The Selangor Agricultural Development Corporation (SADC) is urged to use its discretion and allow the Orang Asli community in Kampung Songkok, Hulu Selangor, to bring out bamboos and other forest products from the nearby forests.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator P Waythamoorthy said in a statement today this was because the bamboos and forest products were their sources of livelihood.

He said that in response to a news report yesterday that the Orang Asli community from Kampung Songkok had been complaining that part of the forests near their village had been seized, thereby preventing them from taking out forest products.

Waythamoorthy said the Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa) was still in the negotiation process with regard to the gazetting of native land of the Orang Asli Kampung Songkok in Serendah and Batang Kali.

He said Jakoa had made the application to gazette the 247-hectare of land in both areas in September 2017.

However, the Selangor government has not yet approved the application as there are overlapping areas involving land that belongs to SADC, he said.

Waythamoorthy added that the negotiations were ongoing to find the best solution that could benefit all parties involved, particularly the Orang Asli community in the area.

- Bernama