MELAKA RIVER BEAUTIFICATION WORKS EXTEND TO MELAKA SENTRAL

July 07, 2011 20:54 PM

RM135 Million Sungai Melaka Tourism Project Extended To Melaka Sentral

MELAKA, July 7 (Bernama) -- The second parcel of the Sungai Melaka Beautification Project will be extended up to Melaka Sentral including the popular shopping complexes at Aeon Bandaraya and Tesco, here.

The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas said the project stretching about four kilometres would start at the end of the year and expected to be completed in mid-2013.

He said that overall, five zones would be developed under the project which would have a footpath, bicycle lanes, observation tower and main passenger terminal at the Melaka Sentral and the two shopping complexes.

"This is my ministry's commitment to improve the Sungai Melaka which has a good potential as a tourist attraction," he told reporters after listening to a briefing on the project at Seri Negeri, Ayer Keroh, here Thursday.

Earlier, Uggah, who is on a day's visit to Melaka, went on a river cruise with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam from Taman Rempah up to Melaka Sentral.

Sungai Melaka now offers a river cruise service either on a boat that can accommodate between 20 and 30 passengers or a water taxi that can take 16 passengers for a distance of four kilometres from Taman Rempah up to the Quayside at the historic river mouth.

Meanwhile, Mohd Ali said the state government planned to build a floating market in the river after Hang Jebat Bridge as a new tourist attraction.

In another development, Uggah said he would study the request by Mohd Ali to construct a water breaker to prevent coastal erosion at Pantai Kundur, Pantai Puteri, Pantai Tanjung Bidara and Pantai Kemuning.

-- BERNAMA

GRAND 500 YEARS CELEBRATION AT PORTUGUESE SETTLEMENT

Michael Mikey Teo Just as a matter of interest, thought that you lot might like to know that there is a Grand 500 Year Anniversary Celebration at Mcca Portuguese Settlement from Oct 26th to 29th, 2011. Cheers.

ARAB CITY MELAKA READY BY END 2011

July 05, 2011 16:00 PM

Developer Expects Arab City Melaka To Be Ready By Year-end

KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 (Bernama) -- Golden Corporate Heritage Sdn Bhd, the developer of Arab City Melaka, expects the project with a gross development value of RM75 million to be completed by year-end.

Its director, Dr Salim N. Al Gudhea, said the project, located at Pulau Melaka, Melaka, started in January this year and is currently 68 per cent complete.

"Arab City is an opportunity for business growth and retail positioning. With over 123 retail spaces for lease, the project will certainly provide good business prospect for us," he told reporters after signing an agreement with Benalec Sdn Bhd here, Tuesday.

He added that the soft launch of Arab City would be around January next year while its targeted opening for the public will be in March.

Meanwhile, under the agreement today, Benalec, an integrated marine construction solution provider, will develop the Arabian Oasis, a recreation centre, on a 1.62 hectares reclaimed land at the sea front of Arab City.

The "oasis" is expected to be completed in 16 weeks.

-- BERNAMA

Website of Arab Melaka City

YOUNG BREED OF TRISHAW OPERATORS IN MELAKA

MELAKA, July 5 (Bernama) -- Weekend nights at Bandar Hilir Melaka exude an atmosphere of merriment, thanks to the hundreds of visitors from outside Melaka who congregate there.

The cacophony from the activities and traffic is drowned out, sometimes, by blaring music in numerous languages and genres from passing rickshaws.

The rickshaws, embellished with various motifs, and lit up grandly, are a statement of their owner's creativity.

These rickshaws or trishaws, without the decorations seen on them today, were a ubiquitous mode of transport in towns in the 1960s and 1970s, and evoke nostalgic memories of a bygone era.

People recall the sight of rickshaw men on streets, using all their energy to pedal the three wheelers for a token sum. The impoverished rickshaw man was immortalised in the film 'Penarik Beca', with silver-screen legend, late Tan Sri P Ramlee, playing the role of a poor rickshaw man, Amran.

Nowadays, however, rickshaws only serve visitors who wish to experience the unique ride. The rickshaw owners of Bandar Hilir Melaka are eager to provide their passengers with the excitement of a ride.

WOMEN IN THE TRADE

Outside the Menara Taming Sari ground, a number of lit-up rickshaws wait in a line for passengers. One three wheeler stood out because of its rider.

Meet Nor Hasliza Hanafi, 20, one of the few women in the rickshaw trade, and among the increasing number of young people who are adopting a trade that is slowly disappearing.

What convinced Nor Hazliza, a former employee of Giat Mara, to adopt a trade most would shy away from?

"It is not because I had no other choice, but because I wanted it. As a rickshaw rider, I have the opportunity to met lots of people, including dignitaries like Melaka's Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam.

"Here, I serve as a little ambassador, narrating the history of Melaka and the places I bring them to. Previously, I did not know much history, but after taking up this trade, I now have the history at my fingertips.

"I have met all sorts of people, and took the opportunity to promote Melaka to tourists. This is an honourable undertaking," she told Bernama, recently.

NOTHING TO BE SHY ABOUT

The trade is not new to Nor Hazliza. Her father, too, was a rickshaw rider.

She recalled that, during her school days, her school-mates would to make fun of her father's occupation, as it was associated with uneducated and marginalised people.

Nor Hazliza, however, finds the life of a rickshaw rider to be far better than people's conceptions of it. Today, many graduates have adopted what was previously considered an unenviable vocation.

Most of these graduates, who have taken up the trade on a full-time or part-time basis, have at least one family member in the trade, already.

"Even I was embarrassed with my father's occupation during my younger days. But after a meeting with the rickshaw riders, it dawned upon me that one can earn a living through this vocation as long as they are ready to work hard.

"That is when I made up my mind to stop work and take up the rickshaw trade. I have to admit that I was initially shy. But I overcame the apprehension over time.

"What's more, there was a time when I earned up to RM1,000 a day due to my hard work," she said proudly.

A one-hour ride from Taming Sari to Pokok Melaka, A Farmosa and Jonker Walk on the rickshaw costs RM40.

HURDLES FOR A WOMAN RIDER

However, a woman rickshaw-rider faces several challenges.

There is a general perception that it is unsafe for women to ride at night, and that they might not possess the physical strength to pedal a rickshaw.

Nor Hazliza, the second of four siblings, brushes aside these beliefs, saying her male counterparts never underestimated her ability, and even extended their cooperation.

In fact, rickshaw riders work together in a group to promote Melaka.

"Even passengers ask me whether I can endure (the effort) or not, but after seeing how far I could go, they don't ask anymore questions.

"On the dangers, this work goes on till late hours, and I once stayed up until 1.30 am. So far, nothing bad had happened, except I was once shortchanged by a customer.

"I'm proud of what I'm doing. A living proof that women too can take up the rickshaw trade," she said.

RICKSHAW RIDERS OF THE YOUNGER GENERATION

The growing number of young rickshaw riders today augurs well for this trade. Rickshaw riding was previously considered a vocation for the older generation, and it was feared that the trade would go extinct.

When questioned about young rickshaw riders, Nor Hasliza responded with a grin, "Yes, many youngsters are taking up the rickshaw trade, part-time of full-time, like me".

"Now it is a trend. The youngest, 14 years old, maybe wants to help his father supplement the family income, after school.

"The way I see it, it is better for them to work as rickshaw riders, rather than loiter around. At least they can earn an income. I once advised a friend to stop loitering and work temporarily as a rickshaw rider before landing another job.

"In the end, he too ended up as a rickshaw man," she said.

Another young rickshaw rider is Mohamad Hidier Abd Muttalib, 24, who has been in the trade for the last five years. He rides the rickshaw at night to supplement his income.

"During the day I work as a mechanic; at night I take up the rickshaw trade."

RICKSHAWS TO STAY FOR GOOD

The president of the Kota Melaka Rickshaw Rider's Association, Arman Saleh, said the participation of the younger generation bode well for this trade, and would keep it alive.

Welcoming this development, Arman said he hoped this vocation would keep young people away from social ills.

"Since the last three or four years, the younger generation has shown an interest in this trade. "At present, there are about 194 rickshaw riders in Melaka, with 80 to 90 of them being young men," he said.

-- BERNAMA

MELAKA CASA DEL RIO HOTEL AT MELAKA RIVER MOUTH

Since early 2011, Melaka newest luxurious hotel, Casa del Rio, opened for business. Located just opposite the Melaka River Cruise terminal and at the Melaka River mouth, it has rooms facing the historic Melaka river.

The low rise hotel certainly blends into the landscape and does not intrude the skyline of Melaka.

PROPOSED JALAN KILANG PROJECT IN MELAKA

Some architect firm has proposed a concept development of the land at Jalan Kilang, Melaka.

Jalan Kilang used to be a place where small and medium scale industries had their factories. However, in late 1980s, they were asked to re-locate to Malim Jaya by the Melaka Council.

Some were compensated while others had to resort to class action for compensation.

Now, after more than 10 years, the area is ready to be developed. Whether anything concrete will take place in the future, remains to be seen. A park within any new development will be good for Malaccans as there are too much development without taking into consideration of open spaces.

6 MONTHS TO REMOVE RAIL TRACKS IN SINGAPORE

6 months to remove rail tracks
New Straits Times
Sat, Jul 02, 2011








SINGAPORE - Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad will strip the entire stretch of its railway track between Tanjong Pagar and Woodlands in Singapore and bring them home within the next six months.

That is the time frame KTMB has been given by the Singapore authorities to undertake the mammoth job of removing the tracks.

The track removal will pave the way for the republic's authorities to commence with either development projects that have been intended along the stretch, or maintain it as a heritage site or green corridor as suggested by environmentalists.

KTMB will release a tender notice soon to get a contractor to handle the job. The track spans over 23km from Tanjong Pagar in southern Singapore to Woodlands in the north.

KTMB president Dr Aminuddin Adnan told the New Straits Times that the job to remove the tracks was expected to be completed in several months, adding that the contractor could either be from Singapore or Malaysia, depending on who submitted the best bid.

He said part of the track would be showcased in KTMB museums as a historical exhibit while others would be kept for future use on KTMB tracks throughout the country.

"The first museum to display part of the track is the former Johor Baru railway station, which will be transformed into a museum soon.

"Other stations with plans to set up a museum will also be given part of the track as exhibits."

The Tanjong Pagar station became part of KTMB's history following the departure of the last train piloted by the Sultan of Johor at 11.03pm on Thursday.

As the bells sounded, followed by the heavy sound of the locomotive, the train slowly left Platform 1 of the station, with the sight and sound of well-wishers at the platform slowly fading away as the train disappeared into the dark.

The KL-bound train ride was by invitation only, and passengers comprised of KTMB staff and their family members, and newsmen from both sides of the Johor Straits.

As the train snaked its way towards the Woodlands checkpoint just before the Causeway, well-wishers lined up at both sides of the track at Bukit Timah and Bukit Panjang, among other locations, waved, and shouted "bye-bye".

Onboard the train, a host of activities was held, such as the singing of Auld Lang Syne, photo-shoots and press interviews.

The train transported home 16 carriages of passengers, who arrived in Johor Baru at 12.15am with sweet memories.

While the neo-classical style Tanjong Pagar railway station had been gazetted by Singapore as a heritage building, it remains unclear about the fate of the rail land stretching from the station to Woodlands, although environmentalists had called the republic's government to turn it into a green corridor.

Checks yesterday showed that the compound of the station including the parking area had been fenced off yesterday, and security guards were manning the building.