'Save Musang King' gathering: Farmers school Raub police chief on law

Save Musang King Alliance (Samka) chairperson Wilson Chang has disputed Raub police chief Mohd Shahril Abdul Rahman’s claim that there is no approval for their gathering tomorrow.

Describing it as a “baseless allegation”, he noted that Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said gatherings do not need approvals but the organisers must submit a notice five days in advance, according to the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) 2012.

“Samka submitted a notice on Aug 30, which is eight days before the gathering and the location is a public space, so we abided by the procedure.

“In 2019, Parliament passed the amendment to the PAA which reduced the notice period from 10 days to five,” he added in a statement this afternoon.

Therefore, Chang urged the public to attend the gathering tomorrow to lend their support.

“To pressure the government to stop all forms of oppression against those who are defending the durian farms they have worked on for decades,” he said.

Yesterday, Shahril advised the public to steer clear of the gathering as it has not been approved by the venue owner.

He said the event organisers notified the police last week but claimed the notification did not comply with the “10-day notice period” stipulated by the Act.

“We also received objections from local residents, including the venue owner and the Raub District Council. Considering all these factors, the event has not been approved.

“Action will be taken against anyone who disregards this and participates in the gathering,” he told Bernama.

Samka announced that the gathering aimed to draw attention to difficulties faced by Raub durian farmers and demand that authorities lease land to farmers for planting and selling durians, thus contributing to the durian industry.

Samka claimed that since the Kuantan High Court dismissed the judicial review application of the Musang King durian farmers on April 24, farmers in Raub have faced difficulties, with frequent pressures and disruptions from the state government, consortiums, and enforcement agencies.

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