By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, June 30: Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Dato Seri Tiong King Sing has issued a stern warning to all tourism operators: in the pursuit of profit, tourist safety must never be compromised.
In a Facebook post, the Bintulu MP said this following the deaths of three people—including two children— when a boat capsized off Pulau Perhentian last Saturday (June 28).
Tiong said numerous incidents in Malaysia have harmed the nation’s tourism sector and tarnished its reputation.
In some cases, this has even prompted foreign governments to issue travel advisories against specific Malaysian destinations. If left unchecked, this will ultimately harm the country’s tourism industry.
Tiong, who is also the assemblyman for Dudong, expressed anger and disappointment over the tragedy and instructed his ministry to investigate the matter.
“Initial findings reveal that both the travel agency and the boat operator violated several laws and regulations. These include operating with an expired license since April, failing to ensure passengers wore life jackets, and most concerning of all, the boat driver tested positive for drugs following a urine test and has five prior drug-related offences.
“How could a travel agency hire someone like this to transport passengers? This is clearly a case of gross negligence that endangered human lives,” he said.
According to the New Straits Times, the three victims of the Pulau Perhentian boat tragedy were identified as Arumugam Sativelo, 40; Sarrvihka Arumugam, 3; and Vennpani Vijeya Raj, 10.
Besut police chief Superintendent Azamuddin Ahmad @ Abu said the incident was believed to have occurred following a storm in front of a resort.
“They decided to return around 10pm, despite stormy weather. The boatman advised them to delay the trip, but they insisted on leaving as it was getting late,” he said.
The tourist boat was carrying 15 passengers, aged between three and 40, from the main island of Pulau Perhentian to the smaller island. The group, comprising three families from Butterworth, Penang, were headed to the smaller island to watch a fire show.
Twelve others, including a six-year-old child in critical condition, were taken to Besut Hospital.
Meanwhile, Tiong stated that efforts are underway to transfer regulatory authority over tourism-related transport vehicles from the Ministry of Transport back to his ministry. Once reinstated, he will conduct a comprehensive review of the current regulatory framework to reduce accidents significantly.
The call was made following a tragic bus accident along the Gerik-Jeli Highway between Perak and Kelantan that claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students earlier this month.
One of the key measures they plan to implement is a Driver Monitoring System, along with mandatory urine drug tests, to ensure that bus drivers entrusted with passenger safety are physically and mentally fit.
Additionally, tour buses must undergo regular maintenance and inspections to prevent mechanical failures that could lead to accidents.
“During my official visits abroad, many foreign ministers and industry representatives have emphasised the importance of raising Malaysia’s tourism safety standards through various means.
“They expressed hope that our country will take proactive steps to reduce incidents caused by human error and improve overall traveller safety.
“Therefore, I call on all players in the tourism industry to take this matter seriously and give their full cooperation in restoring international confidence in the safety and quality of Malaysian tourism,” he said. — DayakDaily
