Illegal loggers to face the music, says Awang Tengah

KUCHING: The Sarawak government is very serious in curbing illegal logging and those involved will face the law, said Second Resource Planning and Environment Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
Commenting on a group of individuals and a company that intended to operate logging activities at the forest areas in Kampung Danu, Penrissen, he confirmed no permit was issued by the Forestry Department to any individuals or company in the area.
"As such no logging activities are allowed in those areas and those doing it without permit will be dealt severely and face the law," he told reporters after visiting the Bengoh Dam in Penrissen near here today.
He also confirmed that there was no approval from the Land and Survey Department for the development of oil palm plantation in the same area.
"We are aware that they wanted to develop oil palm plantations there and they had submitted their application but the (Land and Survey) Department has yet to approve their application because there was land dispute between two villages," he added.
Awang Tengah said the department also needed to verify the status of the land, whether it was native customary land, communal land or state land.
The Forestry Department's enforcement team was actively monitoring the illegal logging activities in the area, he said.
Meanwhile sources from the ground said not less than four heavy machinery had been sent to the area to build the logging tracks. – Bernama