Malay-rights NGO Perkasa in Kelantan has urged the state government to concede to pressures mounted by the local Orang Asli communities against logging activities on their ancestral lands.

State Perkasa chairperson Che Asri Ali said his group is in full support of the blockades erected by Orang Asli communities at several areas in Gua Musang to halt the logging activities.

"The state-government through companies appointed to carry out logging activities in the areas should immediately cease their work," Che Asri told Malaysiakini.

It was reported yesterday that three new blockades were erected at the Gunung Stong Selatan forest reserves since last Thursday to protect their ancestral lands against not just loggers, but also durian plantations.

The three blockades were erected at Chawas, Gua Cha and Pos Gob. 

Che Asri, meanwhile, also said the state government should have considered impact faced by the Orang Asli communities if their environment was threatened.

If the land clearing continued, he said it was akin to a persecution committed against the native settlers of the land.

"We cannot compromise on this issue and the state government should have respected previous court decisions on the matter.

"This involved the rights of the Orang Asli who have for generations resided in the areas. As a government, Kelantan should have acted in a more fair manner and for the betterment of the people," he stressed.

Deforestation and logging in Gua Musang are longstanding issues which the local Orang Asli communities have been fighting against for years.

In January last year, the Gua Musang Magistrate's Court had ruled that a logging company cannot enter a disputed area in Pos Balar where a blockade had been set up as it belonged to the local Orang Asli community.