'It's okay if we die, but don't cut down durian trees,' Raub farmer laments

Malaysiakini:







'It's okay if we die, but don't cut down durian trees,' Raub farmer laments

Published: Apr 10, 2025 6:25 PM
Updated: 8:29 PM


Summary

• Durian farmers led by Save Musang King Alliance (Samka) adviser and Raub MP Chow Yu Hui confront Pahang state enforcement unit officers during an operation to cut down durian trees on disputed land.

• They decry the authorities’ move, saying it’s ok if the farmers die but don’t take it out on the durian trees.

Durian farmers in Raub and Pahang State Enforcement Unit (UPNP) personnel clashed today while the latter was clearing Musang King trees on disputed land.

They urged the authorities to stop cutting down the trees, saying that the crops were worth more than their own lives.

"It's okay if we die, but it's not the durian trees' fault. Don’t cut down the trees," lamented one of the durian farmers.

The incident occurred between a group of durian farmers led by Save Musang King Alliance (Samka) Chow Yu Hui, who is also the Raub MP, in an effort to prevent authorities from cutting down Musang King trees in Sungai Klau.

The group descended to the area to demand the UPNP to immediately halt the felling of the trees, with Chow and Samka chairperson Wilson Chang leading the negotiations.

Based on videos sighted by Malaysiakini, the operation was underway at that point and felling works continued.

The videos also depicted a war of words between Samka and the enforcement officers.

Court violation claim

Yesterday, Malaysiakini reported that a group of durian farmers involved in a land dispute with the Pahang government claimed that the latter had violated a court order by cutting down about 200 Musang King trees.

Chow said members of the UPNP, accompanied by Forestry Department and Land Office personnel and the police entered the durian plantation in Sungai Klau at around 11am yesterday to cut down the trees.

In its response, the Pahang government denied it had violated a court order, with the state legal adviser Saiful Edris Zainuddin saying that the trees were on illegally occupied land which meant that the trees were not protected by the court order.

"The allegation that the state government acted against a court ruling is false.

"The Kuantan High Court had already dismissed the farmers' judicial review application regarding the eviction order on April 24, 2024," he told Bernama.

The Court of Appeal had also rejected the farmers' application for a stay of the eviction order due to the applicants not following the correct legal procedure, he added.

“According to the Court of Appeal, they should have first applied for a stay at the High Court under Section 43 of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964 after their judicial review was dismissed.

“Instead, they bypassed that step and directly sought a stay from the Court of Appeal, which led to the rejection of their request,” he said.

He further highlighted that the land is owned by the government, which has the right to take enforcement action against illegal occupants.