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 turtle shells, he said when replying to a question from Edwin Bosi (PKR-Kapayan) during debate and the state’s 2015 Budget.
Masidi said that investigations into the latest case had been completed and that the suspect was expected to be charged soon.
He told the state assembly that his ministry through the Wildlife Department had not discontinued investigations into the death of 14 elephants 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.
On another matter, Masidi said the authorities viewed sternly foreigners operating as tour guides in the state and that a one such case involving a South Korean national had been referred to the Immigration Department for further action.
Meanwhile, State Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor told the assembly that the federal government had allocated RM123.80 million to be distributed to local authorities in the state.
He said of the amount, RM35.87 million was to defray operation costs, RM57.81 for implementing small projects and RM32.87 million for assistance involving assessment rates.
On housing, he said the state’s Housing and Urban Development Authority was in the process of building 4,509 units of affordable houses and 385 high cost houses on a joint venture basis with the private sector while 10,465 and 3,649 of similar units respectively would be build under the 11th Malaysia Plan.
To a question by Datuk Abdul Muis Picho (BN-Sebatik), Hajiji’s deputy Datuk Zakaria Edris said 51 people given People’s Housing Programme units in the state were evicted after they were found to be renting their houses to others.
Thirty-four of the cases were in Tuaran, 15 in Tawau and two in Sandakan.
State Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan told the assembly that his ministry was now focusing on the Sabah Games (SAGA) 2015 in the state’s build up to achieve its 40-gold target at the next Malaysia Games in Kuching in 2016.
–BERNAMA
