Latest news with #WildLifeProtectionOrdinance1998
Borneo Post
28-05-2025
- General
- Borneo Post
APM team snares 12-ft-long king cobra in bathroom of unoccupied Selangau PPRT house
Handout photo shows APM personnel with the captured king cobra. SELANGAU (May 28): A king cobra measuring 3.65 metres long (12 feet) and weighing 8kg was captured inside an unoccupied Hardcore Poor Housing Project (PPRT) unit at Rumah Tandang in Dijih here this morning, after having first been spotted last week. Selangau Civil Defence Force (APM) officer Luke Douglas Dongum said they received a call at 8.15am from the longhouse chief that the reptile had made its way into the bathroom of the unit. 'A team was immediately dispatched to the location, arriving 21 minutes later. Upon entering the bathroom, APM personnel took about 30 minutes to capture the cobra,' he said in a statement. He said the snake was later transported far away from populated areas and released back into the wild. According to Luke, the residents informed the APM team that they had spotted the same cobra in the vicinity of the PPRT unit last week, but that it quickly disappeared when they tried to catch it. He advised those living in rural areas or adjacent to jungles to remain cautious and avoid direct encounters with dangerous wildlife, especially venomous snakes. 'Report any sighting to the relevant authorities. Do not attempt to deal with such animals without proper training or equipment,' he said. King cobras (Ophiophagus hannah), the world's longest venomous snakes and among the heaviest, have been listed as 'Vulnerable' on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List since 2010. In Sarawak, the king cobra is listed as a protected animal under the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998. APM king cobra Selangau snake snare
Borneo Post
20-05-2025
- Borneo Post
Court approves disposal of seized animal parts in Sibu
Some of the wildlife meat seized by SFC. – Photo courtesy of SFC SIBU (May 20): The Magistrates' Court here today allowed applications by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) for the disposal of about half a tonne of wild animals' parts, including freezers used to store them, which were seized from residential units, shophouses and pasar tamu. Senior assistant registrar Jessica Lee, sitting as magistrate, allowed the applications filed by the wildlife officer pursuant to Section 48 of the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998 (Chapter 26) and Section 407A of the Criminal Procedure Code (Act 593). According to the applications submitted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Ronald Felix Hardin of the State Attorney-General's Chambers appearing on behalf of SFC, all the seized exhibits were of perishable nature, and the freezers were equipment provided under Section 407A of the Criminal Procedure Code (Act 593). Furthermore, there were constraints in proper storage space at the Sibu Regional Office. 'One of the suspects has since absconded despite Warrant of Arrest being issued by the trial judge at the Sessions Court in Sibu in the midst of trial proceedings,' he added. Among the seized wild animal meat were cuts from wild boar (Sus barbatus Suidae species), deer (Cervus Unicolor species), reptile belonging to Python species, and one lesser mouse-deer (Tragulus kanchil species). The suspects were being investigated under Section 37(1) of the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998 (Chapter 26). Several wildlife officers attended the court proceedings. animal parts Court disposal lead Sarawak Forestry Corporation
The Star
20-05-2025
- The Star
Court approves S'wak Forestry Corp application to dispose of seized animal parts
SIBU: The Magistrates' Court here has approved the Sarawak Forestry Corporation's (SFC) application to dispose of half a tonne of wild animal parts and freezers. These items were confiscated from homes, shoplots, and a pasar tamu in Sibu. Senior Assistant Registrar Jessica Lee Suk Kiun, acting as Magistrate on Tuesday (May 20), approved the application by a wildlife officer under Section 48 of the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998 and Section 407A of the Criminal Procedure Code. According to SFC counsel DPP Ronald Felix Hardin, the seized items are perishable. The freezers are considered equipment under Section 407A of the Criminal Procedure Code. He cited limited storage capacity at SFC's regional office in Sibu as another reason for disposal. He added that one suspect has absconded despite an arrest warrant issued by a Sessions Court judge. The confiscated animal meat includes wild boar, deer, python species, and a lesser mousedeer. The suspects are being investigated under Section 37(1) of the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998. Several wildlife officers attended the court proceedings.
The Star
20-05-2025
- The Star
Limbang court grants stay of execution for father and son
LIMBANG: The Sessions Court here has granted a stay of execution to a father and son recently convicted under Section 30(2) of the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998 (Chapter 26). Mohamad Fauzi bin Mohamad, 59, and Mohamad Sam Husni, 32, both from Nibong Tebal, have been released on bail of RM3,000 each with two sureties, pending their appeal hearing at the High Court. The pair had previously been sentenced to three months' imprisonment from their arrest on 1 May 2025, and fined RM4,000, with an additional three months' imprisonment in default, for the illegal possession of over two kilograms of agarwood chips and 2,347 grams of agarwood powder. Their legal counsel, Low Lik Yuan, informed Sessions Court Judge Monica Linsua on Monday (May 19) that both had already served ten days in custody, including four days in remand at the Limbang prison and police lock-up, prior to their conviction on 13 May 2025. Low further submitted that the father is elderly and suffers from multiple chronic medical conditions, including asthma, and that his medical certificates were submitted to the authorities upon conviction. Judge Monica granted the application following Low's submission and after being informed that the prosecution, led by Prosecuting Officer Simon Engka Crown of the Sarawak State Attorney-General's Chambers, had no objection to the stay pending the appeal's outcome.
Borneo Post
18-05-2025
- Borneo Post
Agarwood possession: China national jailed one day, fined RM10,000
File photo for illustration purposes MIRI (May 18): A Chinese national was sentenced today by the Sessions Court here to one day in jail and fined RM10,000 for unlawful possession of protected agarwood (Aquilaria spp). Online seller Wu Ruxing, 48, of Fujian pleaded guilty before Judge Afidah Abdul Rahman to a charge under Section 30(2) of the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998, punishable under Section 30(2) of the same Ordinance, which carries imprisonment for one year and a fine of RM10,000. According to the facts of the case, the accused was found to have in his possession 820g of agarwood—listed as a protected plant in Part II of the Second Schedule of the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998—without permission from the Controller of Wild Life. He committed the offence at a budget hotel in Jalan South Yu Seng here at around 1.15pm on May 7, 2025. Wu, unrepresented, earlier pleaded to the court for leniency, saying this was his first offence and that he had purchased the agarwood for personal use. He also informed that he was here on a social pass to visit friends. In urging the court to impose a harsher penalty, the prosecution said the removal of such a rare species disrupts the balance of the ecosystem and threatens biodiversity. They also argued that the possession of such protected plant also undermines ongoing conservation efforts that aim to protect endangered flora and fauna. They added that due to its high market value, the species is targeted for illegal harvesting. The prosecution comprised prosecuting officer Simon Engka Crown from the State Attorney-General's Chambers, and prosecuting officers Leonard Baring, Willy Chin Siaw Min and Peter Buga from the Sarawak Forestry Corporation. agarwood crime illegal possession
