SIBU: The grouses of bird's nest traders here have been heard, and Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg (pic) has instructed the state secretary to look into the matter.
State secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki will hold a meeting on June 6 with affected traders together with Dudong assemblyman Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
"Last night (May 22) at the GPS pre-council meeting, I took the opportunity to raise the issue of the unreasonable seizure of RM2.5mil in bird's nest products by the Sibu Sarawak Forestry Corporation's (SFC) enforcement unit on May 3.
"Abang Johari immediately instructed the state secretary to intervene and look into the issue at hand," said Tiong in a statement on Tuesday (May 23).
"I will lead representatives of the aggrieved traders to the meeting to seek an amicable solution," he said.
"We call on all enforcement units to communicate well with the public in the future.
"We must ensure that the public clearly understands the relevant laws and regulations involved in any matter while maintaining public order and avoid unnecessary conflicts, disputes or misunderstanding," said Tiong who is also Bintulu MP.
The issue arose after the SFC seized 882.657kg of bird's nests worth RM2.5mil in an operation.
Four traders who were arrested but later released said they were told that they had bought bird's nests from illegal sources, particularly from unlicensed swiftlet houses owned by farmers in rural areas.
Licensed traders of bird's nests in the state were also told to suspend operations.
SFC later said it did not instruct unlicensed bird’s nest operators to suspend operations but said it had been actively advising them to apply for the necessary licences to comply with rules and regulations under the Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998 to promote the sustainable management of the bird's nest industry.
