JONKER WALK & SINGAPORE CHINATOWN TO PAIR UP

Monday May 21, 2012

Jonker Walk and Singapore’s Chinatown to pair up as twin streets By ALLISON LAI allison@thestar.com.my

MALACCA: The city’s famous tourist attraction Jonker Walk is likely to pair up with Chinatown in Singapore as “twin streets” to promote them as tourism destination.

Jonker Walk committee deputy chairman Datuk Gan Tian Loo said the initiative was mooted after it realised that Jonker Walk and Chinatown shared many historical and cultural similarities.

“Both places were one of the earliest Chinese settlements of our forefathers who arrived at then Malaya during the 18th century.

“They feature distinctly Chinese cultural elements and played important roles in the economic development of Chinese settlers at that period,” he said yesterday.

Although the two streets have evolved, he said, their historic elements were preserved and were now popular tourist attractions.

The pair-up as twin streets would help strengthen friendship between Malacca and Singapore apart from benefiting both cities’ tourism industries with millions of tourists arrival recorded every year, he added.

Gan, who is also Duyong assemblyman, said the committee had forwarded the plan to an MP in Singapore.

“A working trip to the republic with visit to Chinatown is also expected soon,’’ he said

He also said the committee was planning to turn Jonker Walk and 20 other streets nearby into a Cultural Town.

May 17, 2012 16:06 PM 800,000 Tourists Targetted For Melaka River Carnival

JOHOR BAHARU, May 17 (Bernama) -- The Melaka state government hopes to attract 800,000 tourists during the Melaka River Carnival 2012 to be held for a month starting June 8.

State Transportation, Information, Unity and Consumerism Committee chairman Datuk Ghazale Mohamad said the sixth edition of the carnival would feature 53 attractive activities from government agencies and the private sector.

"The carnival had attracted 500,000 visitors last year and we are confident the figure will increase this year," he told reporters when promoting the event at the Sultan Iskandar Information and Broadcast Centre here Thursday.

Ghazale said the international level carnival would also include competitions in kayak and parade of boats that would be open to foreign participants as well.

He said participants from Portugal, Holland, United Kingdom and a number of Asian countries had already confirmed their entry.

-- BERNAMA

BEST WESTERN MAKES MALACCA DEBUT

Best Western makes Malacca debut

Bangkok, May 9, 2012

BEST Western International (BWI) has opened Best Western Wana Riverside Hotel in Malacca, as part of ongoing expansion efforts in Malaysia (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 23, 2012).

“We hope to be able to help cater for a new wave of business and leisure tourists attracted to this historical city,” said Glenn de Souza, BWI vice president International Operations – Asia & the Middle East.

Located on the banks of the Melaka River, the 170-key Best Western Wana Riverside offers a mix of superior, deluxe, grand deluxe, studio and executive rooms, ranging in size from 29 – 40m². The hotel also features meeting facilities for up to 400 persons, a sports bar, and a riverside café.

BWI is scheduled to operate 15 properties in Malaysia by 1Q2015, offering more than 1,700 rooms across nine cities.

SAN DUO TEMPLE IN MELAKA

Ancient Malacca temple hopes to be marked on tourist map

Huge incense burner (left), placed at the spot since 1892, at the 200-year-old ancient San Duo Temple in Malacca. (Right) Stela to record every rebuild period of the temple.

Sin Chew Daily/Asia News Network
Friday, Mar 30, 2012
MALACCA - The Jalan Tokong Besi in Chinatown of Malacca is also known as Harmony Street, as worship places of three religions are located peacefully along the same street. Among them is 200-year-old ancient San Duo Temple.

The street also symbolises the harmonious coexistence of Buddhism, Taoism, Islamism and Hinduism in Malaysia.

The San Duo Temple is seldom mentioned due to the lack of propaganda. However, visitors always being impressed by the temple's rich historical heritage. Therefore, the Malacca Kwang Tung Huay Kuan entrusted to manage the temple hopes that the temple can be included in the Malacca tourist map.

The San Duo Temple has 217 years of history and was formally called the Qing Long Hui when it was built in 1795. It was later renamed as the San Duo Temple after the expansion was completed in 1857.

Many utensils in the temple, including incense burners and plaques, are originated from the Chinese Manchu Dynasty and being placed at the temple in 1891. The entrusted body also spent thousands of ringgit last year to repair relics in the temple.


(Left) "The 18th years of the Guangxu Empire" is clearly engraved on the beam. (Right) Ancient plaques hung on a wall of the temple's main hall shine after being repaired in recent years.
Malacca Kwang Tung Huay Kuan director Huang Da Wen said that the association hopes that the temple can be officially recognised as a tourist attraction to further promote the temple's characteristics and historical values.

He said that many tourists who passed by the Jalan Tokong Besi had been impressed by the ancient temple.

He also said that many century-old historical relics in the temple are priceless tourist attractions and if the government attaches importance to the temple and help to promote, it can help the association to strengthen maintenance and improve management of the temple's affairs.

He added that the maintenance of the temple relies on donations from worshipers and the association's assistence. Under a great financial pressure, the temple hold a chingay every two years.


(From left) The ancient bell originated from the 17th year of the Guangxu Empire is a precious historical treasure; historical utensils and a 155-year-old stele in the temple.
San Duo temple executive secretary Li Jin Long said that as the Jalan Tukang Besi has become more and more popular, the number of the temple's visitors have also increased. Therefore, if the government puts the temple on the tourist map, it is believed to attract more tourists.

He said that visitors are always surprised and impressed by the Chinese Manchu Dynasty utensils in the temple.

"No matter how expensive the cost is, we will still try to protect these historical items, including repairing plaques, columns and beams damaged by termites," he added.

AIRPORT HUB FOR BATU BERENDAM AIRPORT?

Tuesday April 3, 2012

Big plans for Batu Berendam Airport


MALACCA: The Malacca Government wants to transform the Batu Berendam Airport into a regional hub for the Asia-Pacific airlines.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the plan to integrate international, domestic and regional services under one roof would attract more airlines.

“This vision has the potential to improve traffic flow with the upgrading of the airport into a regional hub with more aircraft gates,” he said here yesterday.

He said the plan is expected to gain momentum following the maiden flight of Sky Aviation for the Malacca-Tanjung Pinang-Malacca sector last Friday.

Mohd Ali said the Tanjung Pinang-Malacca-Tanjung Pinang sector is poised to attract an estimated 30,000 passengers annually.

The Star on March 24 reported that an airlines, a fusion between budget and high-end carrier, is eyeing Batu Berendam airport as their international hub.

TREATY OF LONDON 1824

In 1824, during the Napoleanic Wars in Europe, the Dutch reached a treaty with Great Britain under the "Treaty of London 1824"

The Dutch transferred to Great Britain the 'Town and Fort of Malacca and its Dependencies' in which Britain and the Netherlands in return took over Bencoolen in Sumatra which was controlled by Britain.

This move was done to prevent the French from getting Malacca should they defeat Holland in the then Napoleanic Wars.

It should be interesting to get a copy of this Treaty of London 1824 as a record of this important document.

SKY AVIATION FLIES TO MELAKA

Sky Aviation flies T. Pinang-Melaka route

The Jakarta Post | Mon, 04/02/2012 10:41 AM |
JAKARTA: Sky Aviation, a private Indonesian airline, has opened a new route connecting Tanjung Pinang in Riau Islands and Melaka in Malaysia, to meet the surge in passenger traffic between the two towns.

 The first Sky Aviation’s international route is equipped with turboprop-powered airliners, Fokker F-50.

 “With the new route opening, we hope the economic relations between the two regions can be improved,” said Sky Aviation senior safety advisory officer Chappy Hakim before the first flight in Raja Haji Fisabilillah airport, Tanjung Pinang, on Thursday.

Sky Aviation, one of Indonesia’s new private airlines, will operate a turboprop Fokker F-50 airplane to serve its first international route. At present, the airline serves 21 destinations in Indonesia, including Jakarta, Surabaya and Batam.

In the future, as Chappy stated, Sky Aviation will fly the route twice a week, every Wednesday and Sunday.

“Historically, Riau Islands and Melaka have a close relationship, and we are committed to maintaining it and taking it to the next level,” said the former Air Force chief Air Marshal, as quoted by Antara news agency.