By Malcolm Lau
KUCHING, Jan 7: General Operation Force (GOF) 11th Battalion recovered a total of 1,060 protected ‘Pelimang’ and ‘Murai Batu’ bird species worth RM855,000.00 from being smuggled to Indonesia during Op Bersepadu Khazanah on Monday afternoon.
The raid was held around 1 pm by a special team which consisted of 11 members of the 11th Batallion, four from Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) and four of Suruhjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) at a hidden place located in the Tebedu area.
A 39-year-old Indonesian woman was arrested due to failure in showing proper documentation for these exotic birds while a man in his 30’s was also arrested while attempting to bribe the police by offering RM7,000.00.
According to the police, it was said that the hidden place could only be accessed by motorcycle due to the small path and the suspect would carry the bird to the hidden place while the suspect’s accomplice would be waiting for them at the roadside with the captured exotic birds.
The case was handed over to SFC and will be investigated under Section 29 of the Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998 while the male suspect who will be investigated under Section 17(B) MACC Act 2009 for bribery.
Police also urged the public to give more information to aid in conservation and prevent poaching as these exotic birds are a protected species and must be protected. —DayakDaily
