KOTA KINABALU, April 16 — Sandakan’s cliff-battered Pulau Berhala, the island so well-known for its World War history, is to be developed as a sustainable tourism destination in an initiative by the state and private sector.
Sabah Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Environment Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said the project would focus on recreational forest tourism on a 168-hectare coastal section of the island, which is a Class 4 Amenity Forest Reserve under the Sabah Forestry Department.
“Pulau Berhala is blessed with special rock formations and high historical value, especially from the World War II era. The state government sees its potential as a unique Sandakan tourism product,” Bangkuai said during the state assembly’s question-and-answer session today.
He was responding to a question from Datuk Frankie Poon Ming Fung (PH-Tanjong Papat) regarding development plans for the island.
Bangkuai emphasized that the project would prioritize environmental sustainability and be careful not to interfere with the indigenous fishing community’s well-being.
To questions about the island’s cleanliness raised by Jannie Lasimbang (PH-Kapayan) and Calvin Chong Ket Kiun (Warisan-Elopura), Bangkuai assured the ministry would work closely with local authorities in the improvement of waste management and protection of the natural appeal of the island.
“Cleanliness is essential if we are to enhance the appeal of the island among tourists. The ministry will talk to the Sandakan Municipal Council as well as other concerned agencies to ensure the steps are taken,” he added.
Historically, Pulau Berhala was a leper colony and a quarantine for Chinese and Filipino migrant workers, then an internment camp for British war prisoners and civilians during World War II. In an exciting event in June 1943, some POWs escaped from the island to Tawi-Tawi in the Philippines.
The island’s natural and cultural assets are expected to form the foundation of its future tourism product.
