CAMERON HIGHLANDS: The landslide incident in Kampung Raja, Blue Valley here, occurred in the Sungai Wi D Forest Reserve area, which had been illegally cleared by a vegetable farm operator since last year, despite facing enforcement actions.

       Cameron Highlands district officer Syed Ahmad Khirulanwar Al-Yahya Syed Abdul Rahman said the local farm owner was arrested during an enforcement operation by the Pahang State Forestry Department in April last year.

       "The settler applied for a forest land use permit, but the Forestry Department did not approve due to the steep slope exceeding 35 degrees. This decision was made to mitigate potential hazards, particularly landslides, especially during periods of heavy rainfall,” he told a press conference at the Disaster Control Centre at the incident site, here on Saturday (Jan 27).

       He said continuous monitoring by the relevant departments would be undertaken to address the problem of forest encroachment in the area.

       The case is being investigated according to Section 81 of the National Forestry Act 1984.

       Earlier, five Myanmar nationals, including a woman, were feared buried after the house occupied by the victims was involved in a landslide at about 2.40am on Friday (Jan 26).

       All the foreign victims were workers at the vegetable farm and the two bodies found on Friday have been identified as Law Ha Phey, 36, and Ki Shing Om, 48.

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       The other three victims were identified as Shing Law Har, 56, Om Myu, 37, and the female victim identified as Thang Moung, aged 25.- Bernama