Rimbunan Hijau

The company is involved in various business activities through its subsidiaries such as forestry, oil palm, media, ICT and hospitality.

Forestry and oil palm

Jaya Tiasa Holdings started as a downstream wood processing company at Tanjong Ensurai, Sibu, Sarawak in 1983. Jaya Tiasa had five wood processing mills as of 1994. In 2002, the company diversified into the oil palm business and opened the first crude palm oil mill in 2009. Listed on Bursa Malaysia, the company had a market capitalisation of RM 2.5 billion in 2014.

Subur Tiasa Holdings Berhad was founded in 1988 by Tiong Hiew King with an initial paid-up capital of RM 125.7 million. The company initially went on to manufacture plywood and veneer, followed by sawn timber and laminated board manufacturing.

Rimbunan Sawit Berhad owns oil palm plantations in Lundu, Selangau, Miri and Marudi. This subsidiary acquired three palm oil mills between 2015 and 2017 located in Miri and Lundu.

Controversies

Rimbunan Hijau has been heavily criticized by environmental and humanitarian organizations for alleged human rights abuses, ignoring indigenous peoples Human rights, political corruption and negligence of the environment. A recent World Bank report estimates that up to 70 percent of logging in Papua New Guinea is illegal, further adding to the criticism.

Two groups that have made investigations and held protests against the company are Greenpeace and Rainforest Action Network. Rimbunan Hijau in turn has threatened to sue Greenpeace for defamation because of its report "The Untouchables - Rimbunan Hijau’s World of Forest Crime and Political Patronage" demanding that the group withdraw the paper. Greenpeace has declined to comply.

Citibank, following a review of its own environmental policies in 2005, declared that it would require the client Rimbunan Hijau to obtain credible, independent, third party certification for its Papua New Guinea operations in the future.