KOTA BARU: Logging activities in the Balah Permanent Forest Reserve in Gua Musang are being carried out legally and received the green light from the Kelantan Government and should not be blocked by the Orang Asli.
Kelantan Loggers Association adviser Datuk Roshaimi Razak said logging activities in the area do not involve lands that belong to the Orang Asli.
“Kompleks Perkayuan Kelantan (KPK) Sdn Bhd was granted a concession by the state government for timber production in the Balah Permanent Forest Reserve,” he said when contacted by Bernama yesterday.
Roshaimi was asked to comment on the group of Orang Asli who put up obstacles to prevent logs from being taken from the logging area.
The Orang Asli group claims that the logging activities have caused water contamination in the nearby river and rapid extinction of forest areas.
Roshaimi said logging activities are located far from the Orang Asli settlements and they are in accordance with the conditions set by the Department of Forestry.
He also added that after learning of the Orang Asli’s attempts to stop the logs from being transported out, the association, together with the Police, Kelantan Forestry Department and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), visited the scene on Wednesday.
He denied allegations that shots had been fired during the meeting and that his association was using gangsters to intimidate people.
Kelantan Forestry Department director Zahari Ibrahim confirmed that logging carried out at Balah Permanent Forest Reserve is legal and does not involve Orang Asli reserve land.
He advised the Orang Asli to lodge complaints to his department if the logging activities are affecting them and causing environmental pollution, so that action could be taken against the company involved.
Meanwhile, in Gua Musang, Nenggiri state assemblyman Datuk Mat Yusof Abdul Ghani wants the issue resolved through dialogue between the logging company and the Orang Asli community.
He said the matter was raised by the Orang Asli community a while ago, but the logging company has refused to listen.
“The Orang Asli also have the right to voice their concerns when their village and livelihoods are threatened with logging and pollution of the river,” he said.
He also admitted that almost all the forests surrounding Pos Tohoi have been approved for logging for the past several years. - Bernama