Statement by Thing Siew Shuen on World Environment Day in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, 5^th June 2008: 

Do we have anything to celebrate on World Environment Day when our Forestry Department has admitted that they are losing the battle against illegal loggers?

The Malay Mail on 30 May 2008 published an article with the alarming headline "Raped for 13 years". According to the article, some 10000ha of the Raja Musa Forest Reserve in Kuala Selangor have been cleared to make way for oil palm plantations since 1995, and the
authorities appear to be in the dark over the issue.

The size of the cleared area -- 10,000ha – is approximately the size of 10,000 soccer fields. How is it possible that a land area so big has been systematically raped and plundered for 13 years and turned into oil palm plantations without anyone knowing about it?

Ironically, there was a photo that accompanied the report showing a Selangor Forestry Department sign hanging limply on a tree stump with the words "Permanent Forest Reserve. Not allowed to enter without permission".

In fact, an Indonesian worker in the area said he had worked there since 1995 and upon request, was able to produce an application letter requesting permission to deforest the area surrounding the reserve. The letter was dated April 2008.

The response from the officers in the various authorities can only be described as shocking. The president of Kuala Selangor District Council, Haris Kassim, said that the council has never approved any development plans for the area.

The deputy land officer of the council, Kamarozaman Nik Mat, was also unaware of the deforestation taking place, saying, "Anybody doing any work there must have a permit issued by the State Forestry Department or the District Office."

A few days later, Hulu Selangor Forestry Department officer Wan Abdul Hamid Shukri admitted that the department lacked the enforcement personnel and surveillance equipment to prevent unauthorized logging activities. The reserve covers 80000ha of land but the department only has 20 officers working at any one time, making it impossible for them to look after the entire area.

Wan Abdul Hamid Shukri admitted that the forest rangers had been fighting a losing battle, as the culprits are quick to return once the officers leave. They also carry out their activities when the forest rangers are off-duty.

Before more forests are illegally cleared, we must step in to protect our natural heritage as it is a vital part of the ecosystem. We urge the authorities to treat the matter seriously and punish the culprits who are illegally destroying our forests.

At the same time, the government must answer the following questions:

(1) Why is the Forestry Department lacking in forest rangers and surveillance equipment? How are they expected to do their work and protect the forests?

(2) Is there any misconduct or abuse of power on the part of the authorities which has 'allowed' these illegal activities to take place for the last 13 years and still continues to this day?

(3) Even though a number of excavators had been compounded, the illegal activities have continued in the reserve. How effective is the law in dealing with this problem?

(4) How many forest reserves in the country have been illegally cleared and turned into plantation land?

In case we have forgotten, the massive floods in southern Peninsular Malaysia were caused in large part to illegal and uncontrolled logging activities, which resulted in the destruction of vegetation and buffer zones along the river.

To stop the destruction of our forests, the federal government must not only monitor the ability of the state governments in forest resource management but must provide proper support for the enforcement teams such as advanced surveillance equipment and manpower.

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* Thing Siew Shuen, Environmental Officer to DAP Secretary-General