40 individuals, including 35 foreigners, charged with trespassing forest reserve in Sik

BALING: A total of 40 individuals, including 35 foreigners, were charged at the Sessions Court here today for trespassing into the Bukit Enggang Forest Reserve in Sik last January.

Two local men, 21 and 54, plead not guilty to the charges read separately against them.

No plea was recorded from two other local men and one woman, aged 57 to 60, as they did not understand the charges read in Malay.

There were no pleas recorded from the 31 Myanmar nationals, two Chinese men and Nepalese men, all aged 18 to 50, as they could not understand Malay.

They were all charged with entering the closed forest reserve, specifically Compartment 12, Bukit Enggang Forest Reserve without possessing entry permits between 9 pm, 31 Jan to 3 am, Feb 1 under Subsection 47(1) of the National Forestry Act 1984, used by the state of Kedah under the National Forestry Enactment 1985, punishable under the Subsection 47(4) of the same enactment.

If found guilty, they can be fined no more than RM10,000 or jailed no more than three years or both.

The court allowed the five Malaysians bail of RM5,000 each with one surety.

Both Chinese nationals were allowed bail of RM7,000 each with two Malaysian sureties, and were ordered to hand their passports over to the court.

The 31 Myanmar nationals and two Nepalese were not offered bail as they were undergoing prison sentence under the Immigration Act for not having valid travel documents.

The court set June 11 for case mention.

-- BERNAMA