Tasmanians Impressed with Sarawakians Logging Practice

The logjam incident caused a bad name to the Sarawak timber industry.  'They' claimed that we are not ethical in managing our resources especially the logging activity. 

 

Here we have the Tasmanian coming up to see for themselves if we managed our forest badly.  

To my surprise, they were impressed with our forest management and logging practice.  Below is the report published in the local newspapers.

 

Tasmanian govt on mission to Sarawak
Utusan Borneo
by Zoee Hillson. Posted on October 19, 2010, Tuesday

KUCHING: The Tasmanian government is on a fact-finding mission as part of an effort to refute allegations by environmentalist against Ta Ann Holdings Berhad’s operations in the Tasmania, Australia.

FACT FINDING: Harriss (right) in a discussion with Awang Tengah (centre) and Len Talif after the courtesy call at Wisma Sumber Alam.

Member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council Andrew Paul Harriss said yesterday that allegations by some environmental groups against Ta Ann were scathing and unreasonable.

He also said the allegations were damaging to Ta Ann and the state’s timber industry as a whole.

“It’s fair to say that some environmental groups in Tasmania have been unreasonable and too critical of Ta Ann and they have tried to bring that back to forest practices in Sarawak.

“We seek to rebut that allegation based on proper information gathering and proper technical assessment,” he said when met by reporters after paying a courtesy call on Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan at Wisma Sumber Alam here.

Harriss added that this was his third visit to the state to gain an insight intoTa Ann’s credibility and performance.

“So, we have a delegation here to understand exactly what Ta Ann logging practices are like in Sarawak and also the broader operation industry in Sarawak,” Harriss said.

“Ta Ann is a credible organisation and an organisation of integrity. I’m satisfied with that and this trip is just an upgrading of knowledge on the ongoing operations.

“We are satisfied with Ta Ann’s operations in the past and the information we gather this time confirms that satisfaction.”

He said they were very impressed with Ta Ann’s operations in Tasmania and added that the forest industry was the state’s fundamental economic driver.

“They’re employing many Tasmanians in the local community and 10 per cent of our total workforce in Tasmania is employed in the forest industry operations,” Harriss said.

He also said Tasmania was opening a wide opportunity for the forest industry operators from around the world, including from Sarawak.

VicForests director Robert Patrick Smith, Ta Ann Tasmania director David Riley and Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) chief executive officer Datu Len Talif Salleh were also present during the courtesy call.

 

 

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Baleh and Rajang River to house the next Kuala Lumpur?

Transport at standstill as debris clog rivers

by James Ling. Posted on October 8, 2010, Friday

KAPIT: Riverine transport here came to a standstill yesterday as a massive amount of dead wood, sawn timber and other debris clogged the Baleh and Rajang rivers from 7am.

NO WAY THROUGH: Driftwood in the river makes it impossible for boats to travel.

Locals called the phenomenon ‘bah tuggal’, which happened after parts of the riverbank is believed to have collapsed, causing havoc among local residents dependent on the river for transport.

As news spread, local residents flocked to the waterfront to see the phenomenon for themselves.

At the Kapit-Sibu Express Terminal, those waiting to pick up relatives and friends from Sibu were speaking anxiously on their phones as no express boats could get through.

Retiree Wasli Nor said a possible explanation could be riverbank erosion in Baleh, which was a logging hub.

“There were massive deposits of dead wood, gravel, and sand,caused by soil and riverbank erosion. Heavy rain may have caused a sudden surge in water level and the deposits collapsed and washed down river,” he said.

Kapit District Council acting secretary Kelimbit Sibat cautioned those dependent on water transport to exercise extreme care, and especially look out for submerged deadwood.

Sergeant Getah Untam, from the Kapit police, said by 3pm the floating debris had reached Sungai Ensilai and was likely to have reached Song by last night.

“Early Friday morning the debris would probably arrive in Sibu. Boat operators should be very careful,” he warned.

Meanwhile, YH Wong said the phenomenon was probably the first sign of more problems to come.

“The water would probably flood Kapit by midnight (today). People should stay vigilant and on guard to get ready for evacuation in case of emergency to higher ground,” he advised.

A local Iban, who wished to remain anonymous, said the rare occurrence was a bad omen.

“It has never occurred over the past 50 years that such a large amount of debris flowed down to completely cover the river, blocking any navigable passage,” he said.

An elderly Chinese man agreed with him, saying this could be the first signal of ‘the end of the world’.

“Because of human destruction to nature. So Mother Nature wants to punish the greed of human activities,” said the man who also requested anonymity.

mukapetang:  The debris could be seen from the Baleh and Rajang river bank.  I pity those chap that uses the river mainly for transport or to get medical help.  They will now have to wait till the debris have been cleared. Who is responsible to clear these debris?  Some say we should blame it on the logging company, some say we should not wait for the debris to clear but need to take up some actions to tackle these river clogging issues.   STIDC should be thinking hard right now to overcome this issue in the future.  Preventive actions and corrective actions should be made at the same time while waiting for decision from the government.  

This is a serious environmental impact and the government should lay out a plan and a working committee to solve this issue. Otherwise this will be a bad omen for us all!!!

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