Representatives from various Buddhist organisations and societies in Selangor performing a light offering ceremony to kickstart the Selangor state-level Wesak Day celebration.
SHAH ALAM: The Selangor government will be organising a second dialogue and engagement session to get more campsite owners to register their businesses.
“Our priority is the safety of campers and tourists who visit those places,” said Selangor tourism, environment and green technology, and Orang Asli affairs committee chairman Hee Loy Sian.
“By having those sites registered and licensed, the government will be able to address matters or extend assistance more quickly.”
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He also advised campsite owners not to worry if local council officers visited their premises, as their intention is not to close the campsites but to inspect their safety aspects as well as to give advice and suggestions.
Hee said the second dialogue session is expected to be held in June or July.
The Selangor government had earlier issued a directive to campsite owners to register their businesses by March 31.
This follows the tragic landslide at Batang Kali in December that killed 31 people and showed there was a need to regulate campsites.
After a three-day townhall session in January with government agencies, camping industry associations and their representatives, state local government, public transportation and new village development committee chairman Ng Sze Han said campsite operators would need to submit a survey plan to the respective local authorities to apply for temporary business licences and building permits.
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The survey plan must be obtained from a licensed surveyor to indicate the exact location and the area’s geographical condition.
On March 13, StarMetro reported that five out of the 12 local authorities in Selangor had received a total of 47 registration applications.
Hee was speaking after officiating the Selangor state-level Wesak Day celebration at Bodhi Park and Samadhi Vihara, two adjacent temples in Section U12, Shah Alam.
He was representing Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, who was leading an investment mission in the United States.
In his speech, Hee said: “The Selangor government, through the special committee for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (Limas), is allocating a total of RM8mil this year in financial aid for non-Muslim places of worship.
“The amount given correlates to the percentage size of the non-Muslim religious groups in Selangor, with the biggest group being Buddhists, followed by Hindus and Christians.
“The funding is for repairs of places of worship or religious activities for their respective communities,” said Hee, who co-chairs Limas with fellow state executive councillors Datuk Teng Chang Khim and V. Ganabatirau.
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In his video speech, Teng urged society to do away with hatred and sow the seeds of love, as contained in the teachings of the Buddha.
Teng was also unable to attend as he was on the same trip as Amirudin.
Hee later presented aid to underprivileged children, planted a tree to commemorate the event and viewed an exhibition of Buddhist-themed stamps.
Also present were Selangor Speaker Ng Suee Lim, state Economic Planning Unit Local Authority Unit deputy director Mohd Sha’walludin Aziz, Yayasan Belia Buddhist Malaysia chairman Datuk Ang Choo Hong and Buddhist Missionary Society president Loh Pai Ling.
