Malaysia: MNS Johor approves of shoot-on-sight policy

mohd farhaan shah The Star 3 Aug 18;

JOHOR BARU: Drastic action like having a shoot-on-sight policy against poachers will help save and protect Malaysian wildlife, said Malaysian Nature Society Johor chairman Vincent Chow.

Chow said Malaysia had long been involved in a war against poachers.

He said this in support of Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar’s announcement that he was seriously considering bringing a shoot-on-sight policy on wildlife poachers for the Cabinet’s deliberation.

“These poachers come from countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia and they are here just to hunt down our animals such as tigers, elephants as well as for agarwood, because they are very lucrative in the black market.

“The poachers will usually work in a group of five where at least two or three of them are normally armed. They are very dangerous,” he said when contacted by StarMetro.

Chow noted that these poachers would usually spend months in the Malaysian jungles until they were able to obtain what they wanted in their hunt.

He said the poachers would build their own camps to familiarise themselves with the Malaysian jungles to make it easier for them to hunt the animals.

“They will carry specific weapons for the different animals targeted, and they will resort to anything including attacking officers from the Malaysian authorities if they come across them in the jungle,” he said.

He said Malaysia needed strict action in its fight against poachers, having such policy would reduce the threat of poachers and send a strong warning to others.

In earlier reports, Dr Xavier said he would instruct ministry officials to immediately have a meeting between the army, police, Perhilitan as well as the Maybank Foundation and WWF Malaysia to see what could be done collaboratively.