New proposal to curb illegal land clearing

CAMERON HIGHLANDS: Security and uniformed bodies under the Defence and Home ministries may be holding their training exercises in forests to curb encroachment and illegal land clearing activities.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said he would discuss such a proposal with his counterparts in both the ministries Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

I believe that with the presence of the army, police or Rela, it can put off would-be trespassers in the forest, he told reporters after visiting the Kampung Raja-Blue Valley border yesterday.

Palanivel had visited the area to check on recent land clearing activity there.

Speaking on behalf of some 100 farm owners, Chong Chan Kong, 33, said land clearing along the Kampung Raja-Blue Valley range occurred last Friday.

The activities have started much earlier since September last year. It stopped for about two months and then resumed again. In March, the forest was set on fire, he said.

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New proposal to curb illegal land clearing