Counsel Samantha Chong Yin Xin, representing all the suspects, aged between 17 and 50, said the remand order was issued in Raub today. The Pahang forestry department was represented by investigating officer Asmadi Mohd.

Pahang CID chief Mohd Yusroi Othman confirmed that a state assemblyman was among 19 people arrested yesterday for obstructing civil servants and provoking the officers during an operation to destroy the durian trees planted illegally.

However, he said the DAP assemblyman and others detained were released on police bail early this morning.

“I learned that 18 suspects were re-arrested by the forestry department to remand them for investigations on encroaching into the forest reserve,” he said when contacted here today.

It is learnt that the assemblyman was not remanded as he was not at the forest reserve area during the operation.

The forestry department said in a statement that its officers were provoked when they went to destroy the illegally planted Musang King durian trees on 101.171 hectares at the Batu Talam permanent forest reserve.

The officers made a recording of the incident and lodged a police report, the department said.

“The operation is focused on destroying all illegally grown durian crops as well as to arrest and confiscate goods and vehicles of those who enter the forest reserve area without permission,” the statement read.

DAP said earlier today that the party had offered legal assistance to the durian farmers who were detained for allegedly trespassing on land they had been cultivating for decades.

The farmers had tried to harvest their produce yesterday but were stopped by police and forestry department officials.

Tras assemblyman Chow Yu Hui, who accompanied the farmers to the land yesterday, was also detained for obstructing a public servant in the discharge of his functions but was released.