20. 'Rampant land clearing in Kelantan will affect tourism'

Saturday February 16, 2013

KOTA BARU: Rampant land clearing and serious environmental degradation in the state's forest reserves would affect Kelantan's image as an eco-tourism destination, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.

She said that clearing of the state's forests without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) would affect the ministry's promotion of the state.

Tourism Malaysia's motto is to protect, manage and preserve the environment and Kelantan has the all the ingredients to promote eco-tourism. Publicity on the wanton land clearing without any EIA studies would certainly affect the ministry's efforts to promote eco-tourism in the state, Dr Ng said after attending the state-level Chinese New Year celebrations here yesterday.

She was commenting on media reports that the Kelantan PAS-led government had cleared thousands of hectares of forest land in the Gua Musang and Kuala Krai districts which stretched to the state's borders with Perak and Pahang.

The land clearing has also caused hardship to the orang asli as rivers have been polluted.

Scores of orang asli living in settlements in Gua Musang have also been displaced and their income from forest produce has been affected after the state government allegedly alienated 200,000ha of land for the Ladang Rakyat scheme to non-bumiputra companies.

Dr Ng, who is also Kelantan MCA chief, said that the state government should protect the interest of all its residents.

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20. 'Rampant land clearing in Kelantan will affect tourism'