Return popular tourist spots to the public — Miri MP
MIRI: The Sarawak government has been asked to return popular tourist spots here, which are now under private ownership, to the public.
Miri member of parliament Dr Michael Teo cited Tanjung Lobang beach, Old Lutong Airport, and scuba diving jetties as among the sites which the public should have access to.
“All these tourist destinations in Miri are now no more and it is clearly destroying the tourism industry here where complains by the public to maintain these places were not heard clearly by the state government,” he told a press conference yesterday.
He claimed Tanjung Lobang was once a popular destination for tourists and families for weekend outings, swimming, fishing, while the jetties used for scuba diving at Sibuti coral reefs are now closed to the public.
According to him, the old Lutong airstrip was used for racing and paragliding competitions, but is also closed to the public now.
“It was a very successful event held at Lutong old airstrip where contestants as far as from Brunei and West Malaysia joined the races here and even state cabinet ministers officiated at the competitions,” he said.
Dr Teo said the whole airfield has since been destroyed and tourism has suffered as a result.
He called on Datuk Sebastian Ting, who has just been appointed Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, to address the complaints of Mirians.
“Being an assistant minister he can do something about these prolonged complaints including the Petroleum Museum, almost three years without visitors, and a lot of money has been put in, which has now become a redundant project,” he said.
He also called new Minister of Transport Datuk Lee Kim Shin to build a new bus terminal to replace the old bus terminal in Pujut Corner and the abandoned bus terminal at Tudan.