IPOH, Aug 1 — Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu has with immediate effect ordered a temporary halt to all logging activities within the Kampung Cunex Orang Asli land in Gerik.

The decision came following a meeting between Ahmad Faizal and the Minister in Prime Minister Department P. Waytha Moorthy in the presence of Attorney General Tommy Thomas, which took place yesterday to discuss the Orang Asli land issue.

Ahmad Faizal and Waytha Moorthy in a joint statement said that the logging activities will be halted until a discussion is made on the pending issues between the state and the Orang Asli community.

“Both the Federal and State governments are committed to achieving a fair and just solution to protect the interests of the Orang Asli community in that area,” they said in the statement.

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“Moving forward, the Federal and State governments will work together to resolve any issues regarding the Orang Asli community.

“Both the Federal and State governments take the rights of the Orang Asli community very seriously,” the statement further read.

On July 20, Waytha Moorthy has urged all the state governments to show concern about the welfare of Orang Asli by recognising their ancestral land.

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This came following an arrest of three Temiar Orang Asli from Kampung Sungai Papan for inciting a group of Orang Asli to create a blockade at their village in order to halt logging companies from entering into their area.

Ahmad Faizal recently said that that the state could not recognise Orang Asli ancestral land as it is not stated in the state constitution.

He had said that there is no specific land gazetted for any races in the state.