Malaysiakini（http://www.malaysiakini.com）
(1) Orang Asli win damages for demolished chapel, 23 September 2010
by Aidila Razak
In a significant decision against the government, the Orang Asli Laut of Kuala Masai, Johor were awarded damages yesterday for the unlawful demolition of their chapel by authorities in 2005.
(2) Court halts Malacca Orang Asli chapel demolition, 26 November 2011
An Orang Asli chapel in Kampung Machap Umboo has received a Malacca High Court stay order against a local council move to demolish the eight month old structure located on their customary land.
Puan Heerby bt Siam, a Temuan member of the chapel committee had earlier applied for leave to file a judicial review application to quash the demolition order by the Alor Gajah Town Council dated Sept 20.
Their application also sought to compel the state to gazette the Temuan customary land, after a 40 year delay after the state in 1960 approved the land as aboriginal reserve pursuant to the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954.
In a statement yesterday, the chapel committee said that judicial commissioner Ahmad Nafzy
Bin Haji Yasin has set the leave application for Feb 23 next year.
“Alor Gajah Town Council will not be allowed to demolish the chapel pending the
hearing of Puan Heerby’s application to the Court,” said the committee representatives.
Representing Heerby was Steven Thiru, Victoria Ng and Yogeswaran Subramaniam while federal counsel M Kogilaambigai represented the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
The Temuan community decided to act after the Alor Gajah council allegedly served them a demolition order without consulting them.
The chapel serves the Christian Temuan community of Kampung Machap Umboo and its surrounding areas.
“We were neither consulted nor given the opportunity to state our case to the town council regarding the erection of the chapel,” said the committee reps in an earlier statement.
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