Pix courtesy of TH Plantations Bhd
KUALA LUMPUR: TH Plantations Bhd has denied allegations by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), particularly Greenpeace International, that it was among others involved in illegal clearing of primary forests.
In a statement on Friday, TH Plantations said the allegations made by these irresponsible parties were baseless and misleading.
“We wish to reiterate that the company has developed all its plantations in strict compliance with the guidelines and approvals based on the legislation and regulations of the Malaysian and Indonesian governments,” it said.
TH Plantations was responding to a news report in a local daily (not The Star) entitled IOI drops TH Plantations amid Greenpeace controversy.
Chief executive officer Datuk Seri Zainal Azwar Zainal Aminuddin said the company wished to reaffirm that as a responsible corporate citizen, having operated for over 30 years, it had never been involved nor taken to task by any authority, for any of the offences alleged by these NGOs.
The company said for the areas owned by TH Plantations in Indonesia under its subsidiary, PT Persada Kencana Prima, the company had obtained the approvals to develop the land from the agencies of the Indonesian government in 2011 as the said area was excluded from the moratorium on peat land development.
The said area has also been classified as Areal Penggunaan Lain (APL), i.e. non-forest area that was permitted for agricultural development.
On accusations of open burning, TH Plantations said it has in place standard operating procedures on land development and plantation operations which incorporated strict guidelines on zero-burning.
“This policy is strictly enforced and ingrained throughout our operations in Malaysia and Indonesia. There has never been an instance where TH Plantations has been found to commit open burning, despite repeated and prejudiced claims made in the past,” it said.
TH Plantations also denied allegations of deforestation for land development saying that the land it develop were secondary and logged-over areas and thus the company did not play any part in destructing forests as claimed.
“In addition, we have incorporated ample buffer zones and reserves within our estates to ensure that we preserve the harmony between our plantations and the environment that we operate in,” it said.
Furthermore, it said, Good Agricultural Practices were consistently and constantly emphasised throughout its operations to further ensure that the company maintained a healthy environment at all its estates.
On the accusation of TH Plantations being involved in child labour, it reaffirmed that it did not employ under-aged individuals throughout its operations both in Malaysia and Indonesia and has very strict policies in place that forbade the engagement of child labour.
“We regret that responsible oil palm industry players have been put under such unnecessary scrutiny, having to endure extreme pressure from erroneous allegations made by certain NGOs,” it said.
TH Plantations said it was ready to cooperate and would stand in solidarity with other responsible oil palm plantation players in handling pressures exerted by these NGOs. - Bernama
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