High time to say ‘tidak boleh’

Clean and green space: Kedah state executive councillor Datuk Dr Leong Yong Kong (batik and vest) launching the gazetting of public parks as no-smoking zones at the Jubli Perak Park in Alor Setar. With him are Kedah Health Department director Datuk Dr Norhizan Ismail and Dr Leong’s wife Datin Lim Yang Kwee.

I READ with great interest but no surprise at all the report on the flooding in Kuala Gandah (pic), “Flooding forces closure of elephant sanctuary” (The Star, May 10).

For the past two years, the people there, particularly the local Chewong tribe and staff at the sanctuary, had been noticing the change of colour in the river after heavy rain. There were whispers about illegal gold mining activities going on upstream in the areas bordering the Krau Wildlife Game Reserve, one of the richest biodiversity valleys of rainforest in peninsular Malaysia.