The Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) today accused an American online retailer of bowing to a former minister’s legal threat by withholding the deliveries of a controversial book.

The Swiss-based NGO said Amazon customers from the United Kindgom have complained to BMF that they are unable to place orders for ‘Money Logging: On the Trail of the Asian Timber Mafia’ written by its executive director Lukas Straumann ( right ).

“Amazon UK claims to be ‘temporarily out of stock’ despite having rated the book as the ‘No. 1 New Release in Ecological Pollution’.

“It remains unclear, however, if any of the ordered books have been delivered at all by Amazon, even from its US headquarter,” the NGO said in a statement today.

‘Money Logging’ exposes greed, money-laundering and corruption in the timber trade that was allegedly committed by former Sarawak chief minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and his family

The Taib family, however, have consistently denied any wrongdoing, and Taib’s lawyer Mishcon de Reya in London has been attempting to block the book from making it to the shelves.

The lawyer, in a letter to Amazon UK, threatened to take legal action against all involved in the publication of the “defamatory book” as he said it is “based on an entirely false and highly damaging premise”.

“Given the wealth of our client, and the extreme seriousness of the allegations, the losses will be substantial,” the letter had read.

BMF was refused entry into the opening of the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITT0) session in Yokohama, Japan on Nov 3, allegedly due to lobbying from the Malaysian delegation.

The Swiss-based NGO added that ‘Money Logging’ still cannot be ordered through the website even though the book was globally released on Nov 3, of which Amazon UK first postponed the release date to Nov 27.

A Swiss customer who ordered the book in mid-November from Amazon US was notified the book wasn’t shipped.

She was told that Amazon “needs a little more time to provide you with a good delivery estimate”.

Urging Amazon not to betray the rainforest, BMF urged the online retailer to make the book available to all interested readers around the world.

“Freedom of expression is one of the highest public goods in a democracy. Amazon should not collude with Taib in oppressing the truth on his crimes in Sarawak,” said BMF.