As a Sarawakian, I read your reports on the environmentally-hostile activities of Rimbunan Hijau with great interest as well as indignation.

Indeed, Rimbunan Hijau is notorious here in Sarawak for its political arrogance and utter disregard for the dignity, human rights and well-being of the natives. I hope the worldwide investigation of the commercial and political activities of Rimbuan Hijau and its owner, Tiong Hiew King, would be intensified.

Rimbunan Hijau Sdn Bhd is owned by Tiong and his family. Tiong is well connected to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who flew to Russia personally to officiate his business function a few years ago.

Tiong is a member and former treasurer of the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) which is a Chinese-predominated component party of the ruling Barisan Nasional. Tiong was also a senator. After his term of senatorship expired, his younger brother was appointed. It shows how powerful and well-connected the Tiong family is. Currently, his younger brother is also an elected member of Parliament for Miri.

Tiong has owned the Chinese-language Sin Chew Jit Poh since 1989. He also owns Hong Kong's Ming Pao and weekly Chinese regional magazine Newsweekly or Yazhouzokan , an anti-Western propaganda mouthpiece for the government of China. Ming Pao is also published in Vancouver, a Canadian city populated by many Chinese migrants from Hong Kong.

Besides, Tiong also owns Chinese-language Sin Chew Jit Poh in Cambodia, as well as the English language National in Papua New Guinea. His extensive involvement in logging in PNG also has stirred political controversies because of his methods which involve 'befriending' top politicians in the country. In Cambodia, Tiong and his personal agents are also very close to top members of the government. Moreover, Tiong's logging interests also extends to Latin America, particularly Brazil.

In Peninsular Malaysia, Tiong attempted to form a strategic alliance with MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik to monopolise all the major Chinese-language newspapers, namely Sin Chew Jit Poh, Guang Ming Daily, Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press . Even though the plan has yet to be realised legally and financially, the editorial boards of the four major Chinese-language dailies have already been under the Tiong-Liong alliance through their appointees.

Here in Sarawak, his Sin Chew Jit Poh has already eased out many regional Chinese-language newspapers.

According to the Forbes magazine published on June 22, Tiong is said to be worth RM5.55 billion (US$1.5 billion), and ranked as the 336th richest man in the world, and 46th in Asia. A search on the Internet under the names "Tiong Hew King" and "Rimbunan Hijau" is useful for anyone who is concerned with business ethics and accountability, environmental issues and political business.