www.nst.com A total of RM8 million has been allocated to turn Pulau Bidong, a former Vietnamese refugee camp, into a gazetted recreational tourist island, the first in Terengganu.
“Once completed by the third quarter of next year, Pulau Bidong will be one of the latest products for our Visit Terengganu Year 2008,” said State Industrial and Tourism Development Committee chairman Datuk Mohamed Awang Tera.
Besides facilities like a jetty, toilets, changing rooms and restaurants, the new Bidong will also have a mini museum showcasing the history of the island.
There will also be a proper walkway around the remains of the refugee camp.
For 16 years, the boat people had turned the transit camp into a bustling mini-Saigon, complete with post office, church, temple, tailors, hair salons, sundry shops and even a disco.
Today, the remains of this mini-Saigon are still there but are on the verge of collapse under the forces of the weather and ageing process.
“Though it is part of next year’s RM28 million budget for tourism, work on the survey and documentation work began two months ago,” Mohamed said.
However, he said that for the new Bidong, the focus would be on it as a diving site for day-trippers from the neighbouring islands or the mainland.
“Since it has been uninhabited after the refugees left in 1991, the island has regenerated naturally, especially the marine life,” he added.
Mohamed was speaking after launching a marketing and promotional campaign prelude for both the Visit Malaysia Year 2007 and the Visit Terengganu Year 2008. |