A group of durian farmers have condemned the Pahang state government's "bragging" of its move to cut down 15,000 disputed durian trees in nine days in Raub.
Save Musang King Alliance (Samka) president Wilson Chang said enforcement by the Pahang Forestry Department had caused added hardship to the lives of farmers.
"In the eyes of the Pahang Forestry Department, 15,000 durian trees were merely numbers.
"Nonetheless, the trees are the only source of livelihood for the farmers, which are also their only hope to survive through the pandemic," Chang said in a statement today.
"Furthermore, the land clearing operation involving 250-acre of land in less than a fortnight created irreversible and severe impact towards the environment.
"As such, the forestry department’s excuse of ‘environment preservation’ is unjustifiable and only made the department itself a laughing stock," claimed Chang.
Earlier today, Malay-daily Berita Harian quoted Pahang Forestry Department deputy enforcement director Nor Azirim Ahmad who described the success of its operations to finish cutting 15,000 durian trees ahead of schedule as an unexpected achievement.
"In nine days, nearly all of the 15,000 Musang King trees planted illegally in Batu Talam forest reserve were successfully cut. Initially, we expected it to take one month.
"It is a proud achievement for all parties particularly when we could complete the task in such a short amount of time," he reportedly said.
The state government and a group of durian farmers are engaged in a legal battle over a land dispute in Raub.
The state government had accused the durian cultivators of illegal farming and is trying to evict them as it had leased the land to a firm that is planning its own durian cultivation.
The firm, Royal Pahang Durian Resources-PKPP Sdn Bhd (RPDR-PKPP), is a joint venture between the state government and a company linked to Pahang royalty.
The farmers had obtained a stay of execution from the Court of Appeal, allowing them to continue operating on the disputed land pending their appeal against the eviction.
However, at the start of this month, the state government began chopping durian trees in the area.
The state government had maintained the durian trees it cleared was not part of the court battle between the durian farmers and RPDR-PKPP but is within an adjacent forest reserve.
The farmers, on the other hand, insisted that the destroyed trees were part of the legal dispute and the stay of execution also applied to the trees within the forest reserve.
Chang said Samka will be pursuing legal actions against the state government, file a contempt of court application and defend the legal rights of farmers.
He previously revealed the durian tree felling process had started on July 5.
On July 4, Tras assemblyperson Chow Yu Hui was detained by police, along with 18 other durian farmers, amid a continued tussle with state authorities. - Mkini
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