HOME > Natural Resources of Tawau > Kukusan Forest Reserve
Kukusan Forest Reserve
Kukusan Hill
Bukit Kukusan Quarry
Hap Seng Building Materials Sdn Bhd
翠華台Kukusan Hill
Kukusan Hill was named by the Japanese around WW One. Kukusan is a Japanese
name.
Just 2 Km from Kukusan Hill is the Japanese Cemetery
Japanese has a strong business present in Sabah before WW Two. After the
Japanese loose the war and surrendered, their business men left Sabah and
returned to Japan for good. The business empire they established in Sabah (then
North Borneo) were then divided between the Chinese and the British.
When British took over administration of Sabah after WW Two, the name of "KUKUSAN
HILL" was already well established in government documents and records. It is
difficult to amend government documents and records. Hence this Japanese name "KUKUSAN
HILL" continued to be used till today when this new generation of Malaysian no
longer able to explain why this hill got a Japanese name.
The KUKUSAN FOREST RESERVE is a 13.77 HECTARES of protected forest at Kukusan
Hill.
The top part (the submit) of the hill is a 6.9-hectre Trig Reserve. Trig Reserve
(trigonometry) is a protected area for The Lands and Surveys Department to be
used as a point of survey in official maps and charts. Removal of a Trig Point
is removal of an Official gazette point of survey of the Government. It is very
difficult to understand how such serious error could happen.
At around 2:30PM the next day of this tragedy, a helicopter came circle above
the top of the reserve. The real condition of damaged to the Trig Reserve could
only be clearly observed from above the hill, not from the foot of the hill.
View of Kukusan Hill from Japanese Cemetery at Jalan Tanjung Batu
2012-09-09 SUN 14:22
Two Km from Kukusan Hill is the Japanese Cemetery
7 houses flattened by boulders crashed down from Kukusan Quarry
2013-04-06 Saturday 11:30am Quarry Accident
13 victims of Kampung Tanjung Batu Tengah (Besi Buruk) from 7 houses flattened
by boulders that crashed down from Kukusan Quarry following blasting operations.
A damaged trail was left by the giant boulder as big as a house.
Tawau member of parliament Datuk Chua Soon Bui visited the site .the following
day 7 April 2013. She suggested the local authority to provide the villagers
with places at the People Housing Project which were still vacant.
Three women and three babies were injured and seven houses flattened when three
boulders, including one the size of a house, came crashing down from the top of
Kukusan Hill near here around noon on Saturday 6 April 2013.
District Police Chief ACP Awang Besar Dullah said the boulders came loose as a
result of tremors caused by blasting at Kukusan Quarry about 11.30am.
He said the operation using explosives was stopped until further notice, adding
that the relevant departments would ensure safety first at the area before
allowing anymore quarry operations.
2018 Bukit Kukusan Hill view from Taman Semarak. The hill top of
this forest reserve is completely quarry off by a private company.
Bukit Kukusan Hill southern side view in 2004
Bukit Kukusan Hill southern side view from Tawau Sport Complex in
2005
The KUKUSAN FOREST RESERVE is a 13.77 HECTARES of protected forest at
Kukusan Hill.
Kukusan Hill has been a much loved hill of local Tawau people. Damaged has been
going on the hill after person in power assigned license to Hap Seng Company to
quarry the hill for housing development such as the largest township development
in Sabah - Bandar Sri Indah.
Largest township development in Sabah - Bandar Sri Indah.
Building material from protected forest to township development.
Bukit Kukusan Hill southern side view from Taman Ria in 2012
Repeated Warnings : www.sepa.my/press-release
Kampung Bukit Kukusan
Injured are 3 women and 3 children after a huge boulder from the quarry
at top of the hill smashed and flattened seven homes in Kampung Bukit Kukusan on
6th April 2013 at 11:00AM. They were sent to Tawau Hospital for treatment.
This tragedy resulted 65 victims from 12 families who lived in the 7 affected
wooden houses. There are 300 homes in the village of Kampung. Bukit Kukusan.
What the news media talked about this happening ?
By now, just 1 day, this happening in a quite town among an unknown village has
reach national coverage in Sabah and received attention of authority.
Here are some links and some news extract :
Incident prompts lawyer to contest :
www.dailyexpress.com.my/
Lawyer Marcel Jude Joseph on 7 April 2013 (day after the incident) announced that he will be contesting in the 13th General Election with an aim to champion environmental and other issues that affected the public. For the last three years he fought some of the issues in court such as the Atkinson Clock Tower case.
"There has been some success in making the public, the government and the courts to be more aware of environmental and public matters. However, this is not enough. I realize I have to take it to the next level. We not only have to fight these matters in court but need to change the law to better protect the environment and its citizens. This can only be done in Parliament and in the State Legislative Assembly,"
Lawyer Marcel Jude Joseph
Daily Express Published on:
Monday, April 08, 2013
He said with the exception of State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister
Datuk Masidi Manjun, who has been consistent with his stand in protecting the
environment, not many elected representatives or MPs and political parties have
been championing these issues.
"For too long already, the people of Sabah have suffered under elected
representatives and MPs who are 'blind' because they could not see injustices.
"They are also deaf because they cannot hear the cries of injustices committed
on their people. It doesn't matter which party they belong to but what is the
point if we neither could see, hear or talk to them," he said.
Marcel said the next government should comprise elected representatives who will
stand up and be counted and speak out on public issues as well as protect the
environment.
He said he was shocked to read the front page report yesterday about the
disaster at Kukusan Hill in Tawau where a huge boulder loosened from blasting by
Hap Seng's quarrying sent it crashing and flattening nine homes while injuring
several villagers.
According to him, he was the lawyer who acted for the Sabah Environmental
Protection Association (Sepa) to apply for leave for Judicial Review in the
Tawau High Court "against the unlawful activities undertaken on Kukusan Hill".
"Judicial Commissioner Datuk Douglas Primus heard the application and dismissed
it in January this year. The application was also objected to by the Federal
Attorney General," he said.
The application, he said, was against the Director of Forestry, The Director of
Lands and Survey, the Director of the Department of the Environment of the
Federation of Malaysia and Hap Seng Building Material Sdn Bhd.
It is truly inexcusable that the relevant departments are only now ensuring
safety at the area before allowing anymore quarry operations.
"This is a big joke when the protest and court action showed that such a tragedy
was inevitable," he said.
The Department of Environment (DoE), Joseph said, rejected the Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) report on March 23 in 2007 and the second EIA report on
Apr 15, 2009.
But the same department gave approval to the EIA report dated on June 20, in
2011.
"A full investigation should be carried out on the matter," he said.
As to the Department of Forestry, he queried how quarrying operations on a
Forest Reserve could be carried out.
"It doesn't make sense. The Forestry laws allow us to extract forestry produce
but not blow up hills and forests with dynamite. The Lands and Surveys
Department also has to explain matters to the public because the Kukusan Hill is
a trig reserve (trigonometry) to be used as a point of survey in maps and
charts.
"It is a point gazetted by the Government. So, how could it be blown up by a
private company?" he asked.
Marcel said he sympathised with the residents especially those who lost their
homes or have suffered physical injuries from the impact of the fallen boulder.
Joseph said that he has decided to help the people of Tawau who missed the hill
they loved so much, especially the Kukusan Hill residents.
"I am willing to undertake a claim in court for damages especially for the
residents who have been injured or suffered losses of home or property.
"This will be done pro bono (free of charge). Please email photographs and
details of your losses to marceljude2013@yahoo.com," he said.
Because he is willing to do a pro bono on the case, he said, the residents who
suffered injuries need not worry about the court costs.
FREAK ACCIDENT: Large rocks roll down from quarry during
blasting works
TAWAU: SIX people, three women and three children, were injured when
boulders from a quarry atop Bukit Kukusan fell and flattened seven homes in
Kampung Bukit Kukusan near here.
Tawau Fire and Rescue Department chief Albert Jiran Tanjung said all the injured
were sent to Tawau Hospital for treatment, adding the the victims were among 65
villagers from 12 families.
There are about 300 homes in the village.
He said the department was informed of the incident about 11.45am and on arrival
helped save some of the victims who were trapped in the rubble.
Preliminary investigations revealed that vibrations triggered by rock blasting
at the quarry had caused boulders to roll down the hill and crush the houses.
Tawau police chief Assistant Commissioner Awang Besar Dullah, who was at the
scene, said the quarry operator had been ordered to stop work immediately.
Residents have also been asked to vacate their homes to ensure their safety.
Villager Wakalobe Lakambera, 55, said soon after he heard the explosives at the
quarry go off, several boulders rolled down the hill, flattening homes located
along the slope before crashing onto his neighbour's house.
He said he was fortunate that none of his family members was injured although
two water tanks behind his house were damaged
Read more: Boulders crush 7 homes, six hurt - General - New Straits Times
www.nst.com.my/nation/
RELATED TOPICS
|
THE ENVIRONMENT OF TAWAU |