KUANTAN, Dec 26 — The situation in Cameron Highlands is peaceful and safe to visit, said Pahang Police Chief Datuk Abd Jalil Hassan.
He said claims that there had been riots and protests in the highland agricultural area following the Op Lestari 2 began on December 16 as depicted on the social media were untrue.
Abd Jalil stressed that police had dispersed the 200-odd people who had protested against the operations on Monday, in accordance with the standard operating procedure permitted under the law.
“The police force led by Cameron Highlands District police chief DSP Ashari Abu Samah assisted the local Land and District office which had to clear the land of encroachments,” he said.
“We were also assured by the Pahang state government that action was taken within the law, including giving ample time for the illegal farm operators to vacate the land,” he said.
Abd Jalil was speaking in a press conference held after the closing ceremony of a road-safety programme for bus operators in Kuantan, Pekan and Maran held here today.
He said seven people, including two politicians, who were detained during the protest have been released on police bail after they gave their statements to the police on the same day.
“We also confirm that no children were arrested on that day and the photos which were spread on the social media are untrue. Cameron Highlands is still safe for tourists,” he said.
Op Lestari 2 is a continuation of Op Lestari which was carried out jointly by several agencies including the National Security Council with the objective of preserving water resources especially Sungai Ichat, Kuala Terla, which have been polluted.
During Op Lestari 2, police were deployed to provide security for officers carrying out the operations at illegal farms spread over 97.12 hectares, involving 60 owners, mostly around Sungai Ichat.
The decision to implement Op Lestari 2 was made on December 9 at the Cameron Highlands Rehabilitation Joint Action Committee meeting which was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.
It was in line with the call by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah who is also Pahang Sultan to stop illegal encroachment in the Sungai Ichat area after he visited it on September 7. — Bernama
