sited was not gazetted as an Orang Asli land.

"The Orang Asli Act requires an area or a piece of land to be gazetted as an Orang Asli reserve.

"In this case, the said area has not been gazetted as such. The application is therefore dismissed; the decision by the Temerloh district and land administrator is in order," he said.

In their application, Wet Ket, 59, and son Yaman, 33, claimed that they received a notice from the Temerloh District and Land Office informing them that the building, which was completed in July 2003, was built on government land.

They claimed that the building, which also functioned as a church, was then demolished on Nov 30, 2006 by the Temerloh District and Land Office.

They also said that the federal government later gave RM35,000 to rebuild the structure.

After the building was completed in April 2007, they said, the Temerloh District and Land Office refused to connect water and electricity supply to the building, which was being used by a congregation of about 70 Christians.

Met by reporters later, Wet Ket and Yaman said they would appeal against the decision.

- Bernama