SEMAI: A FIGHT FOR ANCESTRAL LAND

Pos Lanai, Malaysia - March 2026

The Semai indigenous community in Pahang, Malaysia, has lived for generations in close symbiosis with the forest and the Telom River, on which it depends for food, water, and transportation.

The village of Pos Lanai is located within the Ulu Jelai Forest Reserve, part of the Central Forest Spine ecological corridor in the state of Pahang, and can only be reached by river.

For years, this community has opposed rare-earth mining projects that threaten its ancestral land.

For the people of Pos Lanai, the forest is not only an economic resource, but an essential part of their collective identity. The land is described as an inheritance from their ancestors - a space for gathering, cultivation, fishing, and spirituality.

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