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KUALA LUMPUR: "Don’t neglect us." This was the message of about 100 Orang Asli who joined a procession yesterday to mark the 58th International Human Rights Day.

They came from all over the peninsula, and by 7am had gathered at Dataran Merdeka here to join the procession, part of the Festival of Rights 2006 co-organised by the Malaysian Bar Council.

The Orang Asli walked as they wanted the right to their heritage land (tanah adat). "This is our basic right and it is still being neglected," said Peninsular Malaysia Orang Asli Association (POASM) president Majid Suhut.

Some Orang Asli families have lived on their heritage land for generations, yet this fact was not recognised by the state governments, he said.

Since the families could not produce land titles, they were known as tenants-at-will. The land was also usually considered state land.

"This means we do not feel secure in our own traditional villages as the state government can order us to move elsewhere," said Majid.

He added that when land was acquired by the government, the compensation given to the Orang Asli was never based on the value of the land.

"Rather, it is based on the value of the house or the trees that are on the land."

About 300 people, led by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk M. Kayveas and Bar Council president Yeo Yang Poh, walked from Dataran Merdeka to Jalan Parlimen before stopping at Panggung Anniversari in Lake Gardens, where they took a human rights pledge.

Others who took part in the procession were the Falun Dafa group in Malaysia, the Good Shepherd’s Sisters justice and peace committee, and Parti Keadilan Selangor.

Yeo said Malaysia had a number of human rights issues, including children’s rights and gender issues, which should be dealt with as soon as possible.

The National Human Rights Society of Malaysia and the pro-tem committee of the Malaysian Civil Liberties Society were the other organisers.

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