KUCHING, Dec 12 — A total of 18,826 cubic metres of logs of various species with government royalty due amounting to RM1.09 million were seized in Sarawak for being illegally logged between January and Nov 20 this year, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
He said 79 cases of illegal logging were investigated under the Sarawak Forests Ordinance 2015 during the period, 13 of which had been brought to court and four cases had been won by the state government.
“(The cases) involved 63 suspects (arrested) and 57 conveyances or machineries seized. Forty cases were from operations conducted by the FDS (Forest Department Sarawak) and through inter-agency operations, 22 cases from public tip-offs and 17 cases were referred by other enforcement agencies,” he said in a statement today.
He said the FDS had established a Sarawak Aerial Detection Unit (SADU) to further enhance the initiative to contain illegal logging.
“Acknowledging the (fact that) enforcement operation requires timely and accurate information, the state government is leveraging on the use of advanced technologies in combating illegal logging,” added Awang Tengah, who is also the state’s Second Minister for Urban Development and Natural Resources. — Bernama