Tuesday, July 04, 2006
"Suara Felda" On FM Radio From Saturday
June 30, 2006 22:20 PM
"Suara Felda" On FM Radio From Saturday
KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 (Bernama) -- About 2.5 million listeners in nine states will be able to tune in to the popular "Suara Felda" radio programme beginning Saturday over nine FM radio stations.
The programme, which will highlight news and information on Felda schemes, will be broadcast by Kelantan FM, Selangor FM, Kedah FM, Pahang FM, Johor FM, Perak FM, Negeri FM, Terengganu FM and Tawau FM.
RTM will slot the 30-minute programme on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Prior to this, Suara Felda was broadcast on IKIM.FM station since June 2003.
"More than 2.5 million listeners in Felda schemes and elsewhere are expected to tune in to the programme, which will be very interesting," said Felda Chairman Tan Sri Mohd Yusof Noor.
He said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will launch the radio programme on July 7 in conjunction with Felda's 50th anniversary.
He added that Felda and RTM were also considering the possibility of broadcasting serialised dramas and documentaries on the lifestyle of Felda settlers soon.
-- BERNAMA
"Suara Felda" On FM Radio From Saturday
KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 (Bernama) -- About 2.5 million listeners in nine states will be able to tune in to the popular "Suara Felda" radio programme beginning Saturday over nine FM radio stations.
The programme, which will highlight news and information on Felda schemes, will be broadcast by Kelantan FM, Selangor FM, Kedah FM, Pahang FM, Johor FM, Perak FM, Negeri FM, Terengganu FM and Tawau FM.
RTM will slot the 30-minute programme on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Prior to this, Suara Felda was broadcast on IKIM.FM station since June 2003.
"More than 2.5 million listeners in Felda schemes and elsewhere are expected to tune in to the programme, which will be very interesting," said Felda Chairman Tan Sri Mohd Yusof Noor.
He said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will launch the radio programme on July 7 in conjunction with Felda's 50th anniversary.
He added that Felda and RTM were also considering the possibility of broadcasting serialised dramas and documentaries on the lifestyle of Felda settlers soon.
-- BERNAMA
Kelembai
Kelembai
by Micha F. Lindemans
A variant of the Gedembai legend is told on Pahang, where she was called Sang Kelembai. Here she is described as an ugly woman with thick eyebrows, a flat nose, big elephant ears, fanged teeth, and about three times the size of a normal person. She lived along the Pahang river where she fed on the soft top leaves of bamboo plants and occasionally fruit and meat.
Similar to the Gedembai of Langkawi she had the power of transforming any human or animal into stone, but not to any other form, something Gedembai could. Another variation is that Gedembai had to wish for someone to turn into another form while Kelembai merely had to start talking to a person, which made her even more deadly. At first Kelembai did not realize she had this ability until she met a mother elephant with her young. She asked where they were going and both animals turned into stone. The story continues that after some she wandered into a village asked a man who was cooking what he was doing. The unfortunate man was turned instantly into stone. She apologized profusely to those who were present, and they all suffered the same fate.
One day, she passed by an old man cooking a big pot of broth for a wedding feast. The old man was near-sighted and did not recognize her, and so invited her to join the feast. Refusing to speak to him for fear of turning him into stone too she hurried away but in her haste she tripped and fell on her face. She was startled and muttered some words and upon saying these words the old man turned into stone. In her anger, she picked up the big cooking pot with the boiling broth and threw in into the Pahang river. The pot became an island in the big Pahang river, now called Batu Kari. The broth fell on the bank where there was a village, which subsequently came to be known as Kampung Bur, short for Kampung Bubur (bubur in Malay means "broth").
After this incident she wandered around aimlessly for a long time, moaning and cursing her fate. She came upon a village adjoining a jungle, but avoiding all human contact, she did not enter. Instead she went into the orchards to get some fruit. The villages had learned of the consequences of her curse and were rightfully scared. The elders of the village held a meeting a came up with a plan to drive Kelembai away. They took a big toothless old woman and put her in a cradle along the path of Kelembai. Then they took some tortoises and placed them around the cradle.
When Kelembai saw the cradle and the woman inside, she was astounded. She thought the old lady was a human baby for only babies were placed in cradles. Then she saw the tortoises and thought that even the fleas in this place were enormous. She came to the conclusion that everything in this village had to be very big and strong and that the humans must be veritable giants. She became afraid and thought of what would happen to her if she accidentally turned one of them into stone. They would surely punish her and tear her to pieces. So she withdrew from the village and fled into the jungle, and was never heard of or seen again.
She is also called Sang Kelembai, where Sang is an honorific and endearing term used by the Malays to refer to characters, animals, or objects in stories about them.
by Micha F. Lindemans
A variant of the Gedembai legend is told on Pahang, where she was called Sang Kelembai. Here she is described as an ugly woman with thick eyebrows, a flat nose, big elephant ears, fanged teeth, and about three times the size of a normal person. She lived along the Pahang river where she fed on the soft top leaves of bamboo plants and occasionally fruit and meat.
Similar to the Gedembai of Langkawi she had the power of transforming any human or animal into stone, but not to any other form, something Gedembai could. Another variation is that Gedembai had to wish for someone to turn into another form while Kelembai merely had to start talking to a person, which made her even more deadly. At first Kelembai did not realize she had this ability until she met a mother elephant with her young. She asked where they were going and both animals turned into stone. The story continues that after some she wandered into a village asked a man who was cooking what he was doing. The unfortunate man was turned instantly into stone. She apologized profusely to those who were present, and they all suffered the same fate.
One day, she passed by an old man cooking a big pot of broth for a wedding feast. The old man was near-sighted and did not recognize her, and so invited her to join the feast. Refusing to speak to him for fear of turning him into stone too she hurried away but in her haste she tripped and fell on her face. She was startled and muttered some words and upon saying these words the old man turned into stone. In her anger, she picked up the big cooking pot with the boiling broth and threw in into the Pahang river. The pot became an island in the big Pahang river, now called Batu Kari. The broth fell on the bank where there was a village, which subsequently came to be known as Kampung Bur, short for Kampung Bubur (bubur in Malay means "broth").
After this incident she wandered around aimlessly for a long time, moaning and cursing her fate. She came upon a village adjoining a jungle, but avoiding all human contact, she did not enter. Instead she went into the orchards to get some fruit. The villages had learned of the consequences of her curse and were rightfully scared. The elders of the village held a meeting a came up with a plan to drive Kelembai away. They took a big toothless old woman and put her in a cradle along the path of Kelembai. Then they took some tortoises and placed them around the cradle.
When Kelembai saw the cradle and the woman inside, she was astounded. She thought the old lady was a human baby for only babies were placed in cradles. Then she saw the tortoises and thought that even the fleas in this place were enormous. She came to the conclusion that everything in this village had to be very big and strong and that the humans must be veritable giants. She became afraid and thought of what would happen to her if she accidentally turned one of them into stone. They would surely punish her and tear her to pieces. So she withdrew from the village and fled into the jungle, and was never heard of or seen again.
She is also called Sang Kelembai, where Sang is an honorific and endearing term used by the Malays to refer to characters, animals, or objects in stories about them.
Malaysians Expected To Eat More Fish
July 04, 2006 17:23 PM
Malaysians Expected To Eat More Fish
TEMERLOH, July 4 (Bernama) -- Malaysians are expected to consume more fish by 2010 compared with six years ago, said Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shariff Omar.
He said in the year 2000, on average a Malaysian ate over 45kg of fish and this was expected to increase to 55kg by 2010.
To meet the rising demand, the ministry was focusing on development of the aquaculture sector, he told reporters after opening the Pahang Aquaculture Entrepreneur Development seminar here.
"We plan to have another 58,000 hectares for the production of freshwater fish nationwide from the 22,582 hectares presently to achieve the production target of 662,000 tonnes a year," he said.
He added that aquaculture production was targeted to contribute 21 per cent to the total fish output by 2010 from only six per cent presently.
Demand for fish in the country is 1.93 million tonnes per annum while production is only 1.3 million tonnes.
-- BERNAMA
Malaysians Expected To Eat More Fish
TEMERLOH, July 4 (Bernama) -- Malaysians are expected to consume more fish by 2010 compared with six years ago, said Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shariff Omar.
He said in the year 2000, on average a Malaysian ate over 45kg of fish and this was expected to increase to 55kg by 2010.
To meet the rising demand, the ministry was focusing on development of the aquaculture sector, he told reporters after opening the Pahang Aquaculture Entrepreneur Development seminar here.
"We plan to have another 58,000 hectares for the production of freshwater fish nationwide from the 22,582 hectares presently to achieve the production target of 662,000 tonnes a year," he said.
He added that aquaculture production was targeted to contribute 21 per cent to the total fish output by 2010 from only six per cent presently.
Demand for fish in the country is 1.93 million tonnes per annum while production is only 1.3 million tonnes.
-- BERNAMA
Monday, July 03, 2006
Birds, Nature Trails And Honey
June 28, 2006 09:55 AM
Birds, Nature Trails And Honey
FUN RACE… Bird watchers compete against each other in sighting, identifying and recording the most number of bird species within the boundaries of Fraser's Hill. Pix: Zainol Bidin
By Zulkiple Ibrahim
FRASER'S HILL, June 28 (Bernama) -- The scene: Tens of vehicles including coasters and four-wheel-drives traversing the early morning mist, snaking up the 8km tortuous route from "The Gap" before reaching this hilltop resort.
Upon reaching this colonial-styled hill station, the vehicles circled the town's main landmark, the Clock Tower, before slowing to a halt near the Bukit Fraser Sports Complex.
Scores of people disembarked from the vehicles, and most of them made a beeline for the sports complex.
The occasion: The Fraser's Hill International Bird Race Competition 2006 jointly-organised by the Fraser's Hill Development Corporation (FHDC) and Tourism Malaysia Pahang in collaboration with several government and non-governmental organisations like the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS).
BIRD RACE
The Fraser's Hill International Bird Race was initiated by the MNS' Selangor Bird Group and FHDC in 1988. Since then, the event has turned into an annual gathering for bird watchers and nature lovers from all over the world.
According to bird-watching expert Sanadure Kartar Singh, the term bird race is a misnomer.
"Many people have the impression that a bird race is an event where birds actually race or are raced against each other.
"It is actually a fun race where teams of three bird watchers compete against each other in sighting, identifying and recording the most number of bird species within the boundaries of Fraser's Hill," the 46-year-old research officer told a group of journalists covering the two-day event.
This year's race, the 19th of its edition, drew 150 competitors in 50 teams including three trios of foreigners.
According to the competition's organising committee member Ishak Mokhtar, bigger number of foreigners took part in past editions of the race.
"It could be due to the World Cup 2006 finals (in Germany) where some of the bird-watching enthusiasts who are regulars in this competition decided to give this affair a miss.
"We experienced the same situation in 2002 and that year, it was also due to the World Cup finals (in Japan and South Korea)," said Ishak who is with the Kuantan- ranch of the FHDC.
ENDANGERED SPECIES
Fraser's Hill is often referred to as one of the premier bird-watching spots in the country as this highland paradise is home for some 270 species of wild birds.
Migratory birds from as far as northern Siberia in Russia and remote islands of Japan have been spotted here. They fly to Fraser's Hill to search for food and escape the freezing winter in their homeland.
These birds would stay around Fraser's Hill for several months before migrating southwards to places in Australia and New Zealand. They would fly home to the north in March and April when the weather gets warmer.
Sanadure, who was one of the arbitrators in this competition, said many rare and endangered bird species were frequently sighted here, including the endangered local species like the Wreathed Hornbill (Enggang Gunung) and Rhinoceros Hornbill (Enggang Badak).
Among the other species spotted here are the Black-crested Bulbul (Merbah Jambul Hitam), Silver-breasted Broadbill (Takar Tanah Hujan), Grey-chinned Minivet (Mas Dagu Kelabu) and Rufous-browed Flycatcher (Sambar Rengkong Putih).
"One need not be an expert to do bird watching. All a person needs is a bird book, a pair of reliable binoculars and a torchlight," said Sanadure.
NATURE TRAILS
Fraser's Hill is unique for its nature trails, each with a distance of about half a km to five km. These trails are perfect for bird watchers and nature lovers to indulge in their passion.
There are six popular trails -- Bishop (a distance of 1,500 metres), Abu Suradi (500m), Hemmant (1,000m), Maxwell (1,800m), Mager (1,000m) and Kindersley (750m).
The other trails are the Rompin (500m) and the longest, Pine Tree (5,000m).
Some of the trails were created in the early days of Fraser's Hill as there were no roads then. With the trails, commuters were able to save walking time by about half.
HONEY SELLERS
Lately, Fraser's Hill has become a favourite spot for honey sellers. Most of them are found at the town centre near the sports complex and clock tower.
"I came all the way from Lanchang to sell the honey. On good days like weekends, I can sell 10 to 15 bottles. On other days, if I can dispose of about five bottles a day, that is good enough," said 47-year-old Ali Borhan.
Lanchang is about 100km away from here.
Ali said he sourced the honey from Orang Asli villagers in Bentong, Temerloh and Bera and sold it at RM15 a bottle of about half a litre.
"There are three types of honey depending on the colour -- yellowish, light brown and dark brown".
When asked why, he explained: "The honey is harvested from different species of bees that create structurally different-sized catacombs in their hives. Hence, the honey produced is different from one bee species to another."
Ali was met in front of the paddock, which is one of Bukit Fraser's attractions where visitors get to ride horses, shoot arrows and blowpipe darts and play woodball.
GUEST-OF-HONOUR
Raub District Officer Datuk Baharudin Mohd Yusop flagged off the participants at the Fraser's Hill Sports Complex at noon last Saturday, while State Executive Councillor for Women and Family Development, Culture, Arts and Tourism Datuk Maznah Mazlan closed the event at the Pekan Bungalow the following afternoon.
Guest-of-honour Austrian ambassador Dr Donatus Koeck gave away the prizes.
HISTORY
This hill station was discovered by Louis James Fraser who later disappeared without a trace in the early 1900s. It was rediscovered by a group of clergymen who went looking for the missing Fraser in 1917.
As the years passed by Fraser's Hill became increasingly popular, especially after the British expatriate community began building bungalows and other retreats in this cool highland, to escape the unbearable heat in the lowlands.
Today, Fraser's Hill which stands at 1,524m above sea level and is 103km from Kuala Lumpur via Kuala Kubu Bharu , is among the popular hill resorts in the country.
The drive up to Fraser's Hill is slow and winding. Before reaching the summit, travellers have to pass through "The Gap", a section of the road that used to be accessible in one direction at a time.
But a new road, built in 2001, allows smoother travel up the hill and the old road turned into a one-way passage down.
The hill resort is also accessible via Raub in Pahang.
-- BERNAMA
Birds, Nature Trails And Honey
FUN RACE… Bird watchers compete against each other in sighting, identifying and recording the most number of bird species within the boundaries of Fraser's Hill. Pix: Zainol Bidin
By Zulkiple Ibrahim
FRASER'S HILL, June 28 (Bernama) -- The scene: Tens of vehicles including coasters and four-wheel-drives traversing the early morning mist, snaking up the 8km tortuous route from "The Gap" before reaching this hilltop resort.
Upon reaching this colonial-styled hill station, the vehicles circled the town's main landmark, the Clock Tower, before slowing to a halt near the Bukit Fraser Sports Complex.
Scores of people disembarked from the vehicles, and most of them made a beeline for the sports complex.
The occasion: The Fraser's Hill International Bird Race Competition 2006 jointly-organised by the Fraser's Hill Development Corporation (FHDC) and Tourism Malaysia Pahang in collaboration with several government and non-governmental organisations like the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS).
BIRD RACE
The Fraser's Hill International Bird Race was initiated by the MNS' Selangor Bird Group and FHDC in 1988. Since then, the event has turned into an annual gathering for bird watchers and nature lovers from all over the world.
According to bird-watching expert Sanadure Kartar Singh, the term bird race is a misnomer.
"Many people have the impression that a bird race is an event where birds actually race or are raced against each other.
"It is actually a fun race where teams of three bird watchers compete against each other in sighting, identifying and recording the most number of bird species within the boundaries of Fraser's Hill," the 46-year-old research officer told a group of journalists covering the two-day event.
This year's race, the 19th of its edition, drew 150 competitors in 50 teams including three trios of foreigners.
According to the competition's organising committee member Ishak Mokhtar, bigger number of foreigners took part in past editions of the race.
"It could be due to the World Cup 2006 finals (in Germany) where some of the bird-watching enthusiasts who are regulars in this competition decided to give this affair a miss.
"We experienced the same situation in 2002 and that year, it was also due to the World Cup finals (in Japan and South Korea)," said Ishak who is with the Kuantan- ranch of the FHDC.
ENDANGERED SPECIES
Fraser's Hill is often referred to as one of the premier bird-watching spots in the country as this highland paradise is home for some 270 species of wild birds.
Migratory birds from as far as northern Siberia in Russia and remote islands of Japan have been spotted here. They fly to Fraser's Hill to search for food and escape the freezing winter in their homeland.
These birds would stay around Fraser's Hill for several months before migrating southwards to places in Australia and New Zealand. They would fly home to the north in March and April when the weather gets warmer.
Sanadure, who was one of the arbitrators in this competition, said many rare and endangered bird species were frequently sighted here, including the endangered local species like the Wreathed Hornbill (Enggang Gunung) and Rhinoceros Hornbill (Enggang Badak).
Among the other species spotted here are the Black-crested Bulbul (Merbah Jambul Hitam), Silver-breasted Broadbill (Takar Tanah Hujan), Grey-chinned Minivet (Mas Dagu Kelabu) and Rufous-browed Flycatcher (Sambar Rengkong Putih).
"One need not be an expert to do bird watching. All a person needs is a bird book, a pair of reliable binoculars and a torchlight," said Sanadure.
NATURE TRAILS
Fraser's Hill is unique for its nature trails, each with a distance of about half a km to five km. These trails are perfect for bird watchers and nature lovers to indulge in their passion.
There are six popular trails -- Bishop (a distance of 1,500 metres), Abu Suradi (500m), Hemmant (1,000m), Maxwell (1,800m), Mager (1,000m) and Kindersley (750m).
The other trails are the Rompin (500m) and the longest, Pine Tree (5,000m).
Some of the trails were created in the early days of Fraser's Hill as there were no roads then. With the trails, commuters were able to save walking time by about half.
HONEY SELLERS
Lately, Fraser's Hill has become a favourite spot for honey sellers. Most of them are found at the town centre near the sports complex and clock tower.
"I came all the way from Lanchang to sell the honey. On good days like weekends, I can sell 10 to 15 bottles. On other days, if I can dispose of about five bottles a day, that is good enough," said 47-year-old Ali Borhan.
Lanchang is about 100km away from here.
Ali said he sourced the honey from Orang Asli villagers in Bentong, Temerloh and Bera and sold it at RM15 a bottle of about half a litre.
"There are three types of honey depending on the colour -- yellowish, light brown and dark brown".
When asked why, he explained: "The honey is harvested from different species of bees that create structurally different-sized catacombs in their hives. Hence, the honey produced is different from one bee species to another."
Ali was met in front of the paddock, which is one of Bukit Fraser's attractions where visitors get to ride horses, shoot arrows and blowpipe darts and play woodball.
GUEST-OF-HONOUR
Raub District Officer Datuk Baharudin Mohd Yusop flagged off the participants at the Fraser's Hill Sports Complex at noon last Saturday, while State Executive Councillor for Women and Family Development, Culture, Arts and Tourism Datuk Maznah Mazlan closed the event at the Pekan Bungalow the following afternoon.
Guest-of-honour Austrian ambassador Dr Donatus Koeck gave away the prizes.
HISTORY
This hill station was discovered by Louis James Fraser who later disappeared without a trace in the early 1900s. It was rediscovered by a group of clergymen who went looking for the missing Fraser in 1917.
As the years passed by Fraser's Hill became increasingly popular, especially after the British expatriate community began building bungalows and other retreats in this cool highland, to escape the unbearable heat in the lowlands.
Today, Fraser's Hill which stands at 1,524m above sea level and is 103km from Kuala Lumpur via Kuala Kubu Bharu , is among the popular hill resorts in the country.
The drive up to Fraser's Hill is slow and winding. Before reaching the summit, travellers have to pass through "The Gap", a section of the road that used to be accessible in one direction at a time.
But a new road, built in 2001, allows smoother travel up the hill and the old road turned into a one-way passage down.
The hill resort is also accessible via Raub in Pahang.
-- BERNAMA
CHHB rides on mid-range porperties to maintain profits
30-06-2006: CHHB rides on mid-range porperties to maintain profits
By Isabelle Francis
Country Heights Holdings Bhd (CHHB) expects to maintain its last year's earnings in the current financial year ending Dec 31, 2006 despite the softening of the property market.
Its managing director Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew said the company would partly leverage on its latest mid-range residential development projects scheduled for launch by year-end.
Those projects will have gross development value of up to RM700 million. It posted a net profit of RM6.66 million in FY05. For the first quarter this year, its posted a net loss of RM13.52 million.
One of the two projects due for launch is a two-storey Villa in Melaka valued at RM300 million and is aimed at embracing the government-initiated Malaysia My Second Home Programme.
The second project, which is due to be launched by September, are sports facilities for its Kolej Height Utara project in Kubang Pasu, Kedah.
Kolej Height Utara is one of its eight mid-range sports-living property development projects, an idea that was mooted by Lee two years ago.
“Now that we have four, we are looking at four more spots. We’re looking at cities like Ipoh, Kuantan, and Temerloh. We believe these 50-acre developments is a winning strategy.
“Mid-range (priced-properties) is Country Height’s strategy in positioning ourselves. Hopefully this concept would expand overseas as well,” said Lee.
He said mid-range properties are priced starting from RM250,000 to RM1 million per unit.
CHHB chief financial officer Choo Chee Beng said it expected to achieve sales of at least RM120 million sales in the current financial year.
He expected property development to continue contributing 35% to its revenue.
On the REITs plans for its Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre, he said CHHB had received a few offers, involving a five-year guaranteed estimated net yield of about 7%.
By Isabelle Francis
Country Heights Holdings Bhd (CHHB) expects to maintain its last year's earnings in the current financial year ending Dec 31, 2006 despite the softening of the property market.
Its managing director Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew said the company would partly leverage on its latest mid-range residential development projects scheduled for launch by year-end.
Those projects will have gross development value of up to RM700 million. It posted a net profit of RM6.66 million in FY05. For the first quarter this year, its posted a net loss of RM13.52 million.
One of the two projects due for launch is a two-storey Villa in Melaka valued at RM300 million and is aimed at embracing the government-initiated Malaysia My Second Home Programme.
The second project, which is due to be launched by September, are sports facilities for its Kolej Height Utara project in Kubang Pasu, Kedah.
Kolej Height Utara is one of its eight mid-range sports-living property development projects, an idea that was mooted by Lee two years ago.
“Now that we have four, we are looking at four more spots. We’re looking at cities like Ipoh, Kuantan, and Temerloh. We believe these 50-acre developments is a winning strategy.
“Mid-range (priced-properties) is Country Height’s strategy in positioning ourselves. Hopefully this concept would expand overseas as well,” said Lee.
He said mid-range properties are priced starting from RM250,000 to RM1 million per unit.
CHHB chief financial officer Choo Chee Beng said it expected to achieve sales of at least RM120 million sales in the current financial year.
He expected property development to continue contributing 35% to its revenue.
On the REITs plans for its Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre, he said CHHB had received a few offers, involving a five-year guaranteed estimated net yield of about 7%.
Ramli Bin Taib
1926-1995 (Meninggal dunia pada 23.7.1995, diKg Hj Ali, Batu 1 1/2, Jalan Mentakab, Temerloh, Pahang.)
Bandar lama,
Dulu Temerloh di kawasan Pekan sari,
Di situ ada rumah Pasong, dimana
Inggeris akan membawa pesalah pesalah.
Ushawan kecil
Dulu akwan pun gitu,
jue ciku bawah poko jati ket pekan sari.
Hari rabu kutip ciku, basoh, jemo, peram.
Ahad, elok masok, bole jue
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