CAMERON HIGHLANDS: The government’s battle against illegal land clearing activities here will get another boost, with the armed forces deploying a commando regiment to safeguard the highlands.
The move will see the return of the army’s 21 Commando Regiment to the Slim Camp in Brinchang here after a 10-year gap.
Armed forces chief General Tan Sri Dr Zulkifeli Mohd Zin said the permanent deployment could ensure illegal farming activities here, which had seen massive forest areas destroyed, would not recur.
He said the highlands would also be a good training ground for the special forces soldiers, especially in high ground operations.
“I will discuss with the Army chief (General Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor) on the deployment of commandos to this camp,” he said.
“The number of commandos to be deployed here will be determined according to this camp’s capacity and operational needs,” he said during a visit to the camp here yesterday.
Zulkifeli was accompanied by armed forces’ headquarters assistant chief of staff (operations and defence) Rear Admiral Datuk Anuwi Hassan; Defence Operations and Training Division director-general Brig General Datuk Sanusi Samion; and armed forces Operations and Training director-general Brig Gen Datuk Mohd Ramli Jaafar.
Earlier, they were briefed on the Special Joint-Operation against illegal land clearing activities by district officer Datuk A. Rahman Hamzah and operation commander Assistant Commissioner Mohd Shaharudin Baharom.
Zulkifeli said the operation had shown success and no more illegal land clearing activities had been detected at the highlands.
He said the armed forces currently had 200 personnel here for the Special Joint-Operation and Ops Gading.