THE fact that Kuala Terengganu coffeeshop owner Ong Poh Kok is resorting to legal action to get the Terengganu government and the Kuala Terengganu City Council to act against swiftlet motels should serve as a warning to swiftlet operators throughout the country to clean up their act (”Asking RM10 million over swiftlets” — NST, Nov 17).

Ong says he waited in vain for five years for the authorities to stop entrepreneurs from converting city centre shophouses into swiftlet-nesling premises.

Ong has surely waited far too long as the authorities have continued to drag their feet for reasons best known to themselves and the happy swiftlet owners.

Kuala Terengganu must surely be one of the few cities in the country (or maybe in the world) to condone and tolerate such a filthy business all in the name of money. The birds’ nests collected from swiftlet motels can go for as much as RM4,000 to RM8,000 per kilo with minimal capital outlay.

Many of these premises employ foreigners to harvest the nests without giving a thought to the health and well-being of their employees.

Today, a lot of people in Kelantan are also involved in this business. Prices of pre-war shophouses — for conversion into swiftlet motels — that no one was keen to rent or buy previously have jumped at least five-fold.

New buildings are mushrooming and approved haphazardly without giving due consideration to the well-being of those living in the vicinity.

If people wish to rear swiftlets for their nests, their activities should be confined to areas that are sparsely populated or totally uninhabited. Maybe Kelantan and Terengganu may want to start thinking of using some of the uninhabited offshore islands as large-scale swiftlet resorts.

One of the fears of residents living too close to swiftlet motels is the possibility of disease. In this respect, the Malaysian Medical Council and the Veterinary Services Department may want to assure the public that there is no harm living side by side with these birds.

Jeremiah Tan, Kuala Krai, Kelantan

Source: NST – November 20, 2008