KUCHING: A woman has been fined RM12,000 in default 14 months’ imprisonment by the Sessions Court for trespassing, removing soil, and constructing a hut in Dered Krian National Park without proper authorisation.
Kristina, 51, an Indonesian national who is now a permanent resident of Malaysia, pleaded guilty to three charges read before Judge Iris Awen Jon.
For the first charge, she was charged under Section 26(a) of the National Parks and Nature Reserves Ordinance 1998 (Chapter 27) and punishable under Section 32(a) of the same ordinance for trespassing into Gunung Tabai within Dered Krian National Park, Bau, without permission from the park warden.
The second charge was brought under Section 26(g) of the same ordinance and punishable under Section 32(a) for removing soil, which is considered an object of scientific interest, without the approval of the forest warden in the same area.
For the third charge, she was accused of constructing a hut within the same area without the necessary authorisation.
As a result, she was charged under Section 26(i) of the National Parks and Nature Reserves Ordinance 1998 (Chapter 27) and punishable under Section 32(a) of the same ordinance.
She committed all three offences at approximately 9.30 am on August 24, 2024.
According to the case facts, at the time of the incident, a team of officers from the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) was conducting a patrol in Gunung Tabai, within Dered Krian National Park, Bau.
During the patrol, SFC officers apprehended the woman along with her four-wheel-drive vehicle, which was loaded with 31 sacks of soil. A hut was also discovered at the scene.
Further investigations revealed that the vehicle belonged to her son. She failed to provide any valid authorisation from the park warden for entering the area, removing soil, and constructing the hut within the national park.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Aiman Nabila Alwi, while the accused was represented by counsel Tiong Ing Neng.
