Teresa Kok said she found it “astonishing” and “unreasonable” that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had issued the ban on FGV’s products based on an old issue.

The former primary industries minister also questioned if CBP had evaluated FGV’s current labour practices when it issued the ban.

She said the company has taken various steps to address the grouses and continues to observe labour practices in line with international standards.

These measures, she said, are well documented and available for inspection in the public domain.

“Or has it (CBP) wilfully acted on an old complaint by NGOs, five years ago? If it is the latter, then it will be most unfair and unconscionable of the US CBP to have acted in this rash manner,” she said in a statement.

Last Wednesday, CBP said the directive to detain FGV’s products followed a year-long investigation that revealed forced labour indicators, including restriction of movement, physical and sexual violence, withholding of wages and excessive overtime.

The investigation also raised concerns that “forced child labour is potentially being used in FGV’s palm oil production process”.

FGV, however, said all the issues cited in CBP’s decision have been the subject of public discourse since 2015.

It also said measures have been taken to correct the situation and that the company does not tolerate any form of human rights infringements or criminal offence in its operations.

Kok urged CBP to send a special investigative team to Malaysia to inquire into the labour practices of FGV, “so that its decision won’t be seen or criticised as practising double-standards and victimising companies in third world countries”.