Students do their part to save seas

DOZENS of student volunteers are spending four days trawling the sea and cleaning up the beach.

The 91 students, aged 13 to 25, are taking part in the Save Our Seas Youth Forum, which began at the National University of Singapore on Friday, which was World Ocean Day.

Paddling hard in their kayaks to trawl the sea off Pulau Seletar for rubbish, as well as tidying up the beach, the young participants aim to battle marine pollution while having some good old-fashioned fun.

Visits to a kelong and discussions and seminars on preserving marine life were also planned.

Mr Adrian Lok, 20, who is waiting to do his national service, chaired the organising committee.

Mr Lok, a canoeing and kayaking enthusiast, said: 'I was very inspired after participating in the Asean Youth Forum on the environment held in Singapore last June.'

He has spent the last three months planning activities for the forum, which is organised by the National Youth Achievement Award Council.

Said Mr Lok: 'I hope the participants will become more aware of the causes and effects of polluting our seas and spread the message of the import- ance of saving our seas to their peers.'

Singapore Polytechnic student Eugenia Yuen, 18, said she was very excited about taking part: 'I hope to make new friends and learn more about the environment.'

Opening the forum on Friday, Senior Minister of State (Environment) Sidek Saniff applauded the organisers' initiative. He said that every effort to interest young people in the environment 'should be strongly supported'.

He asked the participants to take this experience seriously and to suggest how environmental problems can be solved.