(MY) Sarawak Timber

[Guest guest]

Timber council in cahoots with S'wak timber giant - Malaysiakini.com

Julia Beckel

Dec 27, 05 5:23pm

 

I am referring to your report Sarawak's logging giant answers critics.

In the report, Sarawak timber conglomerate Samling, is quoted several

times with statements which cannot be left unanswered.

 

I particularly refer to Samling's statements regarding satellite

images of the Samling concessions in the Ulu Baram area of Sarawak.

The image, dated from May 2001, was made by the Ikonos satellite in a

very high resolution. It shows very clearly that the Samling company

does not practice sustainable logging in areas where it claims to do

so.

 

The satellite image [below] shows the boundary between two concessions

of Samling Plywood (Baramas) Sdn Bhd (concession numbers TO 411 and TO

412) in the Upper Baram area of Sarawak. Both Samling concessions were

part of the so-called Forest Management Information System Sarawak

(Fomiss) project, a pilot project which ought to have shown, in its

own words, the " commitment of the state of Sarawak to achieve

sustainable forest management by the year 2000 " .

 

Even for untrained eyes, looking at the satellite image, it is obvious

that the kind of logging practiced by Samling in the area is anything

but sustainable and is the cause of severe damage to the local

communities and the environment.

 

The Fomiss project came to an end in 2001 after the co-funding German

government pulled out due to the ongoing protests by the Penan against

logging activities in the area. Now, part of the two Samling Fomiss

concessions - the very last virgin rainforest in the area - has been

certified by the Malaysian Timber Certification Council MTCC.

 

The MTCC certificate was granted despite the ongoing Penan blockade

and a pending land rights claim against Samling and the Sarawak

government which had been filed in 1998.

 

We wonder how the MTCC label could be credible in Europe considering

the Samling group's record of deception, disregard of Native Customary

Rights claims and destruction of the environment, even in areas where

it claims to have practiced " sustainable " logging in the past.

 

We believe MTCC should immediately revoke the certification granted to

Samling because of lacking credibility and ask Samling to stop logging

against the declared will of the local Penan communities.

 

The writer represents Bruno-Manser-Fonds Association for the peoples

of the rainforest.