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Sarawak will continue logging

From Chapol Bashar
KUALA LUMPUR, May 3. Despite pressure from Western environmentalists, Malaysia's biggest state Sarawak will stick to sustainable logging In Its tropical rainforests.
However, the logging would be done on selective basis and It would be gradually reduced by 1995.
The logging policy of Sarawak was explained by State's Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Talb Mahmud on Thursday. He was talking to a group of Journalists from Asia-pacific countries including Bangladesh in Sarawak's capital Kuching.
The Chief Minister countered Western environmentalists' anti-logging campaign against Malaysia and said that his country Is committed to sustainable management of Its forests and Is taking steps to
conserve as much of Its forests as possible.
Sarawak produces most of the Malaysia's tropical timber which is about 19 million cubic metres.annually. Sarawak earns about 1360 million US dollars a year by exporting the timber.
For quite sometime, Malaysia has been facing severe criticism for Its logging In Sarawak from some Western Non -Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
The NGOs termed the logging tn Sarawak's tropical rainforest an act of deforestation causing harm to world environment. They say that Sarawak's tropical forests be tong to the world.
The NGOs have also been campaigning for a boycott on the Import of timber from Sarawak and a ban on the use of tropica] timber.
There-are about 10 resolutions against Sarawak pending tn the US Congress and at least two resolutions against Sarawak's togging had been passed in the European Parliament.
The European Commission, however, had refused to Implement the resolutions.
The Sarawak Government has already taken actions to counter the anti-logging campaigns
Both the Central Government of Malaysia and the State Government of Sarawak have strengthened their efforts In this regard and waged a counter-campaign to protect their timber industry.
At the Kuching meeting with foreign Journalists, the Sarawak Chief Minister said, "Western environmentalists, who feel that Sarawak's tropi
cal rainforests belong to the .world, should act responsibly by getting their facts right."
He said that if Sarawak's forests belong to the world, then the world should also act responsibly towards Malaysia.
The Chief Minister said that Sarawak had more reasons to took afier its forests as It had to ensure the State would be able to derive revenue from Its timber perpetually and provide employment for Its people.
He told newsmen that poverty in Sarawak was removed drastically because the government could manage a systematic timber Industry 8 The Chief Minister said the belief that Sarawak's system of selective felling of trees was destroying the environment was not true. It was In fact Ereserving the environment ecause sustainable logging was one of the ways to protect the land from being degraded by shifting cultivation.
"Our forest policy has been developed over the years." said the Chief Minister adding that Sarawak's system of selective felling of trees was based on the Food and Agriculture Organisation's 1967 recommendations for sustained yields.
He said that the western environmentalists should come to see the logging situation in Sarawak. They don't come to see the situation, but campaign against us," he added.
Tan Sri Abdul Talb Mahmud told newsmen that Sarawak Government wants to reduce logging as recommended by International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO). The logging will grad ually come down to 9 million cubic metre a year by 1995. If their Is no economic recession. Steps will also be taken to Increase efficiencies In logging to check wastage.
According to government officials. 70 per cent land of Sarawak are still under forest cover. Both reforestation and agroforestry programmes have been strengthened In the state for maintaining a Sustainable forest management
Editorial on page 4