KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) will be lodging a police report against Sarawak Report.
Its Chief Conservator of Forests, Datuk Frederick Kugan, said the website had published two articles related to Sabah timber. He said Sarawak Report had falsely cited an SFD press release as the department had never issued it.
"This is an irresponsible act done with malicious intent by Sarawak Report. On the first article, the allegation that timber was being flushed out without proper dues being paid is incorrect.
"SFD has been collecting royalties from the extraction of Acacia mangium trees in accordance with the Forest Rules 1969," he said in a statement.
On the issue of the Ceratocystis wilt disease outbreak, he said SFD was taking steps, in coordination with Yayasan Sabah, to contain and eliminate the threat posed by this disease.
"This issue was raised and discussed at the recent State Legislative Assembly sitting."