Malaysia: Timber company Samling files US$1.18 million defamation suit against Indigenous-led civil society group
"Malaysian timber giant Samling files US$1.18 million defamation suit against green group over logging activity", 20 August 2021
A Malaysian timber certification authority has halted its review of a conflict between Sarawak Indigenous communities and a forest license holder after the plywood company Samling Group filed a $1.18 million defamation lawsuit against a Sarawak-based green group that has campaigned against the company.
SAVE Rivers, an Indigenous-led civil society group, and four of its leaders are facing a defamation suit from Samling Group alleging the company’s reputation has been maliciously damaged by SAVE Rivers’ online posts.
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Samling Group argued that SAVE Rivers intended to “humiliate, degrade and disparage” its two companies and put them under “baseless, unjustified and unwarranted scrutiny by the world at large” that harmed its business, without detailing specific losses. The company is seeking 5 million ringgit ($1.18 million) in damages.
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Samling did not respond to questions provided by Mongabay, instead sharing a response to the media from August 13. Within it, the company emphasises that it has “satisfactorily fulfilled the requisite certification requirements” and says that it made efforts to reach an amicable solution with Peter Kallang, SAVE Rivers’ director, before filing the suit.
The company also says the timing of the suit is not indicative of bad faith on its part. “The date for the filing of the suit was a result of a one-year process undertaken by Samling to find an amicable solution to the issue,” Samling said in a statement. “It was a culmination of our continuous efforts to reach out to SAVE Rivers – efforts that were rebuffed by Mr. Peter Kallang.”
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