A state trunk road with dual carriageway would be ideal but costly.
Infrastructure Development and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Michael Manyin said the amount allocated by the Federal Government so far was not enough to redevelop the 1,077km road.
“It costs an estimated RM16bil to upgrade the entire road, and in the last 15 years the Government has allocated RM1.5bil to upgrade it,” he said in his winding-up speech.
“My ministry will continue to seek more money for the road,” he said.
Five stretches — 137km or 12.7% of the total length — have been turned into dual carriageways.
These are Kuching-Serian (52km), Sibu-Julau (29km), Bintulu-Bintulu Airport (23km), Miri-Miri Airport (9km) and Miri-Lutong-Kuala Baram (24km).
A project to upgrade the stretch from Sematan to Merapok is estimated to cost RM9.369 bil. It will be implemented in three phases.
“Sarawak is a large state with a sparse population of 2.5 million. As our population density is only about 20 persons per sq km, road construction should not be based on economic returns and traffic volume alone but rather on social responsibilities,” said Manyin.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Villagers mystified by strange animal
SERIAN: An Indonesian plantation worker and a 75-year-old farmer got the shock of their lives when they were attacked by an unknown animal species in two separate occasions earlier this month.
The farmer, Aris Kuna of Kampung Paon Gahat, was attacked by the rare animal while attending to his pepper garden about noon. The foreigner, however, was attacked a week later at a plantation near Kpg Baing while gathering oil palm fresh fruit bunches around 9am.
The animal that attacked the duo was described as having a ‘bear and wild boar’ resemblance. Fellow workers and villagers who saw the carcass, brought by the Indonesian, could not identify the animal species.
“It’s a rare species. None of the villagers could identify it when we saw the body and pictures of it. Some even took to the Internet to find out but to no avail. Could it be one of those already considered extinct?
“In all my life venturing into the jungle, hunting and such, I’ve never come across this species,” 62-year-old Louis Nyaoi said when met at his house in Kpg Mentung Marau, some 50km from here yesterday.
His son Jimmy Tubo, 27, believed that the rare animal could have reappeared due to the opening of the nearby jungle for agriculture and other developments.
When relating the ordeal of the foreign worker, Jimmy said the Indonesian had claimed that the animal gave a strange noise, firstly sounding like a hen followed by a wild boar sound, before proceeding to attack.
The victim alleged that the animal stood up on its hind legs when charging at him. He immediately swung his sickle, killing the animal instantly.
Jimmy, who works with the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra) added that the animal which attacked the Indonesian measured two feet long.
The animal also spotted a long mane and sharp wolverine-like claws. Another mysterious attribute to the animal was that it gave out foul smell only hours after it was killed.
Another local expert jungle trekker and hunter Paul Hnrnp, 41, said he never smelled anything like the stench. He also said that one could smell the stench from some 10 metres away when the Indonesian brought the carcass to the plantation’s FFB pick up ram for observation by fellow workers and villagers.
On Aris’ encounter, Paul, a security guard at SK St John, Kpg Mentung Murau said his grandparents were resting at a hut after tending to their pepper crops at the time.
“My grandfather (Aris) heard an unfamiliar animal outside the hut, so he went out to check. At first, he could not see where the animal was coming from although he anticipated that danger was lurking.
RARE SPECIES: A picture of the dead animal that attacked the Indonesian worker. None of the villagers who saw the animal could identify the species.
CLOSER VIEW: The portion of the animal’s foot.
“Sensing that the animal was near, he said a prayer before starting to swing his machete numerous times to fend off as what he described as an ‘invisible’ attack. Only after he felt he had slashed something that he saw a limb of the animal’s leg on the ground. Moments later, he saw the lifeless animal.”
Aris immediately dispersed the body at the jungle. As for the one that attacked the Indonesian worker, the body was partly buried at the plantation.
Not ruling out the fact that the animal could have been an endangered species, Louis believed the actions of both men as self-defense.
Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/15/villagers-mystified-by-strange-animal/#ixzz2CIzfpMvC
The farmer, Aris Kuna of Kampung Paon Gahat, was attacked by the rare animal while attending to his pepper garden about noon. The foreigner, however, was attacked a week later at a plantation near Kpg Baing while gathering oil palm fresh fruit bunches around 9am.
The animal that attacked the duo was described as having a ‘bear and wild boar’ resemblance. Fellow workers and villagers who saw the carcass, brought by the Indonesian, could not identify the animal species.
“It’s a rare species. None of the villagers could identify it when we saw the body and pictures of it. Some even took to the Internet to find out but to no avail. Could it be one of those already considered extinct?
“In all my life venturing into the jungle, hunting and such, I’ve never come across this species,” 62-year-old Louis Nyaoi said when met at his house in Kpg Mentung Marau, some 50km from here yesterday.
His son Jimmy Tubo, 27, believed that the rare animal could have reappeared due to the opening of the nearby jungle for agriculture and other developments.
When relating the ordeal of the foreign worker, Jimmy said the Indonesian had claimed that the animal gave a strange noise, firstly sounding like a hen followed by a wild boar sound, before proceeding to attack.
The victim alleged that the animal stood up on its hind legs when charging at him. He immediately swung his sickle, killing the animal instantly.
Jimmy, who works with the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra) added that the animal which attacked the Indonesian measured two feet long.
The animal also spotted a long mane and sharp wolverine-like claws. Another mysterious attribute to the animal was that it gave out foul smell only hours after it was killed.
Another local expert jungle trekker and hunter Paul Hnrnp, 41, said he never smelled anything like the stench. He also said that one could smell the stench from some 10 metres away when the Indonesian brought the carcass to the plantation’s FFB pick up ram for observation by fellow workers and villagers.
On Aris’ encounter, Paul, a security guard at SK St John, Kpg Mentung Murau said his grandparents were resting at a hut after tending to their pepper crops at the time.
“My grandfather (Aris) heard an unfamiliar animal outside the hut, so he went out to check. At first, he could not see where the animal was coming from although he anticipated that danger was lurking.
RARE SPECIES: A picture of the dead animal that attacked the Indonesian worker. None of the villagers who saw the animal could identify the species.
CLOSER VIEW: The portion of the animal’s foot.
“Sensing that the animal was near, he said a prayer before starting to swing his machete numerous times to fend off as what he described as an ‘invisible’ attack. Only after he felt he had slashed something that he saw a limb of the animal’s leg on the ground. Moments later, he saw the lifeless animal.”
Aris immediately dispersed the body at the jungle. As for the one that attacked the Indonesian worker, the body was partly buried at the plantation.
Not ruling out the fact that the animal could have been an endangered species, Louis believed the actions of both men as self-defense.
Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/15/villagers-mystified-by-strange-animal/#ixzz2CIzfpMvC
Rural tourism business to narrow income gap — Dawos
KUCHING: Tourism can narrow the income disparity gap between rural and urban communities, says Deputy Minister of Tourism Datuk Dr James
Met during a meet-the-people session at Kpg Jambu near here yesterday, he said cultural and eco-tourism involving mountain trekking and homestay which involves bed-and-breakfast type accommodation could help raise the income of the operators, not to mention the many job opportunities available to local people.
He said tourism was one of the fastest growing industries in developing countries like Malaysia, which had mountains and jungle for jungle trekking and people of diverse background who are culturally rich.
“Sarawak is blessed in that its population is made up of people of various races who practise different religions yet are able to mix freely with each other. Sarawak is also home to flora and fauna not found elsewhere. Its mountains offer scenic beauty making them prime tourist destinations.”
Quoting Unesco researchers, he said community-based tourism which was driven by homestay programme, the operators could easily generate income of not less than RM2,000 a month.
As such, he recommended that bio-tourism activities be included in the (homestay) programme.
“Bio-tourism can include visits to farms and gardens where tourists can involve themselves in the traditional farming practices while the homestay operators can bring tourists to natural attractions in their areas or engage them in river cruises, kayaking, rafting or fishing.”
He said tourism-based activities should be expanded to the rural areas as one way to alleviate poverty, reduce rural-urban migration and preserve the cultural and natural heritage of the rural community.
“On the part of my ministry, we are always finding ways to promote community participation as a way of generating employment opportunities for the rural populace and to get them out of the cycle of poverty as well as their isolation and marginalisation due to their remoteness,” he said.
Drawing on experiences gained from regional and Himalayan community-based eco-tourism projects, Dawos said their methodology could be promoted and expanded to Sarawak, whose mountainous areas were homes to communities that could well benefit from eco-tourism.
Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/15/rural-tourism-business-to-narrow-income-gap-dawos/#ixzz2CHevaOfo
Met during a meet-the-people session at Kpg Jambu near here yesterday, he said cultural and eco-tourism involving mountain trekking and homestay which involves bed-and-breakfast type accommodation could help raise the income of the operators, not to mention the many job opportunities available to local people.
He said tourism was one of the fastest growing industries in developing countries like Malaysia, which had mountains and jungle for jungle trekking and people of diverse background who are culturally rich.
“Sarawak is blessed in that its population is made up of people of various races who practise different religions yet are able to mix freely with each other. Sarawak is also home to flora and fauna not found elsewhere. Its mountains offer scenic beauty making them prime tourist destinations.”
Quoting Unesco researchers, he said community-based tourism which was driven by homestay programme, the operators could easily generate income of not less than RM2,000 a month.
As such, he recommended that bio-tourism activities be included in the (homestay) programme.
“Bio-tourism can include visits to farms and gardens where tourists can involve themselves in the traditional farming practices while the homestay operators can bring tourists to natural attractions in their areas or engage them in river cruises, kayaking, rafting or fishing.”
He said tourism-based activities should be expanded to the rural areas as one way to alleviate poverty, reduce rural-urban migration and preserve the cultural and natural heritage of the rural community.
“On the part of my ministry, we are always finding ways to promote community participation as a way of generating employment opportunities for the rural populace and to get them out of the cycle of poverty as well as their isolation and marginalisation due to their remoteness,” he said.
Drawing on experiences gained from regional and Himalayan community-based eco-tourism projects, Dawos said their methodology could be promoted and expanded to Sarawak, whose mountainous areas were homes to communities that could well benefit from eco-tourism.
Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/15/rural-tourism-business-to-narrow-income-gap-dawos/#ixzz2CHevaOfo
Friday, November 2, 2012
One Cable Car In Borneo
KUCHING: Tan Sri Ting Pek Khiing yesterday expressed deep regrets over an alleged clearing of the mangrove swamp in Santubong by One Cable Car (Santubong) Development Sdn Bhd in September for the proposed cable car project.
Ting, who is advisor of the company, told a press conference here that ‘they were just cleaning the bush and not clearing the land’ and ‘did not involve any tree cutting’ as claimed by certain parties.
“I dare say that not even a single root of mangrove has been cut during the cleaning process. We were just clearing the grass and rubbish at the land because (potential) investors want to see the condition of the land.
“The two-hectare state land has been cleared for investigation. We call it investigation on the land because investors want to put up RM2.5 billion. Since the bush is so thick, how are we going to use the machete to cut?” he asked.
He also said that an area on the mountain slope opposite Santubong Resort cleared by the company was private land, which he claimed to be the location of a house that belonged to the Sultan of Brunei.
He said people who made noise about the issue, including ‘very high ranking people’ were not aware of what was happening.
“If they can go and see for themselves, I don’t think they will talk like what they had said to the press. I hope that after this press conference, those who have said something untrue should take back their statements,” he said.
Ting, who is also advisor of Global Upline Sdn Bhd, pointed out that the proposed cable car project was part of a bigger development plan in Santubong called Santubong Beach City and Resort Centre.
“Cable car business is economically not viable but it will supplement the whole development of the area. We will not able to make money from operating the cable car business because the fee for the cable car ride would unlikely to be above RM30 per adult for the 6km trip.
The cable car project would be run by One Cable Car (Santubong) Development Sdn Bhd, which is owned by Budi Kenyalang Sdn Bhd and Evergreen Earth Sdn Bhd.
On the proposed Santubong Beach City and Resort Centre, Ting claimed that some investors from China and Europe had expressed their interest in the project, which would take five to 10 years to complete.
The centre would have hotel, commercial centre, residential area, park as well as fisherman wharf apart from the cable car.
The project would help to transform Santubong into a trully tourist attraction, said Ting.
“Tourists arrivals to Sarawak are limited. Most of hotels are running at low occupancy. There were days when hotels
in Santubong had no customer at all. It is very difficult to keep the hotel and tourism industry alive if we do not have new things.
“I believe the Santubong Beach City and Resort Centre will be able to change the situation just like the Langkawi Island.”
Ting said that a similar plan in Langkawi Island had successfully transformed the island into a big tourist attraction.
The proposal of the development plan had been put forward to the state government but he refused to disclose the latest progress.
He assured that the mega project would not harm the natural environment in Santubong but declined to say whether an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on the project had been submitted to the relevant authorities.
Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/02/ting-denies-cutting-any-tree-in-mangrove-swamp/#ixzz2B3uPzrlt
Ting, who is advisor of the company, told a press conference here that ‘they were just cleaning the bush and not clearing the land’ and ‘did not involve any tree cutting’ as claimed by certain parties.
“I dare say that not even a single root of mangrove has been cut during the cleaning process. We were just clearing the grass and rubbish at the land because (potential) investors want to see the condition of the land.
“The two-hectare state land has been cleared for investigation. We call it investigation on the land because investors want to put up RM2.5 billion. Since the bush is so thick, how are we going to use the machete to cut?” he asked.
He also said that an area on the mountain slope opposite Santubong Resort cleared by the company was private land, which he claimed to be the location of a house that belonged to the Sultan of Brunei.
He said people who made noise about the issue, including ‘very high ranking people’ were not aware of what was happening.
“If they can go and see for themselves, I don’t think they will talk like what they had said to the press. I hope that after this press conference, those who have said something untrue should take back their statements,” he said.
Ting, who is also advisor of Global Upline Sdn Bhd, pointed out that the proposed cable car project was part of a bigger development plan in Santubong called Santubong Beach City and Resort Centre.
“Cable car business is economically not viable but it will supplement the whole development of the area. We will not able to make money from operating the cable car business because the fee for the cable car ride would unlikely to be above RM30 per adult for the 6km trip.
The cable car project would be run by One Cable Car (Santubong) Development Sdn Bhd, which is owned by Budi Kenyalang Sdn Bhd and Evergreen Earth Sdn Bhd.
On the proposed Santubong Beach City and Resort Centre, Ting claimed that some investors from China and Europe had expressed their interest in the project, which would take five to 10 years to complete.
The centre would have hotel, commercial centre, residential area, park as well as fisherman wharf apart from the cable car.
The project would help to transform Santubong into a trully tourist attraction, said Ting.
“Tourists arrivals to Sarawak are limited. Most of hotels are running at low occupancy. There were days when hotels
in Santubong had no customer at all. It is very difficult to keep the hotel and tourism industry alive if we do not have new things.
“I believe the Santubong Beach City and Resort Centre will be able to change the situation just like the Langkawi Island.”
Ting said that a similar plan in Langkawi Island had successfully transformed the island into a big tourist attraction.
The proposal of the development plan had been put forward to the state government but he refused to disclose the latest progress.
He assured that the mega project would not harm the natural environment in Santubong but declined to say whether an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on the project had been submitted to the relevant authorities.
Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/02/ting-denies-cutting-any-tree-in-mangrove-swamp/#ixzz2B3uPzrlt
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)