Logging firms sue Jerantut villagers in row over forest reserve
Logging companies Beijing Million Sdn Bhd and Rosah Timber & Trading Sdn Bhd have filed legal action against eight individuals from Kampung Baharu in Jerantut, Pahang over allegations that the latter prevented the companies' workers and contractors from carrying out works in a nearby forest reserve.
The plaintiffs, through legal firm Jacob Goldie SS Chew, filed a writ of summons against the villagers at the Kuantan High Court on July 14.
According to the writ, the companies had applied an injunction order to stop the eight defendants from preventing the plaintiffs from accessing the forest area known as Kompartment 1A Hutan Simpan Jerantut Tambahan, Mukim Ulu Cheka, which covers 202.61 hectares.
The companies claimed to have obtained approvals from the Forestry Department through letters dated Sept 15, 2019.
They seek the court to stop the defendants from disseminating false information or pictures through the Facebook page "Bantah Pembalakan di Kawasan Tadahan Air di Kampung Baharu, Jerantut, Pahang" or any media.
The eight defendants are Mohamed Said, Mohamed Zarrif Mahmud, Mohamad Hafizi Rosnan, Saifulnizam Sulaiman, Sukmarizal Nazman, Shukran Firdaus Nazman, Mohammad Zakirin Hasan and Mohamad Lozi Mohd Nasir.
The writ stated that in April 2019, the plaintiffs learned about postings on the said Facebook page which hurled serious allegations against them.
Hence, the plaintiffs demanded general damages, aggravated damages and exemplary damages against the defendants.
However, in an affidavit dated Sept 28 by one of the defendants, Mohamad Hafizi, claimed that the plaintiffs had initiated the writ with ill-intention and wrongly applied for the ex-parte injunction without issuing notices to him and other defendants.
"I would like to state that other defendants and I believe that the plaintiffs' ill-intention is probably to deny the defendants' rights to oppose and highlight the issue.
"The defendants' hopes are that the forest and its nearby area which the locals rely on to earn a living should remain a forest reserve and be prohibited from logging," said Mohamad Hafizi in his affidavit sighted by Malaysiakini.
He added that if the logging activities were allowed, the locals would have to bear huge losses in economic activities and this would affect their fish farms.
Mohamad Hafizi said the villagers' protest against the logging in the forest area was conducted “legally and peacefully, where the focus was more towards the authorities, and/or the government”.
Villagers not consulted
He questioned the change of the forest status which had allowed the logging activity to take place without consulting the locals.
"I don't believe that the state government conducted an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and/or Detailed Environment Impact Assessment (DEIA), social impacts, and other research on the impact of logging to the environment and the locals,” said Mohamad Hafizi.
"I have yet to access the documents which are needed by the locals for the evaluation purpose."
For the record, the case which was slated on Oct 12 was postponed after the defence legal firm Messrs Haris Salleh & Co withdrew from representing the defendants.
The case mention has been scheduled on Oct 22 at Kuantan High Court.
