Encroachment on Orang Asli Customary Land in Peninsular Malaysia CAUSES & SOLUTIONS
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Encroachment on Orang Asli Customary Land in Peninsular Malaysia CAUSES & SOLUTIONS SAHABAT ALAM JARINGAN KAMPUNG MALAYSIA ORANG ASLI SEMENANJUNG MALAYSIA All rights reserved. Reproduction or dissemination in parts or whole of any information contained in the publication is permitted for educational or other non-commercial use, under the condition that full references are made to the publication title, year of publication and copyright owners of the publication. Published by Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) and Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Semenanjung Malaysia (JKOASM) Sahabat Alam Malaysia 258, Jalan Air Itam 10460 George Town Penang, Malaysia Tel/Fax: +60 4 228 6930/2 Lot 129A, First Floor Jalan Tuanku Taha PO BOX 216 98058 Marudi Baram, Sarawak, Malaysia Tel/Fax: +60 85 756 973 Email: SAM[at]foe-malaysia.org Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Semenanjung Malaysia 39, Jalan Satu Taman Batang Padang 35500 Bidor Perak, Malaysia. Tel:+ +60 5 434 8160 All rights reserved © 2016 Sahabat Alam Malaysia and Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Semenanjung Malaysia This publication was made possible with financial support from the Forests and the European Union Resource Network (FERN). The views expressed in this publication are those of Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) and Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Semenanjung Malaysia (JKOASM). They do not necessarily represent the position and views of FERN. Contents List of tables iii List of abbreviations and acronyms v Glossary of non-English terms vii 1. Introduction 2 2. Statutory laws and the Orang Asli customary land rights 10 3. Illegal logging versus destructive logging 42 4. Case study: Causes of encroachment on Orang Asli customary territories 56 5. Recommendations 80 Annex: Findings of the case study on the encroachment on Orang Asli customary territories in Peninsular Malaysia 1. Pos Balar, Gua Musang, Kelantan 95 2. Pos Bihai, Gua Musang, Kelantan 123 3. Pos Hau, Gua Musang, Kelantan 141 4. RPS Kuala Betis, Gua Musang, Kelantan 161 5. Lojing, Gua Musang, Kelantan 177 6. Kampung Pos Batu Gong, Chini, Pahang 201 7. Kampung Ganoh, Rompin, Pahang 219 8. Kampung Kemomoi, Rompin, Pahang 233 9. Kampung Mengkapor, Kuantan, Pahang 255 10. Kampung Air Bah, Lenggong, Perak 279 11. Kampung Bukit Tokong, Lawin, Gerik, Perak 295 12. RPS Kemar dan RPS Banun, Gerik, Perak 311 i ii List of Tables 1 Laws that may affect the Orang Asli customary land rights in 14 Peninsular Malaysia 2 Size of Orang Asli customary territories estimated by JAKOA, 25 2012 (hectares) 3 Size of Orang Asli customary territories gazetted or issued with 26 private documentary land titles, 2012 (hectares) 4 Permanent reserved forest in Peninsular Malaysia and its 29 functional classes based on the National Forestry Act 1984 5 Size of forested areas in Peninsular Malaysia, 2008 and 2013 31 (hectares) 6 Size of permanent reserved forests that have been designated for 33 timber tree plantation development in Peninsular Malaysia, 2008– 2013 (hectares) 7 Forestry activities requiring an environmental impact assessment 38 process without a public review 8 Forestry activities requiring an environmental impact assessment 39 process with a public review 9 Judicial recognition of the pre-existing nature of indigenous 46 customary land rights 10 Judicial recognition of indigenous customary land rights as a form 47 of property right protected under Article 13 of the Federal Constitution 11 Demography of Orang Asli customary territories involved in the 58 case study iii iv List of Abbreviations and Acronyms AAC Annual allowable cut COAC Centre for Orang Asli Concerns DPPTOA Dasar Pemberian Hakmilik dan Pembangunan Tanah Orang Asli / Orang Asli Land Alienation and Development Policy EIA Environmental impact assessment EUTR European Union Timber Regulation 2010 FLEGT-VPA Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade - Voluntary Partnership Agreement FMU Forest management unit FPIC Free, prior and informed consent FRU Federal Reserve Unit JAKOA Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli (formerly JHEOA) / Department of Orang Asli Development JHEOA Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli (currently JAKOA) / Department of Orang Asli Affairs JKKK Jawatankuasa Kemajuan dan Keselamatan Kampung / Village Development and Security Committee JKOAK Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Kelantan / Network of Orang Asli Villages of Kelantan JKOASM Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Semenanjung Malaysia / Network of Orang Asli Villages of Peninsular Malaysia JOANGOHutan Jaringan Orang Asal dan NGO Tentang Isu-Isu Hutan / Network of Indigenous Peoples and Non-Governmental Organisations on Forestry Issues JOAS Jaringan Orang Asal Se-Malaysia / Network of Indigenous Peoples of Malaysia JUPEM Jabatan Ukur dan Pemetaan Malaysia / Department of Survey and Mapping of Malaysia LKPP Lembaga Kemajuan Pertanian Pahang / Pahang Agricultural Development Board LTC Latex timber clone MTCC Malaysian Timber Certification Council MTCS Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme NATIP National Timber Industry Policy 2009 - 2020 NCR Native customary rights NGO Non-governmental organisation PERHILITAN Jabatan Hidupan Liar dan Taman Negara / Department of Wildlife and National Parks PKNP Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Perak / Perak State Development Board v POASM Persatuan Orang Asli Semenanjung Malaysia / Orang Asli Association of Peninsular Malaysia PPLRNK Perbadanan Pembangunan Ladang Rakyat Negeri Kelantan / Kelantan Public Plantation Development Corporation PRF Permanent reserved forest RISDA Rubber Industry Smallholders’ Development Authority RPS Rancangan Pengumpulan Semula / Settlement Regrouping Plan SAM Sahabat Alam Malaysia / Friends of the Earth Malaysia SILA Sarawak Indigenous Lawyers Alliance SMS Selective management system SUHAKAM Suruhanjaya Hak-Hak Asasi Manusia Malaysia / Human Rights Commission of Malaysia TSB Tanaman Semula Berkelompok / Cluster Replanting Scheme TSK Tanaman Semula Komersial / Commercial Replanting Scheme UNDRIP United Nations’ Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples vi Glossary of Non-English Terms bukit hill gua cave gunung mountain kampung village (abbrev. Kg) ladang rakyat ladang – plantation; rakyat – citizens, the public. State-owned plantation development schemes open for residents of the concerned state to participate in. Like other citizens, members of the Orang Asli community are also required to undergo an application process in order to participate in such a project even if the scheme is located on their own customary lands. mukim subdivision of a district, or subdivision of a sub-district; traditionally a territory made up by a group of independent villages, usually collectively subjected to a common form of governance system penghulu traditional chief of a village or a mukim; holders of this traditional position are now appointed by the state pos administrative centre for a group of Orang Asli settlements (from the English ‘post’) sewang spiritual ceremony of the various Orang Asli communities, conducted for a host of purposes sungai river (abbrev. Sg.) vii viii 1. INTRODUCTION 1. Introduction Background The publication of this report is the outcome of a partnership project between Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) and the Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Semenanjung Malaysia (JKOASM) to conduct a case study between July 2015 and June 2016. The project originally intended to document the patterns of encroachment on Orang Asli customary territories by logging and plantation operations in Kelantan, Perak and Pahang through the collection of 10 cases. The collection of data was undertaken by way of a survey and interview sessions with affected village representatives, based on a series of questions that were prepared beforehand, as well as the collection of information on the relevant evidence from the respondents. Fortunately, we were able to collect 12 cases involving 13 Orang Asli customary territories with 66 villages, with a population of more than 6,000. Main focus: Violations of and encroachments on Orang Asli customary land rights in Peninsular Malaysia This publication was initiated in order to propose a set of policy-based solutions to end the violations of and encroachments on Orang Asli customary land rights in Peninsular Malaysia, based on the principles of law and universal natural justice. It is hoped that it will contribute towards the improvement of land and forestry governance and laws in Peninsular Malaysia as a whole. At its core, the project focuses on verifying that encroachments on Orang Asli customary land have indeed been caused by systemic governance and legal issues, as opposed to isolated incidents that may have occurred as a result of the violations and breaches of legislative requirements or executive directives. Thus, the project also seeks to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the legal and governance framework on land, forestry and conservation areas in Peninsular Malaysia in providing adequate protection towards Orang Asli customary land rights and the management of their claims to customary land rights. Without denying the urgency of the issue, the project does not highlight incidents of indigenous customary land rights violations and encroachments on the indigenous customary territory which have occurred as a result of contraventions of statutory 2 provisions or written directives of the state executive administration by logging or plantation operations – commonly termed illegal logging. Rather, the focus is on logging and plantation operations that have reportedly received their licences from the states, but have also encroached upon Orang Asli customary territories.