One hundred and twenty-nine people have been arrested for offences under Op Sekat, the ongoing crackdown on illegal durian plantations in Raub that began in April, says Pahang menteri besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.
He warned that any attempt to encroach, cultivate or profit illegally from state land or permanent forest reserves constitutes a criminal offence and will be met with strict enforcement.
“The Pahang government will not tolerate illegal land encroachment or durian plantations in Raub.
“No one is above the law and firm action will continue until these activities are eradicated,” Bernama reported him as saying.
Wan Rosdy said Op Sekat, now in its fourth phase since July 21, has sealed off more than 10,000ha of illegal plantations and felled 104ha of durian trees within the Gunung Benom Forest Reserve.
The operation involves the Raub district and land office, the state forestry department, the People’s Volunteer Corps and the police, and is led by the state enforcement unit.
He said the coordinated effort has strengthened enforcement to ensure the law is applied firmly and effectively.
In June, the Pahang forestry department said it had carried out 114 enforcement operations since 2019, involving 59 cases of encroachment on forest reserves for illegal durian farming.
Its director, Zainuddin Jamaluddin, said the 101 items seized from these forest areas included pickup trucks, motorcycles and herbicide spraying equipment.
He said the encroachments were detected through patrols, drones, and satellite surveillance.
