Suhakam may compel loggers to provide papers

The Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) may compel some timber companies to provide their logging licences, if all else fails.

Commissioner Jannie Lasimbang said that the the Suhakam Act 1999 provides them the avenue to subpoena the companies to provide the relevant documents required in summing up their report.

“We are going on the last leg of the inquiry in Sabah for two weeks starting next week. After that is completed we will have to go through the documents submitted and check for what is missing.

“If needed, we will subpoena them to provide the documents. But with the mountain of work we have, some might be missed out,” Jannie told Malaysiakini when contacted.

The commission had wrapped up its national inquiry into the rights of indigenous peoples in Sarawak in April, but faced several problems as big companies were not cooperative.

The licences are essential in finding out the parameters the timber companies are given to conduct their logging activities.

In Sarawak, particularly timber companies are given conditional leases, for which local communities occupying the land must be consulted.

Jannie (right) revealed that logging giant Rimbunan Hijau was one of the companies which had not submitted the necessary documents.  

However, she refused to comment further, adding that it would be unfair to the parties involved.

Asked on why the companies representatives were reluctant, Jannie said among other excuses was that their companies had been bought over many times over the years.

“As the licences have changed hands, some claimed that they don’t have copies and don’t know the contents,” she said.

Follow-up action

However, she said that Suhakam officers in Sarawak have been given instructions to follow up with the companies involved to obtain the documents and licences.

During the inquiry, the Sarawak Timber Association (STA) had lashed out at the commission, saying that was being treated unfairly, and initially threatened to boycott proceedings.

Although the STA later participated in the inquiry, they did not disclose the terms of their logging licences.

The national inquiry is a response to the 1,098 complaints the commission has received on native customary rights land belonging to indigenous people since 2002.