They claimed that the companies had turned eight hectares out of the 404-hectare land into a gold mine and had made roads leading to the area for lorries to transport the mineral.
They said the mining activities took place without negotiating with the settlers.
A 53-year-old settler, Mohd Roffi Seman, said some of the settlers incurred thousands of ringgit in losses over the past two months after their rubber trees were destroyed without any compensation.
“A representative from the mining companies came to see the settlers and mentioned about paying compensation of between RM17 and RM25 for each tree that was cut down. However, after two months now, the settlers have not received the money,” he told reporters at the protest yesterday.
Roffi also said they had met with a representative of the Tanah Merah Land Office over this issue, but was told that the authorities were unaware of the matter and had not approved any kind of mining activities in the area.