Singaporean Tan Eng Yong, 31, Lau Kam Wai, 53, R Navaraj, 23, K Prasanth, 28, and K Jaya Kumar, 52, claimed trial in the Kota Tinggi sessions court this morning, reported Berita Harian.

Tan is the director of a factory in Kota Tinggi and Lau is a shareholder. Navaraj is a lorry driver while Prasanth and Jaya are lorry attendants.

The five were accused of abetting sabotage at a mining area near Kampung Orang Asli Pasir Intan in Tenggara between 8pm and 11.30pm on Sept 4.

They were charged with one more accused who is still at large.

The charge was framed under Section 124K of the Penal Code for sabotage, read with Section 109 of the law for abetment. If convicted, they could face between 30 and 40 years in prison.

Judge Hayda Faridzal Abu Hasan fixed Nov 14 for mention of the case, which is set to be transferred to the Johor Bahru High Court. He did not allow bail for all the accused.

Earlier this month, Johor faced a series of odour pollution incidents, believed to have been caused by chemical waste dumping in rivers around Johor Bahru and Kota Tinggi.

Previously, 38 Orang Asli residents of Kampung Pasir Intan were relocated to a nearby community hall after reporting breathing difficulties because of odour pollution in Sungai Linggiu, a tributary of Sungai Sayong.