The indigenous people of Kampung Pos Lanai in Kuala Lipis have launched a fund seeking donations to help them in their fight to protect their ancestral land.

The natives are currently embroiled in a legal tussle with Tenaga Berhad Nasional (TNB), the company in charge of the Telom dam construction, to challenge the acquisition of their ancestral land.

"Today we officially launch the Pos Lanai Struggle Fund. This fund will be fully used for organising costs in stopping the construction of the Telom Dam," said Jeffry Hassan, the chairperson of the Pos Lanai Orang Asal Land and Customs action committee, in a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

Jeffry said that while their lawyer, Yudistra Darma Dorai, is helping them on a pro bono basis, they still need money for transportation, food and other preparation costs.

This is for when they have to attend court, as well as to pay the disbursement fees from the law firm and the cost to complete the Pos Lanai community map.

Any donations should be sent to their Maybank account under the name J Pos Lanai (5560-4805-6948), he said.

He also requested that they be notified of any contributions so that they can issue a receipt.

"We also invite individuals or NGOs to come stay for a day or two at Pos Lanai to enjoy the idyllic life here without any outside influence," he said, adding that those interested should contact him.

Meanwhile, Yudistra said that their next hearing against TNB will be on Aug 12 at the Temerloh High Court.

He said that late last year, the indigenous people had filed a legal action against TNB and received an injunction stopping TNB from entering and working on the land.

However, he complained that TNB had later filed a new action and applied for an ex-parte injunction to stop the natives from barring them from entering and doing work on the land.

Yudistra said TNB should have just filed for the injunction under the existing lawsuit instead.

He said he had filed for an application to dismiss that injunction as he argued that it was an abuse of the court process.

Malaysiakini has contacted TNB on this matter and is awaiting their response.

The Telom dam would be the third biggest hydroelectric dam in Peninsula Malaysia, generating 132 megawatts with a reservoir area of 7,600 hectares.

The dam has affected several villages in the area, displacing almost 300 indigenous families or 1,500 individuals.