COULD the tsunami strike us again?
That was the deep fear that struck Penang residents when they saw
thousands of sea cucumbers on the beach there two days ago.
The residents of Pantai Pasir Panjang must have remembered how
thousands of fish had washed ashore on the same beach several days
before the 26 Dec 2004 tsunami catastrophe.
Most of the more than 50 deaths in Malaysia due to the tsunami were
reported at Pantai Pasir Panjang, said The New Straits Times.
The rare phenomenon took place when the thumb-sized creatures found
their way onto the kilometre-long shore after midnight
yesterday.
And residents are worried that it could signal an impending
tsunami.
Mr Abu Bakri Abu Bakar, 33, a security personnel at outward bound
camp Kem Bina Negara, said it was the first time he has witnessed
this.
'BEACH CHANGED COLOUR'
He said he went to look at the usually-white beach when it suddenly
changed colour.
He said: 'I found thousands of sea cucumbers washed ashore. I have
a funny feeling that this is a bad omen. I just hope my instincts
are wrong.'
Last month, The Star reported something similar happening in Kuala
Terengganu when thousands of sea cucumbers, also known as gamat,
appeared on the Batu Buruk tourist beach.
Professor Madya Dr Kamaruzaman Yunus, deputy director of the
Oceanography Institute of Kolej Universiti Sains dan Teknologi
Malaysia, described the phenomenon as 'very odd' and said it could
have been caused by strong sea undercurrents.
He said: 'This may be due to the imminent monsoon season, but I
consider it a strange occurrence as it has never occurred here
before.'
Local officials advised people not to eat the sea cucumbers.
