A Temiar Orang Asli leader from Gua Musang, Kelantan, today claimed that there is a "silent majority" within his community who are against the efforts to erect blockades around the Pos Tohoi area since early this year.

Tok Batin Awin Pedik, 64, told reporters in Putrajaya that he believed the Orang Asli's ongoing standoff with logging and plantation companies were backed by NGOs with vested interests.

He also accused the NGOs of having bypassed the authority of the community's leaders...