BALING: An old video showing a man announcing 'the world's biggest musang king' plantation in Gunung Inas here has resurfaced and is gaining traction on social media following the massive floods in Kupang here yesterday.
The video was trending following allegations that the famed durian variety's massive plantation was behind the worst flood disaster ever to hit 11 villages here.
In the one minute and 46 second video, the man proclaimed that the 12,140ha (30,000 acres) site in Gunung Inas is the 'biggest musang king farm' in the world.
It showed the man allegedly saying that works to plant 500 'musang king' variety seedlings on the first 4,046ha (10,000ha) of the hill located between Kulim and Baling districts, had already begun.
"Next, we will plant 'musang king' on the remaining 20,000 acres of this site," said the man.
The video, believed to have been originally recorded much earlier, first came into public attention on social media in February last year.
Subsequently, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor had issued a statement to clarify the matter.
He was reported as saying that the video was released before his administration issued a stop-work order on the project in 2020.
"I do not know whether the men (shown in the video) were with a company which was given rights to develop forest plantation in 2013, or another company that bought over the project from the first company.
"I have no idea why the video is being recirculated. I have asked for a report on the site from the relevant agencies. The next course of action will be decided based on the reports," he was reported as saying.
In May 2020, Sanusi had ordered durian seedling planting works in Gunung Inas to be halted after it was purportedly linked to muddy floods in several nearby villages.
Sanusi, in a statement earlier today, also said he had instructed the state Forestry Department and relevant agencies to investigate claims by villagers in Kupang that yesterday's flood was the result of several broken water retention ponds in Gunung Inas.
He said as for now, the claims had yet to be verified.