Abstract
Orang Asli is the aboriginal people in Peninsular Malaysia who have been recognized as indigenous to the country and still practicing traditional lifestyle. The molecular interest on the Orang Asli started when the earliest prehistoric migration occurred approximately 200 kya and entering Peninsular Malaysia 50 kya in stages. A total of three groups of Orang Asli present in Peninsular Malaysia, namely, Negrito also known as Semang, Senoi and Proto Malays. Through records, there is no research has been conducted on mtDNA variations in the Semoq Beri population, one of the tribes in Senoi group. In this report, variations of mtDNA were analysed in the population in Hulu Terengganu as an initial effort to establish the genetic characterisation and elucidating the history of Orang Asli expansion in Peninsular Malaysia. An array of mtDNA parameters was estimated and the observed polymorphisms with their respective haplogroups in comparison to rCRS were inferred respectively. The DNA sequences are registered in the NCBI with accession numbers KY853670-KY853753.