Poverty up, jobless up, squatters up
August 2, 2007 
Chase out the Nagos, Sungai Mantri and Andrassy’s hundreds of farmers and what do we have. Poverty up, jobless up, squatters up.
These farmers are ’self eliminating poverty’ when they develop those lands, so why shouldn’t they be allowed to carry on.
Yes, their oil palms are planted on forest reserves, but can’t the forest department discuss with them and have a win-win situation.
The farmers could do reforestation replanting while tending the oil palm, and this would reduce forestry manpower replanting and maintaining cost.
The government should have heart to its people who are helping the country to boost the oil palm industry.
I read yesterday news (1.8.07) Forestry director Dtk Sam said the sungai Matri farmers’ area was gazetted as forest reserve in 1956, thus they are there illegally. who is telling the truth here. I hope some one can shed a light on who was there first and was it still state land when the farmers developed the area.