Cameron Highlands safe to visit, assures police

KUANTAN: The situation in Cameron Highlands is peaceful and the place is safe to visit, says Pahang police chief Comm Datuk Abd Jalil Hassan.

Claims on social media that there had been riots and protests there following Op Lestari 2, which began on Dec 16, were untrue, he said.

The police, he said, dispersed the 200-odd people who had protested against the operations 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.

“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 told a press conference after the closing ceremony of a road safety programme for bus operators in Kuantan, Pekan and Maran yesterday.

Comm Abd Jalil said seven people, including two politicians, who were detained during the protest were released on police bail after having their statements recorded on the same day.

He confirmed that no children were arrested on that day and that photographs which were spread on social media were 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 had 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 ha, involving 60 owners, mostly around Sungai Ichat.

The decision to implement Op Lestari 2 was made on Dec 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 a call by 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 Sept 7. - Star

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