KUALA LUMPUR, April 11 — Land encroachment should be addressed strictly as a legal matter and not viewed through a racial lens, said Umno youth chief Datuk Dr Akmal Saleh.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Dr Akmal added that the same rules should apply even for a mosque.

“Whether it involves a temple, illegally planted durian trees, or any other form of encroachment, it remains a violation of the law and must be dealt with accordingly.” he wrote.

“Even if a mosque is built on someone else’s land, it is still wrong”.

Dr Akmal, who is also a Melaka executive councillor, was seemingly commenting on two recent controversies — the relocation of a temple in Kuala Lumpur and the felling of durian trees in Pahang.

He had previously urged that a land dispute over the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman temple near Jalan Masjid India be resolved in court.

The temple committee later agreed to relocate the structure about 50 metres away, to a new 4,000 square feet plot.

Yesterday, farmers’ coalition Save Musang King Alliance (Samka) had claimed that the Pahang government had violated a court order by felling around 200 Musang King durian trees in Raub.

In July, the Court of Appeal had dismissed an application by 131 farmers seeking temporary access to the orchards while appealing an eviction order.

The court also ruled that the Pahang Agricultural Development Corporation was no longer responsible for maintaining the trees.