RAUB: A week after discovering an illegal bauxite mining site in Kuantan, the Pahang enforcement unit (UPNP) elite team yesterday foiled attempts to clear a piece of land belonging to the state government at Sungai Rambai in Dong near here.
West Pahang's UPNP enforcement officers caught an excavator operator "red handed" for clearing the land in a dense forest area about 3.30pm but the operator escaped on foot.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said the UPNP members were patrolling around the district and upon reaching Sungai Rambai, they noticed an excavator clearing a piece of land.
"The operators stepped down the machine and fled after realising the enforcement team's presence. Another individual then approached the enforcement team claiming to be the owner of the excavator but failed to furnish documents for the land clearing works.
"The excavator was seized under Section 425 of the National Land Code 1965 for unlawful occupation of state land while the owner had his statement recorded," he said in a statement today.
Wan Rosdy affirmed that the Pahang government would not compromise with any illegal land encroachment activities throughout the state and that UPNP would continue monitoring to curb such activities at all times.
On July 7, UPNP seized four tipper trucks and two excavators for carrying out illegal bauxite mining activities at a site near the Malaysia China Kuantan Industrial Park and Sungai Ular in Kuantan.
The Pahang Enforcement Elite Team was set up in 2021 to curb illegal logging and mining.