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CHAPEL AT PORTUGUESE SETTLEMENT

Sunday December 16, 2012

Portuguese Settlement folk finally get a chapel
By ALLISON LAI
allison@thestar.com.my

Christmas cheer: Residents of the Portuguese Settlement can finally hold their Christmas Eve mass in their very own chapel at the village in Ujong Pasir, Malacca.

MALACCA: After five years of waiting, about 1,400 residents of the Portuguese Settlement in Ujong Pasir here can finally look forward to holding their Christmas Eve mass in their very own chapel at the village.

Village Regedor (headman) Peter Thomas Gomes was thankful that the chapel was finally ready for use by the community members here.

“The construction work was completed late last year and the priest spent some time designing the altar while we were busy furnishing the chapel.

“All work was done by February and we have been holding weekly mass services there since,” he said after attending the Wanita Barisan Nasional Christmas celebration at the village yesterday.

Also present were Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Wanita MCA chief Datuk Yu Chok Tow, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam and several other state women leaders.

The community had previously sought funds to build a church at the village.

The chapel has a seating capacity of 450.
The request was approved by the Government and included in the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

During the national-level Christmas celebrations at the village two years ago, Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim personally delivered a RM480,000 cheque to the village to convert a hall into a chapel.

The chapel which has a seating capacity of 450 is named Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception.

“The chapel project was completed with prudent spending monitored by the village committee,” said Gomes.

He said more than 1,000 villagers and their families were expected to gather at and around the chapel on Christmas Eve.

Meanwhile, Mohd Ali said the completion of the chapel marked a significant achievement for the village which was set up some 80 years ago.

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“This is another good example of the Government giving priority to what the people need,” he said.

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MELAKA TRAM GETS SPAD APPROVAL

Wednesday December 12, 2012 MYT 7:39:00 PM

SPAD okays implementation of Malacca’s tram project

MALACCA: The Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) has given the green light for implementation of the tram project in Malacca, although laws governing the system are not ready yet.

SPAD chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar said technical work such as the building of tracks and depots could still proceed.

“Since the existing traffic laws do not cover trams, there is no regulation governing it. However, we have allowed the project to start because there is still time to formulate the law,” he told reporters after meeting Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam on the tram project here Wednesday.

He said SPAD had held discussions with the Attorney-General’s Chamber to draft the law for tabling in Parliament before gazetting.

SPAD would ask for a detailed report on the security and maintenance aspects of the tram system from the project developer to ensure its smooth operation, he added.

The RM272mil project undertaken by Mrails International Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Chief Minister Incorporated (CMI) will cover 11 of 14 tourist areas in Malacca.

The tram, operating on liquefied natural gas (NGV), is capable of ferrying 120 passengers at any one time at a speed of 40kmph.

Mohd Ali said preliminary work on the tram project was expected to start in February next year. – Bernama

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Cuisine in Melaka

EYE ON MALAYSIA AT PULAU MELAKA

November 26, 2012 18:36 PM

‘Eye On Malaysia’ Wheel In Pulau Melaka To Operate In April

MELAKA, Nov 26 (Bernama) — The 101-metre high “Eye on Malaysia” Ferris wheel under construction in Pulau Melaka is expected to start operating in April next year, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said today.

Construction of the 13th highest Ferris wheel in the world, being built at a cost of RM40 million, had progressed to 15 per cent, involving installation of piles, he said.

“The installation of the wheel structure will begin in February,” he said during a visit to the project s
Site.

Mohd Ali said the made-in-China Ferris wheel, with 54 gondolas, could assist in the development of Pulau Melaka, which also has a wildlife theatre, as a major tourist attraction of the world.

Besides the Ferris wheel, local company The Eye Sdn Bhd was also developing a water and light theme park as well as a 28-storey hotel, he said.
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Mohd Ali invited more tourism industry players to invest in the state, particularly in the development of large-scale theme parks.

— BERNAMA

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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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PORTO HISTORIA COMMERCIAL COMPLEX

Malacca to build Porto Historia commercial complex costing RM92mil

MALACCA: The state government will build a heritage city commercial complex called Porto Historia at a cost of RM92mil in Kota Laksamana, here, to further spur economic growth, especially in Central Malacca.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the real estate development project on a 1.9ha site facing Malacca River, would comprise a three-storey commercial building with 55 shoplots.

He said the building of Porto Historia was the result of a smart partnership between the state government’s subsidiary company, Dunia Melayu Dunia Islam Finance House Berhad, and First Avenue Partners (Asia) Sdn Bhd. It is expected to be completed by November 2013.

“All the shoplots to be built are sold out, showing high demand for real estate ownership in this state, which will further improve the economy,” he said after the ground-breaking ceremony for the project, Tuesday.

He said the commercial complex to be built based on Malacca’s architectural heritage would also be a tourist spot, besides creating more than 200 job opportunities, especially for members of Koperasi Bela Masyarakat Melaka Berhad (Kobemas).

Mohd Ali said any developer that wished to put up a building or develop a real estate project must preserve Malacca’s architectural heritage in line with Malacca as a Unesco-recognised world heritage city.

He said the state government would assist in preparing the drawing plans in meeting the design requirement based on Malacca’s architectural heritage. – Bernama