Tourists Are Destroying Paddy Fields In Sekinchan Just To Take Good Photos
Not cool. Not cool at all.
By John Lim — 18 Jun 2018, 01:23 PM
Sekinchan, a small and quaint beach town not too far off from Kuala Lumpur, is a popular tourist location known for vast paddy fields that span for miles on end
Also famed for delicious and seafood offerings due to its location along the west coast, Sekinchan has slowly solidified itself as a short getaway for many city dwellers during holiday seasons. The three-day Hari Raya long weekend was no exception.
It is common for tourists to take advantage of the green paddy fields as great photo opportunities, but some were too engrossed in snapping good photos that they end up damaging the crops
There are plenty of signages advising tourists not to step into the paddy fields, as it could destroy the crops planted by farmers who have been working tirelessly for decades.
But the notices were ignored.
Photos posted by Sin Chew yesterday, 17 June, showed tourists groups trespassing into the paddy fields to take pictures.
Sekinchan state assemblyman Ng Suee Lim said he has cautioned the public numerous times to be mindful when navigating around the paddy fields, but his word has fallen on deaf ears time and time again
A representative from the local farmers' association said it was disheartening to see the fruits of their labour being trampled on and destroyed albeit it was just a small portion of the crop
"Tourists do not know the hard work that goes into farming. Just for a photo, they step on the crop. I hope they will behave and prevent the crop from being destroyed further," the representative said as quoted by the Chinese daily.
