JOHOR BARU: Following the disappearance of four foreign divers off an island in Mersing, the Johor Ruler has called for all diving activities there to be temporarily halted.
Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar issued the decree after the incident took place off Pulau Tokong Sanggul, nearby Pulau Sibu on Wednesday (April 6).
"I want all diving activities in the waters off Mersing to be temporarily halted until we know for sure what happened to the unfortunate divers.
"We cannot allow diving to continue if safety measures are compromised.
"Diving rules and regulations must also be reviewed in its entirety before these activities can be allowed to resume," said His Majesty on Thursday (April 7).
Sultan Ibrahim added that it was essential for the reviews to be made public once they are completed to restore public and tourist confidence.
On Wednesday (April 6), Malaysian authorities launched a search and rescue operation after four European foreigners went missing during a scuba diving exercise near the island, which is nine nautical miles from the mainland.
One of them, dive master Kristine Grodem, 35, from Norway, was spotted floating by a tugboat on Thursday morning.
The tugboat was on its way to Thailand from Indonesia at around 8.15am at Tanjung Sedili waters near Kota Tinggi.
The three other missing persons have been identified as British national Adrian Peter, 46, and his Dutch national son Nathan Renze, 14, and a French teenage girl Alexia Alexandra, 18.
Meanwhile, Mersing district officer Mohammed Shakib Ali issued a notice requesting all resort, chalet and tourist boat operators, island hopping boat services and scuba diving centres to cease all scuba diving or snorkelling activities in the waters of Mersing with immediate effect.
"Strict action will be taken if found in violation of the instructions issued.
"The authorities will also monitor the situation," said Mohammed Shakib who is also the Mersing District Disaster Management Committee chairman.