About 50 Tok Batin and Orang Asli representatives from Batang Padang, Muallim, and Kinta districts filed police reports against defamatory claims targeting Tok Batin Mohd Asmmadi Abdullah on June 9 in Perak, Malaysia [1, 2].

The claims alleged that Tok Batin Mohd Asmmadi had confined hiker Jaslinda Saludin during her 14-day disappearance and suggested he might have married her had the story not gone viral [1, 3, 4, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. Jaslinda, 49, went missing on May 24 while hiking Gunung Batu Putih, a mountain about 2,132 meters high, and was found safe by Orang Asli villagers in Kampung Lubuk Gaharu on June 6 [4, 5, 10, 6, 7, 8, 9].

The man in his 30s who spread these falsehoods on a TikTok livestream was arrested at his Ipoh home on June 11 and remanded four days from June 12 to assist with police investigations [3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9]. Authorities are investigating under Section 500 of the Penal Code, Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, and Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955 [3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9].

The suspect publicly apologized on June 9, saying, "I humbly apologise if it has hurt the feelings and emotions of any community or individual, whether directly or indirectly" [3, 5, 6]. Orang Asli leaders condemned the claims as baseless and deeply insulting, with Lata Kinjang KOA Tok Batin Rani a/l Bah Ulin stating, "Those allegations are unfounded and deeply hurt the feelings of the Orang Asli community...an insult not only to Tok Batin Asmmadi, but also to the entire Tok Batin institution" [1].

Orang Asli youth representative Eris Joshan a/l Chew Ho Beng added, "The Tok Batin is a respected community leader and the pillar of Orang Asli leadership. Any insult against them indirectly affects the entire Orang Asli community in Malaysia...what some may see as a joke can become an insult that impacts the whole community" [1].

Authorities have been urged to take firm legal action against the TikTok user to deter future insults toward the Tok Batin and Orang Asli community [1, 2]. Meanwhile, the Perak state government plans to assess and repair the dilapidated wooden bridge in Kampung Orang Asli Lubuk Gaharu, where Jaslinda was found. Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said they will evaluate the bridge’s use before deciding whether to build a suspension walkway or repair the existing structure [10].