KOTA KINABALU: More conservation works and research are needed for lesser known historical sites in Sabah such as the Tingkayu area in the Kunak district.
“Detailed archaeological studies are needed as the Tingkayu site has shown signs of human settlement dating back to about 31,000 years,” Nilwan Kabang (BN - Kunak) told the House.
The Tingkayu site should be conserved and development should not be allowed in the area, he said yesterday when debating the Government’s policy address by the Yang di-Pertua Negri’s at the opening of the State Assembly session on Thursday.
He said that due to Tingkayu’s historical importance, the Government should initiate steps to conserve the area as a world heritage site.
“Early studies had shown that the site, located at the edge of a prehistoric lake, was a “factory” for the production of Stone Age tools,” Nilwan said.
He said another historical site near Kunak was a building constructed in 1942 that served as an administrative centre of the occupying Japanese forces.
“Since the Japanese army was known for choosing strategic locations for its garrisons, this shows that Kunak was an important area from a military perspective. This building too needs to be preserved,” he said.
Meanwhile, State Assembly speaker Datuk Juhar Mahiruddin rejected Luyang assemblyman Melanie Chia Ket Sui’s motion for the House to debate on the lack of medical facilities in the city following the closure of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital tower block last December.
Juhar said there was no need for a specific debate on the issue as the assemblyman could raise the matter in the debate on the Government’s policy address.
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