PM STRESSES SECURITY FOR YOUNG TOURISTS PROGRAMME

SHAH ALAM (Malaysia), March 20 (Bernama) -- The special places of
accommodation for school students and adolescents participating in domestic tour
programmes must be secure and have telecommunication facilities, Prime Minister
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Thursday.

He said these places, which had campsites or hostels, should be provided
with guardians or wardens to ensure the security of the programme participants.

"The security of these children on tour should be given priority so that
parents will find it comfortable to allow their children to participate in the
tour programme.

"These places of accommodation should also have good telecommunication
facilities such as telephones to enable parents to monitor their children," he
said.

Abdullah said this in his speech when launching the "Kami Anak Malaysia"
programme, a brainchild of the Tourism Ministry to encourage active
participation of adolescents in tourism activities while fostering in them love
for the country.

The prime minister said the relevant ministry should make available
suitable programmes and activities to make the tour programme enjoyable for the
participants.

"Do not just encourage them to travel but also make available good
programmes for them so that parents will not be concerned over the safety of
their children," he said.

The safety aspect should be emphasised in the implementation of recreational
activities such as boating or climbing with proper supervision on the part of
the organisers, he said.

"Recreational activities must be supervised in terms of safety so that they
can feel at ease and enjoy their holiday and the beauty of the environment," he
said.

"They want to enjoy; you must help them to enjoy," he said.

Holiday programmes such as "Kami Anak Malaysia" (We are Malaysian Children)
could make youngsters realise how fortunate they were to be living in peaceful
Malaysia, where they could enjoy the best of nature and which drew more than 20
million foreign tourists annually, he said.

These tourists spent about RM4.6 million annually on their visits to
Malaysia and, as such, the government wanted the tourism industry to be
expanded, he said.

Tourism was an industry which provide much benefit to the people, he told
the 3,000 school students who attended the launch of the programme.

-- BERNAMA