KLK TO COOPERATE WITH INDONESIAN AUTHORITIES ON FOREST FIRES INVESTIGATION

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 -- Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd (KLK) will cooperate with the Indonesian authorities on the investigation into forest fires on land owned by a subsidiary, P.T. Adei Plantation and Industry (P.T. Adei).

P.T.Adei was yesterday named by Indonesia as one of the Malaysian-linked companies being investigated as a contributor to forest fires in the Riau region.

In a statement today, the group confirmed the occurrence of a hotspot area which affected 2.8 hectares (ha) of the 14,400 ha estate managed by P.T. Adei and it happened during an unusually acute dry spell where rain was recorded on only two days out of the last 60.

“At present, 4.25 ha, which includes an isolation area has been sealed off for on-going investigations.

“P.T. Adei will continue to give full support to the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry and all relevant authorities to assist in the on-going investigation of the case,” it said.

KLK said it acknowledged the Indonesian government's seriousness and efforts in tackling this complex issue and would supportive of these efforts.

“KLK wishes to reiterate its zero burning policy and is in full compliance with the ASEAN Policy on Zero Burning for all its plantations operations.

“The group is serious in its firefighting agenda and has fully equipped firefighting teams on its estates, which carry out a yearly-certified firefighting training and practice strict patrolling system, which includes setting up of fire towers to inform ground patrol of any occurrence of fire,” it said.

Previously, Malaysia’s Primary Industries Minister, Teresa Kok Suh Sim had expressed concern over the sealing of land belonging to the subsidiaries of four major Malaysian-owned oil palm plantation companies in Indonesia, allegedly due to the fires there contributing to the haze in the region.

Other than KLK, the other named companies were Sime Darby Plantation, IOI Corporation and TDM.

Kok said the Indonesian authorities’ statement on the matter was a “serious accusation”, because these companies had prescribed to and adopted certified sustainable cultivation practices, either through the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, International Sustainability and Carbon Certification or a combination of these systems.

-- BERNAMA