When the sun sets in Tanjung Aru…


Irwan Majid

SABAH is attempting, for the third time, to develop the Tanjung Aru beachfront in Kota Kinabalu, dubbed one of the “best places on earth” to view the sunset.

It will see the construction of several hotels totalling 1,800 rooms, 22 residential developments with more than 4,000 new dwellings, a water theme park, dedicated cycling lanes and electric bus lines.

These ambitious plans will turn Tanjung Aru into a playground for the rich and famous. Those against it wanted the cape’s beachfront, just five minutes from Kota Kinabalu, to be left as it is, fully accessible to the public.

Every afternoon, locals and tourists alike stroll the Prince Philip Park adjacent to Tanjung Aru’s beach, enjoying the sight and sounds of the blue-naped parrots flocking to the casuarina trees. 

As evening nears, hawkers set up food and drink stalls along the 1.3km beachfront. Hundreds gather, drinks in hand, to find a spot where they can kick back and watch the sun set over the South China Sea.

Locals are worried that if the cape is developed, it will mark an end of the stalls and the loss of birds from a nearby park. – February 28, 2019.


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