JOHOR BARU: The Johor Forestry Department is in the process of identifying and profiling permanent forest reserves that have been exploited by outsiders, says its director Datuk Salim Aman (pic).
He said the department is collecting information to be submitted to the state government to determine the next course of action.
“Some of the locations have been exploited and used as illegal settlements and plantations for oil palm and rubber.
“The locations identified are large pieces of land, mostly in Segamat and Kluang.
“For example, in Bekok, about five to six villages are involved in these activities.
“As the land is quite huge, it is even difficult for us to enter. There is also a conflict between the authorities and the villagers as they are often backed by NGOs,” he said when met by the media at the Johor Economic, Tourism and Cultural Office buka puasa event in Puteri Harbour here on Wednesday.
Salim said in principle, there was no prohibition against the forests being used as kawasan rayau (roaming areas) for Orang Asli.
“They are allowed to use the area surrounding their villages to scour for food and for their survival – only the Orang Asli are allowed to do so, not outsiders.
“It becomes an issue when they convert the forest into illegal plantations and also exploit the land outside the forest reserves.
“Judging by the scale, we believe the Orang Asli are helped by outsiders as the plantations were done quite systematically, much like those operated by big companies with machinery and such.
“We can always differentiate between a plantation managed by a smallholder and one managed by a company,” he added.
Salim said a meeting was held with the authorities such as the police and Orang Asli Development Department to determine the necessary action based on Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar’s recent decree.
In a recent exclusive interview with The Star, Sultan Ibrahim said the Orang Asli community in the state was being exploited by outsiders, and steps need to be taken to address this situation.
He said some Orang Asli have been carrying out illegal clearing of land to plant oil palm, felling sandalwood trees and trapping wildlife.
The Ruler said as custodian, he suggested that their land be made Sultanate land, similar to national parks, which can prevent exploitation.
He also said a group of lawyers, who had previously taken the government to court in Bekok, were involved in similar cases in Kuala Masai and Kampung Peta.
On April 5, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said gazetting Orang Asli land as Sultanate land did not mean that the land would then belong to the Ruler.
He told the public not to “hide and twist the noble intentions of the state government”, nor should they confuse the Orang Asli community with regards to the gazetting of the land.
“The Johor Ruler becomes the custodian of this land reserve and will continue to take care of the welfare and interest of the Orang Asli,” said Onn Hafiz, adding that no party could then exploit or misuse these reserves.
He said that the Orang Asli community could still use the land and harvest forest resources.
