SUBANG JAYA, OCT 6: The public is advised not to use the tracks in prohibited areas in Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve (HSAH) as it is not the usual forest reserve.
Kinrara Assemblyman Ng Sze Han said the forest reserve has been leased to Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) for 999 years for research purposes.
“I advise the public to follow the rules when being in HSAH or more well-known as Bukit Wawasan; do not trespass into prohibited areas.
“For climbing activities, the public is allowed to use only the 2.8 kilometre track,” he said.
86 climbers were caught in the forest during a joint operation between the Royal Malaysian Police Force (RMPF), Forestry Department and UPM last Monday.
He said that all of them were caught in prohibited areas in the forest including a waterfall area.
Ng said that this is not the first time visitors were caught for this reason. In fact, three months ago, a group of climbers were also caught trespassing.
“Many climbers get lost when they deviate from the existing track. In fact, yesterday four more hikers went astray in the forest.
“Every month, there are surely two or three cases of hikers going astray in the forest. My advise is to not deviate from the track, and do not stay overnight in the forest without getting a permit from the relevant agency.
“I am disappointed when told that more than 200 climbers were caught trespassing during the weekend,” he said.
