The protesters want Kuala Lumpur to recognise their claims, stop encroachment and seek consent before approving projects on ancestral land
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenIman Muttaqin YusofPublished: 2:35pm, 12 Jun 2026More than 1,000 Orang Asli, the indigenous people of Peninsular Malaysia, rallied outside a federal ministry in Putrajaya on Friday in a rare mass protest to demand recognition of their ancestral land and an end to evictions and development on their territories.
Organisers said the crowd represented 19 tribes and communities.
The Orang Asli number more than 225,000 but remain a small minority in the Muslim-majority country, where land is largely controlled by state governments and many customary territories remain vulnerable when communities lack formal title.
The demonstration targeted Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who also oversees the Rural and Regional Development Ministry and the Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa).
