Tuesday, July 07, 2009

The Third Mabul Marine Week

Kota Kinabalu: The Third Mabul Marine Week will be organised by the Semporna Tourism Action Council (STAC), together with the District Environmental Action Committee, on Mabul Island off Semporna from July 18-25.

And this time around, the one-week programme is expected to see more participation from both the local people and tourists, as it coincides with the peak season and will also feature more activities.

Last year, the annual awareness-instilling programme was participated by over 1,000 locals and tourists, besides those from the tourism industry.

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun was briefed about the programme by a delegation from the council and committee headed by Semporna District Officer Abdul Mohamad Ibnu, who is also the chairperson of both the council and committee, during their courtesy visit to the Ministry here Monday.

Among the activities lined up for this year are coral transplanting, gotong-royong, underwater clean-up, beach clean-up and children awareness programme.

"Mabul is a very important gateway to Sipadan Island. We are always trying to make sure that Mabul will be well looked after as much as we look after Sipadan, it is like the 'twin island' of Sipadan," said Masidi.

Many tourists going for diving in Sipadan stay at the resorts in Mabul, he said, adding it is therefore important to continuously take care of and upgrade Mabul island.

This year's programme is also important because of a recent website report about Mabul island resorts getting affected by rodents. On this problem, Masidi said the Ministry, together with the Semporna District Office, is still finding apt ways to combat the rodents. "I believe the District Environmental Action Committee will come up with some kind of solutions to the rat problem. Killing a rat is considered cruel by certain people so we need to consider other options," he said.

Continue reading (incl. pic) at: The Third Mabul Marine Week
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