Pahang Ruler: Not every Orang Asli land claim is 'customary land'
ROMPIN: The Sultan of Pahang has called for greater clarity on the use of the term 'customary land' (tanah adat), saying Orang Asli land claims must be assessed according to the legal status of the land.
Sultan of Pahang calls for clarification on 'customary land' designation for Orang Asli claims. The Orang Asli community must not assume all claimed areas automatically acquire legal title. He stressed the distinction between Orang Asli area and reserve under the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954. The Act doesn't recognize 'customary land' as a specific category.
Instead, gazetted Orang Asli areas and reserves are declared by the state. Sultan urged proper examination of land status before accepting claims, including gazettement, boundaries, history and factual evidence. He called for prompt surveying, boundary marking and gazetting to prevent overlapping claims and encroachment. Pahang currently has 264 Orang Asli villages, with 30 officially gazetted and 16 with land ownership grants.
Another 46 villages have settled land status, while 218 are in processing or review. Overlapping cases involving permanent forest reserves, Malay Reserve Land and private properties need legal resolution. The Sultan emphasized respecting Orang Asli rights as per the Constitution, but within legal parameters.
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