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A6 WORLD NEWS
Friday 2 OctOber 2020
Malaysia palm oil producer vows to clear name after U.S. ban

By EILEEN NG fice mirrored those found
Associated Press by The AP. This included re-
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia striction of movement, iso-
(AP) — Malaysian palm lation, physical and sexual
oil producer FGV Holdings violence, intimidation and
Berhad vowed Thursday to threats, retention of identity
"clear its name" after the documents, withholding
U.S. banned imports of its of wages, debt bondage,
palm oil over allegations abusive working and living
of forced labor and other conditions, excessive over-
abuses. time, and concerns about
The U.S. Customs and Bor- potential forced child la-
der Protection's Office of bor. FGV said Thursday it
Trade issued the ban order wasn't involved in any re-
against FGV on Wednes- cruitment or employment
day, saying it found indi- of refugees. It said it doesn't
cators of forced labor, in- hire contract workers. Mi-
cluding concerns about grant workers are recruited
children, along with other mainly from India and Indo-
abuses such as physical nesia through legal chan-
and sexual violence. nels, it said. It said it ensures
The action, announced a workers are not forced to
week after The Associated pay any fees.
Press exposed major labor display outside FGV Holdings Berhad, one of Malaysia's largest palm oil companies, in Kuala The company said it is intro-
abuses in Malaysia's palm Lumpur, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. ducing the use of an elec-
oil industry, was triggered Associated Press tronic wallet cashless pay-
by a petition filed last year standards," it said in a state- Nestle, L'Oreal, and Unile- cluding Felda, which owns roll system for its workers. It
by nonprofit organizations. ment. ver, according to the com- about a third of the shares doesn't retain workers' pass-
FGV said all the issues raised Malaysia is the world's sec- panies' most recently pub- in FGV. They found every- ports and has safety boxes
"have been the subject of ond largest producer of lished supplier and palm oil thing from unpaid wages throughout all its 68 hous-
public discourse since 2015 palm oil. Together with In- mill lists. Several huge West- to outright slavery and alle- ing complexes for them to
and FGV has taken several donesia, the two countries ern banks and financial gations of rape, sometimes keep their passports safely.
steps to correct the situa- dominate the global mar- institutions not only pour involving minors. They also FGV said it has invested 350
tion". "FGV is disappointed ket, producing 85 percent money directly or indirectly found stateless Rohingya million ringgit ($84 million)
that such decision has of the $65 billion supply. into the palm oil industry, Muslims, one of the world's over the past three years in
been made when FGV has Palm oil and its derivatives but also hold shares in FGV. most persecuted minorities, upgrading worker housing
been taking concrete steps from FGV, and closely con- AP reporters interviewed had been trafficked onto and provides medical ben-
over the past several years nected Malaysian-owned more than 130 former and plantations and forced to efits. Suppliers and vendors
in demonstrating its com- Felda, make their way into current workers from eight work. are required to comply
mitment to respect human the supply chains of major countries at two dozen Many of the problems de- with the company's code
rights and to uphold labor multinationals. They include palm oil companies — in- tailed by the U.S. CBP of- of conduct, it said. q

Belgium busts big cocaine ring that relied on corrupt police

worth of cocaine into West- lice officers and a retired los found in Antwerp, an-
ern Europe, officials said gendarme. A lawyer and a other shipment of 650 kilos
Thursday. The investigation, doctor are also suspected was stopped during the
which started when a con- of taking part in the net- investigation, the prosecu-
tainer with 2.8 tons of co- work he described as a tor's office said. Authori-
caine was found last year "crime syndicate." ties also seized weapons,
in the port city of Antwerp, "It's very worrying to see about 40 vehicles, 1.3 mil-
uncovered an international how criminals can get lion euros in cash, 700,000
network with connections involved in the highest euros ($822,000) on various
in at least four different spheres and try to make bank accounts as well as
European countries and the legal world dirty with stocks worth 62,000 euros
South America. crime money," Van Leeuw ($72,850). In the Nether-
Officials said Thursday that, told a press conference lands, three people were
including the Antwerp sei- in Brussels. Authorities this placed in custody before
zure, police have confis- week conducted 54 raids their transfer to Belgium
cated a total 3.5 tons of in Belgium, while more than and one suspect was ar-
cocaine imported by the a dozen searches were rested in Spain.
From left, Antwerp Prosecutor Franky De Keyzer, Belgian network, as well as 2 million carried out in the Nether- Supported by the EU agen-
Federal Prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw and Limburg Prosecutor euros ($2.3 million), some lands, Spain and the United cy for criminal justice co-
Guido Vermeire participate in a media conference in Brussels, 1.3 million of it in cash. Kingdom. Prosecutors said operation Eurojust, the
Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020.
Associated Press Belgium's federal prosecu- 29 people were arrested, investigation established
tor Frederic Van Leeuw among them sixteen who that the network managed
By SAMUEL PETREQUIN mantled a criminal drug said the operation showed have been charged with to import 10 shipments of
Associated Press trafficking network that al- how much drug traffick- importing drugs, money 650 kilos of cocaine each,
BRUSSELS (AP) — Authori- legedly relied on corrupt ing is penetrating society laundering and participat- with an estimated street
ties in Belgium and another police officers to ship hun- after the investigation led ing in a crime organization. value of at least 325 million
three countries have dis- dreds of millions of dollars to the arrest of three po- In addition to the 2,800 ki- euros.q