Orang Asli From Five Interior Areas Forced To Risk Travelling On Logging Trails For Past 40 Years

GUA MUSANG, Aug 10 (Bernama) -- Over 10,000 Orang Asli residents of five interior posts in the Gua Musang district have been risking their lives as they travel on routes alongside trucks carrying logs for the past 40 years.

Resident Ibrahim Marijah, 67, said residents from various several settlements, including Pos Gob, Pos Simpor, Pos Balar, Pos Bihai, Pos Belatim and Pos Tohoi were forced to take risks daily whenever they met heavy vehicles while making the over 70-kilometre (km) journey on the unpaved route to get out of the area.

“The Orang Asli here want the state government, who earns revenue from our area, to spend it on our development needs and facilities here.

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“From then till now, we face difficulty using this route as we will have to squeeze past lorries on the very narrow road that threatens our safety,” he told reporters at Kampung Bawek, Rancangan Pengumpulan Semula (RPS) Kuala Betis today.

Fellow resident Rozi Asod, 50, meanwhile pointed out that the laterite earth surface of the road was damaged due to the heavy load carried by the logging trucks.

“There’re so many potholes, small and large, and when it rains, the condition goes from bad to worse, making it hard for residents to get around.

“This is the one and only connective road for us to use for our daily matters and to get help in even of emergencies,” he said, while resident Angano Kamis, 43, shared that residents have been having problems over the road since the 1980s.

“Previously, the Department of Orang Asli Development have repaired the road several times but not entirely as several areas were not under their supervision,” he said, adding that the logging company has never held any discussions with local community representatives to seek a solution in repairing the road.

-- BERNAMA