Some Tourists Are Destroying Malaysia's Corals And Nothing Is Being Done About It
It is believed that the incident took place at a beach in Semporna, Sabah.
By Tang Ruxyn — 11 Oct 2016, 06:29 PM
Malaysians have come together to condemn a group of irresponsible tourists for damaging the marine life in one of the most beautiful beaches in the country
Netizens are outraged at these sixteen people, believed to be tourists from China, after images of them posing for a photo in their swimwear while some of them held corals and starfishes were being circulated on social media recently.
It is presumed that the marine life was thoughtlessly pulled out from their habitat, thought to be near a beach in Semporna, Sabah, just so the tourists could take photos with the marine life.
Many felt that these tourists' act were unacceptable and extremely ignorant, saying that they should be educated on the importance of preserving marine life
Netizens were shocked and angered as their irresponsible act has destroyed these beautiful marine life, especially in a time where coral reefs in the Coral Triangle (which includes Malaysia) are threatened by both natural phenomena and human activity.
"Please don't touch any coral or other sea creatures in the sea because they will die easily if touched. This will lead to a serious problem in marine ecology," one Nick Loh commented.
Many also pointed out that these people did not just hurt the coral but also put their lives in danger as other sea creatures may attack them.
Divers and nature lovers alike have tried to identify those who were involved in this incident so that the culprits can be held responsible for their actions
They attempted to identify the organiser of the group and also the participants. They finally speculated that this group of tourists belong to a travel club known as WorldVentures.
They came up with this conclusion after noticing that the group held a blue banner with the message "You Should Be Here", a popular tagline used by the said travel club.
However, the speculations proved to be untrue as a report by NST Online revealed that the Malaysia-based WorldVentures denied organising the trip and believed it was arranged by the members themselves.
"WorldVentures has not organised any trip to Semporna (in Sabah). The trip was probably organised on the members’ own initiative."
"The incident is being investigated internally by our compliance department," the statement said.
The company added that conservation and preservation of the environment, including the marine habitat has always been its top priority.
It is understood that the compliance department is tracking down the said members involved in the incident.