The Kelantan Forestry Department (JPNK) has denied that its crackdown on Tuesday on the Orang Asli who had set up blockades in Gua Musang was cruel.

"JPNK strongly denies that our operation on Nov 29 was cruel, without strategy, not a good solution and other such accusations," JPNK director Zahari Ibrahim said in a statement today.

He added that this was because the state government had tried to end the blockades through other means such as through explanations, discussions, listening to the Orang Asli's demands, issuing a notice of eviction, cajoling and pleading and finally, the coordinated action to destroy the blockades.

Thanking the other agencies and parties that were involved in the operation, such as the police, Zahari said the operation was not done to antagonise anyone.

It was carried out to ensure that the law was enforced correctly and ethically, he said.

The Orang Asli, he said, had broken the law under the National Forestry Act 1984 by setting up their blockades and staying in forest reserve areas.

This was compounded by various other illegal acts such as blocking JPNK officers and personnel from entering those areas and preventing them from carrying out their duties.

The indigenous community at the blockade had also prevented legitimate forest products from being carted out of the forest, he said.

They also stopped legitimate workers with licences from entering the areas they blockaded, he added.

"Actually, as Malaysian citizens and Kelantan rakyat, they should always respect the existing laws.

"I regret that there are NGOs that claim to have a legal background, which are supporting the blockade by the Orang Asli, even though it is clearly against the existing law.

"Do they intend to teach the Orang Asli to fight for their rights by going beyond the boundaries of the law?

"Are there not certain procedures and channels to fight for these rights, so that they can be achieved within the law?" Zahari asked.

The authorities cracked down on the Orang Asli blockades on Tuesday, arresting 54 members of their community after dismantling their blockades.

The Kelantan government had earlier demanded that the blockades be removed, stressing that logging was a legitimate activity and an important source of revenue for the PAS-held state.

However, the heavy-handed approach in ending the blockade had sparked condemnation from human rights groups.