Bearing Witness Activists Students Push For Action After Kg Kelaik Visit

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Indigenous activists from various Orang Asli tribes who travelled to Kampung Kelaik in Gua Musang, Kelantan, to witness the environmental impact of unchecked iron mining and deforestation, have returned with a deep sense of urgency to amplify the Temiar community’s struggles.
For artist-activist Shaq Koyok who is from the Temuan Orang Asli tribe, the devastation was personal.
“I feel so mad and sad at the same time. So much forest has been bulldozed for iron ore mining,” he said.
Shaq Koyok photographing tailing ponds in Aqua OrionShaq was one of three Orang Asli activists and two university students who joined a Malaysiakini reporting trip to Kampung Kelaik last weekend, following the publication of a three-part exposé and subsequent suspension of mining operations to allow for a Department of Environment (DOE) investigation.
“I felt so sick to see the Temiar doubly marginalised and badly treated by irresponsible mining activities considering they are the first people of the land,” said Shaq.
Shaq Koyok photographing the Aqua Orion mining site in Kampung Kelaik in Gua Musang, KelantanShaq has released Part 1 of his feature video on his experience at Kampung Kelaik, while other participants - including the two university students who won a Malaysiakini content challenge - are also working on videos and articles capturing the devastation and sharing insights from their interviews.
The group visited the mines, clear rivers that used to run red, the remaining few Termiar heirloom rubber trees, a desecrated gravesite now replanted with a soursop plantation, and a tandak - a mini reservoir on a hill untouched by mining - to support a gravity-fed water system for their homes.
Following the Malaysiakini exposé last December, the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry’s preliminary findings revealed that one mine, Aqua Orion Sdn Bhd, had been operating for nine years without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report required by law.
An EIA, prepared by the extraction company and approved by the Environment Department after public consultation, is required for mining activities to assess and mitigate environmental harm, ensuring sustainable resource extraction and compliance with environmental laws.
Malaysiakini participants photographing Kampung Kelaik villagers in front of their last heirloom rubber tress given to them by their ancestorsMinister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad also confirmed an internal investigation into how one mine operated for nine years without an EIA.
The other mine, which started in 2009, obtained an EIA a decade later and only after it became a legal requirement.
Its current mining contractor, Redstar Capital Sdn Bhd told Malaysiakini it applied a “closed circuit” system with a “zero discharge” concept, complied with all standard effluent limits and never received any complaints from the villagers.
This is despite Malaysiakini publishing an exposé in 2012 and KiniTV highlighting Kampung Kelaik’s drinking water woes in 2014, along with numerous reports by other media outlets.
The Temiar villagers downriver from these water-intensive operations had been complaining that their drinking water source had turned red since mining operations began there in 2009.
The Malaysiakini report also revealed high levels of chromium - a carcinogenic heavy metal - in the blood of one of six Orang Asli villagers whose families have been living downriver from the mines for generations.
A harsh reality unfolds
For the participants, the trip was eye-opening.
Shaq Koyok listening to a Termiar villager explaining the rivers connected to the mines that flow to where they are standing in Sg CenderohUniversity of Nottingham Malaysia student, Faris Mohammad Khatib, 20, described feeling both saddened and empowered after witnessing firsthand the environmental degradation tied to resource extraction.
“I was especially inspired by the Orang Asli who continue to fight against a system that exploits them despite overwhelming odds,” said the first-year Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours) student.
Kolej Yayasan UEM student, Wan Muhammad Akif Wan Mohd Nor, 20, echoed this sentiment, saying the urgency of the struggle became clearer after he spoke with the villagers.
Kolej Yayasan UEM student Wan Muhammad Akif Wan Mohd Nor documenting an Aqua Orion tailing pond“The resilience and hope of the Kampung Kelaik community left a strong impression on me,” he said, adding that he planned to revisit academic works on the Temiar people to deepen his understanding.
Both Faris and Akif are the same age as the teen, Azlan Ahak, whose blood test revealed a chromium level that put him at a lifetime risk of developing cancer 64,000 times higher than normal.
Although interaction with a reluctant Azlan was challenging, compounded by the need for a translator, Faris and Akif are hopeful for repeat visits to get to know Azlan better.
Eliana Tan filming Temiar children affected by iron mining in Kampung Kelaik in Gua MusangEliana Tan, 25, an Orang Asli activist of Jakun descent reflected on how the visit reshaped her perspective on indigenous struggles.
“This was my first time visiting a Temiar community, and it helped me understand the broader Orang Asli experience, particularly their deep connection to their ancestral land.”
Raising awareness and taking action
Participants agreed that more people, especially policymakers, need to hear these stories.
“This should be a public outcry! How was this (iron mining) allowed to happen for nine years without an EIA?” Shaq questioned.
Faris planned to discuss the situation with his environmental science professors, particularly those specialising in forestry, wastewater treatment, and river ecosystems.
Students Faris Mohammad Khatib and Wan Muhammad Akif Wan Mohd Nor chatting with Ahak Uda (right, in striped T-shirt) over breakfastAkif aimed to share his experience with student organisations to foster greater awareness of Orang Asli's culture and struggles.
Orang Asli activist of Semelai descent, Yaliyana Lenab, 33, emphasised the importance of spreading awareness within indigenous communities.
“People need to know that there are Orang Asli suffering even more because of land encroachment,” she said.
Yaliyana and Eliana, members of the “Apa Kata Wanita Orang Asli” collective, which produces short films on indigenous women’s lived realities, connected easily with the Temiar women and will feature them in an upcoming segment on their YouTube channel.
Yaliyana Lenab (right) and Eliana Tan setting up a camera for an interview for their ‘Apa Kata Wanita Orang Asli’ segmentThe duo are exploring ways to return to Kampung Kelaik to conduct training programmes for young Orang Asli women.
Shaq hopes to organise a community workshop that will provide practical skills to villagers.
Starting by addressing the need for clean drinking water, Shaq crowdfunded to provide 40 houses with Efinity Easy Water Filters which he distributed during the trip.
A social enterprise founded by husband-and-wife team Robest Yong and Teng Yu-Mein, who were also present to demonstrate its usage, said their filters were fitted with membrane filtration and can also filter out E coli. - Mkini

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