Timber – How Do They Cheat?
Sarawak Headhunter will make this as simple as possible so that everyone can understand beyond a doubt how Taib, his family, henchmen and cronies involved in the timber business blatantly cheat (actually steal) and shortchange the state so that they themselves can obtain maximum benefit and profit without having to account for it or pay the royalties and taxes rightfully due to the state and federal governments.
There are a few basic ways to do it, all involving under-declarations or false declarations, with the connivance of the state authorities of course. In Sarawak the state authorities means Taib.
First is to under-declare the volume or tonnage sold/exported. Next is to under-declare the grade and the price combined with false declarations as to the actual species and actual buyers. This involves nothing more than having 2 different sets of shipping documents drawn up and that more or less completes the method of operation of all timber scams perpetrated by them. Very simple and straightforward.
Don't the authorities know about this? Of course they do – they are all involved and everyone gets his cut. How does Sarawak Headhunter know this? Just take a look at the official statistics on the Malaysian Timber Industry Board's (MTIB) website.
More valuable and expensive species are grouped together and supposedly sold as MLH or Mixed Light Hardwood, the cheapest timber, which sold for RM480 per m3 ex-logpond in Malaya in May 2008 compared to Dark Red Meranti at RM860 and Chengal at RM2,290. See the prices here.
But then, you may ask, why am I using Malayan prices?
