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KOTA KINABALU: A former Sabah environment minister has demanded that the state Wildlife Department (SWD) expedite its investigation into allegations that a family had served protected turtle eggs over their dinner recently.
A family member, who is said to be linked to a former assemblyman, shared a photo on social media of his dinner, showing a large amount of seafood served on banana leaves, but the turtle eggs garnered attention.
The photo of the incident, believed to have taken place in the east coast district of Beluran, has since been removed, but later reappeared on another Facebook page, drawing further criticism from the public calling for action against the family.
Christina Liew, a former state tourism, culture and environment minister, said the SWD should trace how the turtle eggs may have gotten to the home and ended up as part of the family’s Chinese New Year dinner (as reported by The Star).
“To deter potential perpetrators, the department’s investigation must lead to the prosecution and conviction of the alleged offender. No one is above the law.
“I am completely disappointed that some citizens do not respect the law against the possession and consumption of turtle eggs in Sabah at all.
“To stop this illegal activity, we must enforce the law with stricter enforcement and penalties,” Liew said today.
SWD Director Augustine Tuuga later told the media that his department had been tasked with investigating the matter, although no one had come forward to make an official report on the incident.
Liew, who is also a former Deputy Chief Minister, recalled that turtles are a fully protected species under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Act of 1997. Section 41 of the law makes it a crime to possess these animals or their products. , including the shell, meat and eggs.
The Tawau MP also agreed with the conservation NGO Friends of Sea Turtle Education and Research (FOSTER) that law enforcement and conservation must go hand-in-hand for a successful outcome.
“Without strict measures to curb the smuggling and sale of turtle eggs, FOSTER’s laudable eight-year conservation work may ultimately turn out to be a futile exercise,” he said.
In July 2013, FOSTER signed a five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the SWD for a sea turtle protection and conservation program on the island of Libaran.
Five years later, Liew, as then Minister of the Environment, witnessed the signing of a second MoU between FOSTER and the department for an extension of the collaborative program until August 2023.
