THE Forest City Golf Resort is not being built on reserve land as the gazette was lifted two years ago, said Johor exco Tan Hong Pin.

He said in 2017, the then Barisan Nasional state government announced that the gazette on reserve mangrove forests – the site where the golf resort is being constructed – had been lifted.

“There are no more mangroves there. All the trees have been felled, and the place is now a golf resort. This issue is from two years ago, and was reported then,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

The entire Forest City development is controversial, with the latest issue being the golf resort, which is said to be under construction on reserve land near Sg Pulai.

Malaysiakini reported that the golf resort takes up more than 1,200ha, featuring world-class 18-hole courses, and that there are plans for a five-star hotel.

The portal said 8,334ha of mangrove swampland – almost twice the size of Putrajaya – was gazetted as reserve land in 1962.

The area was also listed as a “critical swamp” under the Ramsar Convention in 2003.

The Ramsar Convention website said Sg Pulai is Johor’s biggest river mangrove system and supports a diverse ecosystem.

Country Garden Forest City strategy head Ng Zhu Hann dismissed the report, saying it contains many “inaccuracies”.

“We will not comment on the article as it contains many inaccurate information and accusations that do not reflect the facts. If I am not mistaken, the Johor government will issue a statement on the matter,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

He said the Malaysiakini report quoted a website that is not Forest City’s official page.

Ng refused to say whether Forest City or the state government owns the land on which the golf resort is being built.

He said Forest City acquired the land legally, and holds an industrial and commercial title for it after obtaining the necessary approvals. – February 15, 2019.