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Cuisine in Melaka

MELAKA 2 MEGA PROJECTS IN THE WORKS

MELAKA (Aug 21, 2013): Two mega projects, The Melaka Gateway and Dinosaurs and Underwater World, to be built in Melaka, are expected to boost the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) to more than RM6 billion.

Chairman of the State Economic Consultative Council (MPEN) Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said The Melaka Gateway, to be constructed on a 209.6-hectare site at a cost of RM30 billion at Bandar Hilir, is expected to contribute RM6 billion to the GDP.

“This project is projected to generate about 15,000 job opportunities for locals, apart from increasing the tourist arrivals to 2.5 million annually,” he told reporters here.

He said the project comprised a number of key components, including the construction of three man-made islands near Pulau Melaka, a shopping complex, hotel, condominium, Cultural Performance Complex (Melaka Impression), as well as a housing estate based on the concept of a cultural village.

He said the RM240 million Dinosaurs and Underwater World project will be realised on a 14.1-hectare site in Klebang and contribute RM48 million to Melaka’s GDP.

Mohd Ali said this project comes complete with various public facilities such as food and beverage shops as well as souvenirs, while attracting 600,000 tourists annually.

He said the recreational park is also seen as capable of creating 1,000 job opportunities for the people of Melaka. In another development, Mohd Ali said the MPEN has proposed three steps to consolidate Melaka’s economy in future.

He said it involved strengthening Melaka’s Bumiputera-based companies, enhancing key infrastructure through the Straits of Melaka coastal highway and creating the ‘Museum Tour’ in the state.

“MPEN committee members have suggested that the state government study, identify and implement development, as well as assist selected Bumiputera-based companies to be mentored to become those with potential and competitiveness,” he added.

He said the state government should also lobby the Federal government to continue the coastal highway as the project can provide an impact to the state’s economic development, and the effort to make it a city-state.

Mohd Ali said the Museum Tour is aimed at enabling tourists to be offered attractive tourism packages to destinations throughout the state through the use of buses on a systematic basis as well as guides. – Bernama

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Cuisine in Melaka

MALAYSIA FIRST CHINESE PAGODA MOSQUE

New Straits Times
Monday, May 27, 2013
MALACCA – Malaysia’s first Chinese pagoda-inspired mosque will be completed in April next year.

State Chinese Muslim Association (Pertim) chairman Mohd Mansor Yap Abdullah said the mosque, estimated to cost about RM7.5 million (S$3.13 million), would be located at Krubong, near here, and would not only cater to Chinese Muslims in the state, but all Muslims.

He said the mosque, which was being built on a 2.4ha site, would be a combination of the architectural designs of several mosques in Beijing, Shanghai and Xian.

“This mosque will be the first in the country which will incorporate the pagoda in its design.

“Hopefully, it will become a tourist attraction. I also hope that the mosque will open doors for the Chinese community to have closer ties with the Muslim community, fostering better understanding between both communities.”

Mansor added that the mosque would implement a natural ventilation concept.

“The main prayer space will be able to cater up to 2,000 Muslims at one time, while the outer prayer space will have room for up to 3,000 ummah,” he said after visiting the mosque’s construction site here yesterday.

Construction of the mosque’s main building began earlier this year through an allocation of RM5.9 million from the Federal Government, which was approved by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in October 2011.

An additional RM1.6 million was later contributed towards the project from donations, as well as a state government fund set up by former chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam.

Mansor said once the mosque was completed, Pertim’s office would be moved there to facilitate the association’s activities and programmes for the community.

“The mosque will also offer facilities, such as a funeral rites room, meeting rooms and a library.

“The Chinese Muslim community here is excited about the mosque, as their dream of having a Chinese pagoda-inspired mosque will soon be realised.”

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Cuisine in Melaka

MELAKA RIVER PROJECT NOW A MODEL FOR OTHERS

14 June 2013| last updated at 11:38PM

Sungai Melaka project a model for others

By Jason Gerald | nstjason@gmail.com

REHABILITATION: The once lifeless waterway has been turned into Malacca’s most lucrative tourism product

THE phrase “Everything began in Malacca” is not something which was just coined to attract tourism, but is in actual fact what this state has to offer to other states in Malaysia.

The birth of the nation is attributed to the glory of the Malacca sultanate in the 15th century, and Malacca is where the independence of Malaysia was first announced by the country’s founding father, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj at the Dataran Pahlawan in Banda Hilir.

Malacca has been a benchmark for many developments in the country after the state was steered into becoming a developed state — recognised by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) — and is now spearheading the nation’s green technology initiatives.

And now, what was once famed as one of the busiest ports in the world, the Melaka River, is becoming a benchmark for the rehabilitation and beautification of rivers throughout the country.

Known as the Venice of the East in the 15th century, the waterway had slowly deteriorated and became one of the dirtiest rivers in the country till some 12 years ago.

In 2001, the state government, with assistance from the Federal Government, had embarked on the first phase of the Melaka River beautification project costing some RM200 million.

The first phase of the Melaka River rehabilitation project started at the tip of the river mouth to the Hang Tuah bridge which included the construction of two new jetties and an archway across the river.

The restoration and beautification project paid off handsomely, as now the once lifeless river has not only been revived but it has been turned into the most lucrative tourism product that Malacca has to offer.

The recent Sungai Melaka International River Festival created history when the Drainage and Irrigation Department director-general, Datuk Ahmad Husaini Sulaiman, said the State administration’s success in turning the river into one of the finest in the country, region and also the world would be the main point of reference for the revival and beautification of all rivers in the country.

The effort taken by the Malacca government in beautifying the Melaka River has not only managed to turn the river into a commodity for tourism but also helped in mitigating floods.

Under the 10th Malaysia Plan all rivers in the country were allocated RM3.47 billion for flood mitigation works, rehabilitation and beautification exercise. Melaka alone was allocated RM285 million.

In Malacca’s case, this money was not only used for flood mitigation works but also for the cleaning, beautification, and upgrading of the river system from the Sungai Melaka estuary right up to Malim.

This success of making Sungai Melaka into a living river is proposed to be replicated across the country.

Sungai Melaka is flanked by several delightful structures such as the Dutch or Red Square, traditional villages and other tourist attractions. In the second phase of its rehabilitation would start at the Hang Jebat bridge up to Batu Hampar, covering 5.2km.

The second phase would be divided into three main work packages; first would cover a 2.4km waterway from the Hang Jebat bridge to the Tun Razak bridge, followed by 1.2km from the Tun Razak bridge to the Melaka Sentral bridge, and the final package from the Melaka Sentral bridge to the Tidal Control Gate that stretches for 1.6km.

This would also include deepening the depth of the river, constructing walls and walkways along the river, landscapes, three water taxi stations at Taman Rempah and Jusco AEON, building unique bridges and beautifying the banks of the river.

Once the project is completed, the water quality of Sungai Melaka is expected to improve from class 111 barometer to class 11B by the year 2015.

The current success of the Melaka River rehabilitation and beautification project could also be seen through the Melaka River Cruise.

When the cruise started in 2006 there were only 56 visitors, but last year alone it attracted some 1.1 million passengers, and this year it is targeted that the Melaka River Cruise would attract some 1.4 million visitors.

Besides being a benchmark for rivers in Malaysia, the Malacca government is also aiming to work towards getting this event listed on the World Tourism Calendar of Events, similar to the San Antonio River festival in Texas, United States.

Read more: Sungai Melaka project a model for others – Columnist – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/sungai-melaka-project-a-model-for-others-1.299900#ixzz2WE8IVouO

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Cuisine in Melaka

ZOO MELAKA TO BE PRIVATISED

21 November 2012 | last updated at 09:50PM

State govt to take over Zoo Melaka by year’s end

By Hanis Maketab
hzmak@nst.com.my

MALACCA: The State zoological park or Zoo Melaka would be taken over by the State Government from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks of Malaysia, which is under the Federal Government, by the year’s end.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the management of the zoo would be primarily taken over by a consortium which would be headed by the Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council.

The consortium would be made up of Koperasi Hang Tuah Jaya, Koperasi Bela Masyarakat (Kobemas) and WildlifeTheatre Melaka.

The consortium hopes to adopt the management style of the Singapore Zoo to steer Zoo Melaka to greater heights.
Mohd Ali said that while the state government was awaiting an official letter from the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, preparations were currently under-way for the take over.

“Th privatisation will include an upgrade of its facilities and infrastructure, which is expected to cost up to RM6 million.

“We would also be changing the name of the zoo to ‘Melaka Zoo and Night Safari’. Once everything is finalised, the zoo would be a private entity, it will no longer receive the RM4 million yearly grant from the Federal Government, and therefore, the new management must work towards ensuring the zoo’s continued success,” he said.
Mohd Ali said he hoped the zoo’s privatisation would be the first step in improving it as a major tourist attraction not only for the state, but for Malaysia as well.
“Malacca Zoo is currently one of the best zoos in the country, and I believe it can one day become a world-renowned zoo,” he said.

When asked on the fate of the contract employees of the Zoo Melaka, Mohd Ali said that they would be absorbed by the Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council.
Zoo Melaka is a 54-acre (approximately 21.22 ha) zoological park located beside Lebuh Ayer Keroh in Malacca.

The zoo has progressed rapidly since 1979 to become the second biggest zoo in the country, behind the National Zoo of Malaysia (Zoo Negara).
Zoo Melaka annually records than 400,000 visitors and more than half of the visitors are from Melaka and the neighbouring states. Its annual ticket collection exceeds RM3 million.
The number of exhibits has also increased significantly since it opened and as of today there are a total of over 1,200 specimen made up of 215 different species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians in the zoo.

The major attractions in Zoo Melaka are the highly endangered Sumatran Rhinoceros, Malayan Sun Bear, Malayan Gaur, Serow and the Malayan Tiger.
The zoo is also renowned world over as a a centre for wildlife research, conservation and breeding, especially for the Malayan Tiger, Wild Dogs (Dhole), panther, tapir, serow, barking deer, sambar deer and many others. 

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All Malaysia Info

Stalking sea mammals in Langkawi

Biologists are collecting data on cetaceans in Langkawi in a bid to understand how best to protect them.

WHENEVER Langkawi is mentioned, it usually conjures up images of sandy beaches, rainforests, waterfalls, mangroves and duty-free shopping. Few visitors realise that the waters around Langkawi’s 104 islands are home to dolphins, porpoises and even whales.

As a marine biologist, Dr Louisa Ponnampalam hopes to raise awareness about sea mammals that live around Pulau Langkawi, Kedah

Marine biologist Dr Louisa Ponnampalam, co-founder of the MareCet Research Organisation which is involved in marine mammal research, hopes that this will change and is working hard to increase awareness and collect data about marine mammals in the island off Kedah.

“If we can do good research here in Langkawi, then we can start to think about starting similar research projects in places like Penang and Perak,” she says.

Last month, she conducted a week-long survey of marine mammals with volunteers and members of Langkawi Dolphin Research, a project of MareCet. The organisation derives its name from the Latin mare – meaning sea – and a contraction of the word cetacean, which is the collective noun for whales, dolphins and porpoises. As the name suggests, these are the animals that are the object of Ponnampalam’s study.

“We’ve been doing this since 2010. The more data we collect, the more we will know about the habits of these mammals in their natural environment. We can use this knowledge to understand how best to protect them.”

Some of the data gathered during the field trip includes new information on the distribution of marine mammals around Langkawi, including estimates of group size and the movement and abundance of these groups. By comparing photos from previous field trips, Ponnampalam has shown that some individual humpback dolphins seem to prefer certain sites around Langkawi, while others tend to move around the archipelago a bit more.

When asked why the organisation chose to focus on Langkawi, she replies: “We had already heard of quite a few sightings in Langkawi, so we knew there were marine mammals here, but there was no reliable data to say exactly how many and of what species. Since Langkawi is one of Malaysia’s top tourism destinations, we felt it important to understand the dynamics of how land-based and water-based human activities may be affecting the animals and their marine environment. The fact that Langkawi is easily accessible compared to the islands on the east coast of the peninsula makes a difference, too.”

As well as spending time at sea looking for cetaceans, members of MareCet are also actively involved in establishing a dialogue with local fishermen who are also an important source of first-hand information about the presence and behaviour of marine mammals. MareCet provides guidelines to them on safe fishing practices, particularly the types of nets and hooks to be used to avoid injuring or killing marine mammals. Their website also provides advice for tourism operators, which include not allowing anyone to feed, touch or swim with the animals.

Living her dream

Ponnampalam is a dynamic young woman who clearly has the dedication and drive necessary for her chosen career.

“This is what I’ve always wanted to do,” she says. “I am living my dream. When I was 13, I told everyone that I would go to Hawaii and study to become a marine biologist and that I would set up my own research facility back in Malaysia. I haven’t quite achieved the second part yet, but MareCet is a starting point.”

Dr Louisa Ponnampalam processing a dugong skull

Although she studied in Hawaii and Scotland and did research for her PhD in Oman, she always planned on returning to Malaysia. “I love to travel, but Malaysia is my home. And the marine mammals here are begging to be studied. Marine biology is still very young in Malaysia. Compared to other countries, there is still a lot to do here. That makes it exciting to be a marine biologist in Malaysia. In a way, we are pioneers.”

During last month’s survey, the group sighted Indo-Pacific finless porpoises, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins and Bryde’s whales around Langkawi as well as Irrawaddy dolphins close to Kuala Perlis. Group sizes for the dolphins and porpoises ranged from one to 150 individuals but for whales, only one or two were seen at a time.

I was lucky enough to be invited to join the survey team on two of their field trips. Both days, we set off before 7am and did not get back until 10pm. Most of that time was spent out on the water.

“It’s a reality check for some of the young students who are considering a career in marine biology,” says Ponnampalam. “My friends say, ‘Oh, you’re so lucky to go out on the boat’ but they don’t see the long hours we put in. Not everyone is willing, or able, to spend time in such basic conditions, or eat peanut butter sandwiches every day,” she says with a laugh.

Most of her days on board are spent in a high seat that reminds me of a tennis umpire’s chair. From that vantage point, there is a greater field of vision, but it is exhausting to keep watching the waves for any sign of movement in the water. Every wave and shadow makes you wonder if something is there.

The first morning, after barely half an hour out of Kuah harbour, we spot something. The boat idles to a halt. The silence ringing in my ears after the engine cuts out is soon replaced by the splash of waves against the fibreglass hull of the boat.

“Indo-Pacific finless porpoise – three, possibly five,” calls out Ponnampalam from her perch, looking through a pair of binoculars. This information is noted down, along with the GPS coordinates. Visibility and wave swell height according to the Beaufort scale are jotted down as well and we take measurements of depth, water temperature, salinity, level of dissolved oxygen and the presence of any other boats in the vicinity. All this raw data will be fed into a computer at the end of the day and will provide Ponnampalam with plenty of work at her post in the Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences in Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur.

“We’ve seen large groups of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins during this trip and they appear to consist mainly of mother-calf pairs, perhaps a strategy of ‘safety in numbers’. We also observed very high-energy social and sexual activity in the groups of humpback dolphins that we encountered.”

Helpful technology

This year, another boat has joined in the survey. Dr Satoko Kimura of Nagoya University in Japan is an acoustics specialist conducting research on freshwater ?nless porpoises found in the Yangtze River in China and has come to Langkawi to further her research.

“We are very lucky that she can join us on this field trip,” says Ponnampalam. “It’s the first time that we are using acoustic methods to study dolphins in Malaysia.”

I join Kimura’s boat in the afternoon. The skipper is a sleepy fisherman who spends his nights fishing for squid. I help Kimura keep him awake, but occasionally he falls asleep and the boat steers wildly off course. Her boat travels more slowly than the lead boat and trails a long cable with specially designed microphones attached.

“Dolphins and porpoises make sounds all the time,” says Kimura. “If there is poor visibility, they use sounds to let each other know where they are. They communicate in very high-frequency sounds that humans cannot hear. We can hear 16-20 hertz but Yangtze finless porpoises can hear up to 125 hertz.”

There are two NBHF (Narrow-Band High-Frequency) units on the cable, each with two microphones. Analysing the sounds by triangulation can give the precise location of a mammal and, in a small group, give an idea of the number of individuals present. This data will later be compared to Ponnampalam’s visual sightings.

“Maybe she can see two or three dolphins but the acoustic readings can sometimes show that there were more individuals below the surface. This gives us more accurate data,” says Kimura.

Other than the few porpoises in the morning, we don’t see anything else for the rest of the day. The steady hypnotic hum of the boat engine and the rocking of the waves conspire to lull me to sleep. I wake to find that the wind has picked up. White crests are zipping across the peaks of the waves as the weather hovers between three and four on the Beaufort scale.

GPS coordinates have been pre-set and we follow invisible transect lines along the sea, ranging from almost all the way south to Pulau Payar, where fishing trawlers hover just beyond the border of the designated marine park, close to Kuala Perlis in the north, just a couple of nautical miles shy of the border with Thailand. It is dark by the time we return to Kuah harbour.

Biggest fish

The following evening, Ponnampalam tells me that the team sighted 152 Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins. This was something I really wanted to see, so I joined the team again the following day in the hopes of sighting something similar. This time, the transect lines were shorter and ranged more to the south of Langkawi, skirting Pulau Tuba, Pulau Dayang Bunting and dozens of smaller islands with isolated empty beaches and interesting rock formations. I discovered parts of Langkawi that I had never seen before, well off the paths of the standard island-hopping tours that are so popular with the island’s visitors.

I was travelling in Kimura’s boat. Ponnampalam and her team had reached the end of the line and were waiting for us to arrive. Suddenly everyone was standing up and pointing at something in the water. I saw see a few ripples, but couldn’t tell what it was.

“A whale shark,” shouts Ponnampalam excitedly. I took from her demeanour that this was something quite exceptional.

Our boatman took us in a bit closer to the ripples, but I still couldn’t see anything except the reflected glare off the surface of the water. Then suddenly it was there right beside our boat, barely a metre beneath the surface. I was stunned by the size of it – almost as long as our boat and more than big enough to overturn us if it should so wish, but the whale shark seemed content to let us admire the rows of star-like patterns on its back and give us the time to snap a few photos. The whale shark is the world’s biggest fish and can measure up to 14m. The creature we spotted is roughly half that size.

After a few minutes, it dived deeper and then the surface ripples appeared further out. The boatmen turned their boats and we headed back towards the main island.

“According to local fishermen, they are found near Langkawi from September to February,” says Ponnampalam .

The following day, the MareCet team made two more whale shark sightings in addition to all the other data gathered over the week.

Malaysia is a maritime nation and a fish-eating nation. It depends on the health of its waters to feed its population and maintain its fisheries. In order to protect its maritime assets, more has to be understood about these complex ecosystems and that requires dedicated researchers like Ponnampalam and her team and the facilities necessary to do their work.

“I hope that we can raise awareness of the importance of marine conservation in Malaysia and that the work we are doing will someday materialise into a permanent research facility here in Langkawi,” says Ponnampalam. – Marc de Faoite

Much of MareCet’s funding is now dependent on research grants from Australia and Universiti Malaya. To continue its research, it welcomes contributions, both financial and in kind, from individuals and corporations. Learn more about MareCet at marecet.org.


Map: Pulau Langkawi, Kedah

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