Report: Perak suspends logging at Hulu Chepam after Orang Asli protest
The Perak state government has issued an order to suspend all logging activities in its Hulu Chepam forest after a protest by the Temiar Orang Asli tribe, who are claiming their rights to the land.
According to a news report, lawyer David Gurupatham said the order was issued by the Perak Forestry Department on Wednesday, after meeting among the authorities, the logging company and representatives of the tribe...
The Perak state government has issued an order to suspend all logging activities in the Hulu Chepam forest after a protest by the Temiar Orang Asli tribe, who are claiming their rights to the land.
According to a news report, lawyer David Gurupatham said the order was issued by the Perak Forestry Department on Wednesday, after meeting among the authorities, the logging company and representatives of the tribe.
"After the discussions, the Perak Forestry Department gave us a copy of the instruction to suspend all logging activities," David was quoted as saying by The Malaysian Insight today.
David is representing the tribe, which wants a declaration that they have rights to the forest as their ancestral land.
According to the report, logging activities at the forest have resumed about a week ago, after the government relaxed its Covid-19 movement control order on economic activities.
This had led to the Temiar erecting their blockades in Kampung Sungai Papan again, when the loggers returned.
David (above) was then tasked to file an injunction in the High Court in Perak to prevent authorities from demolishing the blockades, but was met with protests. The state government then called for the meeting to discuss the matter.
However, the lawyer reportedly said that he would still proceed to file a civil suit to have an area the size of 42 hectares declared as the Temiar's ancestral land.
Standoffs between the Temiars and logging companies are not new.
In July last year, a clash between the two groups occurred, which resulted in three Temiar men arrested by the authorities and handcuffed.
They were released several hours later, after the then minister in the Prime Minister's Department, P Waythamoorthy, condemned the arrests.
Loggers have also reportedly torn down blockades erected by the Orang Asli.
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