HIS Majesty Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, has called for enforcement against land and forest encroachment in the state to be conducted with greater consistency and resolve, warning that sporadic measures allow exploitation of Pahang’s vast natural resources to continue unchecked.
“I am still unsatisfied with the enforcement efforts to prevent land encroachment, but I believe the state government is doing its best, as Pahang’s forests are vast,” he said. “They require all available manpower to carry out continuous monitoring and enforcement to detect any encroachment.”
His Majesty insisted that enforcement “must not be seasonal” and that firm action must be taken against any party found guilty of such offences in order to prevent future violations.
“The state government must carry out enforcement in line with the law, and parties found committing offences must face firm action as a deterrent to prevent similar incidents from occurring.”
He also urged the public to take an active role in safeguarding the forests: “The state government can raise awareness and advise the people to assist by becoming the eyes and ears of the government and reporting such activities if they occur.”
The Sultan made the remarks during a meeting with the Malaysian Women Journalists Association (PERTAMA), led by president Sariha Mohd Ali, on Wednesday.
In April, His Majesty had described illegal land encroachment as the state’s “main enemy”—a threat greater even than drugs and crime—after it was revealed that 14,494.908 hectares of government land had been unlawfully cultivated with oil palm, rubber, durian, and other crops. A further 5,997.09 hectares of permanent forest reserves had been encroached upon, which the Sultan described as a “blatant robbery” of state land under the guise of agriculture.
In response to this crisis, the Pahang government launched a dedicated enforcement initiative—Op Sekat 3.0—spearheaded by the Forestry Department and the state enforcement unit (UPNP) in Raub.
The Sultan added that regularisation and monitoring are now ongoing across the encroached areas, particularly in Raub, Cameron Highlands, and Rompin, where activities include not only illegal farming but also unauthorised mining.
Pahang Forestry Department director Zainuddin Jamaluddin said that since 2010, 131 individuals have been arrested for encroaching on forest reserves, including 28 this year. A total of 118 investigation papers have been opened, with several individuals fined up to RM10,000, while others await trial.
“Pahang has 1.6 million hectares of permanent forest reserves, of which 5,997.09 hectares—about 0.8 per cent—have been encroached upon,” he said.
Zainuddin noted that tree-felling operations are being conducted in affected areas before forest replanting is undertaken to restore the damaged reserves.
He added that the state’s regularisation programme aims to recover financial losses and impose control over land use, as illegal activities have long deprived the state of revenue and environmental integrity.
Zainuddin added that 5,997.09 hectares—approximately 0.8 per cent—of the state’s 1.6 million hectares of permanent forest reserves have been encroached upon.
“As part of enforcement efforts in the affected areas, we carry out tree felling before replanting forest trees in the permanent forest reserve zones,” he explained.
The regularisation programme, he said, is intended to restore order and generate revenue for the state, which has long suffered financial losses from illegal exploitation of its resources. - July 4, 2025
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