"30 NGOs want action to resolve land woes of indigenous communities", 16 April 2018

About 30 social activist groups nationwide have issued a joint declaration urging political parties from both the ruling Government and Opposition parties to give more attention to resolve land right woes affecting indigenous communities.

Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia president Yusri Ahon said at a press conference here that not enough has been done by the government at the national and state levels to comprehensively resolved the land issues of the natives.

"In each region, there are hundreds of land disputes that have gone unresolved for years. We want the political parties to place the land rights of natives in their manifestos," he said.

They also want a proper time-frame to settle cases of dispute between native settlements and land developers.

The NGOs also want legal recognition and acknowledgement at state and federal levels that ancestral land cannot be developed without prior consent of natives.