'Ground Reports' From Seaside Hotels in KK - <b>Hotel in Sarawak</b> Blog - Hotel in Sarawak Blog |
- 'Ground Reports' From Seaside Hotels in KK - <b>Hotel in Sarawak</b> Blog
- <b>Hotel in Sarawak</b> Blog: ROUTES ASIA: Sarawak Heritage on Show <b>...</b>
- Tune hotel Go Bald satellite shave - <b>Hotel in Sarawak</b> Blog - Blogger
- <b>Hotel in Sarawak</b> Blog: Brisbane eyeing Malaysians to invest in <b>...</b>
| 'Ground Reports' From Seaside Hotels in KK - <b>Hotel in Sarawak</b> Blog Posted: 17 Apr 2014 11:47 AM PDT  This post is also available in: Iban, Malay  By the sea side and several hours drive from the Baram region – Casuarina Hotel KK Forest Department staff, who are supposed to monitor the activities of timber companies, regularly concoct false reports from seaside hotels, instead of conducting genuine ground checks, Sarawak Report has learnt. Insiders have confessed to the practice, which they say is orchestrated by the major timber companies, who spend thousands of ringgit a week entertaining the Forest Department officials and paying them 'pocket money' to keep them from doing their job of guarding against illegal logging. One former worker at a major timber company operating in the Baram region told us that the vast majority of the company's logging in the area is unauthorised and that in order to keep Forest Department staff from viewing the extent of their illegal operations the company would go to extreme lengths to keep them out of the area. Can you give us a lift? A key weakness in Forest Department practice, which the company is happy to exploit, is the willingness to allow its officials to rely on company transport to get to the areas they are supposed to be checking. Before every inspection trip the Forest Department official rings the company to notify they would like transport and then a discussion takes place.
The group of officials from the Forestry's 'Preventative Department' would then spend the entire week enjoying casinos, drinking and other forms of entertainment at the resort, thanks to regular 'pocket money' supplied by the timber company. A timber industry insider told us that the timber company's top managers were well aware of what was going on and that the petty cash department would allow them to take thousands of ringgit to cover each trip. The Chief Executive of the company was well aware too:
According our sources all the major timber companies in Sarawak employ similar tactics to subvert reports by Forest Department ground staff. These have an official salary of RM3-4,000 a month, but can inflate their earnings up to RM20,000 through cash bribes.
On certain occasions one timber industry worker admitted, his company would even fly a group of forest guards to Manila to keep them away from their proper duties. Asked if he felt guilty he responded :
 Log pond – no traceability to show whether the timber came from authorised or unauthorised areas. On paper everything is proper, but 90% of it is lies Ludicrously, our informant described how during the course of their week at the seaside the forest officials would retire to their rooms to do their "homework", in order to complete the paperwork required of their trip.
One fundamental flaw in the system is clearly the Forestry Department's reliance on exacting penalties to resolve unauthorised logging practices by Sarawak's major concession holders.  Severe erosion all over the Baram area caused by unsustainable practices and unauthorised logging – which represents 90% of the logging. This practice is so open to abuse that it has become a standard method for bribing officials and represents a mere tax on the companies' illegal transgressions, rather than any form of deterrent. According to our informants 90% of the logging in Baram is conducted outside of the authorised concession areas, which have already long since been exhausted by unsustainable practices. Habitual offences include the logging of coups within concession areas where Permission To Enter permits have not yet been issued. In such cases the timber company camp managers will merely provide misleading information about the source of the logs. By the time the logs have reached the log pond their origin is impossible to trace, owing to the poor practices in monitoring by the state. Most of these logs are then sent down river and the majority are exported to Japan, where buyers and government departments are still willing to accept Sarawak's certification practices at face value.  Logged out – unsupervised logging is visible all along the roads in Baram region. The only counter activity carried out by the Forest Department guards and monitors is the subsequent counting of stumps left in unauthorised areas, which have clearly been stripped by companies that have transgressed their concessions. These incursions even include protected forest areas in Baram, such as native lands, national park areas and river buffer zone and valuable protected species, such as the Tapang tree are also being cut down and then mislabelled to disguise the illegal activity. To penalise such violations the Forest Department will count the illegal stumps (or pretend to count them, in the case of the guards who are actually partying in KK) and then calculate a fine on the company on the basis of around RM200 for a normal tree and up to RM2,000 for a protected species like Tapang. Can you do us a deal? However, the penalty is always a matter for 'negotiation', insiders have explained to Sarawak Report. The timber company will always ask for a 'discount', which will involve the halving at least of the fine and large cash kickbacks for the official themselves and their bosses. As the officials have often not even visited the area at all the numbers of 'counted stumps' are often completely made up to begin with and way beneath the real extent of the problem. According to the industry source:
It is a state of affairs which sums up the poor governance of the timber industry in Sarawak and explains why the EU trade negotiations have stalled with Malaysia over timber, specifically from Sarawak.  What remains of Baram's once unparalleled jungles. The state government has refused to amend its practices, in order that such abuses could be addressed and so that the origin of Sarawak timber can be properly accounted for. Little surprise therefore that Sarawak is still the world's biggest exporter of timber, providing more hardwood than the rest of the world's tropical timber exporters added together. Local inhabitants say that the current state of the forests in the Baram area have reached such critical levels of depletion that the major company in the area has started cutting down protected trees that were once left alone in visible areas near to roads. Levels of erosion in this hilly region have reached disastrous levels, with hillsides collapsing in mudslides into the once pristine rivers below, killing the river life and removing the thin soil layer from the jungle regions. Sarawak is facing an environmental catastrophe thanks to the lazy officials who prefer the beach to their jobs and to the ruthless timber companies responsible for corrupting them. But, above all, the responsibility lies with the deliberate negligence of the State Government of Taib Mahmud. No one has benefited more from the lucrative backhanders willingly provided by the major timber companies to anyone willing to turn a blind eye than the Chief Minister of Sarawak, who described his own personal wealth of billions as being "more than I could ever spend". Sign up to receive regular updates from Sarawak Report |
| <b>Hotel in Sarawak</b> Blog: ROUTES ASIA: Sarawak Heritage on Show <b>...</b> Posted: 13 Apr 2014 11:18 AM PDT 
Delegates at this year's Routes Asia forum gained a clear view of the richness of Sarawak's unique and timeless cultural heritage as they arrived at the event's networking evening at the Hotel Pullman in Kuching. From the balconies of the hotel leading to this majestic ballroom hosting dinner, co-host, Ministry of Tourism Sarawak made every effort to afford the network planning community with a true Borneo experience. Speaking at the event, Tan Sri Dato' Sri Dr Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Abdullah, chairman of fellow event host Malaysia Airports Holding Company, paid tribute to the opportunities the forum has provided. "Routes Asia is one excellent opportunity for the state government and stakeholders like Malaysia Airports to galvanise their efforts to allow many enablers in the aviation value chain to emerge, so that tourism and trade can flourish through the increased liberalisation of air services activities into and out of Kuching and Sarawak," he said. "The positive economic effect of greater flight connectivity into Sarawak is undisputable and Malaysia Airports is very eager to render our full support towards the Sarawak government in order to promote Kuching and the many interesting destinations in Sarawak on the world and regional tourism maps," added Tan Sri Wan Aziz. Tan Sri Dato' Sri Dr Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Abdullah, chairman of event co-host Malaysia Airports Holding BerhadDespite the inevitable modernisation that a city has to embrace as part of its advancement, it is clear that Kuching has not lost any of its heritage. "It is heart-warming to know that such cultural legacy in Kuching and its interiors are still bountiful; and l am certain that Kuching has managed to capture the hearts and minds of those who have spent a few nights here," he said. According to Tan Sri Wan Aziz, the hope now is that the record level of attendees at this year's Routes Asia will now become ambassadors for the city and Sarawak region, especially the airline delegates. "To our dignitaries of foreign airlines, you now have a verified knowledge of Kuching's tourism abundance and I hope you will return to your office with raised vigour and enthusiasm to see your airline flags flying to this city and develop the city linkages between your country and Sarawak and Malaysia," he said. To meet the hoped for growth in demand, Tan Sri Wan Aziz also made a commitment to ensure the local aviation infrastructure would be prepared to meet any additional demand the event's host meetings may bring into Sarawak. Whilst we endeavour to lure the international tourists and more airlines into the heartland of Sarawak, Malaysia Airports will ensure that Kuching International Airport is always ready in terms of capacity and capabilities to cater to the passengers and airlines requirements," he said. "We will ensure that it meets if not exceed, the global airport operations standard to facilitate the demand and growth of passengers passing through this important international gateway. To demonstrate our firm commitment to continuous operational service excellence, the airport will undergo a terminal improvement project not too far from now to provide a heightened travelling experience for users of this airport," he added. Look below to see some photographs from the Routes Asia Networking Evening...
 About The Author... Richard Maslen, Editor, RoutesonlineRichard leads the Routesonline community delivering content every day and the weekly The HUB e-newsletter. With over 16 years in the industry working for a number of aviation publications he brings the team a wealth of experience and insight. Questions? Leave a comment below or send him a tweet! CommentsRelated Media Powered by Routes TVRoutes Asia 2014 Highlights 8 viewsRoutes Asia Highlights |
| Tune hotel Go Bald satellite shave - <b>Hotel in Sarawak</b> Blog - Blogger Posted: 14 Apr 2014 11:03 AM PDT |
| <b>Hotel in Sarawak</b> Blog: Brisbane eyeing Malaysians to invest in <b>...</b> Posted: 19 Apr 2014 11:31 AM PDT SINGAPORE: Hotel investors, operators, developers and financiers from Kuala Lumpur are being targeted in an on-going campaign to provide more hotel rooms in Brisbane each year for the next decade. An active approach to attracting hotel investment has reaped rewards for Brisbane with more than 500 additional hotel rooms either available or coming on line this year, but many more are needed. Speaking at the launch of the updated Guide to Hotel Investment in Brisbane, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said more investment in hotel rooms was needed to attract high spending visitors. He outlined opportunities for hotel operators, investors, and developers keen to establish a footprint in the city. "Due to a shortage in internationally-recognised, full-service hotel room supply, Brisbane is forgoing about 121,000 visitors a year," said Quirk. The text of his speech was released here yesterday. He said the shortage is causing the market to defer an estimated 278,000 room nights every year – about 14 per cent of current demand. Quirk noted this deferred economic benefit is largely contributing to the lack of hotel supply which in turn is hampering Brisbane's ability to attract major events and conferences. He said this lost visitor expenditure equates to about 1100 jobs and A$114 million in economic activity that would otherwise exist. "More hotel rooms are needed to realise this deferred demand, and enable the city to procure more international business events and conferences," he added. Meanwhile, Queensland's Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games Minister, Jann Stuckey, said in the guide that investment in internationally recognised hotels was a key part of the state government's goal to grow Brisbane as a business and leisure destination. "We are delivering a pro-business environment which supports new and renewed investment, as well as driving demand through attraction of new international airline routes, marketing campaigns and major events," he added. He said Brisbane's events calendar is already brimming with world class sporting and cultural events. "We have world class conference facilities hosting major business events, not to mention the upcoming G20, which will bring world leaders and global media to the city," he added. The 2014 Guide to Hotel Investment in Brisbane, Australia provides the latest information on economic conditions, hotel demand drivers, trading conditions, and future hotel supply requirements for Brisbane, leaving investors in no doubt about where and how they can make sound investment decisions. — Bernama  |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Hotel in Sarawak - Google Blog Search To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment