By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Feb 12: Indigenous residents in Ba Payau within Baram area have expressed concern after timber they harvested for building family homes was confiscated, while large-scale commercial logging continues in the State.
Mutang Tuo, a Penan resident of Ba Payau settlement, said the timber was taken by the Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) without explanation or consultation.
“We harvested wood for personal, non-commercial use to build our family home on our ancestral land.
“It was removed without any explanation, consultation or official communication with the residents who required the timber for housing purposes,” he said in a joint statement issued by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) Save Rivers, Keruan and Bruno Manser Fonds.
The NGOs stated that while families like those in Ba Payau are punished for sustainable use of forest resources, commercial logging operations continue to expand.
“Such actions question the priorities of the FDS, which leaves the impression to serve rich timber tycoons instead of focusing on forest protection, sustainability and the rights of Indigenous people,” they wrote.
Balang Nalan, another Penan leader from Upper Baram, said the situation raises questions about the application of forestry regulations.
“In Sarawak, several giant logging companies have become rich exploiting our rainforest for decades. Yet local Indigenous Penan families are punished for harvesting wood to build their own home,” he said.
The same statement also revealed that residents had staged a blockade against carbon trading activities by a timber company, which they say affect their land.
The NGOs are now seeking clarification on how the rules are enforced for small-scale, subsistence timber use versus large commercial logging. – DayakDaily
