Authorities have destroyed blockade set up by the Temiar community in Gua Musang three times over the past few days, claims Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Kelantan chairperson Mustafa Along.

“The Forestry Department, the police, the land office authorities, they came and destroyed our barricades three times,” Mustafa told Malaysiakini today.

The third and latest incident, he said, was at 11am today when authorities tore down the barricades the Temiar community had built.

Mustafa said the authorities used bulldozers to destroy their blockade and timber logs were removed from the area.

According to another member of the community, Abang Jabeng, the previous two times the blockade was torn was on Sunday and Monday.

The repeated destruction of their blockade, he said, leaves the community with little room to manoeuvre in defending their land. 

“We will have to discuss what we want to do next,” he said.

The Orang Asli in Gua Musang have been actively trying to prevent workers from logging, mining and plantation companies from entering their ancestral lands. 

This year alone, Temiar activists have been manning three blockades since Feb 15.

A durian plantation company has since filed a lawsuit against Mustafa over the blockades erected and the trial date has been set for Oct 28.

The plantation company had previously claimed it was the victim of an "illegal blockade" and appealed to the prime minister to intervene in the tussle.

Kelantan authorities have so far been unsympathetic to the plight of the Temiars, claiming the land they are on does not belong to them.

The community has also approached the prime minister, but was told that the federal government's hands were tied as land matters were mostly under state jurisdiction – in this case with the opposition PAS government.

The latest incident occurred despite the federal and the Kelantan governments saying in September that both arrived at a solution to the Gua Musang Orang Asli community’s land claims based on previous court decisions.