ORD Watermark
ORD Watermark
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Law
LAWS OF SARAWAK
Chapter 71
FORESTS ORDINANCE, 2015
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FORESTS ORDINANCE, 2015
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Date Passed by Dewan Undangan
Negeri ... ... ... ... ... ... 22nd April, 2015
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Date of Publication in Gazette ... 21st May, 2015
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LAWS OF SARAWAK
Chapter 71
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ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
PART I
PRELIMINARY
Section
1.
2.
Short title and commencement
Interpretation
Law PART II
ADMINISTRATION
PART III
FOREST RESERVES, PROTECTED FORESTS AND
COMMUNAL FORESTS
9. Effect of notification
11. Claim
2 CAP. 71
Section
13. Report
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14. Rights or privileges admitted, etc.
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15. Assessment of compensation
17. Appeal
18.
19.
20.
21.
Proclamation
Effect of Proclamation
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Exercise of subsisting rights, etc.
27. Saving
Section
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35. Proclamation
PART IV
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FORESTS MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
44. Deposit
Chapter 3 — Workmen
Section
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50. Employers to insure
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51. Employment of trained workmen
Chapter 4 — Miscellaneous
53.
54.
55.
56.
Government reserves
Alienated land
Saving
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Timber trees not to be used as fuel
58. Renewal
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59. Removal of forest produce after expiry of licence
Section
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69. Licence as security document
PART V
ENFORCEMENT
71.
72.
Power of arrest
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Chapter 1 — Arrest
Power to search
Chapter 3 — Investigation
81. Power to investigate
Section
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Chapter 4 — Compound
PART VI
OTHER OFFENCES AND PENALTIES
87.
88.
89.
90.
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Penalty for trespassing in forest reserves and protected forests
100. Eviction from forest reserves, protected forests and State land
Section
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PART VII
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MISCELLANEOUS
106. Conduct of prosecution
107. Jurisdiction
108.
109.
110.
111.
Protection of informers
Rewards, etc.
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Protection against suit and legal proceedings
113. Rules
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PART VIII
REPEAL, SAVINGS AND TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS
royalty) SECOND SCHEDULE — Forest produce taken under licence (Rates of fees)
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CAP. 71
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LAWS OF SARAWAK
Chapter 71
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FORESTS ORDINANCE, 2015
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An Ordinance to provide for the protection and management
of forests in Sarawak and to regulate the taking of forest produce and
for matters connected therewith.
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Enacted by the Legislature of Sarawak―
(Swk. L.N. 248/2015)
PART I
PRELIMINARY
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Short title and commencement
(2) This Ordinance shall come into force on such date as the
Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint, and the Minister
may appoint different dates for the coming into force of different parts
or different provisions of this Ordinance.
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Interpretation
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“cattle” includes elephants, buffaloes, horses, ponies, mules,
pigs, sheep and goats;
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“civil debt” means any order made by the court under this
Ordinance for the payment of money to the Government and shall
be deemed to have been made in a civil proceeding for the
purposes of the Government Proceedings Act 1956 [Act 359] and
the Rules of Court 2012 [P.U. (A) 205/2012];
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“communal forest” means a communal forest constituted
over State land under Part III of this Ordinance;
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as a forest officer;
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“forest produce” includes
(i)
(ii) Law
guano, peat, rock, sea-shell and surface soil;
(i) timber;
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(ii) firewood;
(iii) charcoal;
(iv) bark;
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(vi) cordwood;
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Government under the Land Code [Cap. 81 (1958 Ed.)];
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“hammer mark” means the Government hammer mark
“F.D.” or any other mark as may be determined by the Director;
Xylocarpus; Law
“mangroves” means all trees belonging to the genera
Avicennia, Bruguiera, Ceriops, Kandelia, Rhizophora and
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place on timber to denote that he is entitled to the ownership of
such timber, for which payment of all royalty, premium, cess and
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other payments are payable to the Government;
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the Government, a corporation or body established or constituted
by or under State law and includes any officer appointed or acting
on behalf of such Government, department, corporation or body;
timber is sawn;
“State land forests” means any forests in the State other than
forest reserves, protected forests, communal forests, Government
reserves and planted forests;
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“tree” includes any part of a tree, its fruits, buds, leaves,
branches, stems, stumps, bark, trunk, seeds, seedlings, exudates,
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roots and any plants, palms, bamboos, canes and brushwoods.
(a)
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otherwise directs, be liable to be cancelled or suspended in accordance
with section 42 if
PART II
ADMINISTRATION
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Appointment of Director, etc.
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3. This Ordinance shall be administered by a Director, who
shall be assisted by such number of Deputy Directors and forest
officers, all of whom shall be appointed by the Minister, by
notification in the Gazette.
Direction of Minister
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The Minister may from time to time give to the Director,
general or special directions, not inconsistent with the provisions of
this Ordinance, as to the exercise or discharge of the Director’s
powers and functions under this Ordinance, and any such direction
shall become binding on the Director, who shall forthwith take all
steps necessary or expedient to give effect thereto.
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authority, any of the powers and duties conferred on the Director
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under this Ordinance or any rules made thereunder.
PART III
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COMMUNAL FORESTS
Chapter 1 — Forest Reserves and Protected Forests
or over such land to submit, within sixty days from the date of
publication of such notification, to the Regional Forests Officer
for the area in which the land is situated, his claim with evidence
in support thereof; and
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(2) A copy of the notification shall be published in at least one
newspaper circulating in Sarawak or in such medium as circumstances
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may permit, and displayed at any place or at the District Office for the
area to be constituted a forest reserve or protected forest.
Effect of notification
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9. From the date of the notification published under section 8
until the publication of the Proclamation under section 18, no person
shall exercise any right or privilege which he intends to make a claim
upon in or over the land proposed to be constituted a forest reserve or
protected forest, and the taking of any forest produce therefrom is
prohibited without the written approval of the Director.
Rights or privileges
Claim
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(b), conduct an enquiry into any claim or privilege in or over any land
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proposed to be constituted a forest reserve or protected forest.
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(3) The Regional Forests Officer may call for and receive any
evidence to verify, confirm or support any claim from any claimant or
any public officer or any other person having knowledge of such
claim. In the conduct of such enquiry, the Regional Forests Officer
shall have the same powers to summon and examine witnesses as a
Magistrate.
Report
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proper to make.
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(a) the right or privilege that is to be admitted and
subjected to section 21; or
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(2) Where any right or privilege is to be extinguished under
subsection (1)(b), the Director shall forthwith proceed to assess the
compensation payable to the claimant in accordance with section 15.
Assessment of compensation
Decision on compensation
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on the claimant at the address provided by him at the time of
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submission of his claim or if his claim is submitted by his Headman
on his behalf, the decision shall be served on the claimant by handing
a copy thereof to the Headman.
Appeal
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17.―(1) Any person aggrieved by the decision of the Director
may, within thirty days from the date of service of the decision on
him, appeal to a Sessions Court.
Proclamation
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or protected forest have been extinguished unless admitted under
section 14; and
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(e) stipulate the special conditions, if any, governing the
reservation or protection thereof.
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19.―(1) The Minister may, at any time before the publication of
the Proclamation under section 18, withdraw a proposal to constitute
any State land as a forest reserve or protected forest.
Effect of Proclamation
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21. Where any right or privilege has been admitted but was not
extinguished at the time of the constitution of the forest reserve or
protected forest (referred to in this Part as “subsisting rights or
privileges”), the exercise thereof shall be subject to the control of the
Director and to such direction as he may make to regulate the limits or
area within a forest reserve or protected forest, whereby the subsisting
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rights or privileges may be exercised, including the mode of
exercising thereof and having regard to the natural capacity of the
natives to enjoy such rights or privileges.
(4) The Regional Forests Officer shall, within thirty days from
the date of receipt of the information under subsection (3), transmit
the same to the Director who, if satisfied that any person has been
affected by the extinguishment of any subsisting right or privilege,
pay such compensation to him, as assessed in accordance with section
15.
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a grant or contract made by the Government or by some persons in
whom such rights or privileges, or the power to create such rights or
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privileges were vested, when the forest reserve or protected forest was
constituted.
24.
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Notwithstanding anything herein contained, no subsisting
rights or privileges in a forest reserve or protected forest shall be
transferred by way of grant, sale, lease, mortgage or otherwise, except
with the written approval of the Minister.
(a) trespass;
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(c) fell, cut, ring, mark, lop or tap any tree, or injure by
fire or otherwise, any tree or timber;
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cultivation or for any other purpose; or
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(g) kindle, keep or carry any fire or leave any fire burning.
Saving
(a)
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the exercise of any subsisting rights or privileges;
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be extinguished, and any person affected by such extinguishment
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may submit his claim for compensation to the Regional Forests
Officer within thirty days from the date of publication of the
notification.
(3) Sections 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 shall apply
mutatis mutandis in relation to any claim for the amount of the
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compensation submitted under this section.
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Claims to be heard
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32.―(1) At the expiration of the period prescribed by the
notification, the District Officer shall give notice to the claimant and
to the community responsible for the proposed constitution, and shall
hear and determine any claim.
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Proclamation
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35.―(1) When the period fixed under section 31 has elapsed
and any claims have been disposed of, the Resident shall, with the
written approval of the Minister, publish in the Gazette, a
Proclamation to constitute the area specified in the notification
referred to in section 31, a communal forest.
(2)
(b)
(c)
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Such Proclamation shall―
(3) From the date so fixed, the area shall be a communal forest
and shall, together with all the produce therein and all things found
thereon, be set aside for the sole use of the native community, by
whom it shall be maintained and controlled, subject only to the rights
and privileges set out in the Proclamation and to the conditions of
section 36.
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Removal of forest produce
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(2) No other person shall remove any forest produce from a
communal reserve for any purpose whatsoever.
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or part thereof shall cease to be a communal forest, and any such
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direction shall have effect accordingly.
PART IV
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Chapter 1 — Proprietary Rights over Forest
Produce in Permanent Forests and State
Land
Powers of Director
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(b) call for tenders, when necessary, for the right to take
forest produce from a specified area;
(d) allow any other works or issue any order that he may
deem necessary for the taking of such forest produce or for
the management of the forest.
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(2) A licence issued under this section shall be for a period of
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not exceeding one year, except with the written approval of the
Minister.
41.
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Where an application for a licence has been refused by the
Director or his authorized officer, an appeal may be made to―
(c) the holder of the licence has failed to comply with any
conditions specified in the licence;
FORESTS 31
(d) the holder of the licence has failed to comply with the
written direction given by the Director;
(e) the holder of the licence has done any act specified in
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section 2(2) (a), (b), (c) or (d) without the authorization of the
Minister;
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(f) the holder of the licence has ceased to operate in
the area in respect of which the licence was issued;
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(h) the holder of the licence has contravened
provisions of section 50 relating to compulsory insurance; or
licence under subsection (1), give the holder of the licence notice in
writing of his intention to do so and calling upon him to show cause
why such licence should not be cancelled or suspended, as the case
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may be.
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(6) The holder of a licence shall not have any claim
whatsoever or be entitled to compensation for any loss caused to him
by the cancellation or suspension of his licence.
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claim to, or ownership of, all properties (movable or immovable) and
all forest produce cut or collected under such licence remaining within
the area covered by the licence.
(8) The holder of the licence shall, within three months of the
cancellation of his licence or such other period as the Director may
allow, remove all his movable properties and all timber felled,
hammer-marked and remaining in the area covered by the licence.
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(9) In the event of the failure of the holder of the licence to
remove any property or forest produce as aforesaid, all such property
or forest produce remaining in the area covered by the licence shall be
the property of the Government and free from all encumbrances, and
shall not be removed from such area unless the Director otherwise
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directs.
43.―(1) The holder of the licence shall return the licence to the
Director within thirty days upon its expiration.
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(2) Any person who fails or refuses to comply with the
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requirement under subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and
shall, upon conviction, be punished with a fine of not less than ten
thousand ringgit and not exceeding fifty thousand ringgit.
Deposit
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44.―(1) Before the issue of any licence under this Ordinance,
the applicant shall deposit as security with the Director or forest
officer authorized by him, such amount and in such form and within
such period as may be determined by him for the performance of the
terms and conditions of the licence or the provisions of this Ordinance
or any rules made thereunder.
Payment of royalty
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45.―(1) Royalty shall be payable on forest produce taken from
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any permanent forest or alienated land, at the rates shown in the First
Schedule:
Provided that―
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(a) in the case of timber, no royalty shall be payable on
such portions of a tree as may be declared by a forest officer,
generally or specially authorized by the Director, to be
unserviceable;
Payment of premium
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to time direct.
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Payment of cess
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(2) Any money collected as cess under subsection (1) shall be
credited to the State Consolidated Fund and accounted in the State
Consolidated Revenue Account to be applied in such manner and for
such purpose as the Minister may from time to time direct.
Payment of fees
Chapter 3 — Workmen
Registration of Workmen
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(2) No person shall take, collect, fell or remove any timber or
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forest produce from any area described in a licence unless his name is
already on the Register kept and maintained by the licensee or his
contractor under subsection (1).
(3) (a) Any person who contravenes subsection (1) shall be guilty
of an offence and shall, upon conviction, be punished with a fine
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of not less than five thousand ringgit and not exceeding twenty
thousand ringgit.
Employers to insure
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50.―(1) For the purpose of this section and section 51:
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(2) Every employer shall insure and keep insured all his
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workmen in respect of any personal injury or death caused by accident
arising out of or in the course of their employment or any loss or
damage which his workmen may suffer or sustain as a result of their
employment with the employer.
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continue to be employed as a workman to take, collect or remove
timber from any State land, forest reserve, protected forest,
Government reserve or alienated land, or the establishment and
management of any planted forest, unless there is a policy of
insurance or such a security or other benefits in respect of the
workman as required by subsection (4).
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(viii) rehabilitation benefit; and
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(ix) other benefits as may be considered necessary
from time to time by the Minister.
(5) The fees and premia chargeable under the policy which
complies with the requirements specified under subsection (4) shall be
paid by the employer.
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(6) An employer who has insured his workmen in accordance
with this section shall furnish the Director with a copy of the policy of
insurance which complies with the requirements specified in
subsection (4) or evidence that he has so insured his workmen and has
complied with the requirements of this section.
(a) fails to insure and keep all his workmen insured under
subsection (2);
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with a fine of not less than one thousand ringgit and not exceeding ten
thousand ringgit and imprisonment for a term not exceeding two
years.
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other arrangement whatsoever, to carry out, undertake or perform any
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forestry activity unless that workman has successfully completed a
course of training in such forestry activity which is conducted by an
institution approved by the Director in consultation with the Minister.
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forest produce, or associated with the sustainable management of any
forest or the establishment and management of any planted forest and
which is prescribed as a forestry activity by the Director with the
written approval of the Minister, by notification in the Gazette, for
reason that the carrying out, undertaking or performance of any such
forestry activity may endanger the health and safety of the workmen
or any other persons.
Chapter 4 — Miscellaneous
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Special licences may be issued in certain cases
Minister, from issuing any licence under special conditions, and for a
period exceeding one year, as he may deem expedient.
Government reserves
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Provided that no licence shall be issued without the written
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approval of the officer responsible for the maintenance of such
reserve.
Alienated land
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taking of forest produce from alienated land for purposes of sale or
barter or to be sawn into marketable products or for the manufacture
or production of any articles or furniture:
Saving
Licences to be produced
Renewal
58. No person shall have any right, upon the expiration of the
period of a licence issued under this Ordinance, to any renewal
thereof, whether upon the same terms and conditions or otherwise:
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months, or such other period as may be determined by the Minister,
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for the removal of such forest produce subject to payment of royalty.
The licensee shall thereafter have no further right of possession in
such forest produce remaining within the forest.
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60.―(1) Subject to section 53, and to any rules made under
section 113, and any other written law, any resident of Sarawak
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section, the court shall, in addition to any penalty which it may
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impose, order such person to pay to the Government a sum of not less
than ten times the value (as assessed by the Director or any forest
officer authorized by him) of the forest produce in respect of which
the offence has been committed, and any sum ordered to be so paid
shall be recoverable by the Government as a civil debt.
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Power to declare protected tree or species of tree
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(4) When a person is convicted of an offence under subsection
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(2)(b), the court shall, in addition to any penalty which it may impose,
order such person to pay to the Government a sum of not less than ten
times the value (as assessed by the Director or any forest officer
authorized by him) of the tree or species of tree in respect of which
the offence has been committed, and any sum ordered to be so paid
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fit.
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(4) Any licence issued under subsection (1) may, subject to
subsection (5), be suspended for such period as the Director deems fit
if—
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Ordinance or rules made thereunder;
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(ii) in the case of a subsequent offence, a fine of
not less than one million ringgit and not exceeding ten
million ringgit, and imprisonment not exceeding seven
years, and in the case of a continuing offence, a further fine
of not exceeding five thousand ringgit for each day during
which the offence continues after conviction:
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Provided that where the accused person proves that the building
or operation of the sawmill was exclusively for domestic use, the
punishment shall, upon conviction, be a fine of not less than five
thousand ringgit and not exceeding fifty thousand ringgit or
imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both and for a
subsequent offence, shall be punished with a fine of not less than ten
thousand ringgit and not exceeding one hundred thousand ringgit and
imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.
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(b) Any person who commits a breach of any terms and
conditions of his licence shall be guilty of an offence and shall,
upon conviction, be punished with a fine of not less than ten
thousand ringgit and not exceeding one hundred thousand ringgit,
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Minister, by notice in writing to every holder of a licence―
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(a) fix or impose a limit on the volume of timber to be
produced, taken, felled or removed from any area covered by
such licence (hereinafter referred to as “the production limit”) for
such period as may be specified in the notice and may, in like
manner, cancel, vary or amend any such production limit;
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(b) direct that a proportion of the production limit shall be
reserved for use or processing by licensed sawmills within
Sarawak (hereinafter referred to as “the reservation quota”); or
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Sarawak any timber forming or constituting part of the
reservation quota referred to in subsection 1(b).
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(5) An authorized agency―
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(b) may, subject to such terms and conditions, including
the method, measure and manner to be adopted, as the Director
may approve, enter into arrangements for the purchase of timber
direct from the holder of a licence;
(c) shall observe and obey Part VII of the Sarawak Rivers
(Traffic) Regulations, 1993 [Swk. L. N. 130/93], relating to the
transmission and transportation of timber for licensed sawmills
through any rivers and shall carry out such activities which
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appear to it to be requisite for or in connection with the discharge
of its functions; and
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certifying that the timber does not form part of the reservation
quota referred to in subsection 1(b).
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(b) The master of every conveyance carrying or towing
timber for export or removal from Sarawak shall not leave or
attempt to leave any port until and unless he has in his possession
an Export Clearance Certificate provided to him by the person
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exporting or removing the timber from Sarawak.
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of the Sarawak Rivers (Traffic) Regulations, 1993 [Swk. L.N.
130/93], or in the Export Clearance Certificate or other
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documents shall be liable to seizure.
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(11) Any timber or conveyance seized or detained under this
section shall be dealt with, sold or disposed of in accordance with
such rules as may be prescribed under section 113.
such roads, tracks, culverts, bridges and buildings and other facilities
as may be necessary to establish, maintain and harvest that crop.
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[Cap. 81 (1958 Ed.)].
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Planted forests part of permanent forests
Duration of licence
67.
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A licence for planted forests shall be for such period as the
Director may, with the written approval of the Minister, specify
therein.
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mortgages affecting such licences.
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PART V
ENFORCEMENT
Chapter 1 — Arrest
Power of arrest
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71.―(1) Any offence under this Ordinance and rules made
thereunder as specified in the Fourth Schedule shall be a seizable
offence within the meaning of the Criminal Procedure Code [Act 593].
Power to search
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72. Whenever any forest officer authorized by the Director or a
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police officer has reasonable cause to believe that a forest offence has
been committed, he may search any conveyance, building or facility
under the control of the suspect, his agents or servants, and the
provisions in this Ordinance relating to search and seizure, where
appropriate, shall apply.
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Power to seize forest produce and other property
their duties under any written law) who tampers with, removes,
damages or destroys anything marked under subsection (1) shall be
guilty of an offence and shall, upon conviction, be punished with a
fine of not less than five thousand ringgit and not exceeding fifty
thousand ringgit or imprisonment not exceeding five years or to both.
FORESTS 53
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that there is reasonable cause to believe that in any building or place
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or on any land there is concealed or deposited any forest produce in
respect of which a forest offence is being or has been committed, the
Magistrate may issue a warrant authorizing any forest officer or any
police officer named therein, by day or night and with or without
assistance, to enter the building, place or land and there search for and
seize, and therefrom remove, any forest produce in respect of which
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the forest offence has or is suspected to have been committed and any
machinery, tool, conveyance, document or other things or property
that is reasonably believed to have been used in the commission of the
offence.
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Power to stop and search conveyances
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76.―(1) If any forest officer or any police officer has reasonable
cause to believe that any conveyance is carrying forest produce in
contravention of this Ordinance or in respect of which a forest offence
is being or has been committed, he may stop and examine the
conveyance.
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(2) The person in control or in charge of the conveyance shall,
if required to do so by the forest officer or police officer―
with a fine of not less than five thousand ringgit and not exceeding
fifty thousand ringgit or to imprisonment not exceeding five years or
to both.
77.―(1) Where any thing has been seized under this Ordinance,
a forest officer may, subject to terms and conditions as the Director
deems fit to impose, temporarily release such thing to the owner on
application and on security (as assessed by the Director) being
furnished that such thing shall be surrendered to him on demand or to
produce it before a court of competent jurisdiction.
FORESTS 55
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fine of not less than twenty thousand ringgit or ten times the value of
the thing so seized, whichever is greater, or imprisonment not
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exceeding two years or to both.
78. The Director may direct that any thing seized under this
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Ordinance be stored or kept in such place as he deems fit, or disposed
of to any authorized person or body subject to such terms and
conditions as he may determine and the proceeds of the disposal shall
be held to abide by the result of any prosecution or claim under this
section.
committed and that the thing was the subject matter of, or was used in
the commission of the offence, notwithstanding that no person may
have been convicted of such offence.
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officer, as the case may be, shall, unless the investigation into the
offence is still pending, refer the claim to a Magistrate for
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decision; and
(c) the Magistrate to whom the claim is referred shall issue
a summons requiring the claimant to appear before him and upon
his appearance or default to appear, the Magistrate shall proceed
to the examination of the claim and, on proof that a forest offence
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has been committed and that such thing was the subject matter of
or was used in the commission of such offence, shall order the
same to be forfeited or may in the absence of such proof order its
release.
(4) All things forfeited or deemed to be forfeited shall be
delivered to the forest officer and shall be disposed of in accordance
with the direction of the Director.
(6) The Government shall not be liable to any person for any
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in any place in which such officer may lawfully be, and, if he has
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reason to believe that money is payable to the Government in respect
thereof, he may detain such produce until such money is paid.
Chapter 3 — Investigation
Power to investigate
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81.―(1) The Director or any forest officer or public servant
authorized by him or any police officer not below the rank of Sergeant
or any police officer in charge of a police station (referred to in this
section collectively as an “investigating officer”) may carry out
investigation into any forest offence, and in carrying out such
investigation, the investigating officer may exercise all or any of the
special powers in relation to police investigation provided in the
Criminal Procedure Code [Act 593].
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(2) Any investigating officer may in writing require the
attendance before himself of a person who appears to be acquainted
with the facts and circumstances of that case or is suspected of being
concerned with the forest offence under investigation.
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person against whom the power is being exercised the authority card
issued to him under subsection (4).
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82.―(1) An investigating officer making an investigation under
section 81 may examine orally any person who may be acquainted
with the facts and circumstances of the case.
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put to him by the investigating officer, but the person may refuse to
answer any question the answer to which would have a tendency to
expose him to a criminal charge or penalty or forfeiture.
has been read to him in the language in which he made it and after he
has been given an opportunity to make any corrections he may wish.
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admissible or used in any criminal proceedings―
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(a) if the making of the statement appears to the court to
have been caused by any inducement, threat or promise having
reference to the charge against such person proceeding from a
person in authority and sufficient in the opinion of the court to
give the person charged grounds which would appear to him
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reasonable for supposing that by making it he would gain any
advantage or avoid any evil of a temporal nature in reference to
the proceedings against him; or
“It is my duty to warn you that you are not obliged to say
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anything or to answer any question, but anything you say,
whether in answer to a question or not, may be given in
evidence”.
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(2) Where a person is brought before a Court under subsection
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(1), the investigating officer shall comply with section 117(1) of the
Criminal Procedure Code [Act 593] and the Court shall have the
powers over that person as are provided in section 117(2) of that
Code.
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85.―(1) Every investigating officer making an investigation
shall day by day enter in his investigation diary setting forth―
his investigation.
Chapter 4 — Compound
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86.―(1) The Director or any forest officer authorized by the
Director by notification in the Gazette, may, subject to rules made
under section 113, accept from any person who has committed a forest
offence a sum not exceeding one half of the maximum amount of the
fine provided for the offence or one half of ten times of the value (as
assessed by the Director or any forest officer authorized by him) of
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the forest produce in respect of which the offence has been
committed, whichever is greater:
PART VI
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Penalty for trespassing in forest reserves and protected forests
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87. Any person who contravenes section 26(a), shall be guilty
of an offence and shall, upon conviction, be punished with a fine of
not less than one thousand ringgit and not exceeding ten thousand
ringgit.
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Penalty for offences in forest reserves and protected forests
the offence has been committed and any sum ordered to be so paid
shall be recoverable by the Government as a civil debt.
FORESTS 63
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sections 40, 54 or 55, shall be guilty of an offence and shall, upon
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conviction, be punished with a fine of not less than twenty-five
thousand ringgit and not exceeding one hundred and fifty thousand
ringgit, and imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.
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impose, order such person to pay to the Government a sum of not less
than ten times the value (as assessed by the Director or any forest
officer authorized by him) of such forest produce in respect of which
such offence has been committed, and any sum ordered to be so paid
shall be recoverable by the Government as a civil debt.
45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 52, 57 and 59, shall be guilty of an offence and
shall, upon conviction, be punished with a fine of not less than
twenty-five thousand ringgit and not exceeding one hundred and fifty
thousand ringgit and imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year.
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less than one hundred ringgit and not exceeding one thousand ringgit.
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Penalty for illegal export of logs and excess of production limit
Certificate; Law
timber in contravention of section 63 without a Certificate of
Inspection and section 64(7)(a) without an Export Clearance
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one hundred thousand ringgit and not exceeding five hundred
thousand ringgit or imprisonment not exceeding seven years or to
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both.
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(a) a sum of not less than ten times the royalty, premium
and cess chargeable on the timber exported or removed from the
State without an Export Clearance Certificate;
(b) a sum of not less than ten times the value (as assessed
by the Director or any forest officer authorized by the Director)
of the timber felled, extracted or removed in excess of the
production limit; and
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with a fine of not less than twenty-five thousand ringgit and not
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exceeding one hundred and fifty thousand ringgit or imprisonment not
exceeding five years or to both.
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Penalty for non-payment of royalty, etc.
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Penalty for unlawful possession of forest produce
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96.―(1) Any person found in unlawful possession of any forest
produce shall be guilty of an offence and shall, upon conviction, be
punished with a fine of not less than twenty-five thousand ringgit and
not exceeding one hundred and fifty thousand ringgit or imprisonment
not exceeding five years or to both, and for a subsequent offence, shall
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be punished with a fine of not less than one hundred and fifty
thousand ringgit and not exceeding five hundred thousand ringgit or
imprisonment not exceeding ten years or to both.
(a) the forest produce does not bear his own registered
property mark; or
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(b) the forest produce does not bear any other mark as
may be determined by the Director to denote that the person is
entitled to the lawful possession thereof.
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civil debt.
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(a) after sunset and before sunrise; or
98.
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shall be liable to double the penalty provided for such offence.
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further process if made before the court recording the conviction
adjourns but, if not so made, shall be made by summons before that
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court, and the court shall make no further order unless such summons
has been served on the person convicted.
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101.―(1) When there is reason to believe that an offence against
section 26(a), (b), (c) or (f), has been committed, any forest officer
authorized in writing by the Director may ―
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(a) lays, erects or sets up or causes to be laid, erected or set
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up any structure, stone, log, tree, or any other article, on rail,
canal or road or dig or create a trench or cavity on any road, used
or intended to be used for logging or transportation of timber or
for the establishment or maintenance of a planted forest so as to
cause a barrier or obstruction to the passage of that rail, canal or
road; or
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(b) willfully prevents, obstructs or molests any forest
officer or police officer or public servant in the execution of his
duties or the holder of a licence or his employee or agent from
removing the barrier or obstruction or in the exercise of his right
within the area covered by the licence,
subsection (1), where it is proved that the person charged was, at the
time of his arrest, present at any structure, stone, log, tree or any other
article or trench or cavity which had been laid, erected, set up or dug
on any road used or intended to be used for logging or transportation
of timber or for the establishment or maintenance of a planted forest,
it shall be presumed until the contrary is proved, that the person
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charged had so laid, erected, set up or dug that structure, stone, log,
tree or any other article or trench or cavity, as the case may be.
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of an offence and shall, upon conviction, be punished with a fine of
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not less than five thousand ringgit and not exceeding fifty thousand
ringgit and imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.
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acceptable to the officer arresting him to secure his attendance in
court:
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(2) Notwithstanding sections 173A and 294 of the Criminal
Procedure Code [Act 593], any offence under subsection (1)(a) shall
be inquired into and tried according to the provisions herein
contained.
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104. Any person who aids or abets the commission of a forest
offence shall, upon conviction, be punished with the penalty provided
for the offence.
False declaration
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not less than twenty-five thousand ringgit and not
exceeding one hundred and fifty thousand ringgit or to
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imprisonment not exceeding seven years or to both; or
Conduct of prosecution
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PART VII
MISCELLANEOUS
Jurisdiction
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Provided that the act of such officer or person was done in good
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faith and in the reasonable belief that it was necessary for the purpose
intended to be served by it and for the carrying out of the provisions
of this Ordinance and any rules made thereunder.
Protection of informers
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109.―(1) Except as hereinafter provided, no witness in any civil
or criminal proceeding shall be obliged or permitted to disclose the
name or address of an informer or the substance and nature of the
information received from the informer or to state any matter which
might lead to the identification of the informer.
(3) If on the trial for any offence under this Ordinance the
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court after full enquiry into the case believes that the informer
willfully made in his complaint a material statement which he knew or
believed to be false or did not believe to be true, or if in any other
proceeding the court is of opinion that justice cannot be fully done
between the parties thereto without the identification of the informer,
it shall be lawful for the court to require the production of the original
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Rewards, etc.
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Certificate of the Director as to the value of forest produce, etc.
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111.―(1) Where it is required in this Ordinance or the rules made
thereunder for the Director or any forest officer authorized by him to
make an assessment or to quantify the value of any forest produce or
other property, compensation, royalty, premium, cess, fees or other
payments, the Director or such forest officer shall issue a certificate
stating―
(a) Law
the value of such forest produce or other property;
Rules
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provisions of this Ordinance and, in particular, such rules may provide
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for―
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(b) the registration of property marks with the Director,
and prescribing fees in respect thereof;
(c) the payment of the like royalties in the event of any
contravention of such rules, or of the conditions of any licence, as
would have been payable had such rules and conditions been
observed;
(d) the procedure for the collection of any payment under
this Ordinance including surcharge, in the event of failure to pay
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on the due date;
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contractors or agents;
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(m) the procedure for any arbitration to be conducted
pursuant to any clause contained in any such licence;
(n) the use, cultivation, propagation or export of any tree
or any medicinal compound from any tree for any research, study,
test, experiment or process in connection with the development or
of forest produce;
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manufacture of any pharmaceutical product;
(o) prohibiting, regulating or controlling the export or sale
passage through or control over any road or bridges used for and
in connection with logging or transportation of timber;
(t) regulating the registration of vehicles, machinery or
equipment used or belonging to the holder of any licence or his
contractor or sub-contractor in any forest area covered by such
licence;
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administration of any nurseries and research facilities established
for or to facilitate tree planting or cultivation of any species of
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trees in planted forests;
(x) providing for the training of workmen employed by
any employer under section 51 in the felling, collection, removal,
handling or transportation of timber or other forest produce or
any other activity required for the sustainable management of any
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forest or the establishment and maintenance of planted forests;
the nature and contents of courses prescribed by the Director for
the training of such workmen; the approval of institutions for the
conduct of the training courses; the qualification of persons
conducting such training courses; and the award of certificates to
persons who successfully completed the prescribed training
courses;
(y) the imposition of or a requirement for a forest
rehabilitation and management plan and other matters related
thereto or in connection therewith; and
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(z) anything which requires to be prescribed or provided
for by rules.
PART VIII
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Repeal, savings and transitional provisions
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114.―(1) The Forests Ordinance [Cap. 126 (1958 Ed.)] is
repealed.
(3)
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other acts or things made or done under or in accordance with the
repealed Ordinance, shall continue in force until amended, revoked or
replaced pursuant to this Ordinance.
FIRST SCHEDULE
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CLASS I (i)
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A. Rates of royalty for logs:
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Single (flat) rate of RM 65.00 per M in round or RM 130.00 per M
converted.
Bruguiera spp.
Excoecaria spp.
Carapa spp.
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Bakau
Berus (Lenggadai)
Buta-Buta
Nyireh
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Single (flat) rate of RM 5.00 per M in round or RM 10.00 per M converted.
Shingles
CLASS I (iii)
Bakau Poles
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CLASS II
Firewood, per tonne … … … … … … … RM 0.50
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Charcoal, per tonne … … … … … … … RM 5.00
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Firewood, partly converted into charcoal, per tonne green weight RM 2.00
Cordwood, other than for use as fuel, per tonne green weight RM 5.00
Jelutong
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CLASS III
Miscellaneous
10% of the current export value
SECOND SCHEDULE
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A. TIMBER: Per
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Month
(a) Logs, sawn and hewn stock ……… RM 5.00
(b) Poles ……… RM 2.00
B. FIREWOOD:
(a) Mangrove and Casuarina (Ru) ……… RM 3.00
C.
D.
(b)
(b)
GETAH:
(a)
Other sorts
CHARCOAL:
(a) Mangrove
Other sorts
Jelutong
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………
………
………
RM 1.00
RM 3.00
RM 1.00
RM 1.00
(b) Other sorts ……… RM 1.00
* Now see also the Weights and Measures Act 1972 [Act 71].
FORESTS 83
THIRD SCHEDULE
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FEES (RM)
TYPES OF
FOREST
ISSUANCE RENEWAL PROCESSING
TIMBER
(Issuance &
LICENCE
Renewal)
Class A (F30 and RM 20, 000 RM 20, 000 RM 1,000
LPF)
RM 1,000
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RM 1,000
RM 500
RM 250
PF)
Area Fees
Class D (LA) - RM 100
(Hectares) (RM)
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≤ 10 RM 100
> 10 – ≤ 50 RM 250
FOURTH SCHEDULE
SEIZABLE OFFENCES
(Section 71(1))
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A. Forests Ordinance, 2015
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(a) Section 26
(b) Section 28
(c) Section 36(2)
(d) Section 60(2)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)
Section 62
Section 90
Section 93
Section 95
Section 96
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(j) Section 102(1)
(k) Section 102(4)
(l) Section 102(5)
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(m) Section 103