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Malaysia's indigenous tribes to finally own land
Associated Press - November 19, 2008
Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia's government plans to grant ownership of farming land to indigenous people for the first time in a bid to improve the lives of impoverished tribal communities, an official said Wednesday.
About 20,000 families from Malaysia's Orang Asli tribes will obtain permanent ownership of nearly 125,000 acres (50,000 hectares) of rural land that currently belongs to state governments and is near their settlements, said Jaafar Jantan, a spokesman for the government's Orang Asli Affairs Department.
"This is the first time in history that the Orang Asli will have land ownership titles," Jaafar said. "It will help them to generate a good income and give them a better future."
The Orang Asli, which means "Original People" in the Malay language, comprise 140,000 people from 18 ethnic tribes who are among Malaysia's poorest citizens. Most practice forms of animism, and many still live in or near the rainforest, where they hunt and grow crops.
Human rights activists have long complained that Orang Asli communities are often unfairly forced out of state-owned land to make way for development projects. Activists say the tribes deserve the titles to land that was occupied by their ancestors for thousands of years.
The land titles will likely be given to Orang Asli villagers by next year, Jaafar said. Authorities plan to plant cash crops such as palm oil and rubber.
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