Pulau sembilan: The Perak and federal governments are upgrading existing legislation to streamline and strengthen enforcement operations in the waters of the Pulau Sembilan State Park. Perak Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development Committee chairman Loh Sze Yee said the move aimed to address overlapping jurisdictions between the two parties, which had made comprehensive enforcement difficult.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Loh highlighted that the sea comes under federal jurisdiction while the land falls under the state government, creating a grey area often exploited by irresponsible parties to evade enforcement action. The process is nearing completion but still requires gazettement and other procedures. Loh expressed confidence that these legislative improvements would enable more effective enforcement in the future.

Loh made these remarks to reporters after officiating the Sungai Siput Heritage Music Vibes Festival in conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2026 at Lorong Pekan Sungai Siput. The Pulau Sembilan State Park was officially closed to the public on April 1, 2017, due to severe damage to its marine ecosystem and coral reef structures caused by encroachment and uncontrolled tourism activities.

Loh stated that based on the latest biodiversity findings, the marine ecosystem in the island cluster has yet to show positive signs of recovery to warrant reopening to the public for tourism activities. He identified continued encroachment by illegal fishermen and accumulated damage as the main factors hindering the natural recovery cycle in the area.

Illegal fishing activities in the waters off Pulau Sembilan persist and are causing a compounding effect on the local marine ecosystem. Encroachers often cut their nets upon detecting enforcement boats, leading to nets sinking to the seabed and destroying coral reef structures, Loh explained.