Encroachment issue in Sarawak resolved

TELOK MELANO: The Third Infantry Brigade of Malaysia together with the Indonesian Army successfully ended an operation to clear up an illegal plantation run by Indonesian citizens within the Samunsam Wildlife Sanctuary near the Malaysia-Indonesia border, about 200km from here, on Monday.
Third Brigade commander Brig Gen Mohd Bustaman Mat Zin, who led the operation, in a statement late yesterday, said it was carried out after receiving complaints from several agencies such as the Department of Survey and Mapping (Jupem), the Forestry Department of Sarawak (JHS), the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) and the General Operations Force (PGA) through the Sarawak National Security Council (NSC) office.
He said a joint survey conducted by the Third Brigade and the Indonesian Army found that 31 Indonesians living in Kampung Camar Bulan Temajuk, Indonesia, had been planting rubber and black pepper for the past eight to nine years, on eight ha of land within the sanctuary.
According to the statement, the clearing works were carried out between Feb 19 and March 5 by personnel from the 11th Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment (11RAMD), JHS, SFC, the Indonesian army and police, and other Malaysian government agencies.
"A total of 6,757 trees of various commodities such as rubber, black pepper and oil palm were destroyed during the clearing work," read the statement.
Mohd Bustaman, in a short ceremony held on March 5 in conjunction with the completion of the task, expressed hope that the bilateral ties established between Malaysia and Indonesia for the past 45 years, would continue to stay strong. — Bernama