SIBU: Marine police here successfully thwarted an illegal logging activity and seized a total of 1,122 illegally chopped logs along a stretch of the Batang Rajang on yesterday.
Included in seizure were 200 belian logs, 522 batak logs and 400 logs of various timber species.
According to the Sarawak Marine Police Region 5, they received public information regarding illegal timber activity and subsequently deployed a four-man team to Batang Rajang waters via a patrol boat.
The team later spotted several boats fleeing from the pile of logs that had been tied to the river bank and promptly pursued them. However, the culprits succeeded in escaping and no arrest was made.
Inspections at the scene found that a pile of 400 logs have been tied into a raft; eight piles of belian wood totalling 200 poles/sticks, and two piles of batak wood totalling 522 sticks of various sizes.
All of the logs believed to have been obtained illegally, were found unmarked by the Sarawak Forest Department.
A police report was made and the case will be referred to Sibu Regional Forest Department for further action under the Forestry Ordinance 2015.
