KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry through the Wildlife Department is working closely with the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) as well as other security agencies to protect wildlife in the state especially in preventing smuggling of wildlife, the Sabah State Assembly was told yesterday.
Its minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said as a result of the cooperation including with the Marine Operations Force (MOF) and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) since ESSCom was formed in April last year, five arrests were made by the MOF involving an attempt to smuggle out 23,000 turtle eggs.
“In the latest incident in the waters off Pulai Si Amil, Semporna last August, a foreigner was caught by MMEA for being in possession of 72.4kg of turtle meat and turle shells, he said when replying to a question from Edwin Bosi (PKR-Kapayan) during debate and the state’s 2015 Budget.
He added that investigations into the latest case had been completed and that the suspect was expected to be charged soon.
Masidi also told the house that his ministry through the Wildlife Department had not discontinued investigations into the death of 14 elepphants in the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve in January last year and that the reward of RM120,000 to bring the culprits to book still stood. — Bernama