03 August 2006

 

Sipadan Development Scaled Back

The contract for the controversial RM4.5 million (£650 000, US$1.2 million) clubhouse project on Sipadan, Malaysia, has been terminated. However, a smaller, "environmental-friendly" development will be allowed. The Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman has also ordered a management revamp of Sabah Parks, the state government agency that oversees Sipadan, and he will be in charge.

The contractor which undertook the Sipadan project came under severe criticism when a barge ran aground on 14 May, serverly damaging coral reefs.

Musa halted work on the project but later said that the Cabinet had decided to allow it to continue, but scaled down and using environmentally friendly materials.

Outraged by the damage on corals, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi rebuked Musa on July 27 for defying his advice not to build a clubhouse on the island. "I was very angry with Musa. I told him not to build it. I said so many corals are dying and he promised that he would look into the project."

Musa now says the new development concept would involve only the building of toilets and a small rest area for divers. "We will come up with a new development concept that is environmental-friendly and suits the eco-system. We will announce it two or three months from now" he says.

Sources: Malaysian National News Agency, The Star

More on Diving Sipadan:
- Sipadan Dive Sites
- Diving Trip to Sipadan
- Sipadan Dive Operators
- Sipadan Prints



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