A group of visitors’ three-night holiday to Pulau Perhentian Kecil ended in horrors after a family fell sick after going for a swim in the sea.
Speaking to FMT, Hasan Yahaya shared that the travel group consists of 27 adults, seven children and six toddlers, and one of them began feeling nausea and vomiting after visiting the island.
“Some were already feeling uneasy during the trip, but we did not think much of it. We thought they were just exposed to the sun for too long or feeling seasick,” he said.
Diarrhoea and high fever
He added that some in the group experienced diarrhoea and high fever soon after their return from the trip. Some were even hospitalised.
“A one-year-old was diagnosed with typhoid and two other toddlers had blood poisoning,” Hasan said while suspecting that raw sewage had been released into the sea.
Following their horrible experience on the island, the holidaymakers have left negative reviews on several popular travel websites.
Complaints ignored
At the same time, Hasan sand he and his sister have filed complaints with the resort’s management and lodged reports with the Kuala Besut health department and the health ministry.
So far, only the ministry had responded to them, asking for particulars of those hospitalised.
He also believed that the other complaints had fallen of deaf ears.
“They don’t seem to take this seriously. It is tarnishing their reputation and is incurring unnecessary costs for those who have had to be admitted into hospitals.”
“Action must be taken by the relevant parties to solve this recurring issue. Otherwise, the country’s tourism industry will suffer,” he said.
Meanwhile, the incident had also caught the attention of the State Tourism, Culture and Digital Technology Committee and its chairman, Ariffin Deraman said the state government takes a serious view of the matter as such incidents could jeopardise Terengganu’s tourism sector.
He also said those premises that were found to have failed to comply with regulations will be issued a warning that strict legal action will be taken.
