LABUAN: Not only the living will have to go, but the dead also have to be relocated elsewhere to pave the way for a RM3 billion Integrated Petroleum Hub project in Pulau Daat, about 15 minutes by boat from here.
A total of 237 families living in Pulau Daat, an island earmarked for the project, have been compensated RM1,000 for each family.
One hundred and twenty-nine families have left the island while the remaining 108 families are still looking for a dwelling elsewhere.
The Labuan Religious Department (JAWI) has launched a massive relocation of old graves, some even had been here for more than 40 years, to the Sungai Labu Muslim Cemetery since a fortnight ago.
Yesterday, 82 graves (the final batch) were relocated to Sungai Labu.
Altogether 254 graves have been relocated by JAWI, assisted by the islanders, while the unidentified graves are being ascertained.
The remains were taken away by speedboats.
The islanders, who are non-Malaysian citizens, are sad to leave.
Most of them are IM13 holders of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
RG Gas and Chemicals (M) Sdn Bhd will invest RM3 billion over the next 10 years to build an integrated oil and gas hub.
Group project director Jimmy Y M Tang said the hub, which would provide land-based logistics and support services, would be built over four phases.
“Earthworks for the first phase project will be completed by year-end. We expect the first
phase to commence operations by end-2012 or early 2013,” he told reporters after the Fourth Economic Transformation Project (ETP) Update recently.
The hub is one of the nine new Entry Point Projects of the ETP.
Tang said the first phase, with an investment of RM500 million, would involve the building of a storage tank terminal with a capacity of 300,000 cubic metres.
“The other three phases include building a 1.5 million cu metres storage tank terminal, engineering fabrication yard and other facilities including water storage facilities,” he said.
Tang said the hub would likely benefit from the opening of new oil fields around the area.
“Besides that, the location is also strategically located nearer to South Korea and China, that could be potential customers,” he said. — Bernama