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2011-06-06T00:41:00.000-07:00

E-Book Islam dan Telefon Bimbit Al Quran - PENGHANTARAN PERCUMA

2011-04-10T01:14:00.000-07:00

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Roundabout Balik Pulau

2011-01-22T04:56:00.000-08:00

Monumen roundabout di jalan Besar, Balik Pulau ialah seni bina asal yang dibinakan pada tahun 1882 oleh Koh Seang Tat (1833-abad 20an). Koh Seang Tat ialah seorang saudagar Hakka yang kaya, beliau telah dianugerah sebagai Kapitan Cina oleh kerajaan British. Kerja Kapitan Cina ialah menjaga kebajikan kaum Cina. Monument ini dibina untuk memperingatkan kunjugan Sir Federick Weld K.C.M.G Gabenor Selat Melaka.

Semasa penjajahan British, orang British telah memperkenalkan teknik-teknik menggunakan kereta kuda. Kuda digunakan oleh orang kaya seperti Koh Seang Tat dan orang British. Roundabout ini berfungsi untuk kuda dan lembu minum air. Kuda dan lembu digunakan sebagai pengangkutan untuk mengangkut cengkih, buah pala, getah, pisang, dan kelapa.

(Fong Ten Sent)

Monument roundabout juga telah menjadi petanda di Balik Pulau. Pada zaman dahulu, orang menggunakan penunjuk arah untuk mengecamkan arah. Dua ukiran simbol singa didapati di bawah monumen. Simbol singa digunakan sebagai lambang British. Jadi, ukiran singa ialah untuk mengingati British. Selain itu, air akan keluar dari ukiran mulut singa. Menurut penduduk tempatan, air berasal dari gunung (O Keau Shua, Hokkien) di belakang sekolah Sacred Heart melalui sistem paip.

Kepercayaan bagi orang Cina ialah jika ada air orang Cina akan mendapat untung; jika tiada air, orang Cina akan malang. Dan orang Cina menganggap singa sebagai simbol hero.

Bahan asal monument ini dibina dengan menggunakan batu-bata.Penjagaan dan pembaiki roundabout diubahsuai dari masa ke semasa. Seperti sekarang 2006, sportlight, pancut air, peti elektrik dan mozek telah ditambah di roundabout. Lima tahun yang lepas, pokok kelapa plastic telah dipasang dan diturunkan kerana tidak cantik.

Kerajaan kita telah mengumumkan roundabout ini akan dikekalkan selama-lamanya.

Source : http://balikpulau.pid.net.my/page.cfm?name=Roundabout

Malaysia makes staggering tourism gains

2011-01-21T05:18:00.000-08:00

Malaysia will achieve around 26 million visitors in 2010 with an estimated revenue of RM19.7 billion, the country’s deputy minister of tourism, James Dawos Mamit, claimed during a media briefing, Thursday, at the ASEAN tourism Forum.
Admitting they were provisional figures the deputy minster noted the official data for arrivals and revenue for January to September confirmed the country was on target with RM18.2 million arrivals and earnings of RM13.12 billion during the first nine months.
Official figures for that period indicate the four top markets were Singapore 9.650,663 tourist arrivals, Indonesia 1,842,277, Thailand 1,090,829 and China 830,000.
Bullish about the future, he talked about long-term plans that will raise Malaysia to “developed nation status” by 2020 when tourist arrivals could reach a staggering 36 million and revenue of RM56 billion.
Despite his emphasis on tourist arrivals, he claimed the country placed more importance on sustainable, eco-friendly tourism that included offering financial incentives and awards to companies that specialised in eco-tourism projects.
Homestay projects too are a priority this year with Tourism Malaysia claiming the market has strong appeal in Japan where bookings for this kind of accommodation increased 17%.

Source : http://www.ttrweekly.com

Arrivals into Thailand reach 12.5 million

2010-11-14T01:29:00.000-08:00

Tourist arrivals to Thailand continue to expand registering a double digit 12.79% growth over the 10-month period ending 31 October.

However, the percentage growth declined slightly compared to 13.3% during the nine-month period according to unofficial data posted on the Department of Tourism’s website, yesterday.
During January to October, the Immigration Bureau recorded 12,523,594 million foreign arrivals entering the country at all checkpoints — overland, sea and air, but excluding border pass holders and expatriate Thais.

In October alone, 1,313,577 million tourist arrivals were tallied, up 8.61% over October 2010. This single digit increase pulled the year-to-date growth down by 0.51 points from 13.3% to 12.79%. Thailand needs to receive 2.78 million tourists during the last two months or an average of 1.39 million tourists per month to meet the positive year-end target of 15.34 million.

According to the data, 7,697,995 or 61.47% of tourist arrivals during the January-October period were from Asian countries. The percentage growth was 16.12% compared to 6,629,338 last year. A sub-region breakdown showed nine ASEAN countries supplied 3,485,747 arrivals, up 12.4% followed by East Asian countries (2,927, 214, +18.63%), South Asia (793,917, +19.11%) and Middle East (490,817, +24.51%).
Europe with a market share of 27.19% delivered 3,404,781 visits, an increase of 9.21%.

Although this accounted for a quarter of all tourists to Thailand, declines were registered in several source markets: Spain (-13,21%, 53,971); Ireland (-12.37%, 47,401); Finland (-6.83%, 104,441); UK (-2.68%, 652,920); Netherlands (-2.13%, 159,533); Italy (-1.6%, 130,808) and Sweden (-0.48%, 251,789).

Growth in the Americas, which has a market share of 5.39%, was marginal at 0.12% supplying 675,588 visits in 10 months. Oceania with a 5.14% share delivered 644,310 (88.19% from Australia), increasing 8.31%. Africa accounted for 0.81% of market share while supplying 101,220 trips, an increase of 16.97%.

By country markets, at the close of October, the top 10 suppliers remain unchanged with Malaysia leading. From January to October, 1,571,009 Malaysians came to Thailand, a growth of 15.58% followed by China (885,301, +49.85%), Japan (802,279, -2.49%), UK (652,9290, -2.68%), Korea (646,823, +33.14%), India (604,942, +22.39%), Australia (568,190, +9.25%), Laos (526,383, -3.76%), USA (488,748, -1.63%) and Germany (477,260, +8.92%).

In the outstanding growth category, Russian tourists led the field — 12th largest single country supplier, +86.57% (433,282).

Other countries, or territories, delivering substantial growth rates above 25% included: Middle East’s Others besides Egypt, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and U.A.E (244,026, +38.98%); South Africa (43,127, 36.46%); Cambodia (110,932, +36.19%); Indonesia (226,742, +35.41%); Argentina (8,161, +35%); U.A.E (89,394, +27.37%); Oceania’s Others besides Australia and New Zealand (2,300, +26.23%); Bangladesh (54,140, +25.69%); East Europe, +20.46% (161,226) and the Americas’ Others beside the US, Canada, Argentina and Brazil (30,438, +20.07%).

Declining markets apart those identified, earlier in the report, were: Saudi Arabia (7,150, -21.78%); Brunei (5,437, -9.35%); Pakistan (52,678, -0.28%) and Canada
(132,231, -0.17%).

http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2010/11/arrivals-into-thailand-reach-12-5-million/

Tourism in Cambodia and Myanmar improves

2010-11-13T20:41:00.000-08:00

Cambodia’s tourism ministry reported a 14% growth in tourist arrivals while Myanmar claims tourist arrivals grew by 37% so far this year.

In a ministry statement published by the Phnom Penh Post, Wednesday, the Ministry of Tourism claimed the country welcomed 1,803,180 foreign tourists in the first nine months, representing a 14.6% increase compared to 1,573,940 tourists in the same period last year. Data indicated 51% of international visitors or 920,627 entered the country through two airports in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

Siem Reap International Airport recorded 498,697 foreign arrivals, or a 17.65% increase during the first nine months compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, Phnom Penh airport received 421,930 foreigners, an increase of 11% over the same period last year.

The largest source of overall arrivals was Vietnam (341,113 visitors, +49%) followed by Korea (207,412, +32%) and China (127,412, +40.8%).

However, China was the largest source of business visitors, 27,660 arrivals. Thailand was the ninth-largest source market, but saw a 8.77% decline, down to 76,036 trips. In an interview with local media, Ministry of Tourism director general, Tith Chantha said Cambodia had set a target of 2.5 million international visitors by the end of 2010, up from 2.16 million last year.

“Growth could be at around 15% for all of 2010 because of economic recovery, more regional flight connections and broad promotions,” he said.

In Yangon, officials reporting speaking to the government controlled Myanmar Times claimed international tourist arrivals, from January to September this year reached 201,823 trips, an increase of 37.14% compared with the same period last year.

Most visitors were from Asia, about 138,938, or 68.84% of all arrivals. This included 38,825 from Thailand, the largest single group; 23,634 from China; 13,210 from South Korea; 11,952 from Japan; and 11,124 from Malaysia.

About 41,171 trips, (20.4% of overall arrivals) were from Europe, including 8,579 from France, 6,375 from Germany and 4,960 from the United Kingdom.

In key destinations such as Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan and Inle Lake hoteliers reported reservations were up from last year resulting in higher occupancy rates that are likely to improve by 20 to 30% this year.

Source : http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2010/11/tourism-in-cambodia-and-myanmar-improves/

Asia-Pacific online travel by numbers

2010-10-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

Some fascinating data and detail into the growth of online travel in the Asia-Pacific region from Joe Nguyen, vice president in South East Asia at Comscore.

At the top of the story behind the region’s growth is the nugget that travel sites are outpacing growth from the general internet audience by almost three to one.

The total internet audience increased by 7% from 477 million in 2009 to 511 million in 2010, but visits to travel sites jumped 19% from 108 million to 129 million.

Making up the largest share of the growth in travel sites comes from online travel agents in Asia-Pacific, increasing by 30% from 40 million to 52 million over the same period.

In the airline sector, AirAsia leads the field with 3.5 million unique visitors a month in August 2010 (up 15% y/y). Tiger Airways, interestingly, has the largest growth amongst the top ten airlines with a 52% leap from 2009 to 2010 to 930,000 monthly UVs.

Around specific behaviour online, Comscore’s data paints an interesting picture.
For example, developing markets in Asia have a low number of female users (India 30% and Indonesia 36%), but figures in other Asian markets are closer to those in the US and Europe, such as Malaysia (47%), Singapore (51%) and Japan (44%).

Among the over-45s, car rental is the rather curious winner as the most popular internet category, well ahead of ISP services, sports, politics and food and the leader in the travel sector. Airlines come in eighth position and hotels at 19.

Source : http://www.tnooz.com/2010/10/19/news/asia-pacific-online-travel-by-numbers/?utm_source=Tnooz+Mailing+List&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=15d5f84ec8-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN

New 7 Wonders - Why VOTE for the Dead Sea

2010-10-03T01:33:00.000-07:00

The world contains an abundance of varied and beautiful locations, which fascinate and excite visitors, but the Dead Sea region is unique, combining history, geography, nature, health and beauty, and has attracted visitors throughout human history.

Even in ancient times, the Dead Sea was the focus of important events: In the Bible, Abraham, the father of Isaac and Ishmael, rescued his nephew, Lot, from Sodom and Gomorrah, minutes before the wicked cities were demolished by divine punishment; King David fled from the wrath of Saul to the Dead Sea region, and the heroic tale of Masada took place by the Dead Sea.

In addition, the Dead Sea region was the abode of the Essenes, whose writings, the Dead Sea Scrolls, excited the world (and were a source for the Indiana Jones movies); the Tribes of Israel crossed the Jordan River near the Dead Sea, and Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist.

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Seven reasons to vote for the Dead Sea:

1.	The lowest place on earth The Dead Sea is located in the Syrian-African Rift on the border between Israel and Jordan, 423 meters below sea level. Due to its uniquely low altitude, which increases the distance taken by sunbeams before they touch the human skin, healthy solar energy is created, with positive and healing qualities that help in the healing of various skin diseases, such as psoriasis.
2.	The saltiest lake in the world The Dead Sea has a salt concentration of 33.7%, and is the second-most salty water source in the world. Due to the high saline levels, a variety of salts can be produced and marketed to meet global demand, serving as the basis for the existence of many industries in a variety of fields (from foodstuffs to microchips and cellular phones).
3.	Unique mud with medical and cosmetic characteristics. At the Dead Sea you can frequently see people coating their bodies with mud! The natural mud excavated from the shores of the Dead Sea is rich in minerals and salts, and has well-known medicinal characteristics. Dead Sea mud is used both for medical treatments of skin diseases and for cosmetic treatments, and is sold throughout the world.
4.	Clear, rich air. The air at the Dead Sea has 6% more oxygen than anywhere else in the world, and also contains bromide and magnesium. In addition, the air at the Dead Sea is very dry, and serves as a helpful medical factor for people suffering from lung diseases. Groups of patients from around the world come to the region every year, in order to breathe the unique air and enjoy its health-giving qualities.
5.	A winning combination of history and nature First-time visitors to the Dead Sea region are thrilled by the lowest lake in the world, surrounded by ancient ruins, mountains colored in the light of the sun, and pillars of salt giving the place an unearthly, celestial appearance. This beauty is studded with desert springs emerging from the shaded wadis, creating a unique landscape of pools and waterfalls, and providing mineral water for the entire region.
6.	Floating effortlessly The Dead Sea's high salt concentration allows anyone bathing in the water to float effortlessly. This escape from gravity allows visitors to cut themselves off from their day-to-day lives, and connect to the natural world surrounding the lake. In addition, floating naturally in the Dead Sea provides hydrotherapy treatment without requiring any technical aids.
7.	The World's largest natural spa Visitors to the Dead Sea enjoy a luxurious, natural and varied spa, containing all the attractions the Dead Sea has to offer: Three types of water: Dead Sea water, thermo-mineral water, and mineral water for drinking. Twenty-four different minerals that are found in the water (including sulfur) are beneficial to the human body. A large number of heated sea water pools along the Dead Sea are available for hydrotherapy sessions. Natural mud excavated along the Dead Sea beaches is rich in minerals and salts, and has special medical and cosmetic qualities. The unique sunlight has healing qualities for various skin diseases. High-oxygen air relaxes the nervous system. In addition, the Dead Sea is surrounded by a large number of spas, providing treatments based on the natural materials found in the Sea and providing their visitors with treatments based on materials provided by Mother Nature.

How do you vote for the Dead Sea?

Voting is simple. All you have to do is enter the competition site and vote, or send the words "Dead Sea" via a text message to 2244. (Text messaging is only possible in Israel.)

Want to know more on how to vote? Click here.

The Dead Sea is a candidate shared by Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. The Dead Sea has reached the third stage of the campaign and is among the 28 finalists.

You can read more about the Dead Sea region and vote for it on the campaign site.

Source http://www.votedeadsea.com/why-vote-dead-sea

Raja Perlis nasihat bakal haji tidak boros

2010-10-02T03:10:00.000-07:00

2010/10/02

KANGAR: Raja Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail ,menasihati bakal haji supaya tidak boros berbelanja ketika berada di tanah suci sebaliknya menumpukan perhatian kepada ibadah itu.

Titah baginda, setiap hari umat Islam berbelanja berjuta ringgit ketika mereka berada di Tanah Suci dalam setiap musim haji sehingga ada yang kelihatan lebih banyak masa mereka berada di tempat beli-belah.

"Sebenarnya apa yang dibeli di Tanah Suci kebanyakannya dikeluarkan oleh negara lain dan bukan keluaran Tanah Suci itu," titah baginda ketika merasmikan Kursus Perdana Haji peringkat negeri Perlis di Institut Latihan Perindustrian (ILP) di sini, hari ini.

Turut berangkat Raja Muda Perlis, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail yang juga Yang Dipertua Majlis Agama Islam dan Adat Istiadat Melayu Perlis (MAIP).

Menurut Raja Perlis, apa yang perlu diamalkan umat Islam ketika berada di tanah suci ialah bersikap sederhana dalam segala aspek bukan sahaja dalam soal berbelanja, tetapi juga dalam amal ibadat khususnya mengerjakan umrah sebelum tiba masa untuk mengerjakan haji.

Titah baginda, disebabkan salah faham dan kurang bimbingan, ada jemaah haji Malaysia lebih memberi tumpuan kepada mengerjakan umrah kerana yakin bahawa tujuh kali melakukan umrah, pahalanya sama seperti sekali mengerjakan haji sehingga akhirnya kesihatan mereka terjejas sebelum mengerjakan fardu Haji.

Baginda berharap setiap jemaah haji yang masih meragui tentang sesuatu amalan semasa di tanah suci supaya mendapatkan tunjuk ajar daripada pegawai-pegawai Tabung Haji supaya setiap yang dikerjakan tidak sia-sia.
Titah Raja Perlis, rakyat Malaysia harus bersyukur kerana mereka mempunyai Tabung Haji yang banyak memberi bimbingan tentang cara sebenar mengerjakan haji sedangkan banyak negara tidak ada khidmat sedemikian menyebabkan ada di kalangan jemaah mereka tidak mempunyai panduan tepat dalam melaksanakan amalan itu.

Sebelum itu Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Dr Md Isa Sabu, menasihati bakal-bakal jemaah terbabit sentiasa menjaga nama baik negara ketika berada di tanah suci tanpa terpengaruh kepada sebarang kegiatan yang bercanggah dengan peraturan kerajaan Arab Saudi.

Sebanyak 367 umat Islam Perlis terpilih menunaikan fardu Haji musim ini. - BERNAMA

Source : http://www.bharian.com.my/bharian/articles/RajaPerlisnasihatbakalhajitidakboros/Article

New 7 Wonders

2010-10-01T22:03:00.000-07:00

Voting

The third phase of the New7Wonders of Nature is now underway, and you can vote on your choice of seven natural wonders from the selection of 28 Official Finalist Candidates. If you cast your vote during the nominee phases, you can vote again now during this finalist phase

Procedure for the New 7 Wonders of the World

The Official New7Wonders of Nature campaign started in 2007, immediately after the successful campaign to elect the man-made Official New 7 Wonders of the World , in which more than 100 million votes were cast and which took democracy to a new global level. From over 440 participants representing over 220 countries - more countries than participate in the Olympic Games - and through a national qualification and race to become one of the Top 77, as well as the Panel of Experts recommendation of the list of 28 Official Finalist Candidates, the Official New7Wonders of Nature is now in its third and final phase in which the wonders themselves will be chosen by an estimated 1 billion votes. The Official Declaration of the New7Wonders of Nature will be on 11.11.11.

New7Wonders of Nature World Tour

Voting will continue throughout 2010 and into 2011. During this time, the New7Wonders World Tour will aim to visit each of the Finalists to allow them to present themselves to the voters across the globe.

The change from man-made structures to treasures of nature

New7Wonders Founder and President Bernard Weber notes, “We are finding the New7Wonders of Nature campaign to be excitingly different from the first campaign. So many breathtakingly beautiful, natural places are still quite unknown to many. From waterfalls to fjords, rainforests to mountain peaks, freshwater lakes to volcanoes, we are discovering together the incredible beauty and variety of our planet.”

How to VOTE
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Source : http://www.new7wonders.com/community/en/new7wonders/new7wonders_of_nature

About Indonesia

2010-10-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

The Republic of Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world comprising 17,504 large and small tropical islands fringed with white sandy beaches, many still uninhabited and a number even still unnamed. Straddling the equator, situated between the continents of Asia and Australia and between the Pacific and the Indian Oceans, it is as wide as the United States from San Francisco to New York, equaling the distance between London and Moscow. Indonesia has a total population of more than 215 million people from more than 200 ethnic groups. The national language is Bahasa Indonesia.

Among the most well known islands are Sumatra, Java, Bali, Kalimantan (formerly Borneo), Sulawesi (formerly Celebes), the Maluku Islands (or better known as Moluccas, the original Spice Islands) and Papua. Then, there is Bali “the world’s best island resort” with its enchanting culture, beaches, dynamic dances and music. But Indonesia still has many unexplored islands with grand mountain views, green rainforests to trek through, rolling waves to surf and deep blue pristine seas to dive in where one can swim with dugongs, dolphins and large mantarays.

Because of her location, and geology, Indonesia is blessed with the most diverse landscape, from fertile ricelands on Java and Bali to the luxuriant rainforests of Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi, to the savannah grasslands of the Nusatenggara islands to snow-capped peaks of West Papua.

Her wildlife ranges from the prehistoric giant Komodo lizard to the Orang Utan and the Java rhino, to the Sulawesi anoa dwarf buffalos, to birds with exquisite plumage like the cockatoo and the bird of paradise. This is also the habitat of the Rafflesia the world’s largest flower, wild orchids, an amazing variety of spices, and aromatic hardwood and a large variety of fruit trees. Underwater, scientists have found in North Sulawesi the prehistoric coelacanth fish, a “living fossil” fish, predating the dinosaurs living some 400 million years ago, while whales migrate yearly through these waters from the South Pole. Here are hundreds of species of colourful coral and tropical fish to admire.

Culturally, Indonesia fascinates with her rich diversity of ancient temples, music, ranging from the traditional to modern pop, dances, rituals and ways of life, changing from island to island, from region to region. Yet everywhere the visitor feels welcomed with that warm, gracious innate friendliness of the Indonesian people that is not easily forgotten.

Facilities-wise Indonesia’s hotels are second to none. In fact, many of our luxurious and unique hotels have constantly been listed as some of the best in the world, located on white sandy beaches, overlooking green river valleys, or situated in the heart of busy capital Jakarta. While Indonesia’s cities like Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, or Makassar are a hive of activities for business and leisure and a paradise for shoppers, offering upscale boutiques selling top brand names, to local goods at road-side stalls. Here gourmets can treat themselves to the many regions’ delectable spicy cuisine or dine sumptuously at international restaurants. And for sheer relaxation, Indonesia Spas are second to none to reinvigorate both body and mind.

Convention centers are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, as many top international conferences and exhibitions are held in Jakarta, Bali to Manado, ranging from the Global Climate Change Conference in Bali to the World Ocean Conference in Manado, to trade and investment exhibitions and tourism trade shows in many provincial capital cities.

Jakarta, Bali, Medan, Padang, Bandung, Solo, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Makassar are connected by direct international flights, and many regular and low cost carriers fly passengers to Indonesia’s towns or remote locations.

Related links :-

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Source : http://www.visit-indonesia.com.my/about_indonesia.html

CHINA tourists return to Thailand

2010-10-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

Sirima Eamtako, Bangkok (2010-10-01)

THE TOURISM Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association (TCTA) have reported a healthy rebound in arrivals from China after the advisory for the kingdom was lifted in early July.

This follows an exemption of a tourist visa fee for Chinese tourists and a host of stimulus campaigns, including a 60 million baht (US$1.97 million) advertisement series, to restore travellers’ confidence.

Despite the recent Thai political crisis, the country is on track to welcome one million arrivals from China this year and 1.3 million for the next, according to TAT and TCTA.

Sansern Ngaorangsi, TAT deputy governor for international marketing (Asia and South Pacific), said in the first eight months of this year, arrivals from China jumped 54.57 per cent year-on-year to 685,215 visitors, despite a drop in numbers in April, May and June.

The number of flights and air seats from China has also increased by 18 per cent and 17 per cent respectively, over last year.

“Phuket is in demand for the Chinese market,” said TCTA president Vichit Prakobgosol. TCTA data register a 200 per cent increase in charters from China to Phuket in the fourth quarter.

Arrivals from China to the southern Thai island are expected to grow from about 70,000 to 80,000 visitors last year to more than 100,000 this year, and to increase further to about 140,000 to 150,000 next year, said Vichit, who is also chairman of CCT Group, one of the kingdom’s largest inbound Chinese tour operators.

Source : http://ttgtravelhub.net/

Malaysia backs Islamic tourism event

2010-09-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

September 28, 2010 by TTRweekly Staff

BANGKOK, 28 September 2010 – Islamic Tourism Conference & Travel Mart 2010 is scheduled for 28 to 31 October at the Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

ITCM 2010 is an annual event, organised by Islamic Tourism Centre and endorsed by Ministry of Tourism of Malaysia. This year, the event will address the theme “Harvesting the Potential of Intra-Regional Islamic Travel & Tourism.”

There are two main event zones – an International Islamic tourism conference (28 to 29 October) and the travel mart (30 to 31 October.) The first is limited to trade visitors only while the mart is open to the general public.

The objective is to create a B2B platform for networking and improve sales for Islamic travel and tourism suppliers.

In an official statement the organisers said the event would encourage the “convergence of viewpoints from the academic perspectives and business aspects of tourism” that could be harnessed to benefit Muslim travellers

The mart should attract 200 exhibition booths, 100 foreign travel trade buyers and 200 conference participants.

Apart from participation from local tourism and travel trade industry players and state governments another eight countries will be represented. They are: Saudi Arabia; Brunei Darussalam; Azerbaijan; Indonesia; Egypt; Oman; Iran and South Africa.

Space Travel for US$200,000 a ticket

2010-09-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

KUALA LUMPUR, 28 September 2010 – Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson said Monday that Virgin Galactic is on track to offer commercial space travel within 18 months, and that space hotels are next on the drawing board.

The project’s SpaceshipTwo, an aircraft built by aviation engineer Burt Rutan and designed to carry paying customers into suborbital space, had its maiden flight in the California desert in March.

“We just finished building SpaceShipTwo. We are 18 months away from taking people into space,” Branson told a business conference in Kuala Lumpur, adding that the fare will start at US$200,000.

Virgin Galactic, which aims to become the world’s first commercial company to promote space tourism, has already collected US$45 million in deposits from more than 330 people who have reserved seats aboard the six-person craft.

Branson also has visions of establishing hotels in space, which well-heeled tourists can use as a base for shuttle flights over the moon.

“We are looking at hotels in space. We love the moon,” the tycoon said, adding that he was also interested in launching “small satellites into space” for the benefit of schools and universities.

Under Branson’s brainchild scheme, the SpaceshipTwo craft is to be launched into space with the help of mothership White Knight Two (WK2).

WK2 will carry SpaceshipTwo to an altitude of around 16 kilometres before dropping the smaller spaceship and allowing it to fire up its rocket motor to blast up to the brink of space.

Once it has reached suborbital space, SpaceShipTwo passengers will be able to view the Earth from portholes next to their seats, or unbuckle their seatbelts and float in zero gravity.

Meanwhile, in a more down-to-earn business, Branson has a 20% in Malaysia-based long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X which flies to Asia and Europe.

eHoliday by Yellow Pages

2010-09-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

Website Statistics mortgage payment calculator

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Quick Description
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Things have never been the same before… Yellowpages had just recently launch its e-Holiday. As at now it’s the Malaysia most comprehensive Tourism Guide in Malaysia! Get yourselves a copy today e-Holiday

If you are in the Tourism industry, the more you need to have a copy and be listed in it. This definitely, a perfect platform for you to reach out to all the Tourism related business and your target market.

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Looking for a BEST advertising channel?:
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In dynamic business context today, it is important to allocate a budget be it for branding, creating awareness or reaching out to the publics and perhaps your potential client. However, there are tones of advertising medias in the market and all claimed themselves to be great.

It’s important to understand the criteria, as the guideline for us when we source for one. Based on our years of business in the distribution channels, the top rated criteria when selecting for an advertisement channel are:
Maximum Exposure. Consider the other related strengths of the particular channel. This is to ensure that your advertisement is well-placed and assured of being exposed to high traffic usage.
Track & Measure Information. Look for advertising tools that somehow can enable you to track users who click on your link, see where they go on your website, know which product is the most interesting to users, and correspond with your product development as well as sales target.
Focused Market. Do some research and study on the target segment of the advertising channel. On a later stage, this will help you reaches out to users who are looking for you product e.g. Tourism Industry.
Affordable Advertising Rates. A comprehensive advertising packages that contain information that you want others and your potential client to know about you particularly in Tourism Industry.

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Things To Watch For:
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How do you decide on having those to help bring sales lead for your business?

There is no right or wrong answer on which is the best way to promote online... Perhaps some of the good suggestions are:
Digitized your current printed material e.g. Brochures, Catalogues etc and start doing mass marketing via emails.
Out-source the marketing programme to the experts if you have some budget for this, as might cause you sum amount of money.
Associate with the established organisation that somehow inter-related to your industry to get leverage on their corporate branding and clientele, this will depend on what win-win benefits you can offers back to them?
Engage with medias in terms of advertisement channels depending on which target segment that your nature of business is aiming.

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Conclusion:
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If you or someone you know is looking for a advertisement channel, e-Holiday is a definite choice. Dollar for dollar, this is by far the best product in the market and by signing up any package during this promotion period; Yellowpages will be giving out FREE Advertisement on its printed directory.

For more information on this product check out e-Holiday

Costumed girls and cultural dances @ MATTA Fair September 2010 PWTC KL

2010-09-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

The crowd was hugh as expected during the three-day Malaysian Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Fair from 3rd to 5th September 2010 at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur.

Visitors shopped for the best deals offered from the more than 860 booths at the three-day travel fair, the second MATTA Fair for the year after the first one in March.

But MATTA Fair isn’t about the great travel bargains only, there are also other fun and exciting activities including interesting international performances for visitors entertainment and enjoyment while they shopped for best travel packages.

Mai Tomyam took snapshots of the interesting international cultural dances and also the colourful costumed girls and sales promoters, male and female included, who were perfect photo opportunity for photographers.

The MATTA Fair has great share of attrative costumed girls in traditional costumes of different countries. At the Reliance Travel booth, these two costumed girls welcome you with their charming smiles and friendly persona.

Sophie Tee (left) in traditional costume of Taiwan and Mavis Ooi in traditional costume of Egypt.

From left: Gibson Yee (Rome), Sophie Tee (Taiwan), Mavis Ooi (Egypt) and Maxim (Korea).

From left: Gibson Yee (Rome), Sophie Tee (Taiwan), Sonia Ng (Turkey), Mavis Ooi (Egypt) and Maxim (Korea).

Pretty girls in Japanese traditional dress kimono.

Cheerful girls in Japanese traditional dress kimono.

Girls in traditional Korean dress hanbok.

At the Sanbumi Holiday booth, Khairul Othman (left) and Syikin Musa in traditional Malay costumes offer you promotional ticket price of RM12.50 (normal RM35) to a Lunch & Cultural Dance Show at Selangor Culture Cove in Batu Caves, Selangor. The 30 minutes cultural performance is a combination of traditional Malay, Indian and dances from the indigenious tribes of Sabah and Sarawak.

Yit Hou (left) in traditional costume of Egypt and K.K. Ong in traditional costume of Brazil at the Parlo Tours booth.

A "Red Indian" at the A'Famosa Resort booth. The famous Red Indian Show and various other performances are attractions at the holiday resort in the vicinity of Alor Gajah, Malacca.

"Cowboy" and "Red Indian" at the A'Famosa Resort booth.

At the Marina Bay Sands booth visitors can register for its free Premier Advantage loyalty program rewarding guests with points and premier dollars wherever they spend at the glamorous integrated resort in Singapore.

Pretty babes at the Marina Bay Sands booth. From left: Christine Ng, Kylie Tan and May Choong.

The girls looked extremely cheerful handing out flyers.

Booth babes Shanny Lim (left) and Mindy Tan at the Sedania Travelneeds2u booth. The company offers services, products and solutions that focus on the emerging needs of today's business and leisure travellers. They can book online the GSP (Global Starter Pack) local prepaid SIM Card which allow them to get connected immediately upon arrival at their destinations.

Sedania Travelneeds2u marketing manager Hafie Mustapha (centre) with her promoter girls Shanny Lim (left) and Mindy Tan (right).

Thai Cultural Dance:Visitors were entertained with the grace and beauty of the traditional Thai dance.

Taiwan Aboriginal Performance:
Taiwan's aboriginal people performed dances and songs.

The crowd at the Matta Fair September 2010 PWTC, KL.

The Taiwan booth is decorated with colourful paintings of dragon, face mask and other motifs.

The Disneyland Hong Kong booth is adorned with pictures of popular Disney characters.

The Langkawi booth is decorated with this white headed eagle which is what gives Langkawi it's name. Langkawi means reddish brown eagle in colloquial Malay. The Malay word for eagle is helang - shortened is "lang". Kawi means the colour reddish brown.

If you are planning a holiday in Langkawi, check this One-Stop Langkawi website http://www.langkawi-wholesale.com/

A koala bear mascot advertising their booth with attractive holiday packages to Australia.

A clown entertains visitors especially the young ones with sculptured balloons.

A clown make a sculptured balloon resembling sword for the delighted boy.

A demonstration of umbrella paintings at the Thailand booth.

There were also demonstration of fruits and vegetable carving, making of floral garland and display of Thai handicrafts at the Thailand booth.

Visitors enjoy having their photos taken at a booth which provide free traditional costumes of various countries

Source : http://1mytomyam.blogspot.com/2010/09/costumed-girls-and-cultural-dances.html

Notification - Vacancy

2010-08-13T10:08:00.003-07:00

Business Manager / Executive

Job Description:

To sustain & further develop existing as well as new businesses and also to establish new markets
To participate in strategic business development plan, projects appraisals and feasibility studies and pursue new business opportunities.
To lead product portfolio management in ensuring that customer needs, positioning, product profitability and life cycle management are met.
To establish personal contact and maintain good rapport with clients/customers and other stakeholders.

Job Requirements:

Possess at least a Degree in Business/Marketing/Mass Communication/Media Studies or equivalent
Preferably with 2-3 years of working experience in business development
Good network in IT, Telecommunications and Corporate sector.
Good understanding of business development and product management.
Good understanding of key marketing concepts & key success factors.
A strong communications skill, fluent and excellent command of English both written and verbal and outgoing personality.
Highly motivated, result driven strategic thinker, who has strong leadership, marketing and business fundamentals.
Good decision maker with strong planning and good understanding of process to manage multiple priorities and task.
Pleasant personality and strong leadership skills.
Posses own transport
Preferable Female
Fresh graduates with excellent attitude are encouraged to apply

If you have friends & relatives interested to be in SEDANIA Team, may forward the resume to recruitment@sedania.tv

They may add us at Facebook “Sedania Recruit”.

Airlines versus Global Distribution Systems: Welcome to the new Cold War

2010-08-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

Posted by Timothy O'Neil-Dunne on 04 August 2010

So the gloves are coming off and the simmering dispute between the airlines and the GDSs over non-traditional content distribution is breaking out into war.

At first most international airlines have been watching the different positions taken by the traditional GDSs in the North American market.

The airlines generally regard ancillary services as a critical part of their future business model for profitability.

The GDSs, as they contend with ever increasing product complexity, don’t want to have to spend a large amount of money to re-develop the core architecture to accommodate this need.

Users do not want to change, they simply want a nice and easy way to compare products which they regard as a commodity. And they want it in the traditional channels in the traditional way.

The airlines believe it is critical to differentiate their products and services, and then distribute as they see fit. Conversely, the GDSs have been slow to develop solutions to accommodate the airlines in their needs.

Last year the legacy GDSs pointed to a lack of standards as a reason not to develop or support the distribution of unbundled product. And this is the core of the issue – the right to differentiate one’s product.

The airlines appear to be reluctant to wait for a GDS based standard for ancillaries and indeed in the USA formed their own organization to create a standard.

The idea behind OpenAxis Group is that their solution was formed because the OpenTravel Alliance and the traditional GDSs were perceived to be taking too long to develop a set of solutions.

The standoff between the players continues, although now they are starting to discuss it.

Many traditional airlines outside of the USA have been quiet on the issue – but the gloves have certainly come off in Asia-Pacific.

Specifically two airlines based in the region are vocal in their frustration. From Jetstar (a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas), executive manager for commercial, David Koczkar, was blunt in his assessment of the problem.

“The GDS’s can’t sell half our products.” And then he was more specific: “ …[they] can’t keep up with the LCCs in terms of product development.”

Further north, in what has become a very competitive market, Amin Khan, senior general manager network, revenue management and distribution for Malaysia Airlines, describing his frustration with the GDSs, said: “We are not able to display to the end customer what we would like them to see…”

He added that GDSs are “too expensive”. There is a subtext to the issue and that is how airlines feel a growing discontent with the highly restrictive GDS full content contracts, which in some cases are now tying their hands in their distribution of any content.

But the GDSs are fighting back. Responding to a reporter’s question directly, Amadeus retiring CEO David Jones responded by pushing the blame bucket back across to the airlines. He pointed the finger at the airlines by saying they should have agreed on a universal set of standards for their own systems.

Sticking to the GDS standard line, he said: “The fact is that different airlines around the world have not yet agreed on any set standards to do this.”

This is going to be a long running saga. Now there is a standard set available in the OpenAxis Group which is not just a paper standard but has actually been deployed in markets, and not just in the USA.

The GDSs don’t have this argument to hang onto much longer.

Where Jones is right is that there are still issues on financial fulfillment to be resolved. But the airlines are not waiting – this is critical to their success, they are putting in solutions today and working with distributers to ensure that the customers can buy their products through their preferred channels which of course includes travel agents.

The impact of this fundamental change of the airline product clearly extends beyond the GDSs.

The OTAs and indeed anyone selling airline products – either standalone or bundled – will have to start working quickly to deploy these solutions.

Standards or not – avoiding the issue is not an option.

Note: The author is acting CEO of LUTE Technologies, which is an allied member of Open Axis Group

Source : http://www.tnooz.com/2010/08/04/news/airlines-versus-global-distribution-systems-welcome-to-the-new-cold-war/?utm_source=Tnooz+Mailing+List&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=c93d787d65-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN

Calon Idola Kecil ...

2010-07-31T08:44:00.000-07:00

Cuba klik .... http://www.facebook.com/kamarollzaman#!/video/video.php?v=1528009409533&ref=mf

The Tourism Challenge by Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman

2010-07-22T00:05:00.000-07:00

MALAYSIA is a relatively new player in the field of tourism. The upgrading of promotional activities started only when the Tourism and Culture Ministry was established in 1987.

At that time, the country was little known to the rest of the world. Those responsible had not only to deal with the task of creating awareness but also with the fact that the country had to compete against several more mature markets in the region.

The tourism industry has undergone rapid development over the past decade. The industry has grown from strength to strength to become a leading revenue generator as well as a significant contributor to the nation’s economic growth.

Recognising this, the government has placed great emphasis on tourism product development by continuously upgrading the infrastructure, the quality of existing products as well as developing new tourism products that can capture a bigger share of the world tourism market.

At the same time, I hope more and more of our people and the frontliners will continue to provide value-added services to tourists. I also hope more emphasis will be given to inculcate the spirit of “Think Tourism” among our industry players and those in the hospitality sector.

The government, under the 10th Malaysia Plan, is targeting to improve Malaysia’s position to be within the top 10 in terms of global tourism receipts by 2015. According to the Minister of Tourism, the ministry would focus on attracting a larger share of high-end travellers capturing a bigger share of high-growth segments and increasing the number of tourist arrivals, in order to achieve the 2015 target.

There are, of course, many issues and challenges ahead that have to be resolved. One of the major ones is the fragile global economic recovery. Government budget allocations for the purpose of promoting tourism is not unlimited. So, it is vital that the right priorities be exercised.

It is equally important to ensure the maximisation of positive results in promotional expenditure. Those involved in the industry have questioned the wisdom of some of the high-cost domestic promotion activities. They argued that the expenditure could have been better utilised in promotional events in the relevant foreign markets. They have also commented that some of the activities carried out in the country were not within the scope of the tourism authorities.

For instance, critics have been wondering about the accommodation for our visitors. Last year, 23.6 million tourists visited the country and there are only 2,373 hotels and 168,844 rooms nationwide. That raises the question, “Where do the rest of the tourists stay?”

Clearly, not all are accommodated in the hotels and resorts. While certain tourists prefer home stays, others could have taken up service apartments, holiday homes, and such.

On that note, there should be a way to keep tabs and traceable records or a complete database of where the rest of these tourists are staying.

In another scenario, the long list of annual sporting events that are highlighted under sports tourism raises many doubts as to the relevance and its return on investments. For instance, is the Le Tour de Langkawi or the F1 race at the Sepang International Circuit contributing to the national economy?

Looking at the trends, it seems that even after a decade had passed, these sporting events are still dependant on generous handouts and financial sponsorships from the various government agencies and government-linked corporations.

Ironically, if such events claim to be sustainable enough, then they should not be dependent on others for financial aid. Otherwise, the ethical move is to have these events dropped altogether.

Similar trends or practices are also observed with the yachting and sailing events where financial sponsorship from government agencies and the public are sought, year after year.

Likewise, other sporting activities like golfing should be given similar consideration. Apparently, the golfing industry in the country should not be too dependent on foreign labour (caddies, staffing, etc).

While we welcome every effort to promote Malaysia through the various activities and events, many find it rather confusing when these events transgressed other boundaries.

For instance, the Colours of Malaysia, the Pesta Air and the Chelsea Flower Show all should have been organised and promoted by the former Ministry of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage and the present Ministry of Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism, respectively.

The Colours of Malaysia has always been a cultural representation of the country’s rich multi-racial communities through songs, dances and cuisine. This celebration is also to highlight the various cultural differences of the 13 States in Malaysia.

But the irony is, “Since it is a cultural event, wouldn’t it be appropriate if it were to be placed under the purview of the former Ministry of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage? Reason being, such a ministry was well-positioned as the proper custodian or gatekeeper to promote the various cultures of Malaysia.

Furthermore, the venue for the Colours of Malaysia has always been an issue. Sometimes, it is staged in a stadium and sometimes it is portrayed as a street parade spanning from Dataran Merdeka to Jalan Raja Laut and Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman. The decision changes each time Malaysia receives a new tourism minister.

The changing of venues must indeed incur heavy costs. Quite frankly, one does not have to look far to realise that staging the Colours of Malaysia as a street parade could easily incur higher costs than hosting the same event in a stadium. One wonders just how much of this cost really goes down to the infrastructure, props or the site preparation (no such costs are required if it is staged in a stadium).

Of late, the Tourism Ministry has been subscribing to the practice of scrapping good events and replacing it with other “unrelated” ones without any proper study or market feedback.

One really wonders, “Whatever happened to the Pesta Air Malaysa?” Instead, we find ourselves promoting a new product. The Chelsea Flower Show has raised a few eyebrows in the industry. Some critics are asking ”Why are we into it?”

No doubt Malaysia managed to secure a gold medal in the recent Chelsea Flower Show after spending RM2 million for the sophisticated landscaping and floral arrangements by an ethnobotanist, James Wong. But what the ministry failed to realise is that Malaysia’s recent participation has raised a high level of expectancy on our parks and gardens.

Having said that, now everyone knows that you can never get a similar garden like the ones showcased at the Chelsea Flower Show in any of the parks in Kuala Lumpur. Just visualise tourists bound for Malaysia, who are now expecting to catch at least a “similar” garden and park in the open spaces of Kuala Lumpur and your guess is as good as mine… they will be disappointed!

There are indeed many tourism issues that I would like to highlight. Tourism products are deteriorating — you cannot swim in the sea off Port Dickson, Penang, Cherating and Malacca, and corals are dying off Tioman Island, Redang Island and Paya Island off Langkawi.

Pollution is a big problem. We also have to limit the number of visitors to fragile areas. We cannot have a thousand visitors visiting Paya Island when the carrying capacity is only, say, 300 visitors a day. Thus, the pollution will kill the corals and reduce the fish population there.

There is also lack of enforcement and maintenance in these areas. Sewage, grey water, household and restaurant waste are being discharged into drains polluting the water. Most of our rivers are getting more and more polluted due to no laws to reduce and control household discharge into drains and rivers.

Two beautiful nature sites — Lake Chini and Taman Negara — have been spoilt by over-development. Lake Chini was damaged by building a dam to raise the water level to make it easier for boats to access and by killing most of the trees surrounding the lake and until today, the place has not recovered and no one takes responsibility.

Taman Negara gives a bad taste to visitors as floating restaurants discharge their waste straight into the pristine river and illegal hotels and guest houses discharge poorly-treated sewage into the river. There is no proper control of development and pollution.

Tourists do have a bad image of Malaysia when more and more cases of snatch thefts are happening in places like Penang, Johor Baru, Malacca and Kuala Lumpur. Even poorer countries like Myanmar and Cambodia do not have such problems.

As is widely known, the tourism industry is the second-largest foreign exchange earner to the country. So, the stakeholders have to continue to strive hard to ensure that the industry remains sustainable.

• TAN Sri Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman is currently a practicing advocate and solicitor. He was previously the chief executive officer of Malaysia Airlines for 20 years. Prior to this, he was the judicial and legal officer in the government for 10 years.

Source :The Malay Mail Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

My father, the IGP, was gunned down

2010-06-05T22:57:00.000-07:00

By Najib Rahman
Source : Sunday Times Sunday 6 June 2010

0630:TWO men, possibly hewn from granite, one slightly taller than the other but looking dangerous in both gait and looks, sat at a table at an Indian tea stall near the start of a narrow road in the busy heart of Kuala Lumpur. Faces taut and tanned, noticeable even in the early morning hue, they took in the surroundings.

The taller man glanced at his watch, shifted his cotton sling bag, as did his partner, then smiled faintly to himself as he relaxed. They had time.

0700: June 7, 1974 had looked set to be another languid sort of day, except that, for me, it was somewhat special. In the kitchen of our old government-owned colonial-style bungalow on Jalan Kia Peng, I was having breakfast with my father.

Fath e r ’s busy schedule as the inspector-general of police, always dutifully criss-crossing the country in keeping a plethora of engagements, often kept him away from the family.So, the tryst that morning was really something for me to savour.

Watching him, so commanding in his khaki-toned IGP uniform, the badges of authority sitting comfortably on his shoulders, sipping his no-sugar, no-cream coffee and browsing the newspaper, I started to muse over the different paths that he and I had taken. He, the policeman, ever secretive with information, and I, the reporter, always trying to dig or coax them out.

He got his kicks mocking me.“What incident? I haven’t seen the report... who did you hear this from? ” he would ask, mouth half open and face deadpan, teasing almost.I just gave up. You cannot squeeze water from a stone! Father seldom gave me any quarter (in the professional sense), but he didn’t give much to others either, especially in matters affecting decorum. I got a spectacular show of this on the night of Aug 2, 1973, the day the late deputy prime minister Tun Dr Ismail Datuk Abdul Rahman, died of a heart attack in his Maxwell Road (now Jalan Tun Dr Ismail) home.I was standing in the hall of the late DPM’s house, having emerged from the bedroom where I had paid my respects, and during which I had offered my condolences to his grieving eldest daughter, Zailah, an NST reporter.

Nearby, huddled together, were a distinguished mix of cabinet members, most of whom I recognised.

They spoke in hushed tones. The DPM had just died and his powerful post of internal security minister had fallen vacant. I could only guess the topic of their discussion.

Quite suddenly, my father strode into the hall, paused, cocked his head at the group — all of whom he knew — and immediately understood what they were talking about. Very purposefully, he walked towards the Yang Berhormats.

In the mournful silence of the wake, father’s clear but measured voice seemed to crash all around the room, as he spoke, “No more talk about succession, all right. Any more of this and I’ll have all of you arrested.”

The effect was immediate, as was the silence that followed. Then, one by one, the ministers, composure compromised, started to walk away.

A few left the house altogether.

Walking past me where I had stood rooted, still rather bemused and not knowing how to react, father, still piqued at the apparent show of disrespect towards his boss and good friend, flashed a look at me.

Maybe he was surprised to see me there, but then again maybe not, and even though he said nothing, the message was clear. “Yo u ’d better not report this.” As if I would.

Father ’s power show of conviction, (the English call it “balls” or cojone in Spanish) was always acted out in absolute belief in himself, that he didnot carry any baggage, political or money-wise. I remember as a child, I often accompanied him on his Hari Raya Aidilfitri rounds, visiting the homes of various ministers.

I noticed that, at each stop, on seeing father at the doorstep, the VIPs — household names they all were — would rush down to greet him, laugh and banter.

Later, while driving home, he would ask me, rather reflectively, “Jib, do you know why those people were so nice to me?”

I would be busy counting the wads of duit raya shoved into my hands (if you cannot corrupt the father, corrupt the son), and though annoyed at the distraction, still mumbled out questioningly, “Because you’re a ma-ta-mata?” (old parlance for policeman).

Until today, I could still remember his reply, “Y-e-s, also because I know everything that they do... everything. And I tell them whenever they misbehave.”

But father did not like to admonish people publicly, be it his own men or hopeful bribe-givers. “I don’t like to make people lose face,” he once said.

Father believed in giving people second chances because he always believed that mistakes are the best teacher.

He also harboured an unwavering trust in his men. His aide de camp, the late Datuk Syed Othman Salleh, once recalled a high-powered topsecret security meeting in Bangkok.

“I was with your dad in the office of the Thai defence chief,” Syed Othman said. “After a while, the discussion got down to sensitive details.

“The Thai general glanced at me, then told your father that he would be more comfortable if there were only four eyes in the room. Your dad quickly replied that he had complete trust in me.”

Syed Othman added that the Thai general tried to get father to reconsider, but he simply told the Thai that “if my man goes, I go”. At this point, the ADC paused, looked at me, then said, with absolute finality, “Jib, your father was a leader of men.”

0730: I was jolted out of my reverie by father’s rasping voice telling me that he had to go. He looked at mother, Puan Sri Halimah Mat Isa, gave her RM50 to buy ingredients for mee rebus and told her, somewhat ominously, “that I will not be coming home today before Friday prayers”.

Neither mother nor I could forbode the darkness that would descend on our home.

Earlier on, Syed Othman had called and was told by my father not to accompany him from the house in Jalan Kia Peng as was the routine, but instead to meet him at the office.

That call was to save his life. The trip to Bukit Aman federal police headquarters was unscheduled, however. My father was to attend the Thai-Malaysian General Border Committee (GBC) meeting at the Federal Hotel in Jalan Bukit Bintang. But something urgent had cropped up, enough to cause the re-routing.

Mother had advised him to go straight to the hotel.

“Let Syed pick up whatever you need at the office and pass it to you later at the hotel,” she said.

Mother was always the practical one. Born in the lunar year of the Tiger, she was the engine that ran the house, kept the children — all seven of us — meticulously in check during every stage of our growth and steadfastly was the “push factor” in father’s career in ways that far belied her simple village schooling. It was in honour of mother’s uncanny abilities that he once hung a note in the house which said: “I am the boss of the house and whatever my wife says must be obeyed.”

But that morning, just that one time, he did not heed his wife, and climbed into his sky blue Mercedes to go to Bukit Aman. Mother had always sounded her fears about the one-way one-lane road that he normally took to go the office. She thought it provided the perfect setting for an ambush.

Sadly, her fears would later come to bear.

0740: The two men left their seats at the tea stall and moved towards an agreed point, about five metres from the start of Lorong Raja Chulan. They surveyed the scene. It was the usual working day activity with people walking, cycling and driving to work.

More importantly for the duo, cars were moving slowly along the road by which they stood. Suddenly tense, the pair dipped their hands into their sling bags and cast a sharp look at a car entering the lane. It was time.

They were now on the threshold of criminal lore.

0745: Driving out of the house, I gave a quick glance at workers putting up several marquees in the sprawling compound. My father had planned to throw a dinner for about 200 Malaysian and Thai police officers on Saturday night to mark the end of the GBC meeting.

Once more, it never crossed my mind that the tents would house a more morose event

0800: After picking up a friend in Cheras, I drove towards the city. My friend, a Malay Mail reporter, had to cover the courts, then located on Court Hill, where Menara Maybank now stands.

08 20 : Coming down from Jalan Weld, I tried to take a short cut to Court Hill via Lorong Raja Chulan, but a policeman waved me on. I took a detour.

0822: Driving past Lorong Raja Chulan, I noticed to my left, that a group of people had gathered around a car. I couldn’t make out the vehicle’s model but sensed an accident had occurred. I made a mental note to check that one out later.

I had made a rolling stop and was just about to proceed towards Court Hill when NST reporter Kristel Kraal spotted me and waved frantically for me to stop. I wound down the front passenger window and asked her what the problem was?

Looking rather distressed, she blurted out that a senior police officer had been shot. I asked, “Who?” to which she said she didn’t know yet. Immediately, my reporter’s instincts kicked in and out came the words: “Alright Kris, this a big story. Get the details while I go parkmy car up the hill. I’ll join you shortly.” I never kept the appointment.

I never found out from Kristel whether she had known all along that it was my father who had been gunned down; that she had kept mum about the officer’s identity because she thought I should be spared finding out the way I did.

Kristel died several years later of c a n c e r.

Getting down from the car, I walked quickly towards the staircase leading to the road below. Once there, from the top of the staircase, I saw the roof of a sky blue Mercedes Benz. It immediately struck me that there was only one such blue Mercedes in the city.

I remember the feeling that ran through my body then as if itwas just yesterday. Almost certainly it will live in me and haunt me for the rest of my days. Still rooted at the top of the staircase, it finally dawned on me that it

was my father who was bleeding down there.

Suddenly, I felt sick. A wave of nausea swept over me. I could feel the blood draining from my body as panic set in. I started to become pale. I wanted to run, to get down to father, to help him... but my feet would not move. Iwanted to shout “Bapak” but the words died in my throat as soon as they were born.

Then, a looming cloud of darkness started to converge upon me, threatening to engulf my senses. I started to feel fear, a drowning kind of fear that I had not imagined possible. I felt my head spinning.

Summoning all my strength, I broke the clamp that had shackled my legs.

Soon I found myself “flying” down the staircase screaming “Bapaaak! Bapaaak” at the top of my lungs.

There were onlookers sitting on the steps but to me they were just a blur as I whizzed past them, yelling, “Bapak aku! Bapak aku!” (my father! my father!). As as a young boy, I had dreamt I was being tossed around by a tiger. As a reporter, I had to shake off two gun-toting Thai bandits trailing me in Betong.

But I had not felt such terror as I was experiencing now.

Only this time, I felt terror for my father, thinking “I must help him, I must save him”. Hitting the ground, I charged towards the car, half screaming and half crying, “Bapak, Bapak!...” I had nearly reached it when I ran smack into a wall, in the form of the burly frame of famed crimebuster Deputy Superintendent S. Kulasingam (who has since passed away).

Wrapping his huge arms around me, Kula literally lifted me off my feet and whispered, “Najib, Najib, it’s all right, it’s all right, we’ve sent your father to the hospital.” Through my tears, I looked into his eyes and saw
that he, too, was tearing up.

After a while, Kula put me down and I made for the Mercedes. Somewhat calmer, I examined the car. Both windows to the left of the driver and the left side of the back passenger seat were shattered. Clearly, the attackwas launched from the left side of the road. I peered at the back seat where father must have been
sitting. The backrest, seat and floor were stained with fresh blood, father’s blood.

I had just started to imagine a picture of father lying motionless but breathing heavily at the back seat, uniform soaked with blood, when Kula pulled me away and whisked me into a waiting police car, an Alfa Romeo. At high speed and with sirens wailing, the crew rushed me to the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital (now HKL).

Arriving at the hospital I noticed that a large crowd had totally engulfed the foyer and the entrance to the accident and emergency unit. A patrolman ushered me in. In the car, I had wondered about father. Was he badly hurt? Was he alive? Or was he...? The last thought, I quickly banished from my mind. It was unacceptable.

From a distance, I saw him lying on a trolley, face and arms exposed but covered in a piece of white sheet heavily stained with blood. Several police officers stood quietly nearby, ashen-faced. My heart was pounding as I walked towards father.

Reaching his side, I called out to him, I shook him, touched his face, held his hands and ran my fingers over his. They were limp and lifeless.

Then, almost unbelievingly, at the cold realisation that he had returnedto the merciful embrace of Allah, I fell over his body, hugged him tightly and repeatedly cried out “sorry”... sorry that I wasn’t there to help him just
when he needed me most.

The two gunmen, according to the official story, were communist hitmen.

Standing side by side, they fired automatic pistols towards father and his driver, Sgt Omar. The sergeant took a nick in the neck, opened his door and fled the scene.

But father never had a chance. I suspect he must have been reading his files, like he usually did, when the bullets ripped into his body. The lacerations, the tearing away of the flesh from the fingers of both hishands that I saw at the hospital, could only mean that he was trying toward off the bullets with his hands. He was just 51.

The duo allegedly responsible for father’s death were eventually caught, but only after they had summarily dispatched another highranking police officer, Tan Sri Khoo Chong Kong, then the chief police officer of Perak, in the same year.

And while the two men were hanged for the murder of Khoo, they were never tried for the killing of the IGP.

Riding the memories of a murder for 36 years is a long time. But for me, each year, as the anniversary off ather’s death draws near, I pause to reflect on questions that simply will not go away.

Father was very committed to his work and the force. Once, he asked me to write out his speech where he had mapped out his blueprint for the force he had been entrusted to lead; a better esprit de corps, to improve housing and welfare, better educational facilities for children of policemen and, most importantly, an insurance protection scheme to help families of those slain on duty.

I know that the last point was very close to his heart as he often visited the families of slain Special Branch officers, and felt their loss. He often got personal with those he had handpicked to run dangerous missions.

Summoning them to his office, he would say to them words like: “Tan, I want you to do this for me. Don’t worry about your family. If anything happens to you, I will take care of them.” He always kept his promise.

It was unfortunate that his plan for better welfare for his charges could not be realised soon enough to help his own family. Following father’s death, three of my brothers had their studies disrupted.

I might add that father knew he was a hunted man, that a contract had been placed on his life. So he took out an insurance cover for RM1 million. But he died on the day the confirmation letter was laid out on his desk for him to sign. Was that the reason why he went to Bukit Aman that day? We will never know.

The evening before he died, father and I watched his favourite TV show, Kojak, featuring Telly Savalas as a devil-may-care lollypop-sucking New York cop. At the end of the programme, he turned to me and said: “You know Jib, he (Kojak) is just like me. He does what he feels is right.”

As it had been with Octavia Caesar who pleaded with her husband not to go to the Senate because she dreamt that she saw Caesar’s statue covered in blood, with Brutus standing beside it — his hands, too, soaked in blood — so it was with my younger sister, Sofwanah.

Days before father died, she dreamt that she had found him lying in a pool of blood, a knife stuck in his back. For two more nights, the same dream returned to haunt her. It left her in tears. And she was in London then

Read more: My father, the IGP, was gunned down http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/Myfather_theIGP_wasgunneddown/Article/#ixzz0q3077B2J

New MATTA President

2010-01-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

The election of Datuk Mohd Khalid Harun as the new Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) president at its Extraordinary General Meeting here today is expected to end the association's internal conflict over the past six months.

Mohd Khalid who is also the president of Housecoff Travel Tours Sdn Bhd was elected to the post unanimously by the delegates and replaces caretaker president Datuk Ngiam Foon effective Jan 23.

"We carried out a fresh election as instructed by the High Court on Aug 20, after the earlier election was declared illegal due to the presence of non-eligible members.

"We also appointed an independent body, Chartered Accountant, to ensure those elected to the exco were valid members," Mohd Khalid told reporters here today.

Niam said he did not endorse the EGM held by former president Datuk Joshua Peter Tan on Dec 17, as the meeting had breached the Matta constitution because it was organised by a travel agent company and not the association.

"The 475 members who are eligible to vote should have been directors or workers in their respective companies but during the EGM in December, many of those who voted were not from travel agencies.

"We also found that the police permit for the EGM was under the Cacinjo Holidays Sdn Bhd travel agency owned by Datuk Joshua Peter Tan," he said.

On Dec 17, Joshua was elected president but the Matta executive committee deemed it illegal and subsequently, the High Court in Kuala Lumpur ruled that Datuk Ngiam Foon would remain as caretaker president until an EGM was held.

Souce of info - http://www.nst.com.my/articles/20100107204852/Article/index_html