{
  "id": 12735072,
  "title": "Are More Rich Ventures What Sarawak Really Needs?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/are-more-rich-ventures-what-sarawak-really-needs",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-07T22:55:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Sarawak Report",
    "slug": "sarawak-report",
    "url": "https://www.sarawakreport.org/2026/10/are-more-rich-ventures-what-sarawak-really-needs/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Sarawak state government has launched a new 'Rich Venture' project in a remaining forest area, despite concerns from indigenous communities and global conservation groups. The project, driven by the tycoon Hii family, aims to develop 10,000 hectares of commercial bamboo plantations within an area already heavily impacted by the controversial Bakun Dam. This raises questions about the necessity of this development, particularly when protected forest land is being destroyed and valuable and endangered species such as Borneo Bearded Pigs, Sun Bears, and White-fronted Langurs are at risk. Native groups have expressed their opposition, yet their concerns seem to have been ignored. The state government's decision to choose this specific area over others raises doubts about the reasons behind this project, especially given the history of the Hii family's involvement in logging disputes and their disregard for environmental regulations. The focus on timber extraction while ignoring the state's precious natural resources and the potential for sustainable wealth generation warrants scrutiny.",
  "summary": "The Sarawak state government claims to be visionary and future thinking. So, why is it allowing backward timber and plantation concerns to tear down and destroy its most valuable potential future assets at a time when biodiversity and climate control are top of the global agenda ?",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}