Dewan Rakyat passes National Forestry Act amendments to beef up penalties for offences

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Forestry Act has been beefed up with the increase in penalties for offences committed in forest reserves.

Apart from increases in penalties, the amendments to the Act which was passed in Dewan Rakyat on Monday (July 18), also include new provisions requiring state governments to conduct public inquiry before taking any area out of permanent forest reserves including replacing it.