FOLLOWING a recent incident in which a group of tourists fell ill while holidaying in Pulau Perhentian Kecil, the Terengganu government today issued a warning that strict legal action will be taken against business owners that failed to comply with regulations. 

State Tourism, Culture and Digital Technology Committee chairman Ariffin Deraman said the state government views the matter seriously as such incidents could jeopardise Terengganu’s tourism sector. 

On Friday, a news portal reported that a group of tourists, comprising 27 adults and 13 children, on holiday to Pulau Perhentian Kecil, fell ill after swimming in the island’s waters.

According to the report, one child was diagnosed with typhoid, two other children with blood poisoning while the rest of the group had diarrhoea and high fever.

“We will be conducting a detailed investigation to get to the bottom of the matter and a full report will follow. The relevant agencies will need to act quickly,” he said in a statement today. 

Meanwhile, Ariffin said in order to overcome sewage system complaints on Pulau Perhentian, the state government is in collaboration with the Water and Environment Ministry to build an integrated sewage plant to deal with issues related to sewage pollution.

He said the ministry is working with Indah Water Konsortium to carry out sludge disposal works. 

“The state government is very much committed to taking care of the comfort and safety of tourists on the resort islands of Terengganu,” he added. – Bernama, October 2, 2022.