Compensation: Orang Asli, fund trustee to settle dispute out of court
16 Nov 2022 09:24pm
The court fixed Dec 15 for case management for the parties to inform the status of the discussion.
They filed a suit on Sept 26 in the High Court here naming RHB Trustees Berhad, the trustee of the Linggiu Valley Orang Asli (Jakuns) Trust as the sole defendant.
Lawyer Rabia Abd Halim, representing all the 19 plaintiffs, said Judicial Commissioner Roz Mawar Rozain was set to hear the application for an inter-parte injunction today, but the court postponed the hearing because both parties wanted to discuss an out-of-court settlement.
"The court then fixed Dec 15 for case management for the parties to inform the status of the discussion," he said when met by reporters after the case proceedings today which was also attended by lawyer Kenneth Koh representing RHB Trustees Berhad.
All the plaintiffs who had lived in Kampung Sayong Pinang, Kampung Pasir Assam (Pasir Intan) and Kampung Semanggar in the Sungai Linggiu catchment area in Kota Tinggi, Johor have been living in Rompin, Pahang since their relocation in 2012.
According to the statement of claim, the defendant failed to distribute the monthly payment from the Trust Fund established under the Linggiu Valley Orang Asli (Jakuns) Trust amounting to RM1,200, which they had been receiving since 2000, to each plaintiff from 2019.
The plaintiffs also claimed that the defendant did not provide any explanation on the discontinuation of the payment, which is a provision under the Trust Deed and the Trust Order and failed to provide the account statements for the fund from 2009 until now.
According to the plaintiffs, they are entitled to receive the compensation provided by the Johor government from 2000 to 2025 following the construction of a dam in the catchment area and due to the payment discontinuation, their living conditions have severely deteriorated in addition to being discriminated against and isolated. - BERNAMA
