Pahang:Tioman-Airport? NO Bridge!

[GWR]

Pahang State Assembly: Mersing-Tioman bridge idea draws laughter
By : Shahrum Sayuthi

CONCERNS about the adverse publicity surounding the ferry tragedy off Pulau Tioman last month, in which seven people died, prompted its assemblyman to make an outlandish suggestion.

"Maybe we should just build a bridge from Tanjung Gemok (in Rompin) all the way to Tioman as part of the East Coast Economic Region's initiative," said Md Rusli Ismail (BN-Tioman) while debating the state's 2008 budget.

Several members of the house broke into laughter. Md Rusli, who looked serious initially, smiled when he was teased for making the unrealistic suggestion yesterday.

A bridge linking Tioman with the mainland would have to be at least 32km long.

In contrast, the Penang Bridge, which is the longest in the country, spans just over 13.5km.

Md Rusli had earlier called for safety measures on ferries to the island to be improved and said all of them should only be allowed to operate from the Rompin jetty.

He said he was expecting tourists numbers to the resort island to suffer following the fire that caused the Seagull Express 2 to sink on Oct 14.

He called for a more vigorous promotion for the island, urging the state government to lobby for a flight service from Kuantan to Tioman to encourage local tourism.

Tourists are offered flight services to Tioman only via Subang airport in Kuala Lumpur and Seletar airport in Singapore.

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/National/2089597/Article/index_html

[malc99]

As a Malaysian, I am quite ashamed of the maturity of our so called MPs and their fitness for office is quite questionable. A bridge to Tioman ?? He's got to be kidding :D

[GWR]

Friday July 4, 2008
Proposed Tioman airport plan may be off

TIOMAN: The proposed RM120mil airport here could be cancelled due to environmental reasons.

Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Maznah Mazlan said the project’s environmental impact assessment had been completed and an announcement would be made soon.

The airport was to be built on reclaimed land in Kampung Paya. It would have a 2km-runway to accommodate the Boeing 737 aircrafts.

The increase in tourists to the island particularly after it was given duty-free status in 2002 is one of the factors in proposing for a new airport.

The current airport in Kampung Tekek can only accommodate a 42-seater aircraft.

The only other access to the island is via ferry from Mersing (Johor) and Tanjung Gemuk (Pahang).

The airport plan received protest among villagers and chalet operators in Kampung Paya, Kampung Genting and Kampung Mukut as it would affect marine life.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/7/4/nation/21735991&sec=nation

[GWR]

See also previous post

Tuesday July 22, 2008
New environs plan needed to build Tioman airport
By SIMON KHOO and NIK NAIZI HUSIN

TIOMAN: The proposed new RM120mil airport in Kampung Paya here can proceed if a new Environmental Management Plan (EMP) is drawn up.

Tioman Development Authority general manager Datuk Hashim Mat Tahir said it was up to the Transport Ministry to draft the plan.

He said the Environment Department had rejected an earlier EMP in May due to the adverse impact the project might have on the surroundings.

“However, the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) was accepted when it was submitted some time ago.

“It is up to the ministry to submit a new EMP to enable the project to proceed, or to cancel it for good,” he said in an interview.

Recently, Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Senator Datuk Maznah Mazlan said the project was likely to be cancelled due to environmental reasons.

She said an official announcement on this would be made soon.

Hashim said, besides the EMP and EIA, two other studies had been conducted on the proposed reclaimed land site.

He said that one report touched on the hydrology aspects and the other on the effects the project might have on marine life.

“Both reports have been completed and submitted to the ministry.

“Based on the reports, we will abide by the decision of the various agencies,” he said, adding that findings on the technical aspects would be submitted to Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob for his perusal.

Hashim said it was up to the Mentri Besar to appeal to the Government to review the project.

Construction of the airport in Kampung Paya, 2km from Kampung Tekek, was supposed to start in 2004.

It was planned to have a 2km runway to accommodate Boeing 737 aircraft for a bigger passenger load.

An increase in tourists after the island was declared as duty-free in 2002 was among the reasons to improve transport from the mainland.

The current airport in Kampung Tekek can only accommodate a 42-seat aircraft due to its short runway.

Other transport to the island from Mersing (Johor) and Tanjung Gemuk (Pahang) is via ferry depending on the weather.

The airport proposal received protests from villagers and chalet operators in Kampung Paya, Kampung Genting and Kampung Mukut who were concerned about its effects on marine life and tourist arrivals.

Tioman has a population of 3,000 in 13,000ha of mainly forest and rocks.

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/7/22/southneast/21824724&sec=southneast