TAWAU: The State Forestry Department has been urged to investigate illegal logging allegations and explain a drastic drop in timber royalty.
Sri Tanjong assemblyman cum Democratic Action Party (DAP) publicity secretary Chan Foong Hin and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Tawau branch chairman Datuk Kong Hong Ming said following two police reports lodged on September 30, the Forestry Department has yet to respond to two cases of suspected illegal logging reported at Yayasan Sabah concession area, YT2/04.
“It was reported that logging activities happened at night for more than a year. Veneer was processed at the mobile mill there. Most of the veneer processed is sent to a company in Sg Udin, Brumas, about 30km from Tawau town,” they said according to the police report.
The second report is at Kuamut forest. It was alleged that reported numbers of log fell are different with the actual numbers. Logs from Kuamut forest were sent to two companies in Telupid, about 72km from Kuamut area.
They said according to reliable sources, those areas mentioned in the police reports are opened for mosaic plantings.
“About 100,000 hectares of Yayasan Sabah forest opened for mosaic plantings, and a few companies awarded with the concessions belong to similar director,” they said.
Chan and Kong added said it is open secret that there are illegal activities and serious leakages within the system managed by the Forestry Department and Yayasan Sabah which have resulted in heavy losses in revenues to the State, in which timber royalty drastically drop over 60% from RM465 million in 2005 to merely RM173 million in 2012.
“Therefore, we demand Forestry Department and Yayasan Sabah to immediately investigate the reported cases,” they said.