Aktivis mohon perintah mahkamah dedah dokumen pemindahan gajah

A group of activists have filed a request with the court demanding that four government agencies disclose documents related to the relocation of three elephants from Zoo Taiping to a zoo in Japan. Lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan explained that the legal motion was submitted to the High Court Kuala Lumpur against the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan), the Taiping Municipal Council, Zoo Taiping, and the Ministry of Rural and Natural Resources.

The legal motion allows an individual to obtain documents from another party that may help determine if there is a basis for filing a lawsuit. Nagarajan stated that the motion was submitted after the ministry and Perhilitan refused to release the documents, citing that the documents were classified under the Official Secrets Act 1972 (OSA).

The group had written to the authorities on September 8th seeking all documents related to the relocation, but received replies on September 14th and 15th denying their request. He said that the motion is not a primary lawsuit to challenge the relocation, adding that the group wants to obtain the documents first before deciding on any further legal action.

"Our aim is to obtain that documentation and use it to file a lawsuit stating that the relocation of the elephants to Tennoji Zoo in Osaka is illegal and exceeds legal limits," he told FMT. Nagarajan also questioned the classification of the documents under the OSA, arguing it as misuse of the law. He emphasized that the public has a right to know how the elephants were relocated.

The five petitioners are Sheeren Begum Abdul Yunos, Norhanim Zain, S Shashi Kumar, Seow Yin Lee, and the Malaysian Animal Rights Advocacy Group. The relocation has been controversial since the elephants were sent to Japan earlier this year. The Taiping Municipal Council defended the rule, saying it was a non-commercial inter-zoo program and the elephants remained Zoo Taiping's property.

The Official Secrets Association of Malaysia had previously stated that the Tennoji Zoo paid USD1.48 million, or approximately RM6.39 million, to a Malaysian company for managing the relocation, and the cost was not borne by the Malaysian government.