PAITAN: Fourteen illegally built structures on a 14-hectare plot in the Paitan forest reserve were demolished by the authorities.
Sabah Chief Forest Conservator, Frederick Kugan said the demolition was carried out on Aug 27, as a last resort after three notices to vacate the forest reserve and repeated verbal warnings were ignored.
The operation to demolish the illegal sheds was carried out in 'Op Bersepadu Khazanah', led by the General Operations Force Tiger Platoon with the Sabah Forestry Department, Wildlife Department, Sabah Parks and WWF-Malaysia. The joint operation involved 37 members.
"The 14 sheds or 'sulap' which were built at three different locations in the Paitan forest reserve were not registered as a village with the Paitan sub-district office.
"Based on investigations, the illegal intruders were locals. However, no suspects were arrested or found inside the sheds as they were believed to be at their permanent residences in Kudat.
"Apart from building the sheds, the illegal settlers also grew bananas, cassava, vegetables, and fruits," he said in a statement.
Frederick said, it is an offense under the Forest Enactment 1968, Section 20 (1) (b) (i) to erect or construct any building in a forest reserve without permission and rights under the law.
The same goes for farming and raising any type of livestock in the forest reserve. If convicted, the offender could be fined up to RM50,000 or imprisoned for up to three years, or both.
He stressed that the Forestry Department will not compromise on illegal encroachments in any forest reserve areas.
As such, Frederick advised the public to never encroach on forest reserves for any purposes such as taking timber, plants, hunting, farming, mining, and taking rocks.
"Forest reserves are gazetted for the benefit of all including the future generations. It should not be monopolised by an individual or any group for their own benefit.
"In addition, it should be noted that any disturbance to forest reserves would have adverse effects such as flash floods, river pollution, increased global warming, and disturbance to wildlife habitats.
"All these adverse effects would directly affect Sabah's tourism industry which is well-known for its natural beauty," he said.
He added Forestry Department had restored some illegally encroached forest reserve areas through restoration projects.
"This included several forest reserves in Beluran, Kinabatangan, Sandakan, Mersuli (Ulu Segama), Tg. Tummanung Hallu (Lahad Datu), and Sapagaya (Lahad Datu).
Frederick hopes 'Op Bersepadu Khazanah' could be continued as it was very effective in tackling all types of forest-related crimes.