The Pahang sultan said encroachments have grown so rampant that they have become among the state’s main public enemies, aside from drugs and criminals, Berita Harian reported.

He said 14,495 hectares of state-owned land have been encroached on, with oil palm, rubber and durian trees illegally planted and cultivated.

He said 5,997 hectares of permanent forest reserve land had also been encroached, supposedly in the name of agriculture.

“The reality is that this is a theft of state assets.

“I want this issue of illegal land encroachments to be brought to an end once and for all,” he said in opening the Pahang legislative assembly meeting today.

Al-Sultan Abdullah added that the authorities must look into possible elements of corruption, abuse of power or breach of trust in these cases of encroachment.

The Pahang ruler also extended his appreciation to state authorities for “taking stern action” on the ground by making arrests, chopping down illegally planted trees and closing illegal mines.

“I want to stress that there will be no new approvals from the state executive council for any applications for land that has been encroached on,” he added.

An enforcement operation at an allegedly illegal durian farm in Raub sparked various reactions after farmers reportedly expressed dissatisfaction over the destruction of their crops.

The Pahang government had denied violating a court order when felling around 200 Musang King durian trees during an enforcement operation in Sungai Klau, Raub, on April 8.

Raub MP Chow Yu Hui and Save Musang King Alliance chairman Wilson Chang were previously arrested for allegedly obstructing enforcement officers. They have since been released on police bail.