Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Conserving turtle island
Conserving turtle island
The Malacca Government is planning to turn the deserted Pulau Upeh into a centre for Hawksbill turtle conservation as well as an eco-tourism attraction.
The island is the country’s main landing site for the critically-endangered sea turtle species which belongs to the Cheloniidae family.
State Rural Development and Agriculture committee chairman R. Perumal said the state government would acquire and renovate abandoned chalets at the island for the purpose of turning the island into a turtle watching site.
“We hope to work with a private firm, especially Petronas for this purpose so planned development can be carried out on upgrading the 120 chalets which were abandoned for almost a decade as well as the construction of new accommodations,” he said after attending a one-day turtle watching programme at the island organised by state Fisheries Department early Tuesday morning.
Perumal said any development at the island should be properly planned to avoid destroying the eco-system at the site.
“The island was initially bought by a company and was supposed to be turned into its training centre but the plan did not materialise, he said.
Perumal said the state government would also inject several conservative programmes to encourage the island as the main landing point for the turtles.
“Therefore, the development at the site should be carried-out very carefully as any elaborate expansion at the island can be detrimental for the turtles.
“We will see that work on turning the island as turtle watching site begins soon.
“The shores around the island will be preserved for turtle conservation” he said.
Perumal said Pulau Upeh had the potential to become a major tourism attraction for the state in view of its proximity being close to the Klebang shoreline.
“The island is also a stone’s throw away from mainland as it can be accessed via boat from Sungai Melaka or Parameswara jetty,” he said.
Perumal added foreigners could visit the island to catch a glimpse of the Hawksbill turtle laying their eggs, adding his office would work closely with the state Tourism Promotion Board to come up with interesting packages for tourists to visit Pulau Upeh.
Every year, between 200 to 300 Hawksbill turtle nests are identified in Pulau Upeh and the nearby beaches.
This population is significant as it is the largest nesting congregation in South East Asia.
～News courtesy of The Star～
The Malacca Government is planning to turn the deserted Pulau Upeh into a centre for Hawksbill turtle conservation as well as an eco-tourism attraction.
The island is the country’s main landing site for the critically-endangered sea turtle species which belongs to the Cheloniidae family.
State Rural Development and Agriculture committee chairman R. Perumal said the state government would acquire and renovate abandoned chalets at the island for the purpose of turning the island into a turtle watching site.
“We hope to work with a private firm, especially Petronas for this purpose so planned development can be carried out on upgrading the 120 chalets which were abandoned for almost a decade as well as the construction of new accommodations,” he said after attending a one-day turtle watching programme at the island organised by state Fisheries Department early Tuesday morning.
Perumal said any development at the island should be properly planned to avoid destroying the eco-system at the site.
“The island was initially bought by a company and was supposed to be turned into its training centre but the plan did not materialise, he said.
Perumal said the state government would also inject several conservative programmes to encourage the island as the main landing point for the turtles.
“Therefore, the development at the site should be carried-out very carefully as any elaborate expansion at the island can be detrimental for the turtles.
“We will see that work on turning the island as turtle watching site begins soon.
“The shores around the island will be preserved for turtle conservation” he said.
Perumal said Pulau Upeh had the potential to become a major tourism attraction for the state in view of its proximity being close to the Klebang shoreline.
“The island is also a stone’s throw away from mainland as it can be accessed via boat from Sungai Melaka or Parameswara jetty,” he said.
Perumal added foreigners could visit the island to catch a glimpse of the Hawksbill turtle laying their eggs, adding his office would work closely with the state Tourism Promotion Board to come up with interesting packages for tourists to visit Pulau Upeh.
Every year, between 200 to 300 Hawksbill turtle nests are identified in Pulau Upeh and the nearby beaches.
This population is significant as it is the largest nesting congregation in South East Asia.
～News courtesy of The Star～
Monday, June 20, 2011
Errors on signboards embarrasing
Errors on signboards embarrasing
Grammatical errors on the information signboards at the entrance of Botanical Garden here is an embarrassment to the state claimed Ayer Keroh assemblyman Khoo Poay Tiong.
Khoo said errors on the English translation on the park facilities was appalling and would mar Malacca’s image as a world-class tourist destination.
“Those who were tasked to translate the information from Bahasa Malaysia to English have directly paraphrased the word usage.” he said.
Errors: Khoo showing a Tourism Ministry information board at the entrance of the Botanical Garden in Ayer Keroh that contains spelling errors and grammatical mistakes.
Khoo added that no effort was made to correct the errors despite numerous complaints.
“I was told that several tourists had highlighted the errors to the state tourism office,” he said.
To remedy the problem, the assemblyman has urged the government to refer to language experts.
“I am not saying that they should use perfect English to describe the facilities, but at least the person reading should understand the message conveyed,” he said.
~News courtesy of The Star~
Grammatical errors on the information signboards at the entrance of Botanical Garden here is an embarrassment to the state claimed Ayer Keroh assemblyman Khoo Poay Tiong.
Khoo said errors on the English translation on the park facilities was appalling and would mar Malacca’s image as a world-class tourist destination.
“Those who were tasked to translate the information from Bahasa Malaysia to English have directly paraphrased the word usage.” he said.
Errors: Khoo showing a Tourism Ministry information board at the entrance of the Botanical Garden in Ayer Keroh that contains spelling errors and grammatical mistakes.Khoo added that no effort was made to correct the errors despite numerous complaints.
“I was told that several tourists had highlighted the errors to the state tourism office,” he said.
To remedy the problem, the assemblyman has urged the government to refer to language experts.
“I am not saying that they should use perfect English to describe the facilities, but at least the person reading should understand the message conveyed,” he said.
~News courtesy of The Star~
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Promoting Pulau Besar
Promoting Pulau Besar
MALACCA: The state Museum Corporation (Perzim) had unveiled an intriguing tour package for gutsy holiday makers to spend a night at Pulau Besar, an island off the coast here with mythical tales likesaints and genies.
Perzim’s general manager Khamis Abas said the package dubbed ‘a night in the museum’ is anticipated to receive an overwhelming response when the tour is launched on June 11.
“We want people to experience for themselves the so-called eerie feelings that is often linked to Pulau Besar although the package is introduced with an objective to debunk the perception that the island is full of supernatural occurrence,” he told StarMetro recently.
Khamis said Pulau Besar looks like a pregnant lady lying on her back and locals attribute it to many legends.
Set to be a hit: Pulau Besar is an island filled with legendary and holy spots.
“The island has also become a place of pilgrimage to a large number of people, especially Muslims from the Indian continent and China,” he said.
“Many pilgrims come to Pulau Besar to visit a mausoleum believed to be of a wali, Sultan Ariffin Syeikh Ismail Waliallah.”
There are also numerous other graves visited by pilgrims such as that of Datok Janggut, Datuk Puteh and Nenek Kebayan Khamis and the island’s houses at least 23 legendary and holy spots which could be accessed through boat rides from jetties on the mainland.
Some of the mystic spots on the island are Sultanul Aarifeen Tomb, a pious man who came from Baghdad in the early days when Islam arrived to the Malay Archipelago, a well which was used by Japanese soldiers during World War Two to behead prisoners and a skull rock, a rock similar to the shape of a human skull.
Apart from that, many sunken treasures like gold coins are also believed to be buried at Pulau Besar just like Monte Cristo, a island in Italy.
When told about the new package by Perzim, a boat operator from Anjung jetty here, Zahidi Ismail, 54, said he welcomed the move by the museum authority to woo more visitors to the island.
However, he cautioned the museum authority to remind the visitors on the taboos of the island as he claimed there are about 146 genie villages here.
“Of course you cannot see it with the naked eye but I am plying between the mainland to the island everyday and we know what the genies dislikes when humans enters their sites,” he claimed.
He said visitors should also avoid flaunting when visiting the ‘Ripping Stone’ site where the huge stone at the center of the island, believed to carved by a warrior known as ‘The Black Tounge’ and also when visiting the snake shrine- a shrine made by a priest who could transform into a giant snake.
~News courtesy of The Star~
MALACCA: The state Museum Corporation (Perzim) had unveiled an intriguing tour package for gutsy holiday makers to spend a night at Pulau Besar, an island off the coast here with mythical tales likesaints and genies.
Perzim’s general manager Khamis Abas said the package dubbed ‘a night in the museum’ is anticipated to receive an overwhelming response when the tour is launched on June 11.
“We want people to experience for themselves the so-called eerie feelings that is often linked to Pulau Besar although the package is introduced with an objective to debunk the perception that the island is full of supernatural occurrence,” he told StarMetro recently.
Khamis said Pulau Besar looks like a pregnant lady lying on her back and locals attribute it to many legends.
Set to be a hit: Pulau Besar is an island filled with legendary and holy spots.“The island has also become a place of pilgrimage to a large number of people, especially Muslims from the Indian continent and China,” he said.
“Many pilgrims come to Pulau Besar to visit a mausoleum believed to be of a wali, Sultan Ariffin Syeikh Ismail Waliallah.”
There are also numerous other graves visited by pilgrims such as that of Datok Janggut, Datuk Puteh and Nenek Kebayan Khamis and the island’s houses at least 23 legendary and holy spots which could be accessed through boat rides from jetties on the mainland.
Some of the mystic spots on the island are Sultanul Aarifeen Tomb, a pious man who came from Baghdad in the early days when Islam arrived to the Malay Archipelago, a well which was used by Japanese soldiers during World War Two to behead prisoners and a skull rock, a rock similar to the shape of a human skull.
Apart from that, many sunken treasures like gold coins are also believed to be buried at Pulau Besar just like Monte Cristo, a island in Italy.
When told about the new package by Perzim, a boat operator from Anjung jetty here, Zahidi Ismail, 54, said he welcomed the move by the museum authority to woo more visitors to the island.
However, he cautioned the museum authority to remind the visitors on the taboos of the island as he claimed there are about 146 genie villages here.
“Of course you cannot see it with the naked eye but I am plying between the mainland to the island everyday and we know what the genies dislikes when humans enters their sites,” he claimed.
He said visitors should also avoid flaunting when visiting the ‘Ripping Stone’ site where the huge stone at the center of the island, believed to carved by a warrior known as ‘The Black Tounge’ and also when visiting the snake shrine- a shrine made by a priest who could transform into a giant snake.
~News courtesy of The Star~
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