No encroachment on national park as claimed
MIRI: There has been no encroachment on Gunung Mulu National Park by a company as claimed by some individuals.
Miri Resident Mastapa Julaihi said a recent meeting with Sarawak Forestry Corporation ( SFC), Land and Survey Department, Natural Resources and Environment Board ( NREB), Forest Department, company representatives as well as villages from Long Terawan, Batu Bungan, and Penan areas determined there was no such development being carried out.
“The development activities are far away from the Mulu National Park,” Mastapa told The Borneo Post.
He said clearing was only done at Area B, which is far away from the Unesco World Heritage Site.
Mastapa said the Forest Department would continue to work closely with SFC to ensure the national park is not being encroached on.
He added all relevant agencies would also go to the ground to verify the boundary, including a 50-metre buffer zone away from Gunung Mulu to ensure no development is being carried out there.
He also urged villagers from Long Terawan, Batu Bungan, and the Penan committee to work with the relevant government agencies such as the Land and Survey Department to have their Native Customary Rights (NCR) land surveyed, as well as the NREB and SFC to protect the environment.
Long Terawan Action Committee chairman Dennis Along had claimed an oil palm plantation had encroached on the land.