MALAYSIA: Orang Asli go to court to stake their land rights against National Park and palm oil plantation

Jakun-Orang Asli from Kg Peta and the Mersing area share alight moment while waiting for thier case to be called.

28 March 2012

Orang Asli groups of Mersing and Bera districts are in the court asserting their rights to their traditional and customary lands against forced evictions for Endau Rompin National Park in Mersing and oil palm plantation in Bera.

On 21 March, the Orang Asli of Kampung Peta, Mersing, Johor filed an application for leave to apply for judicial review at Johor Bahru High Court against Mersing District Land Administrator’s order to evict the them from their customary land encompassing the Endau Rompin National Park. 51 Orang Asli from Kampung Peta and the neighbouring villages of Tanah Abang, Punan, and Mentelong travelled all the way from the interior of northeast Johor to the state capital for the court matter.

CAMBODIA: Indigenous People To Hold Protest March to Save Their Land

07/03/2012

Phnom Penh, (SCB Press)–Cambodia’s indigenous people plan to hold peaceful rally march in Ratanakiri’s Banlung city on 19 March to protest against land grabbing and rampant illegal logging in their community according to letter issued today from Ratanakiri ADHOC Office to provincial hall.

The protest march will have 1000 indigenous people from different affected communities of Ratanakiri to participate in the march. The letter stated that the marcher will first rally at ADHOC Office in Ratanakiri to pray for help from ancestor spirit and then walk from office across key departments and offices of the province which those are Department of Transpiration, Agriculture, Information, Ratanakiri Forestry Administration Office, Court House, Provincial Hall and provincial roundabout before return to provincial ADHOC office.

CAMBODIA: Prey Lang protectors warned

May Titthara
Thursday, 08 March 2012

Member of the Prey Lang Network said yesterday that Ouch Sam On, the deputy governor of Kampong Thom province, had told them he would not be responsible if they were shot while protecting Prey Lang forest.

Kim Cheng, 50, a member of the network, said villagers would not obey an order to stay out of the forest and would continue patrolling for illegal loggers.

“Ouch Sam On threatened villagers and told us we were not allowed to patrol anymore,” he said.

“Maybe he is cooperating with businessmen who are illegally cutting trees, so he is afraid our patrols will expose his interest.”

More than 30 companies have been granted economic land or mining concessions in the forest, which covers 3,600 square kilometres in four provinces in the country’s north, and villagers say illegal loggers regularly cut down trees for luxury timber.

Cambodia’s Amazon under threat

Written by Borin Noun

WEDNESDAY, 07 MARCH 2012

Illegal logging, government collusion combine 

The sounds of birds chirping filter down through the forest canopy as the 200 members of Prey Lang Network walk deep into Cambodia’s most precious rainforest.

The group, dedicated to stopping illegal logging, have set out on foot from the city of Kam Pong Thmor to the Prey Lang Forest, arguably Cambodia’s Amazon, a remote 200,000 hectares of virgin timber. Five hours in, they discover newly built roads and illegally logged timber. 

CAMBODIA: Indigenous land exploited

Tep Nimol
Friday, 02 March 2012

The Royal Government of Cambodia and private land developers were exploiting indigenous communities in Mondulkiri and Ratanakkiri provinces by signing concession deals for the communities’ land without prior consultation, advocates said yesterday.

“We urge the government as well as the private sector to respect [indigenous peoples’] rights to their land . . .  and their rights to independence and cultural integrity,” Chhith Sam Ath, executive director of the NGO Forum, said.