{
  "id": 1924984,
  "title": "Group calls for census of Orang Asli settlements in Pahang",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/group-calls-for-census-of-orang-asli-settlements-in-pahang-1924984",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-19T11:49:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/08/19/group-calls-for-census-of-orang-asli-settlements-in-pahang"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An environmental rights group, Peka, has urged the Pahang government to conduct a thorough census and mapping of all Orang Asli settlements in the state, including those not officially registered with the Orang Asli development department (Jakoa). Peka president Rajesh Nagarajan stressed that the lack of gazettement does not equate to the absence of customary land rights for Orang Asli communities. The group, comprising tok batin (headmen), Orang Asli organizations, community representatives, and civil society groups, argues that the 264 registered Orang Asli villages claimed by the Pahang government may not accurately represent the total number of settlements. Nagarajan pointed out that unregistered settlements such as Kampung Selimbar and Kampung Sungai Cot also exist in the state. This call follows remarks by Pahang ruler Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who cautioned against the arbitrary use of the term \"customary land.\" He highlighted that the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 provides for the designation of Orang Asli Areas or Reserves through official gazettement. Nagarajan clarified that the absence of gazettement does not negate the customary land rights of Orang Asli communities. He emphasized that the customary title must be based on customs, practices, historical occupation, and use of the land by the community, as ruled by the Court of Appeal in 2005. The group welcomed the sultan's call for swifter surveying, demarcation, and gazettement of Orang Asli areas, noting that out of the 264 registered villages, only 30 have been gazetted, 16 have received land titles, leaving 218 without either. Nagarjan stressed that this is an administrative failure, not a failure on the part of the Orang Asli communities themselves, and urged the Pahang and federal governments to address this issue.",
  "summary": "Peka says the 264 registered villages cited by the state government may not reflect the actual number in the state.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malaysiakini",
        "title": "Peka urges govt to explain delays in Orang Asli land gazettement",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/peka-urges-govt-to-explain-delays-in-orang-asli-land-gazettement",
        "published": "2026-08-19T11:13:33.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Group calls for census of Orang Asli settlements in Pahang",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/group-calls-for-census-of-orang-asli-settlements-in-pahang",
        "published": "2026-08-19T11:49:54.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}