Results tagged “sarawak” from Discover Borneo: Blog

Malaysia is a hot-bed for the world's rarest iconic natural attractions.

The country has attractive locations with big potential for development as eco-tourism icons, according to a development planning expert.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia centre for innovative planning & development director Prof Amran Hamzah said Malaysia's natural attractions would lure tourist arrivals to the country.

Tourists will be spellbound by the unique flora and fauna, clean beaches, exotic marine life, oldest rainforest and the world's biggest caves.

Currently, Amran said Sabah and Sarawak were Malaysia's largest contributors to the eco-tourism industry as compared with West Malaysia, as they had some of the world's rarest iconic attractions.

For example, the Mulu National Park in Sarawak, and Mount Kinabalu and Sipadan Island in Sabah were deemed among the world's top five locations for scuba diving activities.

"Tourists will come to Sabah and Sarawak because they know they can find the orang utan in Sepilok or Kinabatangan where there is a unique range of eco-tourism attractions.

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Kuching: Belgium plans to expand its investments in Malaysia to include Sarawak within the next 10 to 20 years, announced Begium Embassy's Trade Commissioner for Malaysia, Philippines and Brunei, Philippe Delcourt yesterday.

There are presently some 70 Belgian companies operating in Peninsular Malaysia, and the European country is now 'opening our ears' to Sarawak.

"We are opening our ears to know exactly what we can do for more Belgian companies to operate in Malaysia within the next 10 to 20 years, with Sarawak as one of the targets.

"As Sarawak focuses on renewable energy, some Belgian companies may be looking forward to working with local companies here," he told journalists after making a courtesy call on Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang here yesterday.

Stating that his country was sincere in establishing business ties with the state, Delcourt revealed that the Belgian Minister of Trade would be visiting Malaysia sometime next year.

"We will bring more political leaders to Malaysia to discuss more trade relations and investments. Belgium is one of the top 15 trading partners in the world," he said.
Delcourt said he believed Malaysia would eventually emerge as a hub for the Asean region because it is a stable country in central South East Asia.

Continue reading Belgian Investments in Sarawak

Sibu: Justice Yew Jen Kie became Sarawak's first woman High Court Judge yesterday.

Speaking to reporters after the elevation ceremony in the morning at the High Court here, Justice Yew said she was mindful of her duty as a judge and promised to do her best.

The first woman High Court Judge of Sabah and Sarawak said she was privileged and honoured to be appointed to the post, which was announced on April 14 but took effect yesterday. She was a judicial commissioner previously.

Justice Yew said she was not aware that she was the first woman High Court Judge in Sabah and Sarawak until someone mentioned it to her.

"Only then I realised I am the first woman to be appointed to this position," she added.

She believed that with more women reading law there would be more women judges in the country soon.

In her speech at the ceremony, she talked of the importance of the public having confidence in the courts.

Looking back, she said she took up law in 1973 with no intention to pursue a legal career.

"My original intention was to pursue law as a stepping stone to another profession, which was a chartered secretary.

"After a very short stint with a legal firm, I embarked on a judicial career which spanned over three decades, culminating in the elevation to a high court judge.

Continue reading on AsiaOne News

Sabah and Sarawak will get more new roads and basic amenities under the 10th Malaysia Plan.

Under the five-year blueprint, a total of 2,540km of roads will be built in Sabah and 2,819km in Sarawak.

"This will help ensure mobility of goods and people from rural areas to urban markets and beyond," said the 10th Plan report.

Also, 98% of those in Sabah and 95% of people in Sarawak will have access to clean water with supply reaching an additional 112,700 houses in Sabah and 87,000 houses in Sarawak.

The states will also enjoy 99% electricity coverage with supply in the rural areas to be extended to 59,000 houses in Sabah and 76,000 houses in Sarawak by 2015.

In Sabah, three new power plants will be commissioned with a combined capacity of 700MW. Two are gas-based plants in the west coast and one coal-based in the east coast using clean coal technology.

In Sarawak, the 2,400 MW Bakun hydroelectricity project will be commissioned in stages.

Air and water transportation will also be improved to increase connectivity and accessibility in rural areas and this includes upgrading the short take off landing (STOL) airstrips.

River transportation will be enhanced as a mode of public transport particularly in Sarawak and promoted as a tourism product.

Continue reading New roads planned for Sabah and Sarawak

Kota Kinabalu: Dog owners in Sabah and their pets now have an internationally affiliated association to assist them in all matters concerning man's best friend.

The East Malaysia Dogowners Association (EMDA) will be assisting local authorities, state agencies and departments in matters related to canines," said its president William Chang.

Chang said that after many years of planning and delays in founding a canine club in the state, the EMDA inally got off the ground last week.

EMDA, he said, is the first canine club registered with the ROS in Sabah and is affiliated to The Federacion Canina International (FCI) which is an international canine federation.

EMDA is placed under the Asian Kennel Club Union of the Philippines Inc. (AKCUPI) as the head of the Asian section.

Chang said EMDA will work towards making Sabah internationally known for its canine activities and bring in international dog enthusiasts as well as conduct dog shows in the state.

The first event will an 'All Breed Dog' show scheduled for Dec 12 in the state capital to be judged by panel of international judges.

Chang said EMDA is now on a campaign to encourage dog owners in Sabah and Sarawak to join the association.

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Kuching: Sarawak is close to becoming a medical tourism hotspot, said Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Addressing orthodontists at a dinner on Saturday, Taib said the state was set to attract world attention with an anticipated breakthrough 'soon' by its scientists working on a treatment for AIDs.

He said this and the plan to build a medical city in Samarahan, now only requiring ironing out some matters with the federal government, would draw globe trotters to Sarawak for the cure and the medical services the state would be offering.

"Sarawak is waiting for its own breakthrough for our own contribution to the medical world to cure AIDS...it is just around the corner as the trials are successful," he said during the 'Night of A Thousand Smiles' gala dinner hosted by Malaysian Association of Orthodontists at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching here.
He said many would be keen to get the cure, thus the government hoped to tap into this market by coming up with a plan capable of complementing this.

"The Sarawak government has allocated a big area ...to venture into the medical tourism industry.
"Now we are trying to iron out details with the federal government...to enable us to move forward and not get tied down by a lot of bureaucracy," he said.

Taib believed that the federal government would respond positively to the state government's efforts which he described as being in line with the federal government's aim of boosting the local medical tourism industry.

"Sarawak will respond positively to any policy on medical, in particular medical tourism, implemented by the federal government," he stressed.

He, however, was quick to add that while the government was actively promoting the medical tourism industry, it did not forget the need to give an affordable medical treatment and services to needy groups, especially the poor.

Continue reading medical city set to make state tourism hotspot

Event: Rainforest World Music Festival
Location: Sarawak Cultural Village, Santubong (near Kuching, capital of Sarawak)
Date: 10 - 12 July 2009

The first thing I noticed about the Rainforest World Music Festival was the quite stunning setting, the surroundings of the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong, just 45 minutes drive from Kuching.

There are few music festivals in the world that claim to have an immediate environment that is quite so lovely. There is the lush vegetation, the quiet calm aura, the authentic reproductions of the traditional wooden huts and longhouses of the various Sarawak ethnic tribes, and towering up behind it all is the Gunung Santubong (Mount Santubong) - rising steeply from sea level to 2,658 feet ! (bring your hiking boots if you're up for a jolly climbing jaunt before or after the festival).

Music "workshops" start at 2pm each day continue until 5pm. They take place at 3 different sites within the cultural village: The Theatre, Dewan Lagenda, and the Iban Longhouse.

The first one we visited featured "Gypsy" music with bands from France, Hungary and Poland each introducing their instruments, their music and where it originated, and playing a few songs infront of an enthusiastic audience before all the bands joined together and embark, in the final act, in the RWMF's signature jamming sessions

Those jamming sessions, and the enthusiasm of the audiences, were the second and third things I noticed about the Rainforest World Music Festival.

Throughout the grounds the atmosphere was just perfect. People were ready to have a good time and to really listen to and appreciate the music, which is traditional, sometimes ancient music sometimes played on instruments you've never seen before, let alone heard.

The bands have flown in from different parts of the world, each representing a musical heritage and traditional styles, from China, Chile, Canada, Hungary, USA, France, New Zealand, Sabah, Peninsular Malaysia, Korea, Tanzania, Portugal, and more. The jamming sessions are planned but not rehearsed i.e. the musicians who sit in on the workshops know that they will be jamming with each other, but they jam together for the first time ever.

These spontaneous jams were like alchemy. The jams never lasted long but they were magical at times: We were witnessing the creation of new music before our very own eyes.

From 7pm onwards the main event is ready to roll, and people start making their way from the food and beverage tents to the main stage.

The party goes on until midnight each night.

And there are plenty of drinks for the thirsty ;)

Its not pop, or rock or whatever is new and "trendy". It was better than that. And the vibe around the festival was pure magic.

Recommend:
- Booking flights and hotels early because they get booked up quickly
- Going for the whole weekend, Friday to Sunday (flying in on Thurs and out on Mon)
- Attending the workshops from 2 - 5pm
- Staying in one of the hotels near the festival site, or at the festival site itself in one of the longhouses
- Visiting Kuching city, strolling around the waterfront bazaar and visiting the museums

Don't recommend:
- Staying in Kuching and commuting to and from the festival everyday

WITH a record number of more than 22,000 revellers attending last year's Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) is working hard to ensure this year's festival continues to have the same magical attraction.

STB has already enlisted bands from the US, Portugal, Tanzania, New Zealand, Poland, France and South Korea to perform at the 12th edition of the festival which will be staged at the picturesque Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV) in Kuching, Sarawak, from July 10 to 12.

There will also be performances by Malaysian bands, including from Sarawak, and these bands will add musical variety to the festival.

The bands that will perform are Zawose Family Africa from Tanzania, Noreummachi (South Korea), Moana & The Tribe (New Zealand), Red Chamber (Canada/China), Jouhiorkesteri (Finland), Muzsikas (Hungary), Inti Illimani (Chile), Jeff & The Vida (US), Dazkarieh (Portugal), Oudaden (Morocco), Poum Tchak (France), Asika (Malaysia), Sekaa Jaya Jenggala (Indonesia), The Nicholas Orchestra (Poland), Lan-E Tuyang (Sarawak, Malaysia), Kinabalu Merdu Sound (Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia) and AkashA (Malaysia).

This new and exciting edition of RWMF promises festival goers an interesting mix of world music beats from the bands which will showcase some unique instruments.

Revellers can enrich their festival experience by participating in jam sessions at workshops every afternoon at the various ethnic houses in SCV, or by visiting the Rainforest World Craft Bazaar (RWCB), which will be held simultaneously with the festival.

(The Star Online)

Continue reading Sarawak Rainforest music festival to unravel another rousing show

BATANG Ai has a national park that is also home to the orang utan. The 60,000ha park adjoins the 180,000ha Lanjak-Entimau wildlife sanctuary where there are about 2,000 orang utan. Lanjak-Entimau covers Sri Aman, Sarikei, Sibu and Kapit Divisions.

Gazetted in 1991, the Batang Ai national park has become increasingly popular with locals and tourists.

Apart from orang utans, other primates roaming the park are the Bornean gibbons, long-tailed macaques, pig-tailed macaques and the nocturnal western tarsier.

The animals there include the rare and elusive clouded leopard, two species of civet cat, sun bears, bearded pigs, barking deer, sambar deer, mouse deer, martens, weasels, otters, porcupines and giant squirrels, as well as a host of smaller squirrels, other rodents and tree shrews.

Five of Sarawak's eight hornbill species can also be found in Batang Ai, including the spectacular rhinoceros hornbill, the state bird. This park is also a water catchment area to Sarawak's only artificial lake.

(Source: New Strait Times)

Continue reading Batang Ai - Popular wildlife sanctuary

This latest discovery was made during the just completed 14th Anglo-Sarawak Caving Expedition to the park.

Based in the Melinau Gorge, the expedition was in the field between Jan 16 and March 12.

Tim Allen, from the United Kingdom, led the team of 18 which consisted of experienced Mulu cavers, young speleologists, a research scientist and an ecologist from the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC).

The team was closely supported by the national park management and staff, as well as local organisers and labour, according to a press release yesterday.

The expedition focused most of its attention on the Whiterock area of the Clearwater Cave system.

(Source: The Borneo Post)

Continue reading Mulu's Clearwater Cave eighth longest in the world

KUCHING: The Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) will position the state as a food paradise in its coming promotional campaigns following the success of the Sarawak Laksa Escapade.

STB CEO Gracie Geikie said there is a lot of potential to promote other local dishes unique to Sarawak.

"Our next series is 'Kolo Mee', which will start either in August or September. To me, Sarawak is a food paradise but it is little known around the world," said Geikie.

"During the Sarawak Laksa Escapade, tourists are also to visit tour attractions in the state but of course, the focus is on laksa. This is the first time Sarawak's tourism is promoted via food, previously, music was used," she said.

(Article is taken from BorneoPost Online)

Continue reading Sarawak as a food paradise

SIBU: Sarawakians, famed for their great smiles, friendliness and hospitality, should preserve these natural traits zealously to ward off the onslaught of 'imported' negative cultures.

Minister of Urban Development and Tourism, Datuk Michael Manyin Jawong, said this "great culture" of the locals must be preserved because, among other things, tourists were attracted to visit the State as it was hard to find such natural smiles and friendly people anywhere in the world.

"Smiles, friendliness and great hospitality are, first and foremost, one of the most important attractions which impress tourists so much that they want to visit this beautiful land of ours.

"Recently, for example, I met a Singaporean and he told me that if you happen to be visiting a longhouse, and you are hungry, you can just walk into any of the bileks (room) and get some food...for free!," he chuckled.

Manyin pointed out that the friendly nature of the locals had been passed down from generation to generation, and as such should be preserved for posterity.

(Article is taken from Eastern Times)

Continue reading Smiles - Sarawak's potent tourist attraction

KUCHING: Sarawak will go on a roadshow in Singapore this year to promote itself as a destination for the Malaysia My Second Home programme.

Johari said Sarawak would also try to attract Singaporean construction companies into building homes targeted for foreign ownership in the state.
(Article is taken from TheStar Online)

Continue reading Sarawak to promote My Second Home plan

By Himanshu Bhatt (www.thesundaily.com)

Another eight skeletons, including seven males aged betwen 25 and 45 years, were discovered in Gua Kain Hitam, at a back portion of the sprawling Niah caves complex near Miri.

Continue reading Prehistoric human remains found in Perak, Sarawak