The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has rebuked the Perak government for failing to resolve outstanding disputes involving Orang Asli ancestral lands.

It also expressed concern over reports of intimidation of an Orang Asli by the police. Earlier this month, the Semai community had handed a memorandum to Suhakam on land-related problems.

In a statement, Suhakam commissioner Hamdan Mohd Adnan said the Perak government must ensure that a "fair and just settlement" is reached with the community.

He said no individual or group that complains to Suhakam should be subject to harassment, and that the commission would meet the Perak menteri besar to discuss the problems raised.

On Nov 1, the Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Semai Peringkat Negeri Perak, representing 19 Semai villages, presented a memorandum to Perak Menteri Besar Tajol Rosli Ghazali ( photo ) and Suhakam respectively.

This expressed concern that several plots of ancestral lands in the state have yet to be gazetted as Orang Asli reserves, despite provisions under the law.

As a result, they claimed, land with ancestral graves, villages and traditional farming areas have been taken away for development, demarcated as logging areas, or turned over for commercial farming.

Specific guarantees

In affirming the rights of the Semai community, Hamdan said the Perak government must conduct a full investigation into their complaints of violation.

"As an indigenous people, the Semai enjoy specific guarantees of their identity, including the right of access to ancestral lands and land relied upon for subsistence, and the rights to decide their own patterns of development," he said.

"The possibility of dispossession is putting their way of life and culture under threat. It is a matter of concern that insensitivity to the needs of the Orang Asli may result in more native customary lands being transformed without their consent."

He cited as a case in point, a recent incident where the army allegedly prevented Orang Asli from the Air Banun resettlement scheme near Temenggor lake, from fishing and gathering forest produce in the area.

The row, reported by The Star on Thursday, was between five Orang Asli and soldiers from Battalion 304 based in Grik, who were under the menteri besar's orders to seal off the lake situated in upper Perak, following the drowning of eight in May last year.

The settlers claimed that their fishing nets and lines had been confiscated by soldiers, without proper explanation. The five demanded RM1,500 in compensation.

The army said the incident was a result of "confusion in the enforcement of orders at the ground level".

Hamdan said the army should investigate the incident and award suitable compensation if it has erred in this matter.