Landowner defends Gunung Lambak site-clearing - 'it's private agriculture land'

Residents in Kluang, Johor were shocked when they saw parts of their famed landmark, Gunung Lambak, which is popular among locals and tourists, progressively being stripped of its vegetation over the past few months.

Some are concerned that the project, located on the slope of the mountain, could lead to landslides or trigger floods during the rainy season.

Questions have been raised about whether the hillside area is a national forest reserve and whether the government has done its job to intervene or monitor the project.

Malaysiakini found that this controversy was due to a long-lasting problem in Malaysia - poor land planning over the span of many decades.

The 92 acres on 17 plots of land adjacent to the Rengam Forest Reserve have been deemed private agricultural land since 1944, and are now owned by a local company called...