Kota Tinggi, Malaysia- They derive their income from a government land scheme, yet the Kanaq tribe is living in abject poverty, some supporting a family of nine with just RM350 a month.
The smallest among the Orang Asli tribes in Malaysia with 80 people, the tribe is struggling to survive and avoid becoming just a footnote in the history books.
The good intention of setting up a Felcra scheme for them had in reality shackled them into a life of poverty as they get an income of only RM350 from their Felcra plantation plot.
Efforts to get their ancestral land at the Lebak Minchin forest reserve proved futile and the glimmer of hope for the 40 children of the Kanaq community has grown dimmer with it. The children, mostly under 15, account for half the total population. Satiman Jamin
Source: www.nst.com.my (4 Oktober 2008)