Forestry staff in coma after bashing by poachers

Ini kandungan Daily Express Online hari ini tentang keganasan terhadap pegawai perhutanan negeri Sabah:

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=64473

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Published on: Friday, April 24, 2009

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Kota Kinabalu:
The Forestry Department has been forced to engage the services of a
security firm with armed personnel following a retaliatory attack by a
group of suspected illegal hunters earlier this month. The attack, involving a group of about 20 men, armed with machetes,
brass knuckles, hockey sticks, samurai swords, rambo knives and sticks,
among others, occurred at the Ulu Segama-Malua District Forestry Office
Base Camp at Sungai Kawag, Ulu Segama Forest Reserve, Lahad Datu at
about 9pm on April 2. Sabah Forestry Department Director Datuk Sam Mannan said the one-hour
incident left District Forestry Officer Indra Sunjoto seriously injured
and unconscious. "He was dragged, slashed, beaten up repeatedly and left unconscious. He
ended up badly bruised, bloodied with a gash on his head which required
several stitches and subsequent specialist treatment," he said, in a
statement, Thursday. At the same time, other staff who tried to come to Indra's aide were
threatened with bodily harm by the intruders. The assailants were
believed to be locals who resided in a settlement about two hours'
drive from the base camp. He said the siege might have been triggered by action taken earlier in
the day by the District Forestry Officer to apprehend a suspected
illegal hunter who managed to escape but had his bounty of fresh deer
meat and motorcycle confiscated. The group also damaged the Forestry
Department vehicles at the base camp, ransacked labourers' quarters and
carted away food, besides taking back the seized meat, among others. "It is believed the group had habitually entered Ulu Segama Forest
Reserve including the INFRAPRO Forest Restoration area to carry out
illegal poaching of wild animals," Mannan said, adding their records
showed not only deer were hunted but also other wildlife like
elephants, clouded leopards and other protected species. Sabah Commissioner of Police, Datuk Noor Rashid Ibrahim said police
have detained two people in connection with the incident. Three General
Operations Force (GOF) personnel have been stationed in the area to
monitor the situation. Mannan said his men could not immediately
contact the police at the time as the telecommunication system had
broken down in Ulu Segama, adding the intruders had forced their way
through the guard posts manned by the Forestry Department and Yayasan
Sabah. "This incident is a culmination of earlier skirmishes with illegal
hunters in Ulu Segama that included intimidation and threats against
Yayasan Sabah, WWF and Forestry Department staff in the field, with
weapons to cause bodily harm and physical assault in one case. "As an interim measure to boost security in Ulu Segama, the Department,
despite high costs, has now engaged the services of a security firm to
guard the base camp and Forestry Department personnel carrying out
patrols." "As a long-term measure, the Forestry Department is in the process of
reviving and applying for a gun licence so that field personnel in
critical areas can at least defend themselves. "The police have also kindly allocated GOF personnel on rotation basis
to beef up security in Ulu Segama Forest Reserve," Mannan said,
thanking Noor Rashid and the Lahad Datu Police Chief for the swift
action in arresting the suspects. "The last known assault of this nature was in 1954 whereby the District
Forestry Officer, Lahad Datu was killed by foreign pirates in Semporna.
"(But) this incident cannot be taken as an isolated case as it appears to have been planned for maximum damage. "Furthermore, the State's collaborative programmes with international
NGOs and other entities in the area will be badly affected if
incidences of illegal hunting and assaults continue." Among others, he said the projects included the Yayasan Sabah Research
Programme with the Royal Society of the United Kingdom at Danum Valley,
the FACE Foundation Forest Restoration Project at Ulu Segama with the
FACE Foundation of the Netherlands and the WWF Forest Restoration
Programmes at Northern Ulu Segama. "The actions of a few irresponsible elements may potentially jeopardise
the long-term reputation of Sabah, in particular, and the country in
general as a safe haven for eco-tourism, ecological and scientific
research projects, coupled with forest restoration on an international
effort." Towards this end, he said the Forestry Department viewed the incident
as serious and has full confidence in the Sabah police in apprehending
the suspects and to be brought to justice, and to prevent further
occurrences.

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