Sagong Tasi

The Sagong Tasi case (Sagong bin Tasi & Ors v Kerajaan Negeri Selangor, 2002) was a landmark land rights case in Malaysia, in which the courts ruled against the Selangor State in favour of the Temuan-Orang Asli (also known as Temuan) plaintiffs.

In 1995, Selangor state authorities ordered members of the Temuan tribe to vacate their homes at Kampong Bukit Tampoi, Selangor. They were given 14 days to leave, and monetary compensation was offered for their destroyed homes, fruit trees and crops but not for their ancestral land. They refused to leave and were forcibly evicted by the police.

In response, the Temuan plaintiffs sued the Federal government, the Selangor State government, the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) and contractor United Engineers Malaysia Bhd (UEM Group) for this forced eviction. In April 2002, the Malaysian High Court ruled against the Selangor State, and recognised the Temuan plaintiffs as the customary owners of the land according to common law. Also, the court ruled that the State had breached their fiduciary duties, and ordered financial compensation for the plaintiffs. The case was settled on 26 May 2010, with RM6.5 million compensation for the Temuan plaintiffs.

Malaysia's laws do not formally recognise Orang Asli land rights. Based on the 1965 National Land Code, all land belongs to the respective states, or in case of federal territories, the federal government. Private land interests are recognised when ownership is registered, but Orang Asli land ownership tends to be unregistered, traditionally passed down over many generations.

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