Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem has raised eyebrows after he met with Swiss-based NGO Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), which has been a fierce critic of his predecessor Abdul Taib Mahmud.

In a special session with the chief minister at the Malaysian High Commission in London yesterday, Adenan also met with fugitive Sabahan Doris Jones.

BMF in a statement today said it was surprised by Adenan's stance which was a break from Taib's leadership style.

It added the chief minister said no more new timber concession would be issued nor did the state need new palm oil plantations while vowing to combat timber corruption to the "last log".

"Adenan ( right ) thus distanced himself surprisingly clearly from the policies of his predecessor, Taib Mahmud, who had abused Sarawak’s natural resources to massively enrich himself and his family members during his 33-year tenure as chief minister.

"Adenan even welcomed Sarawak Report editor Clare Brown, one of Taib's fiercest critics, among the guests.

"But no indication was given by the enigmatic politician if he was willing to recover the state assets stolen by the Taib family," it said.

In the special session, Adenan sought to rally groups that the Sarawak government previously deemed as enemies.

"Adenan underlined that a transformation towards sustainability was vital for Sarawak’s timber industry and he called on NGOs to assist with the necessary reforms," said BMF.

Book on Taib confiscated

Jones, who is wanted by police for alleged secessionist activities, spoke about her meeting with the chief minister in a Facebook posting.

"He did tell some things, Sarawakians will know too in time.

"But what he said was not far off from what I expected," Jones ( left ) said.

She added that Sarawak activists also submitted documents about the plights of the Penan to Adenan.

Jones posted several photographs of the event, including one of herself and BMF executive director Lukas Straussman with the chief minister.

Adenan had previously criticised secession efforts in East Malaysia as "foolish" but has adopted a reconciliatory tone with critics.

Straussman is the author of "Money Logging: On the Trail of the Asian Timber Mafia" which zoomed in on alleged abuses, particularly in the logging sector, by Taib, the former Sarawak chief minister.

Lawyers for Taib, who was chief minister for close to 33 years, have denied allegations made in the book and attempted to block its sales.

The book was recently confiscated from a book exhibition organised by GerakBudaya in Kuala Lumpur.

Lukas had said in an interview that Sarawak is likely to see a brighter future under Adenan and was prepared to work with him.

Taib now takes a ceremonial role after he became governor, following his retirement as chief minister.

BMF's work in Sarawak includes research on several mega dams initiated by Taib, which have also displaced the native communities.