Tioman Island, Malaysia

Tioman Island (locally, Pulau Tioman) is a small island located 32 km off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia in the state of Pahang, and is some 39 km long and 12 km wide. It has eight main villages, the largest and most populous being Kampung Tekek in the north. Yet, the densely forested island is still sparsely inhabited, and is surrounded by numerous coral reefs, making it a scuba diving haven.

Its beaches were depicted in the 1958 movie, South Pacific as Bali Hai. In the 1970s, TIME magazine selected Tioman as one of the world’s most beautiful islands.

Apart from its diverse marine life, the inland rainforest area, encompassing approximately 12,383 hectares, in Tioman is a strictly enforced reserve. There are several protected species of mammals on the island, including the Binturong, Long-tailed Macaque, Slow Loris, Black Giant Squirrel, Red Giant Flying Squirrel, Mouse deer, Brush-tailed Porcupine, and Common Palm Civet, from a total of 45 species of mammals and 138 species of birds, including the majestic Frigatebird. Moreover, Tioman has species that are endemic to its shores. The soft-shelled turtle and the Tioman walking catfish are both unique and can be seen on rainforest walks.

The island is served by ferries from the Malaysian mainland, and a propeller plane service by Berjaya Air from Singapore (Seletar Airport) and Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur International Airport)

Tioman has been used for thousands of years by fishermen as an important navigation point and a source of fresh water and wood. During the past thousand years, it has played host to Chinese, Arab, and European trading ships, and often porcelain shards can be found on beaches around the island.

In more recent history, Tioman has played host to both the British and the Japanese during the Second World War, and the waters around the island are littered with war remains (including HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales).

The local resident population is 100% bumiputera (Malay people), all of which are Moslem and Tioman has numerous mosques.

According to legend, Tioman Island is the resting place of a beautiful dragon princess. Whilst flying from China to visit her prince in Singapore, this beautiful maiden stopped to seek solace in the crystal-clear waters of the South China Sea. Enraptured by the charms of the place, she decided to discontinue her journey. By taking the form of an island, she pledged to offer shelter and comfort to passing travelers.

The Malaysian government has big plans for Tioman. In 2004, Kampung Tekek was put up for development as part of a RM40 million (USD$10.9 million) public marina project, despite criticisms from the Malaysian Nature Society, WWF-Malaysia, and the like, who have described the project as a disaster for the environment in Tioman and the surrounding sea. The project covers 127,000 sq metres of the village and includes a yacht marina and also a cargo jetty which will extend 175 meters into the sea.

Villagers, residents and business owners had submitted a petition with 165 signatures to the government to halt this project. Natural Resources and Environment Ministry parliamentary secretary Sazmi Miah accepted the petition on behalf of the government, although the project is still going ahead. Now one year into its construction, the New Sunday Times, a Malaysian national daily, reported on 24 September 2006 that "the surrounding coral reef is breathing its last." The report added:

“ "Experts like coral reef ecologist Affendi Yang Amri estimate that all coral life within a 30-meter radius of the site has been devastated by construction sediment and heavy piling... Prior to the construction, [Affendi and his students] found 220 coral species in waters surrounding the site, 17 of which were considered rare worldwide. These included at least 200 giant clams, classified as "vulnerable" on the Red List of threatened species. "All the clams in this area have died," he says. "They're all being smothered." ”
Affendi is also reported to have said: "Huge table corals, some as wide as an eight-seater dining table, have toppled over from the force of piling. Gorgonian sea fans have disappeared. Fishes have fled, and the seabed is full of dead corals covered with algae." He added that the number of black sea urchins in the area was three times higher than normal, a sign of unhealthy levels of dead corals.

In the same report, Hasnizah Hassan, a chalet manager at the Kampung Tekek beach front said the beach was the most popular beach and tourists could snorkel around the reefs which grew just meters from the beach line where her chalets were located. "The corals are now all choked by sand. You have to swim much further, or take a boat out to see some 'okay-looking' corals... I don't understand it. It's not the duty-free shops that makes tourists come to Tioman. It's the corals. But this is what they are destroying."

A major road linking Kampung Tekek in the west and Kampung Juara in the east is currently under construction and is open to offroad vehicles. The path follows a much earlier road built by the British during the second world war and cuts straight through the jungle. It is slated for completion by 2008.

The various projects that the government is pursuing are having a catastrophic effect on the environment. The marina project has drastically increased sea pollution, and the future enlarged airport will destroy acres of Tioman's best coral reef.


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