Tiada permit, lelaki didenda RM6,000 kerana bertani di hutan simpan kekal

A 61-year-old man, Lee Kai Sang, has been fined RM6,000 and given a two-month prison sentence by the Seremban Sessions Court for cultivating and keeping bees and fish in the Angsi Angsi Forest Reserve without a permit. The judge, Shahrul Rizal Majid, also ordered Lee to pay the fine if he fails to do so. Lee admitted to the charges and was also fined under Section 32(1) of the State Forest Act 1984, which applies in Negeri Sembilan under the State Forest (Charges) Act 1986, with a maximum penalty of RM100,000, seven years in prison, or a combination of both.

The Deputy Public Prosecutor for the Selangor State Forest Department, Muhammad Hanis Zulkapli, sought a harsh sentence based on Lee's last recorded payment for the Angsi Angsi Forest Reserve permit in 2017. She said that Lee was aware that land use required a permit, but continued to use it for years without one. "The land in question falls within the area that requires a permit for use in Kekal Forest Reserve, and using the land without paying the permit has caused a loss of revenue to the state government since 2018," she said.

Lee said he signed a contract with a landowner in 2019 and has been paying rent for the land since 2014. "I supported my daily expenses through the sale of crops and fish, while my wife, who is a teacher, and I helped to support the family's housing payments."