 More than 1,500 Orang Asli and supporters recently gathered in Putrajaya to submit a memorandum calling for greater recognition and protection of Indigenous customary lands. The demonstration comes amid growing concerns over land disputes affecting Orang Asli communities across the country, including the recent demolition of homes belonging to a Jakun community in Pekan, Pahang. We take a closer look at why land rights remain such a pressing issue, what's at stake for Orang Asli communities, and what advocates are calling on the government to do next, with Eliana a/p Tan Beng Hui, Programme Coordinator from Apa Kata Wanita Orang Asli and Albert Bansa, an Environmental Campaigner with Greenpeace Malaysia.

&nbsp;More than 1,500 Orang Asli and supporters recently gathered in Putrajaya to submit a memorandum calling for greater recognition and protection of Indigenous customary lands. The demonstration comes amid growing concerns over land disputes affecting Orang Asli communities across the country, including the recent demolition of homes belonging to a Jakun community in Pekan, Pahang. We take a closer look at why land rights remain such a pressing issue, what's at stake for Orang Asli communities, and what advocates are calling on the government to do next, with Eliana a/p Tan Beng Hui, Programme Coordinator from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://linktr.ee/apakatawanitaorangasli">Apa Kata Wanita Orang Asli</a> and Albert Bansa, an Environmental Campaigner with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.greenpeace.org/malaysia">Greenpeace Malaysia</a>.

Climate change, ferocious weather and ‘the haze’ are now part our everyday lives. How are our lifestyles connected to them, and what can we do about it? What does the economy have to do with it? Earth Matters engages with activists and experts to explore our changing relationship with the planet that we only borrow from our children.

Earth Matters

The Push for Orang Asli Customary Land Recognition

The haze is back. For the past few days, many of us have been waking up to that familiar smell, hazier skies and air that we're really not supposed to be breathing. While the immediate question is where the smoke is coming from, there's a bigger question here: why, after decades of haze crises, are we still dealing with this? We look at what's driving this latest haze episode, revisit some of Malaysia's worst haze years, and ask whether we've actually learned anything from them with Heng Kiah Chun, Country Representative of Greenpeace Malaysia, who's been following and campaigning on this issue for years. 

Image Credit: Shutterstock

The haze is back. For the past few days, many of us have been waking up to that familiar smell, hazier skies and air that we're really not supposed to be breathing. While the immediate question is where the smoke is coming from, there's a bigger question here: why, after decades of haze crises, are we still dealing with this? We look at what's driving this latest haze episode, revisit some of Malaysia's worst haze years, and ask whether we've actually learned anything from them with Heng Kiah Chun, Country Representative of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.greenpeace.org/malaysia/story/64781/solving-haze-zilla-before-the-next-godzilla-el-nino/?utm_campaign=climate-justice">Greenpeace Malaysia</a>, who's been following and campaigning on this issue for years.&nbsp;Image Credit: Shutterstock

Why Is Malaysia Still Battling Haze?

Across Southeast Asia, there's a familiar tension between economic development and environmental protection. Governments talk about growth, companies talk about investment, while communities often find themselves fighting to protect the forests, rivers and land they've depended on for generations. A new Human Rights Watch report, Grabbed Land, Silenced Justice, looks at what happens when those communities push back. Drawing on more than 50 cases from across Indonesia, it argues that Indigenous leaders and environmental defenders have increasingly found themselves facing criminal investigations and prosecutions after raising concerns about land rights and environmental harm. As Indonesia marks 81 years of independence on the 17th of August 2026, we explore the report, the people at the centre of it, and what lessons it holds for the wider region, with the report’s co-author, Andreas Harsono, who is also a Researcher with Human Rights Watch.



Image Credit: © 2024 Andreas Harsono/Human Rights Watch 

Across Southeast Asia, there's a familiar tension between economic development and environmental protection. Governments talk about growth, companies talk about investment, while communities often find themselves fighting to protect the forests, rivers and land they've depended on for generations. A new <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.hrw.org/">Human Rights Watch</a> report, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2026/07/28/grabbed-land-silenced-justice/the-persecution-of-environmentalists-and-indigenous">Grabbed Land, Silenced Justice</a>, looks at what happens when those communities push back. Drawing on more than 50 cases from across Indonesia, it argues that Indigenous leaders and environmental defenders have increasingly found themselves facing criminal investigations and prosecutions after raising concerns about land rights and environmental harm. As Indonesia marks 81 years of independence on the 17th of August 2026, we explore the report, the people at the centre of it, and what lessons it holds for the wider region, with the report’s co-author, Andreas Harsono, who is also a Researcher with Human Rights Watch.Image Credit: © 2024 Andreas Harsono/Human Rights Watch

Indonesia's Environmental Defenders Under Attack

Rice is a staple food for millions of Malaysians, but a proposed field trial in Perak is raising questions about how we grow it, and who bears the risks when new technologies are introduced. The trial involves genetically modified MR219 rice that has been engineered to tolerate glyphosate, as well as resist certain bacterial and fungal diseases. But 61 organisations representing farmers, consumers and environmental groups are objecting to the trial, citing concerns about the increased use of herbicides, possible genetic contamination of conventional and wild rice, and the lack of clear legal protection for farmers if their crops are contaminated. They also point to concerns about potential impacts on soil and paddy biodiversity, as well as the fact that some toxicological data for this particular GM rice is still unavailable. So, how serious are these concerns, and what could this field trial mean for Malaysia's farmers, food system and food sovereignty? We get Nurfitri Amir Muhammad, a trained microbiologist who is doing his own rice farming, and who is also the coordinator of the Malaysia Food Sovereignty Forum, to help break it down for us. 



Image Credit: Shutterstock

Rice is a staple food for millions of Malaysians, but a proposed field trial in Perak is raising questions about how we grow it, and who bears the risks when new technologies are introduced. The trial involves genetically modified MR219 rice that has been engineered to tolerate glyphosate, as well as resist certain bacterial and fungal diseases. But 61 organisations representing farmers, consumers and environmental groups are objecting to the trial, citing concerns about the increased use of herbicides, possible genetic contamination of conventional and wild rice, and the lack of clear legal protection for farmers if their crops are contaminated. They also point to concerns about potential impacts on soil and paddy biodiversity, as well as the fact that some toxicological data for this particular GM rice is still unavailable. So, how serious are these concerns, and what could this field trial mean for Malaysia's farmers, food system and food sovereignty? We get Nurfitri Amir Muhammad, a trained microbiologist who is doing his own rice farming, and who is also the coordinator of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://web.facebook.com/foodsovereignty.malaysia">Malaysia Food Sovereignty Forum</a>, to help break it down for us.&nbsp;Image Credit: Shutterstock

The Push for Orang Asli Customary Land Recognition

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