Deadly pufferfish still sold in public markets in Malaysia: Fish suppliers’ group
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Mr Ng Chuan Sing, 84, and his wife Lim Siew Guan, 83, from Kluang district in Johor, died after eating a pufferfish.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF NG AI LEE
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JOHOR BAHRU – Pufferfish is still being sold in public markets in Malaysia despite deaths linked to the deadly delicacy,
The group’s deputy president Tai Wai Sun said the sale of pufferfish should be stopped “to prevent putting the people’s health and life at risk”.
“The recent death of the elderly couple from Kluang in March was not a one-off incident, as there had been other similar cases including one in Kulai last year,” he said.
On March 25, Mr Ng Chuan Sing, 84, and his wife, Madam Lim Siew Guan, 83, ate a pufferfish they bought from a trader.
Madam Lim died hours later. Mr Ng went into a coma and died on April 8.
“The fish contains a substance toxic enough to kill a person when ingested in amounts as little as 25mg,” said Mr Tai during the Johor Bahru Fish Suppliers’ Association’s 44th anniversary celebration on Sunday.
Mr Tai, who is also the association’s Johor Bahru branch chairman, said more than 120 species of pufferfish could be found worldwide, but only two types are considered safe to consume.
“The probability of consuming poisonous ones is quite high, so it is better for them to refrain from selling pufferfish at all,” he said.
Pufferfish can be bought at shops selling ornamental fish, but the sellers must be licensed to sell such a dangerous aquatic animal.
Johor Fisheries Department director Zainudin Abdul Wahab said earlier that pufferfish is not a popular food among Malaysians.
In Japan, pufferfish – known there as “fugu” – can be served only by chefs who have had years of training in removing the lethal toxin found in it. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
