KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 431 Malaysians and 91 foreign nationals have been arrested in Op Bersepadu Khazanah (OBK), resulting in seizures totalling RM150 million between 2021 and July this year, the Dewan Rakyat heard today (Oct 14).
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the ministry and the Department of Wildlife Protection and National Parks have implemented various measures to combat illegal encroachment, which threatens forests and wildlife.
"Among the measures is (the deployment of) community rangers, which started with 1,000 rangers, then increased to 1,500, and currently stands at 1,920, with 500 rangers located in Sabah and Sarawak.
"These rangers comprised the Orang Asli people and veterans from the armed forces, police, and local communities.
"We also collaborate with the police and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) through the OBK to mitigate threats to our wildlife from poachers," he said in reply to a supplementary question from Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (PH-Balik Pulau).
Last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, while tabling the 2024 Budget, announced that the government, through the allocation under the ministry responsible for environmental matters, is expected to appoint 2,000 rangers, including from among the indigenous people, as well as veterans from the armed forces and police; and local communities.