10/12/2010 (Borneo Post), Kota Kinabalu - Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun denied that the palm oil industry in Sabah was polluting the environment.

He said he had visited the oil palm plantations and there were birds flying around and there were animals in the plantations.

“One third of the plantation areas has achieved 20 per cent Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD),” he said at the prize presentation ceremony of the Environment Action Centre (EAC) Photo Competition here yesterday.

“There are eight sensitive plantation areas but the plantation owners agreed and volunteered to reduce the BOD to 20 per cent,” said Masidi.

He said factory management still needs to improve to keep the plantations and  rivers clean and free from pollution.

“In two years, action was taken against four plantation companies in Lahad Datu and Kinabatangan for breaching rules and regulations,” he said.

Masidi suggested the EAC organize photography competitions at oil palm plantations to show people that there were birds and animals at the plantations and also to  create community awareness on nature and the environment.

The EAC Photo Competition was conducted from July 30 to September 10  in conjunction with the fourth World Tourism Conference. 50 photos were presented between October 4 and 7 at the conference at Magellan Sutera Harbour, Kota Kinabalu.

All the pictures showed the uniqueness of Sabah which included the cultures of the various ethnics in Sabah, nature’s scenery, flora and fauna.

First and second prizes were won by Michael Wah King Jiun with his photos, ‘Rare Insect of Sabah’ and ‘Good Morning Mt. Kinabalu’. Third prize was won by Ding Hee Hang with hid photo, ‘Twin Beauty’.