Wan Junaidi regrets shooting incident involving Forestry Dept personnel

PUTRAJAYA: Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar yesterday expressed regrets that there are parties willing to hurt Forestry Department enforcement personnel.

He said he took a serious view of Saturday’s incident where two of a 10-member enforcement team were shot while on duty at the Dungun Forest Reserve.

“This incident should not be underestimated and I was disappointed that there are individuals who dare to injure the enforcement personnel who are protecting our forest,” he said in a statement, here yesterday.

He said the Terengganu Forestry Department and the ministry would fully cooperate with the Royal Malaysia Police ( PDRM) so that the culprits would be brought to justice.

He was informed that a team of the State Forestry Department was on a stake out in Kampung Serdang, Dungun, checking into illegal logging activities and found an excavator and two types of timber in agricultural land near Bukit Bauk Forest Reserve.

Wan Junaidi said further inspection revealed that the woods were harvested in Bukit Bauk Forest Reserve, adjacent to the agricultural land and decided to seize the excavator.

However, as the excavator was being moved, suddenly three shots were fired.

“Two members – an officer and a mechanic – were hit by shotgun pellets,” he said.

He added that injuries on both victims were believed to be not serious and both were taken to hospital for treatment. — Bernama