FSC Investigations, SLAPP Suits and Deforestation in Sarawak

Earlier this May, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) officially accepted a complaint against Malaysian timber company Samling, which was filed by civil society groups last October. The FSC accepted the complaint after determining there was “sufficient evidence” regarding violations of FSC policies, and the council has said it will open a case into alleged illegal logging, violations of traditional and human rights, destruction of high conservation value forests and significant conversion of forests as grounds for dissociation. Separately in June 2021, the same timber company filed a lawsuit against Malaysian NGO SAVE Rivers and its directors for publishing allegedly defamatory statements as part of its “Stop the Chop” campaign. To date, the case has been postponed four times. What are the issues behind both these cases? We speak to Jettie Word, the Director of The Borneo Project, to help us unpack what's happening over in Sarawak.

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