Silver state makes bid for Unesco listing - The Star

PERAK is seeking to list Kinta Valley, Lenggong Valley, Gua Tempurung and Royal Belum as Unesco world heritage sites, said state Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Hamidah Osman.

She said the state hoped to get Kinta Valley — which includes Ipoh, Batu Gajah and Kampar — listed as a Unesco tin heritage site by 2012.

Awesome attraction: Limestone formations ar the entrance of Gua Puteri.

Hamidah said the state was also trying to nominate Lenggong Valley as a world archaeological heritage site, Gua Tempurung as limestone heritage site and Royal Belum as the rainforest, jungle and biodiversity heritage site.

She said a committee comprising representatives from the Ipoh City Council, Kinta Heritage Group, Perak Tourism Action Council and the National Heritage Department was preparing a nomination dossier on Kinta Valley to be submitted to Unesco.

Hamidah said the committee had been tasked to identify and mark sites and buildings to be included in the dossier.

“We are looking into the possibility of promoting Visit Perak Year in 2012 and everything must be in place by then,” she said in an interview.

Hamidah said the Kinta Valley had left behind significant buildings from its glorious tin mining past.

Heritage landmark: The Neo-Classic Ipoh Railway Station in Ipoh Old Town.

She said these heritage structures were treasures that should be preserved.

“Unlike modern buildings, the old ones will be gone forever if uncared for and torn down.” she added.

Hamidah said about RM450,000 had been allocated for conservation projects in Panglima Lane (Concubine Street) which was among the sites that had been identified.

“We have roped in a team specialising in conserving old buildings from Universiti Teknologi MARA to help us,” she said.

Hamidah also said the tin dredge in Batu Gajah was another heritage structure that should be protected.

“It is our last remaining tin dredge and is in very bad shape with its pontoon badly damaged,” she said, adding the dredge caretaker had estimated RM1.5mil to fix it.

Hamidah said there had been proposals to move the tin dredge away from the outskirts of Batu Gajah and closer to towns.

“The cost to dismantle and reassemble the structure is also a killing factor, at about RM30mil,” she said.

“We have spoken to the National Heritage Department to get feedback on the matter,” she added.

Kinta Heritage Group Sdn Bhd chairman Jek Yap said Ipoh’s Old Town would be the core sector in the nomination centre.

He said the group had distributed 500,000 copies of the Ipoh Heritage Trail to rekindle the people’s interest in the cultural heritage of the city.

“We have also introduced the Ipoh Heritage Trail tour which starts from the Ipoh railway station and end at Jalan Panglima (Concubine Lane),” he added.

Participants would be taken to see 24 historic buildings and places including the Straits Trading Building built in 1907, the former tin miners club Han Chin Pet Soo built in 1929, the 1920’s Dramatists’ Hostel and the Ipoh Railway Station built from 1914 to 1917.

Yap said the group was registered in April to assist the government to “save Ipoh” and promote the city, which has more than 120 years of history.

A hotspot — then and now - The Star

By IVAN LOH (ivanloh@thestar.com.my)

PANGLIMA Lane or Yi Lai Hong (Concubine Lane in Cantonese) as it is popularly known, comes across as just another narrow street in Ipoh.

Yet the row of 27 pre-war buildings along the road has never failed to attract tourists, photographers and artists from far and near.

Old-world charm: The Once notorious Panglima Lane in Ipoh is now drawing a differnt crowd- touristsm shutterbugs and even movie producers.

It has, in fact, become a famous landmark, probably more for its notorious label as a place where mistresses are allegedly kept than as a opium haunt in the early 1950s.

Ninety-year-old Wong Koh Kee, the retired boss of Koh Kee Restaurant situated along the lane, however, doubted there were businessmen and tin miners who kept their mistresses there nor were there any brothels.

Classic design: The horizontal bars doorway is among the olden architecture that attracts visitors from near and afar to visit Panglima Lane in Ipoh.

“A story that goes round is that opium smokers would always say they are going to their mistresses instead of to the opium den when asked by friends,” he noted.

Wong said despite its reputation, the area was surprisingly peaceful back then with hardly any serious crime.

“One thing for sure is that the place is quiet and peaceful. The folks at the opium dens only wanted to be left alone,” he added.

Today, many people are still interested in the buildings’ architecture along the lane, which mainly serves as a passageway for visitors who parked their cars along Jalan Bijeh Timah to go to the coffeeshops along Jalan Bandar Timah.

Car-free: Panglima Lane has become a walkway between Jalan Bijeh Timah and Jalan Bandar Timah.

“The traditional horizontal bar gates, wooden window panes and bronze door knobs are a rare find for visitors,” said former resident Loh Vooi Leong.

“Tourists could also be seen snapping away pictures of bamboo poles placed across one window ledge to another to dry their clothes,” said the 58-year-old, adding that it was completely new to them.

Loh said the place had also become a favourite spot for location shootings, including for a Hong Kong drama series starring renowned actor Alex Man Chi Leung as well as by local producers filming Chinese New Year music videos and films. Once a hive of activity in the 1950s and 1960s, Panglima Lane is a close-knit community of mostly hawkers and traders where everyone is a familiar face.

Whether it is the birth of a child, the Chinese New Year festivities or even if a resident gets a job, there is always a cause for celebration.

As Loh puts it, “everyone was practically a family member then.”

“In times of duress, we will try to help each other and keep an eye for one another,” he said.

The lane with about 27 prewar shophouses used to house about 100 families. One shophouse would have about four to five families staying under one roof.

“Only six buildings are still occupied, four with families and the other two have become workers’ quarters,” he said, adding the rest were vacant and dilapidated.

Many residents left the place after the Ipoh City Council came down hard on street hawkers in 1998.

Loh, who spent his childhood days in the area, said life was pretty simple then.

“The boys like to play near Sungai Kinta, catching fighting fish in the river and spiders by the embankment. Given some marbles or spinning tops, we would enjoy ourselves for the whole day,” he recalled.

Resident Chou Yuet Lai, 60, said her childhood always revolved around work.

“While the boys are outside running and playing, the girls are often told to remain at home to cook, sweep the floor or wash cloths,” she said.

Even during her teenage years, she would help out at her relative’s noodle stall after school.

“It’s basically the norm for my family that if you don’t work, you won’t get money to eat,” said the retired waitress.

Whose 'baby' is the 40-year-old flood problem in Jelapang town? - Malaysiakini

May 4, 2010

Is it the concern of the Ipoh City Council, the state Public Works Department (PWD), the Kinta District Land Office or the state Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), asks Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM).

Party national deputy chairperson M Saraswathy (left) told Malaysiakini today that the four departments have kept passing the buck to each other and refused to provide a solution.

PSM had collected some 2,500 signatures from Jelapang residents in March and handed a memorandum - with photos of the flooded areas - to each of the four departments on April 2. To date there has been no response.

The flooding problem started when the North-South Highway (Plus) Jelapang toll-gate was opened and it worsened after the Lumut Highway was opened to traffic.

This because there is no proper drainage system to deal with the surface run-off, claimed Saraswathy.

She said Jelapang has developed into a key transit point for movement of people from east Perak to the state's west coast where Lumut and Pangkor are located.

Old, narrow drains the cause

The low-lying areas of Jelapang town from the Petronas petrol station towards the Plus Highway are flooded each time there is a heavy shower and this results in two-way traffic jams.

Business premises situated on the main trunk road are affected and personal property is often damaged.

The flooding is due to the old, narrow drains in the area, which are unable to cope with the increasing volume of water run-off.

Saraswathy said it is about time the four departments visit the flood-prone area and come up with a solution.

She said a comprehensive report on flood mitigation should be prepared.

"As an interim measure, the respective departments must use their contingency funds (to provide a solution) without any more delays or excuses," she added.

Ipoh mayor’s term to end on July 23 - The Star

April 30, 2010

IPOH: Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Hashim (pic) will complete his term as city mayor on July 23.

Roshidi, 54, said it was up to the Perak Govern­ment to decide whether it wanted to extend his tenure.

”It is also up to the people whether they feel I can continue to serve as mayor,” he told reporters after chairing a council meeting here yesterday.

”I am willing to accept whatever decision with an open heart,’’ he said.

Roshidi said he was proud to have served the Ipoh City Council alongside the local councillors and council employees.

”I will continue to serve the people if reappointed,” he added.

Roshidi was appointed by former Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin in July 2008 following the retirement of Datuk Mohamad Rafiai Moktar.

He was the council secretary from July 2006 and was also an Anti-Corruption Agency prosecution officer for 15 years.

Keep a watch on reflexology centres, Perak tells local councils - The Star

May 1, 2010

IPOH: The order is out for the authorities to come down hard on reflexology centres here which are being used as a front offering sexual services.

Perak Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said regular spot checks would be conducted on the centres to ensure they adhered to rules and regulations.

“We have received complaints from housewives asking us to keep an eye on these centres,” he told reporters here yesterday after chairing a meeting on local councils at the state secretariat building.

He said the state had instructed all local councils to tighten its licensing requirements for such centres and was not contemplating to bar foreign women from working in such centres.

Dr Mah said regular checks were conducted on 58 registered reflexology centres in the city but none were found offering sexual services.

He told local councils not to hesitate to revoke their operating licenses if they failed to adhere to rules and regulations.

On a different matter, Dr Mah said he had requested for a racial breakdown of personnel working in local councils.

“I asked all local council chairman at the meeting to have more officers and personnel from various races in their office.

“I hope the composition is in line with the 1Malaysia slogan,” he said.

Dr Mah also said that the one-stop-centres in all local councils in the state fared better than the national average.

“While the national figure is 90.2%, the councils in Perak achieved 95.7%,” he added.

Council to discuss Gunung Rapat market upgrade with traders today - The Star

April 30, 2010

THE Gunung Rapat wet market needs to be given a major facelift to attract more customers.

Ipoh Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Hashim said the younger generation mostly prefer to shop at hypermarkets and supermarkets than wet markets.

“A new and tidier market is essential so that people, especially the younger people, will continue to go there,” he told reporters after chairing a council meeting here recently.

“We have about 300 people going to the market daily but the number can drop in future if the dilapidated building is not improved to be on par with the bigger markets,” he said.

Roshidi urged all market traders to be present at a dialogue session to discuss the matter at the Gunung Rapat Community Hall today.

He said the traders should not only think about their own welfare but that of the consumers as well.

“Those trading outside the market will also benefit from the new market as they will be under one roof,” he said.

Roshidi pointed out that the city council had identified two options for the traders to relocate if the refurbishment goes ahead.

Roshid said the city council would help traders with the relocation.

On another matter, Roshidi said Silver Fly’s flights to Medan had been temporarily stopped due to technical problems to their aeroplanes.

“Flights to Medan will not be interrupted as Riau Airlines will restart their services next month,” he said.

At a lucky draw held after the city council meeting, Roshidi drew 20 people who had paid their annual assessment tax without arrears.

Two Modenas Kriss motorcycles were given to the top two winners while the third-prize winner won a 42-inch LCD television set.

Surge in power bills for Ipoh folk - The Star

May 2, 2010

IPOH: Houseowners in various parts of the city are getting a nasty shock over the sudden spike in their electricity bills.

Contractor Tan Jia Fatt, 40, said he was taken aback when he received a bill on April 23 for RM434.

“Usually, I pay between RM100 and RM200 each month for my electricity bill.

“However, the bill came up to a whopping RM434 last month,” he told reporters at a press conference at the Pasir Pinji DAP service centre here yesterday.

Another disgruntled consumer, who only wished to be known as Mrs Chew, said she had initially thought the nearly two-fold jump in her bill was due to an increase in power tariff.

“Normally, my bill is about RM90 but last month, it was RM159,” said the 49-year-old housewife, adding that she had also not installed any new electrical appliance at her Seri Pengkalan home to warrant such an increase.

“The drastic increase has brought unnecessary burden to me,” she said.

Pasir Pinji assemblyman Thomas Su said the problem was due to Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) billing consumers every alternate month for electricity consumption.

“This system of billing consumers every alternate month has seriously short-changed them,” he claimed, adding that his service centre had been inundated with such complaints.

Su urged TNB to revert to its previous practice of billing houseowners for the actual month of their consumption, adding that the utility company should also suspend the payment for April’s electricity bill pending an investigation.

“The reason given by TNB for alternate billing is that they lack manpower but this does not make sense.

“If they are really facing manpower shortage, how can all the bills for all the consumers be sent out on April 23?” he said, adding that he had since highlighted the grouses to TNB Perak’s regional office.

Teja assemblyman Chang Lih Kang said TNB should explain its method of calculation which had led to higher electricity bills.

Both the assemblymen and Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan will be compiling complaints on the electricity bills today at their respective service centres.

Consumers facing similar predicament are urged to bring copies of their March and April electricity bills.