Exco: Perak and federal governments streamlining laws for Pulau Sembilan enforcement

Perak Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development Committee chairman Loh Sze Yee officiates the Sungai Siput Heritage Music Vibes Festival in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2026 on August 21, 2026. — Bernama pic

First Published: Saturday, 22 Aug 2026 9:08 AM MYT

SUNGAI SIPUT, Aug 22 — The Perak and federal governments are upgrading existing legislation to streamline and strengthen enforcement operations in the waters of the Pulau Sembilan State Park.

Perak Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development Committee chairman Loh Sze Yee said the move aimed to address overlapping jurisdictions between the two parties, which had made comprehensive enforcement difficult.

“The sea comes under federal jurisdiction while the land falls under the state government. This difference has created a grey area that is often exploited by irresponsible parties to evade enforcement action.

“The process is almost complete, but still requires gazettement and other procedures. It may take some time to complete, but we are confident that these improvements (to the legislation) will enable enforcement to be carried out more effectively in the future,” he said.

He said this to reporters after officiating the Sungai Siput Heritage Music Vibes Festival in conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2026 at Lorong Pekan Sungai Siput here last night.

The Pulau Sembilan State Park was officially closed to the public on April 1, 2017, following severe damage to its marine ecosystem and coral reef structures caused by encroachment and uncontrolled tourism activities.

Loh said that based on the latest biodiversity findings, the status of the marine ecosystem in the island cluster had yet to show positive signs of recovery that would allow it to be reopened to the public for tourism activities.

He said the main factors contributing to the deterioration were continued encroachment by illegal fishermen and accumulated damage that had disrupted the natural recovery cycle in the well-known area.

“Illegal fishing activities in the waters off Pulau Sembilan are still ongoing and are causing a compounding effect on the local marine ecosystem.

“One of the main tactics used by the encroachers is to cut their nets when they detect the presence of enforcement boats, causing the nets to sink to the seabed and destroy coral reef structures,” he said. — Bernama