Sarawak groups urge logging company to drop suit against NGO

 

Sarawak civil society organisations say communities around the Baram and Limbang rivers have been campaigning for more transparency regarding logging concessions.

PETALING JAYA: Civil society organisations in Sarawak have urged a logging company to drop its suit against an NGO for defamation.

Samling Plywood is suing SAVE Rivers for publishing alleged defamatory statements. The logging company is seeking an apology, an injunction stopping SAVE Rivers from reporting community claims, and RM5 million damages.

A coalition of local and international organisations, including Bruno Manser Fund and The Borneo Project, have called on Samling to drop the lawsuit.

They argue that this strategic litigation against public participation (SLAPP) suit “seems designed to suppress local advocacy, allowing Samling to continue its logging operations”.

In a statement, Bruno Manser Fund and The Borneo Project, said communities around the Baram and Limbang rivers had been campaigning for more transparency and consultations regarding logging concessions certified under the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) for over a year.

They said the communities, which were part of the #StopTheChop campaign, had alleged that they had not had adequate access to the social and environmental impact assessments on which logging concessions were based.

Several communities also alleged that they were not consulted about the concessions before their approval.

They said community groups had filed complaints with the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) dispute resolution committee, which had opened a case to try to resolve the conflicts between Samling and the indigenous communities.

They said Samling filed its suit while the mediation process was under way, and after the MTCC had initiated a stakeholder discussion between all involved parties. - FMT