Malaysia: Timber company Samling accused of flawed environmental certification & legal threats against Borneans forest defenders; incl. co. response
Indigenous communities in Sarawak, Malaysia, allege that the Malaysian timber, plantation and construction conglomerate Samling Group and its subsidiaries have encroached on community land, withheld key documents about the certification process, and failed to obtain free, prior and informed consent of affected communities during the certification process. Samling denies the allegations, saying it has followed all due and lawful processes in its certification process. Local environmental groups denounce that on May 26, 2021, Samling's subsidiary Syarikat Samling Timber sent a letter to the Long Moh village community in Sarawak’s Miri division, reportedly threatening to take legal actions in an attempt to silence the Indigenous communities who have alleged that the company was involved in trespass, damage or destruction.
The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre has invited the Samling Group to respond to allegations; the Samling Group responded.