Rimbunan Hijau
Encyclopedia
Rimbunan Hijau is a Malaysian multinational logging
company controlled by Malaysian businessman Tiong Hiew King
(aka Tan Sri Datuk Sir TIONG Hiew King)(丹斯里拿督張曉卿爵士). The company has operations in many countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia
, Papua New Guinea
, Equatorial Guinea
, Gabon
, Vanuatu
, New Zealand
and Russia
.
In Papua New Guinea Rimbunan Hijau is the single biggest logging operator, and runs the country's biggest sawmill. It also owns one of the two major newspapers in the country; The National
.
The company was established in 1975 and has an estimated annual turnover of more than 1 billion US dollars, according to Malaysia-China Business Council.
Rimbunan Hijau is the dominant player in the logging sector in Equatorial Guinea
by the subsidiary Shimmer International. Rimbunan Hijau was in 1999 also logging contractor for Teodorin Obiang, the agriculture and forests minister of Equatorial Guinea and the son of president.
Human rights
, political corruption
and negligence of the environment. A recent World Bank
report estimates that up to 70 percent of logging in Papua New Guinea is illegal, further adding to the criticism.
Two groups that have made investigations and held protests against the company are Greenpeace
and Rainforest Action Network
. Rimbunan Hijau in turn has threatened to sue Greenpeace for defamation because of its report "The Untouchables - Rimbunan Hijau’s World of Forest Crime and Political Patronage" demanding that the group withdraw the paper. Greenpeace has declined to comply.
Citibank
, following a review of its own environmental policies in 2005, declared that it would require the client Rimbunan Hijau to obtain credible, independent, third party certification for its Papua New Guinea operations in the future.
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
company controlled by Malaysian businessman Tiong Hiew King
Tiong Hiew King
Sir Tan Sri Datuk Hiew-king Tiong is the Malaysian Chinese founder and chairman of the Rimbunan Hijau Group, a timber company founded in 1975. Its overseas timber operations in Papua New Guinea is the largest in that country. He also has interests in logging operations in Russia.Tan Sri Datuk...
(aka Tan Sri Datuk Sir TIONG Hiew King)(丹斯里拿督張曉卿爵士). The company has operations in many countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
, Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
, Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
In Papua New Guinea Rimbunan Hijau is the single biggest logging operator, and runs the country's biggest sawmill. It also owns one of the two major newspapers in the country; The National
The National (Papua New Guinea)
The National is a daily, English language newspaper published in Papua New Guinea. It is also published online. The paper is owned by Malaysian logging company Rimbunan Hijau.-External links:*...
.
The company was established in 1975 and has an estimated annual turnover of more than 1 billion US dollars, according to Malaysia-China Business Council.
Businesses
The group's core business activities are:- Forestry
- Upstream and Downstream Timber Operations
- Reforestation
- Oil Palm Plantations
- Plantation & Processing Operations
- Media
- Newspaper & Magazine Publication
- ICT
- Information Communication Technologies
- Hardware & Software
- Hospitality
- Hotel Operations
- Tourism and Leisure Ventures
- Others
- Property Development
- Trading & Retail Services
- Plastic Manufacturing
- Aquaculture
- Biotech
- Oil & Gas
- Mining
- Toll Road Collection
- Tyres Retreading
- Insurance Services
- Education (Learning Mandarin) -- "Zhong Hua Han Yu"
- Human Capital Development -- Rimbunan Hijau Academy
Equatorial Guinea
According to GreenpeaceGreenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
Rimbunan Hijau is the dominant player in the logging sector in Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
by the subsidiary Shimmer International. Rimbunan Hijau was in 1999 also logging contractor for Teodorin Obiang, the agriculture and forests minister of Equatorial Guinea and the son of president.
Controversy
Rimbunan Hijau has been heavily criticized by environmental and humanitarian organizations for alleged human rights abuses, ignoring indigenous peoplesIndigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
Human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, political corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
and negligence of the environment. A recent World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
report estimates that up to 70 percent of logging in Papua New Guinea is illegal, further adding to the criticism.
Two groups that have made investigations and held protests against the company are Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
and Rainforest Action Network
Rainforest Action Network
Rainforest Action Network is an environmental organization based in San Francisco, California, USA. The organization was founded by Randy "Hurricane" Hayes and Mike Roselle in 1985, with the financial help of Fund for Wild Nature....
. Rimbunan Hijau in turn has threatened to sue Greenpeace for defamation because of its report "The Untouchables - Rimbunan Hijau’s World of Forest Crime and Political Patronage" demanding that the group withdraw the paper. Greenpeace has declined to comply.
Citibank
Citibank
Citibank, a major international bank, is the consumer banking arm of financial services giant Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, later First National City Bank of New York...
, following a review of its own environmental policies in 2005, declared that it would require the client Rimbunan Hijau to obtain credible, independent, third party certification for its Papua New Guinea operations in the future.