Tradewinds regrets arson, irresponsible acts at estate

Tradewinds Plantation Bhd has expressed its deep regrets over the arson incident on April 23, which affected its Sungai Tersak estate in Simunjan.

The company believes that such irresponsible and dangerous act was made in retaliation for the dismantling by Tradewinds of a makeshift crossing to access an intended plantation road. This illegal crossing was set up by unknown individuals. It is said that many parties have alleged that the land lots on the estate belong to the locals, and not to Tradewinds.

Nevertheless, this allegation of ownership has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal and is found to have no merit, says the company.

“The unlawful act of erecting the said illegal makeshift crossing has caused losses to Tradewinds, and (the crossing) is used to provide unlawful access for the purpose of theft of FFB (oil palm’s fresh fruit bunches) and to compromise the state of security in the estate.

“Only authorised Tradewinds personnel are allowed into the estate,” said the group in a press statement released yesterday, stressing that Tradewinds is the lawful owner of the estate and that there are no Native Customary Rights (NCR) land there.

“Tradewinds is committed to continuously improving the security and safety of the estate in its pursuit to ensure that its estate is properly managed. Tradewinds looks forward to enhancing its engagement with the police and the local community to ensure that its operation could be carried out safely and smoothly,” it added.