Published on: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 |
AS one of the seven operators on Pulau Sipadan, Borneo Divers is looking at the State Government's directive to vacate the island objectively.
Lee said the rationale behind the move concerned the environment, which was necessary in a dive company business.
"The environment is our silent partner, and when our 'partner' shows signs of being sick, then we must give it a chance to heal or recuperate.
"In this case, the Government is actually doing us a favour," said Lee, whose firm pioneered diving in Sipadan 20 years ago.
The State Government recently issued an order for the removal of all man-made structures on the island by year-end to avoid further degradation to the island's unique marine environment.
Dive operators are, however, allowed to relocate their operations to nearby islands and the mainland to enable them to continue taking divers to Sipadan on day-trips.
The decision did not go down well with several operators who felt that moving out was not necessary.
The four other companies who decided to file for a judicial review are Sipadan Dive Centre Sdn Bhd, Syarikat Ramai Benar Sdn Bhd, Borneo Sea Adventures Sdn Bhd, PB Borneo Safari Sdn Bhd, and a consortium comprising the four, the Sipadan-Borneo Resort Management.
The other operator not joining the suit is Pulau Sipadan Resort.
Lee said operators knew that such a directive would be imposed sooner or later.
"The environment in Sipadan is not totally destroyed yet but it will be if nothing is done to stop the destruction."
Lee said it was considerate of the Government to allow operators to continue taking divers to Sipadan.
Borneo Divers, in anticipation of the directive, had a year ago set up resort in Pulau Mabul, about 20 minutes by boat from Sipadan, to continued diving excursions to Sipadan.
Ownership of Sipadan was settled by the International Court of Justice in The Hague against Indonesia's territorial claim in 2002.
