3 June 2021

[...]

At the outset, Samling would like to state clearly and firmly that the allegations contained in the post were false and lacked any shred of credibility or truth. The allegations have not only tarnished unfairly Samling’s image but have also brought into serious question the good reputations of both MTCC and of the certifying body, SIRIM QAS International Sdn Bhd. [...]

[...] MTCC clarified that Samling had indeed satisfactorily fulfilled all the requisite certification requirements.

Samling also wishes to clarify that the certification process for the Gerenai and Ravenscourt FMUs was done in accordance with all requirements of the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme’s Malaysian Criteria & Indicators, which have been endorsed by the PEFC, and are therefore compliant with international certification standards.

Part of this certification process involves the submission of 3rd party Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) reports – both of which were duly complied with by Samling. The scope the EIA report is under the purview of the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) of Sarawak and not Samling. It is a requirement of the NREB that part of the EIA report must be put up for public display in the FMUs’ offices.

The findings of the SIA are communicated to the communities – usually by the consultant responsible for the assessment – either by a visit to an individual community or at a meeting held for a group of communities. Contrary to what was alleged in the BMF post, Samling has not received any formal request to share neither the EIA Report nor the SIA report. Thus, to allege that Samling has refused to release these reports is totally untrue, and to say they were not made available to the communities is also incorrect.

[...]

*Full media release is available here.