New International Tioman Airport Proposal Gets Cancelled – Conservationists Thank The Public For Support
The government rejects the proposal of the new international airport as it would affect Tioman’s ecological assets as well as the locals’ livelihood there.
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Based on the findings from the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the new International Airport in Tioman, the government decided to call off its development proposal yesterday (9 August).
Nik Azmi Nik Ahmad, Minister of Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change (NRECC) said in a statement that the government decided not to proceed with constructing the new Tioman International Airport, which involves 76% of the reclaimed sea area.
READ MORE: Fears Of Coral Reef Destruction With New Airport In Pulau Tioman
Following the Technical EIA Committee Meeting (EIATRC) held yesterday (9 August), the ministry found that the proposal for the new airport has the potential to cause significant negative impacts on the quality of the environment, particularly on sensitive receptors around Tioman Island, including the marine ecology, if pursued.
Although the proposal plans to attract more international tourists to Tioman, the 7-year construction of the new international airport would affect the natural appeal of Tioman island, which is the pristine blue seas filled with corals and crucial marine species and the decades-long natural rainforests.
Those were in fact, the main attractions of Tioman Island to begin with as an international airport would destroy the ecological haven as well as create an influx of tourists, leading to unsustainable tourism.
The EIA report was made public for 30 days, starting from 21 June to 20 July and they can provide comments from 21 June to 4 August (45 days). A total of 1,412 public comments were received at the end of the period.
NRECC believes that this is in line with the ministry’s mission, which prioritizes the preservation, conservation, and optimal and responsible use of natural resources and the environment.
Victory for the environmentalists
Environmentalists that fought hard were delighted to hear the news about the cancellation of the Tioman airport proposal.
The petition page opposing the EIA report garnered 26,168 supporters from 23 June until 9 August by user David Leo.
He gave an update on the page and said the heroes behind this sweet victory are Reef Check Malaysia who made a continuous effort for the conservation of marine life as well as publicizing this airport proposal for 10 years.
For the record, the proposal for the new airport started way back in 2003 but it was cancelled by the then-transport minister, Ong Tee Keat after resistance from locals and environmentalists.
It resurfaced again in 2018 and again this year after thorough amendments but it was still rejected by a lot of parties, for not having enough strong and reasonable methods to counter the environmental and social impacts.
The locals and conservationists instead asked the government and developers to tackle the issue of the island’s deteriorating infrastructure, as well as upgrading the already existing airport to support more tourists.
(Credit: Change.org)
Reef Check Malaysia also updated their social media to announce the good news to the public and expressed gratitude for the people who fought with them. They added that this is a great win for the environment.
They have supported this opposition from the very start and they did their best in publicizing the issue comprehensively with videos, infographics, articles, and networks with other passionate conservationists.
Truly, this is a big win for those who supported the cause and it proves that our voices do matter if we stick together.
READ MORE: Malaysia Has A New Commercial Airline But It Doesn’t Have Toilets
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