PETALING JAYA: Kelantan Umno chief Mustapa Mohamed has weighed in on the plight of the Orang Asli in Gua Musang asking for all parties to put aside political differences to come up with a solution, The Star reported.

He was commenting on the ongoing dispute over large tracts of land where the Orang Asli have settled all their lives, but which have been encroached by logging companies.

“Orang Asli are citizens too. We need to find out what is the real problem. Is it about land, forest or loss of earning.

“We must first get the facts right. We see conflicting reports from various parties,” he was quoted as saying after chairing a Kelantan Development Action Coun­cil meeting yesterday.

He added that Putrajaya and the PAS-led state government must meet and discuss ways to find a long-term solution.

Since late last year, the Orang Asli in settlements around Gua Musang have put up barricades to block logging companies from coming in to clear large tracts of land.

The devastation was shown in aerial photos taken by Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Semenanjung Malaysia, an NGO caring for the welfare of the indigenous people, last December. It was reported then that 80% of the logging activities took place in and around Orang Asli settlements.

In January, the Magistrate’s Court in Kota Bharu quashed a bid by logging companies to operate on land occupied by the Orang Asli community in Kelantan.

Over the past three months, the Orang Asli and the Kelantan forestry department have been at loggerheads with many from the indigenous community being detained, and charged but later released. Barricades that were broken by the state authorities were also rebuilt shortly after.

Then, early last month, the authorities were said to have set the barricades ablaze and also, according to witnesses, burnt the huts that were set up by the Orang Asli near the barricades too.

Mustapa, who is also the inter­national trade and industry minister, said the Kelantan police chief has briefed him on the latest situation there.

“The situation is under control over the past few days, but we must se­­riously find ways to alleviate the problem.

“Although it may be difficult to accede to all their (orang asli) demands, we want to understand what is the real issue. Only then we can plan and finalise the proposal,” he was quoted as saying by The Star.

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Aerial photos show devastation of Gua Musang logging

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