Halt mining, recognise Tasik Chini as traditional Orang Asli territory: SAM

KUALA LUMPUR – The wanton exploitation of Tasik Chini, a fragile million-year-old ecological site, has reached a critical scale and affected the lives of the Orang Asli community that has called the vicinity of the lake their home for millennia.

A call has now been made to the Pahang government to put a stop to all mining activities at the lake and its surrounding areas. 

Meenakshi Raman, president of Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM), said the state must declare the lake and its environs a protected area as it is an environmentally sensitive location.

“Furthermore, the state must also legally acknowledge Tasik Chini and its neighbouring territories as traditional Orang Asli land,” she said recently.

“If the state government still does not commit to conserve and stop all activities that can destroy the natural ecosystem of Tasik Chini and its surrounding areas, including the latest mining proposal, the declaration of Tasik Chini as a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco may be in jeopardy,” she added. 

SAM and other NGOs, such as the Peninsular Malaysia Orang Asli Villages Network (JKOASM) and the Felda Chini Smallholders Network (CISNET), have filed numerous complaints with the state government and relevant agencies on this matter – all to no avail.

Meenakshi said that the exploitation and destruction of Tasik Chini began when a small weir, or river barrier, was built on Sg Chini in 1995.

Since then, Tasik Chini and its surrounding areas have been threatened by various activities, especially logging, mining and agriculture.

“The construction of the weir and the environmentally destructive activities have not only impacted the natural ecosystem and environmental quality of Tasik Chini and its surroundings, but have also affected the lives and socio-economy of the people living in the vicinity of Tasik Chini, especially the Orang Asli community,” said Meenakshi.

The lake shores of Tasik Chini are inhabited by a Jakun group of the Orang Asli. 

With Tasik Chini being a popular ecotourism spot, the Jakun settlements have attracted tourists seeking to connect with the “untouched nature” of the indigenous people.

However, the destruction of natural resources has led to a decrease in the flow of tourists to the area.

“The issues and problems that have arisen still persist as if there is no end,” Meenakshi said.

“Now, SAM is reiterating its call to the Pahang government for immediate action to be taken to save Tasik Chini and its surrounding areas,” said Meenakshi.

“Among the actions that need to be taken immediately is to halt all mining activities here, and the weir that has affected the natural ecosystem of Tasik Chini must be demolished.”

Memorandum sent to Najib

Yesterday, the Pahang Land and Mines Office had issued a statement saying that only two companies with licences to mine in the Tasik Chini area are still operating.

Of these, one licence will expire at the end of this month while the other at year-end.

It added that no new mining licences were issued after a 4,600ha area surrounding Tasik Chini was gazetted as the Chini Forest Reserve on March 13, 2019. 

According to the office, companies holding another 12 mining licences issued before the gazettement are no longer operating.

“The state authorities are committed to ensuring that no new licences will be issued in the Tasik Chini area, apart from not compromising on the lessee or operator’s failure to comply with the conditions set,” the office said.

Over the years, SAM has taken action and initiatives to save Tasik Chini, including hosting meetings with local communities, having discussions with stakeholders, undertaking field surveys and holding news conferences.

In 2012, the Orang Asli community of Tasik Chini had sent a memorandum to then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, requesting that all actions that could endanger Tasik Chini and its surrounding areas be halted, but nothing was done. 

Najib was then, and still is, the MP for Pekan, which covers the territory of the lake.

Recently, Najib had claimed that a viral photo showing the damage to Tasik Chini caused by mining activities was taken two years ago. 

However, his response did not impress Malaysians, and he was questioned on how the country’s second-largest natural lake, which is under his constituency, had been permitted to be damaged to such an extent. 

Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh had also asked the Pahang Department of Environment (DoE) to release the water quality data of Tasik Chini on a monthly basis. 

She said in a statement that this would allow the public to observe the impact of the manganese mining activities as well as pollution from the surrounding mines. – The Vibes, June 13, 2021