Guest guest Posted May 7, 2004 Report Share Posted May 7, 2004 This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/5/5/nation/7912535 & sec=nation ________________________ Wednesday May 5, 2004 Slap for Sabah conservation KOTA KINABALU: The slaying of more than 100 turtles, discovered after the carcasses were found on a foreign trawler in Sabah waters on Sunday, has been described as a slap in the face for the state & #8217;s conservation efforts. Sabah Assistant Tourism and Environment Minister Datuk Karim Bujang said the killing of the protected marine species would also put off tourists, both local and foreign, as turtles were an attraction in the state & #8217;s waters. “We do not want the same thing to happen again. I, myself, was angry and disappointed to find out that more than 100 turtle carcasses were found aboard a foreign trawler in our waters,” he said here yesterday. On Sunday, 130 carcasses, 30 shells and three live turtles were discovered on the China-registered trawler near Pulau Mengalum, 20 nautical miles from here during a joint patrol by the marine police and the Sabah Fisheries Department. Kota Kinabalu marine police chief DSP Paul Khiu had said on Monday that the vessel, from southern China, was believed to have encroached into Malaysian waters several days ago, and the turtles were suspected to have been netted in waters off Pulau Mengalum. Sixteen Chinese nationals, aged between 16 and 48, were detained for questioning. Karim said that Sabah viewed seriously the encroachment by foreign fishermen to fish and net turtles and urged the authorities to take appropriate action. “The encroachment is nothing new. Previously, a Vietnamese vessel was caught fishing in our waters. In this new case, the same crew or the same ship is believed to have encroached into our waters before and this has to be proven. “If it is found that it was the second or third time they were in our waters illegally, action to mirror the seriousness of the offence has to be taken,” he said. Karim said the encroachment in the west coast of Sabah was surprising and the matter had to be looked into by security forces. & #8211; Bernama <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2003 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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