Three Temiar Orang Asli arrested after clash with loggers
Three Temiar Orang Asli have been detained at the Kampung Sungai Papan blockade site this morning (photo, above) after a clash with loggers, according to Center for Orang Asli Concerns coordinator Colin Nicholas.
"They were arrested by the police and taken to IPD Gerik," Colin told Malaysiakini when contacted...
Three Temiar Orang Asli have been detained at the Kampung Sungai Papan blockade site this morning (photo, above) after a clash with loggers, according to Centre for Orang Asli Concerns coordinator Colin Nicholas.
"They were arrested by the police and taken to IPD Gerik," Colin told Malaysiakini when contacted.
COAC, in a Facebook post earlier, said they were alerted by villagers reporting that loggers, with assistance from the police, had taken down the Temiar's blockade.
According to COAC, yesterday a group of four Temiar representatives had met with the Perak Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) director and an officer of the Perak Forestry Department but were given an unsatisfactory explanation that logging permits were "secret documents" which cannot be revealed.
COAC claimed that the police had come with the loggers to the Temiar’s blockade yesterday, threatening to arrest anyone who resisted the loggers.
“By a stroke of good fortune, the state director for Jakoa-Perak was making a planned visit to the settlement.
“The Jakoa director intervened in the confrontation, and asked for, as did the Temiars earlier, their logging permits and other authorisation papers. None were produced,” COAC said in a separate Facebook posting.
They said the Jakoa state director then proposed for the Temiars to meet with the Forestry Department and other parties at the Jakoa office later.
This was when a Forestry Department officer said the logging permits were “secret”, they said.
“He also did not give satisfactory answers as to why no consultation was done with the villagers before the logging permits were issued, or why no signboards were put up,” they said.
Not putting up signboards and not holding consultations with the villagers are not in accordance with the criteria set up by the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCC), COAC said.
The forestry officer insisted that the guideline was not under his purview and that his office receives instructions from the relevant state exco with regards to logging matters.
“The Temiars lodged a police report on this matter this morning and are prepared to defend their blockade and their customary lands.
“The battle is not in their favour now, as the loggers are further emboldened with the Forestry Department (and the police) on their side now,” COAC said.
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