Even before the Island State split from Malaysia, the Seletars occupied both banks of the Straits, and Singapore did not recognise the Seletar people. When the split occurred, they could become Malaysians, keep their Asli identity, or take up Singapore citizenship, lose this, and become Malays. (This is what I gather from conversations with my Seletar buddies.)
So it's intriguing that more is written about the Seletars from across the Straits than from our side. It seems to me.
Johor hasn't been a friendly place for the Orang Seletar Orang Asli Seletar, Kg Bakar Batu and Kg Sg Temon Johor, even though they once patrolled and collected taxes for the Sultanate from those who passed through the waterway, so much so that the Brits called them pirates. They've even fought wars up and down the Straits and along Sungai Johor, up to Johor Lama from one Western nation to another, and even battled the Achinese, who wanted to bring the West coast of the peninsular into their domain or chase pretenders and claimants to the throne of Melaka or Johor. (As I read somewhere).
But today, they've been booted out of traditional settlements in Stulang, Sg Segget areas and others. Adding to their woes, the development corridor called Iskandar Malaysia will move one community of close to 400 Seletar people to an area where they will lose their primary source of livelihood - mussel farming. Elsewhere, the Seletar community of Gelang Patah have had their traditional fishing areas taken over by a massive shipping port. It's a tough life. Being Asli is tough all around the peninsular.
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