M’sians Are Protesting the Plan to Build a New Airport in Pulau Tioman & Here’s Why

The plan to build a new airport by the western coast of Tioman Island first emerged in 2003, but in 2009, then-Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat called off the plan due to the potential environmental impacts, especially on coral reefs and marine life.

Residents of the villages in the area were also vocal on their opposition of the project.

Though, it appears that the project is being started up again in 2018, this time allegedly by executive chairman of the Berjaya Group, Tan Sri Vincent Tan. He apparently announced that he would submit a proposal to build the new airport in Tioman Island in order to boost tourism.

It is also important to note that the proposed airport site is merely a few kilometers from Berjaya Group’s Berjaya Tourism Resort.

Following this, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), the company managing most of Malaysia’s airports, cautioned that building a new airport on Tioman raised environmental concerns. MAHB director Badlisham Ghazali recalled that the previous plan for a new airport was not approved because construction would “spoil the beauty” of the island.

The local chapter of a global non-government organization (NGO), Reef Check Malaysia, also warned against the development.

“The (Tioman) airport would have inevitably meant further development of resorts and infrastructure, which could only cause additional damage to the island’s fragile ecosystems, both on land and underwater,” shared Julian Hyde, General Manager of Reef Check Malaysia.

Soon after, in October 2018, about 80 people including villagers, NGO members, divers and tourism resort operators staged a protest against the proposed new airport. Reef Check Malaysia representative, Alvin Chelliah, also took the time to draw attention to the irreversible damage that the airport would cause to the coral reefs, sea grass beds, shorelines and white sandy beaches.

Later that year, Dato Sri Wan Rosdy bin Wan Ismail, Mentari Besar of Pahang, said that state and federal governments will monitor construction of a new airport to ensure that Tioman’s environment is not affected. Tioman Island has been declared a marine park and he made assurances that at least seven government departments would ensure compliance with the established rules.

Though, Reef Check Malaysia ultimately decided to start a petition against the proposed new airport as they believe it will not benefit the residents of the area, as well as the environment.

Why is it important to sign the petition? 

• The initial proposal was rejected in 2003 due to its significant adverse environmental impacts.
• The Project Proponent is TIOMAN INFRA SDN BHD, which has since been revealed to be an RM2.00 company, which causes more concerns and red flags.

With the signing of the petition, they can then propose: 

• the opposition of this development proposal to the relevant government authorities;
• for the petition to be submitted to Members of Parliament to table this issue in Parliament and request for a taskforce or subcommittee to be convened; and
• for stricter legislation and mechanisms on future development proposals that do not have thorough Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) oversight and experts that involve the CSOs/NGOs and local community

You can sign Reef Check Malaysia’s petition here.

Also read: M’sian NGOs Submit Memorandum to Chinese Embassy to Call for Stop of Cruel Uyghur Ethnic Cleansing