KUALA LUMPUR — A company has taken legal action against the Pahang Forestry Department director and the state government after being denied access to logging activities at the Pekan Forest Reserve.
Woodland Sdn Bhd filed a judicial review application at the Kuala Lumpur High Court last October, asserting that it was granted a ‘Licence to Harvest Forest Products’ on August 1, 2023, which remained valid until July 14, 2024.
As a result of being denied entry into the logging zone, Woodland Sdn Bhd claim that they have suffered losses, revealing in court documents that the minimum estimated value of the forest products that could be extracted from the area amounts to RM14.9 million.
In addition to seeking damages, the company is requesting a court order to overturn the Forestry Department’s decision to bar them from logging in the area.
Woodland Sdn Bhd also alleged that it was only after deploying workers and machinery near the logging site on August 29, 2023, that a forest ranger informed them they were not permitted to proceed with operations.
“Woodland Sdn Bhd had to withdraw the workers and machinery and were under the impression that there may be certain outstanding matters which prohibited the commencement of works,” the company’s director Tong You Yong stated in an affidavit dated October 8, 2024.
Following the incident, court documents indicate that Woodland Sdn Bhd made multiple attempts to contact the Forestry Department for clarification.
After no response from the Forestry Department for seven months, the company sent a letter to the Pahang Menteri Besar on February 13, 2024, requesting a renewal of its licence, which was due to expire in July of the same year.
“On or about June 18, 2024, Woodland Sdn Bhd’s director was able to meet the Pahang Forestry deputy director at his office.
“The meeting did not conclude with any of the issues faced by the applicant, in particular the expiry of the licence,” the affidavit stated.
The company finally received a response when it visited the Forestry Department office on July 24.
In a letter, officials informed Woodland Sdn Bhd that the logging site was part of an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) project under the Pahang state government.
According to the affidavit, the ESG project involves another private entity, Enggang (Pekan) Sdn Bhd.
On January 9, 2025, the Kuala Lumpur High Court granted Woodland Sdn Bhd leave to initiate judicial review proceedings.
According to the court’s e-filing system, the case management is scheduled for April 29. — February 15, 2025