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New Straits Times

Sultan of Pahang: Enforcement on encroachment must be firm, consistent

KUALA LUMPUR: Sultan of Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah has expressed his dissatisfaction with the enforcement efforts to prevent encroachment on state land and permanent forest reserves in Pahang. Al-Sultan Abdullah said rnforcement measures to prevent encroachment on state land and permanent forest reserves in Pahang must not be seasonal or carried out sporadically. The Sultan of Pahang said measures must be consistently implemented to ensure that no party can take advantage of the situation to exploit the state's resources. He also said the state government must carry out enforcement in line with the law, and that parties found committing offences must face firm action as a deterrent to prevent similar incidents from occurring. "I am still unsatisfied with the enforcement efforts to prevent land encroachment, but I believe the state government is doing its best, as Pahang's forests are vast. "They require all available manpower to carry out continuous monitoring and enforcement to detect any encroachment. "Therefore, the state government can raise awareness and advise the people to assist by becoming the eyes and ears of the government and reporting such activities if they occur," he said. He said this during a meeting with the leadership of the Malaysian Women Journalists Association (PERTAMA), led by its president Sariha Mohd Ali, here yesterday. In April, Al-Sultan Abdullah had singled out illegal land encroachment as the main enemy in the state, which surpassed even drugs and crime. He revealed that 14,494.908 hectares of government land had been unlawfully seized and cultivated with oil palm, rubber, durian, and other crops. He also said 5,997.09 of permanent forest reserves have been encroached upon, allegedly in the name of agriculture, but instead a blatant robbery of state resources. On the same month, the Pahang government through its Forestry Department and the Pahang enforcement unit (UPNP) also launched a special operation dubbed as 'Op Sekat 3.0' aimed at combating illegal land encroachment activities in Raub. Regularisation efforts Commenting on the current status of encroached land in Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah said the state government is now conducting continuous monitoring of the regularisation efforts involving more than 14,000 hectares of state land. He added that following his disappointment over the widespread illegal encroachment and cultivation of state land by certain parties in April, the state government has since intensified enforcement, particularly in areas severely affected by such activities. He also said that among the forest areas targeted for the regularisation process are Raub, Cameron Highlands and Rompin, which involve not only illegal agricultural encroachment but also mining activities. 118 investigation papers opened Meanwhile, Pahang Forestry Department director, Zainuddin Jamaluddin, when contacted, said that over a 15-year period beginning in 2010, a total of 131 individuals have been arrested for encroaching on permanent forest reserves in the state, including 28 individuals detained this year. He said 118 investigation papers related to permanent forest reserves encroachment have been opened, with some of the accused having been issued compounds and fined up to RM10,000, while the remaining cases are still undergoing court proceedings. "Pahang has 1.6 million hectares of permanent forest reserves, of which approximately 5,997.09 hectares have been encroached upon, about 0.8 per cent. "As part of enforcement efforts in the encroached areas, we carry out tree felling before replanting forest trees in the affected permanent forest reserve areas," he said. Commenting on the regularisation programme for encroached land, he said the initiative aims to generate revenue for the state government, which has long suffered losses due to parties profiting from the theft of state resources.