COMMENT | For decades, indigenous and non-indigenous advocates have repeatedly called out the country’s legal and governance framework for failing to protect the Orang Asli customary land rights.

In no other instance is this failure more apparent than the land rights encroachments and violations endured by the community in Kampung Kelaik, Gua Musang.

I witnessed this during a reporting journey with Malaysiakini last month, where my stay in Kampung Kelaik was interspersed with trips to various sites within the customary land that fully opened my eyes to the utter devastation caused by the encroachments of logging, plantation and mining activities.

These encroachments were not isolated events, but perpetuated by the state agencies which approved such activities.

However, the community is fighting back...