KUANTAN: The High Court here has fixed a date for a decision on whether there should be a judicial review for orang asli who are seeking to quash the state government’s approval of 407.3ha of land in Kampung Sungai Buan, Rompin, for an oil palm estate.
Their lawyer Datuk M. Ramachel­vam said judge Justice Mariana Yahya had fixed Aug 9 for submissions and Aug 16 for a decision.

The plaintiffs, village headman Majid Jaafar and villagers Jentong Duka and Rusman Imat, named the Pahang director of Land and Mines, the state government, Orang Asli Affairs Department director-general and the Malaysian Government as respondents in their application.

They are seeking a certiorari order to quash the decision of the state government in approving part of the land in the village to TH Plantations for the development.

They also want a declaration that they are holders of orang asli communal rights to the land.

The application was initially filed in Temerloh in 2008 but was transferred to the Kuantan High Court.

Senior federal counsel Noor Hisham Ismail appeared for the respondents while Mior Nor Haidir represented TH Plantations