Island for refugees identified – CM
KOTA KINABALU: Refugees fleeing conflicts in their countries will not be allowed to enter Sabah but will instead be resettled on an island that has been identified.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Shafie Apdal said the island is close to the Philippine maritime border but is under the control of Sabah.
He said this is done for humanitarian reason as the refugees are fleeing for their lives.
"However, this is still in our ‘hala tuju' (direction) to bring it into realization. "The security forces, such as the navy, will need to play their role,” he told reporters after launching the new cross-bred echo grouper fish at the State Legislative Assembly Building.
Shafie said the island will be like Pulau Bidong, which was used for the settlement of boat people from Vietnam.
He said there were no reasons to speak with the neighboring countries, namely Philippines and Indonesia on the matter.
Earlier, Shafie was shown the Echo Grouper, a back crossing of hybrid grouper with the giant grouper.
"This is a new finding and the farm is located in Tuaran," he said.
He said it took the company, Bayu Aquaculture Sdn Bhd several years to clone the fish.
"This success should be encouraged... It can be marketed within and out of the country," he said, adding that it can also help raise Sabah's income.
Meanwhile, the project manager from the company, Alvin Wong said that the new hybrid can weigh up to 100 kilogrammes.