Kuala Langat forest reserve degazettement posts suspended ‘in error’ - Facebook
Social media giant Facebook has claimed posts protesting the proposed degazettement of the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve were suspended in error.
“The posts in question were temporarily suspended in error. We have since reinstated the posts as soon as it was brought to our attention,” a spokesperson told Malaysiakini in an emailed response.
The matter came to light after several activists and netizens began taking to other social media platforms last week to question the removal of their posts both on Facebook’s own social networking platform and Instagram, which the former owns...
Social media giant Facebook has claimed posts protesting the proposed degazettement of the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve were suspended in error.
“The posts in question were temporarily suspended in error. We have since reinstated the posts as soon as it was brought to our attention,” a spokesperson told Malaysiakini in an emailed response.
The matter came to light after several activists and netizens began taking to other social media platforms last week to question the removal of their posts both on Facebook’s own social networking platform and Instagram, which the former owns.
Some complaints viewed by Malaysiakini alleged they were informed the postings violated community standards or constituted “spam”. Many questioned if this was an attempt by certain related parties to silence critics.
According to The Malay Mail, posts blocked also included those with links to a petition on popular petition site change.org calling for the preservation of the forest reserve.
To date, there are three separate petitions related to the issue on the site, with an accumulative 48,480 support as at the time of writing.
Malaysiakini was informed the posts were not removed for allegedly containing political speech or due to request from the government.
Temuan artist Shaq Koyok, whose posts were blocked (below), did later comment on Twitter that his posts have been restored.
Malaysiakini had, on Feb 10, reported that 930ha of the reserve is set to be degazetted and converted for development.
This is after the Selangor Forestry Department placed notices in major dailies inviting stakeholders in the district to voice their objections to such proposals within a 30-day time frame.
Syaq and other indigenous communities are objecting to the development.
Seven gazetted Orang Asli villages are located in the reserve. They are Kampung Orang Asli Pulau Kempas, Bukit Cheeding, Bukit Kecil, Bukit Perah, Busut Baru, Tanjung Rabok and Bukit Kamandol.
Aside from indigenous villages, the forest reserve is also said to be home to endangered and rare flora and fauna.
Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari has claimed that the government was proposing to turn the forest reserve into a mixed-development zone, and 40 percent of the land was "degraded" and prone to fires. That was why it was proposed to excise the land as a forest reserve.
A report by Singapore's Straits Times has suggested a royalty is among the possible developers of the land.
