MALAYSIAN ARMY ARRESTS TWO MEN FOR SMUGGLING OVER 2,000 SAPLINGS FROM THAILAND

TANAH MERAH, The Malaysian Army arrested two men and seized 2,074 saplings of various species believed to have been smuggled from Thailand near Sungai Golok early this morning.The Malaysian 2nd Infantry Division Headquarters said in a statement that the seizure included 1,000 saplings of Buluh Manis, 200 of Bidara, 150 Ground Orchids, Sayak Naga and Mutiara Andaman each (!00 each), and Keladi, Bayan King, Siam Mon, Rumput Mas and Botani (50 each), Kancana (70), Pilo Hijau (60), Mutiara Mas (31), Urai Mas (30), Zamrud (36) and Janggut Naga (47), a HINO 500 7-ton lorry worth a total of RM214,490."At 3 am, a team on patrol detected suspicious activity near the bank of Sungai Golok at the Malaysia-Thailand border."They found two men, 24 and 25, loading the saplings, believed to have been smuggled in from Thailand, onto a lorry,' the army said.The men and seized items have been handed over to the Lalang Pepuyu police station for further action, it added.Source: BERNAMA News Agency