Tanjung Bungah residents vow to defend 'Sore Thumb' from development
GEORGE TOWN: Tanjung Bungah residents have vowed to defend their coastal promontory — known as “Sore Thumb” — from destruction.
Tanjung Bungah residents have pledged to protect their coastal promontory, colloquially known as Sore Thumb, from demolition. The community is vehemently opposing proposals to demolish the 22-meter high headland and construct a concrete retaining wall to make way for a five-story private wellness center. The promontory emerged after rocks and soil were dumped into the sea from 2001, but the site was abandoned following stop-work orders halting illicit dumping.
Over the subsequent two decades, nature reclaimed the terrain, transforming the rocky mound into a self-regenerated coastal sanctuary attracting white-bellied sea eagles and dusky leaf monkeys.
Oo Huei Ying, a resident, cautioned that extending retaining walls beyond the high-water mark would disrupt the seabed, causing severe coastal erosion along the sensitive Tanjung Bungah coastline. According to her, a coastal park should coexist with nature, rather than destroy it. Annelies Allain, an 81-year-old local, expressed that witnessing further development on the regenerated promontory was a betrayal of community trust.
She lamented that the area once boasted a pristine beach where residents could easily access the nearby Penang Swimming Club. Now, she argues, the trees have reclaimed the land, and the community seeks to preserve this natural beauty.
Dennis Au, a resident in his 60s, echoed the call for preservation, urging authorities to refrain from heavy construction on the public foreshore. He stressed that the state's duty lies in protecting ecological balance, not shaving away public hills for commercial gains. Jeya Shah, a resident of 59, emphasized that any retaining wall must remain within the developer's private lot boundary, and the natural beach must be kept intact.
For the community, the demands are non-negotiable: the state must not alter the promontory's natural topography or dismantle its tree cover to create an eco-park. Their proposed 78-page master plan advocates for retaining the hill's natural features and creating an eco-park modeled on the Penang Youth Park and Moon Gate trails. The community is prepared to carry out community work and crowdfund the trail work, as they have done in the past.
All they ask is for the state to leave the headland intact and ensure the developer's retaining walls remain within their own boundary.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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