Five arrested for blocking forest enforcement at Tasek Bera Ramsar site

On a morning operation near 10 am, enforcement personnel from the Pahang State Enforcement Unit, Forestry Department, Bera District and Land Office, General Operations Force, Wildlife and National Parks Department and police entered the Tasek Bera Conservation Forest Reserve to dismantle illegal plantations and curb land encroachment. A group believed to be Orang Asli erected barriers and provoked the officers, prompting the arrest of five individuals, four of them women.

District police chief Superintendent Zulkiflee Nazir said the suspects are being investigated for voluntarily obstructing a civil servant under Section 186 of the Penal Code, an offence carrying a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to RM10,000, or both. The raid, which began on Sept 14, is part of a broader effort to enforce the National Forestry Act 1984 and protect the Ramsar-designated wetland.

Videos of the confrontation circulated widely on social media. The case highlights ongoing tensions over land use and indigenous rights in the region.