Council Threatens To Demolish Church

A chapel belonging to an Orang Asli community in Machap Umboo, Malacca has been threatened with demolition.

The Alor Gajah Municipal Council has issued a notice to the chapel to remove the structure or face demolition. The council claims the chapel was illegally built.

The Orang Asli are the indigenous people of Malaya. The Machap Umboo settlement is home to some 11 Orang Asli families. The chapel also caters to Orang Asli Christians from nearby settlements.

If the church is demolished it would not be the first Orang Asli church to be demolished by the authorities in Malaya.

In 2005, an Orang Asli church in Johore was demolished for the same reason.

Army Veteran Conferred Award

Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) on September 24th reported that Sarawakian army veteran Kanang Langkau has been awarded the "Panglima Gemilang Bintang Kenyalang" award by the Governor of Sarawak which carries the title "Datuk".

Datuk Temenggong Kanang Langkau fought against communist insurgents in the 1970s and 1980s.