Reacting to the raid which was reported by the press on July 27, STA said in a statement it had sought clarification from the Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) and it was revealed that the raid was carried out within a licensed area with valid Permit to Enter Coupe (PEC).
KUCHING (Aug 7): Sarawak Timber Association (STA) has expressed concern over the publication of statements on unverified illegal logging activities following a raid conducted by Battalion 10 of the Sibu General Operations Force (GOF) in Selangau, Sibu.
Reacting to the raid which was reported by the press on July 27, STA said in a statement it had sought clarification from the Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) and it was revealed that the raid was carried out within a licensed area with valid Permit to Enter Coupe (PEC).
The association said the GOF presumed the logs were illegal because they were found without tag and royalty mark at the landing site when tagging and royalty mark would only be affixed at the place of royalty marking.
Through subsequent confirmation with the department, it said all documents review and field inspection by FDS in relation to the alleged ‘illegal operation’ also revealed that no logging had taken place outside the licensed area or within blocks that have not been approved for logging.
“The State Task Force on Illegal Logging, chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan has appointed FDS as the sole authority to make announcements on verified illegal logging.
“Unfortunately, other agencies in the Task Force still widely publicise their raid and seizures of logs and machineries in local newspapers before validating whether illegal activities have taken place,” STA said.
It said the Task Force comprises state and federal enforcement agencies, such as the police, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, the Customs Department and state forestry agencies as well as major timber licencees and STA.
“In most of these cases, illegality is always found to be absent following complete investigations by FDS but the global community will always perceive such activity as illegal and cause the industry to lose market share.
“This also puts the forestry agencies and industry, who always ensure legal and sustainable operation, at the losing end. These unverified statements have greatly tarnished the reputation of the forestry agencies and industry,” it said.
STA stressed that any formal public statement should always follow a thorough and complete investigation or else any effort to rectify the misinformation at a later stage might not be sufficient to undo the damage on an industry that provides job opportunities to people and contributes to the mainstay of Sarawak’s economy.
In view of this, it said that inaccurate formal statements on alleged illegal logging activities must stop as it could have grave repercussions on the industry and Sarawak’s economy.
from Borneo Post Online https://bit.ly/3CzJ6zU
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