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  The Electric New Paper 13 Dec 06
Sea cucumber scare in Penang

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.
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