March 09, 2005 21:01 PM

Rimbunan Hijau Denies Involvement In Illegal Logging In Indonesia

KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 (Bernama) -- Rimbunan Hijau Group Wednesday denied a Jakarta newspaper report that it is involved in illegal logging in Indonesia.

Its executive chairman Tan Sri Tiong Hiew King said in a statement here that the report published by "Bisnis Indonesia" on Tuesday was "most libelous".

The newspaper had quoted Indonesian Forestry Minister M.S. Kaban as saying that Rimbunan Hijau, the Malaysian company based in Sibu which reputedly holds one of the largest timber concessions in the world, was illegally logging in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

“This is a most mischievous report as there is no truth whatsoever. Our group of companies never had any timber operation in Indonesia, nor do we have any such plans in the foreseeable future," Tiong said.

Tiong has also lodged a strongly-worded protest to the Indonesian Embassy here over the report.

"We are at the same time considering appropriate options arising from these most mischievous and unfounded allegations, including instituting legal action against any party which may exploit the situation by spreading such unfounded allegations," he said.

Tiong also denied that the group was involved in illegal logging in Papua New Guinea.

“We wish to say that our timber operations (in Papua New Guinea) are all legally sanctioned and with the utmost blessings from the government concerned.

"There is no justification for a third country like Indonesia to cast unfounded aspersion on us in that country (Papua New Guinea)," he said.

In his letter to the Indonesian Embassy, Tiong said if the Indonesian Forestry Minister had indeed made such an allegation, then he had been totally misadvised and that he had been most imprudent to rely on an inaccurate, misconceived and more likely than not, ulterior-driven advice.

He appealed to the embassy to use its good offices to stop such mischievous allegations.

-- BERNAMA