Blossom Arts Festival 2016 begins tomorrow

Blossom Arts Festival 2016 begins tomorrow

The Blossom Arts Festival 2016, featuring hundreds of artwork, performances, traditional and cultural activities, will begin tomorrow.

Organised by the Malaysian Chinese Culture and Arts Consul­tative Council (MCCACC), more than 100 organisations will showcase their talents at the month-long event held at Wisma MCA.

Arts and cultural groups from Taiwan, China, Singapore, Japan and India have been invited to perform at the event, said the council’s president Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun.

“This inaugural art extravaganza has been one year in the making,” she said at the launching ceremony of the festival’s design concept here yesterday.

She said the exhibition zone at Wisma MCA would be turned into an artistic and cultural centre filled with events throughout June.

The One Academy, which is also tasked with designing the festival’s venue, its logo and various related products, will also hold an exhibition to showcase the artwork of its students.

Chew also said a special 3D sculpture of steel was specially created to inaugurate the festival, themed “Cultural diversity in full bloom.”

“The festival will showcase the best of Malaysian Chinese artistic talents and promote the diversified development of the local arts and culture scene.

“It also aims to pay tribute to Malaysian Chinese who had given meritorious contributions and achievements in this field,” she added.

Among the activities planned for the festival include musical performances, calligraphy, pottery and ceramics, sculpture-making as well as Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangment.

Except for the special performances, all other activities and programmes at the festival are free.

For details, call MCCACC secretariat at 03-2203 3971/3978/3979 or log on to www.blossomartsfestival.my, or visit the Facebook page for the Blossom Arts Festival Malaysia 2016.

~News courtesy of The Star~

50菊花品种布置场景 布城花卉节大自然梦幻之旅

50菊花品种布置场景 布城花卉节大自然梦幻之旅



吉隆坡市政厅精心打造的“爱丽丝仙境” ， 内有泡泡及雪花飞扬， 让人犹如置身仙境。

我国一年一度最大“布城皇家花卉节”于5月27日（星期五）正式展出，并以“花卉之魔幻世界”作为第9届主题，引领爱花赏草之人，赴一场大自然梦幻之旅。

花卉节由布城机构主办，即日起至6月4日，在布城第4区湖边展出，并以菊花作为主题花。多达50个菊花品种被大量采用作为装饰或场景布置。

元首后端姑哈惹哈米娜今午受邀为“布城皇家花卉节”主持开幕仪式，并让各国受邀使节、贵宾与媒体率先参观。

联邦直辖区部部长拿督斯里东姑安南在开幕仪式致词时指出，该部与布城机构积极把布城推举为世界级的花卉节地点之一，更曾获得许多证书和各界领域承认，包括创下大马纪录的最长园景墙（Landscape Vertical Wall）、最多国际参与者的花卉嘉年华、在墨尔本国际花卉园艺展获得创意优秀奖等。

他也赞布城皇家花卉节扮演重要平台，成为我国花草界的联系和网络点，促进花卉进出口、研究及发展相关领域。

他说，今年共有21位来自11个国家的园艺设计师参与，以及马来西亚园景设计师协会（ILAM）有5项设计参展。

出席者有布城机构主席拿督斯里哈欣及布城花卉管理机构总监哈斯琳达等。

布城皇家花卉节特点

◆展出逾400万种热带与亚热带花草类
◆魔幻世界室内外主题公园，如神秘森林、菊花园、美人鱼世界及糖果院。
◆非一般主题设计，如皇家公园、音乐园、猫园
◆园艺植物与产品销售
◆手工艺品、盆栽、插花艺术等展出
◆超过300项目、活动、讲座、工艺坊供到访者参与。

~南洋商报~

Lines at checkpoints in KLIA now moving smoothly

Lines at checkpoints in KLIA now moving smoothly



No congestion: Travellers at KLIA and KLIA 2 breezing through the checkpoints with little waiting time.

A week after counters in the country’s main gateway were slammed over a screening system which was prone to breakdowns, the lines at the KL International Airport are now moving smoothly.

International travellers at KLIA said they had no inkling that the Malaysian Immigration System (myIMMs) was faulty or caused delays, saying that they moved through the checkpoints in minutes.

“There were no lines. It only took me two minutes to line up and check through everything,” said an Australian tourist.

A couple from the Netherlands said there were no lines at the Immigration counter when they arrived here at about noon yesterday.

At the international departure gate, Immigration officers clocked travellers in at an average of 15 seconds.

Lines were virtually non-existent during lunch hour in the airport.

At KLIA2, tourists said that the waiting time was under three minutes.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan lambasted the department’s IT scanning system, which he said was frequently breaking down, raising doubts over the Immigration Department’s ability to effectively screen potential threats coming in and leaving the country.

During his visit to KLIA last week, he said the myIMMs system had been down for about an hour, and was prone to “hanging”. He wanted the problem fixed immediately.

The system was also highlighted in the Auditor-General’s Report as having questionable credibility in its screening database, besides its failure to instal certain recognition equipment in airports despite having been paid by the Home Ministry to do so.

It also found that the ministry has not conducted a user acceptance test and provisional acceptance test on the system, despite it being a compulsory condition stated in the payment agreement.

~News courtesy of The Star~

KLIA taxi touts increasingly brazen, says JPJ

KLIA taxi touts increasingly brazen, says JPJ



Nazli (right) with some of the cars seized during Ops Khas Ulat at KLIA.

Illegal taxis at Kuala Lumpur's International Airports are getting more brazen, according to the Road Transport Department (JPJ).

It has already caught 31 suspects this year, compared with a total of 19 in 2015.

"This figure is worrying as it shows illegal taxis active here are increasing," said Selangor JPJ director Nazli Md Taib at a press conference on their latest operation to combat illegal taxis at KLIA and KLIA2 in Sepang.

According to Nazli, the majority of these illegal taxis were operating within the vicinity of KLIA2 , which accounted for 23 of the arrests.

He said foreigners were also getting into the game, with a Bangladeshi and Pakistani suspect among the 31 arrested.

"We found one driver who made RM1,800 from a single return trip to Johor Baru from KLIA. That's why despite the very heavy punishment, there are still those who dare to flout the law," he said.

According to Nazli, the touts preferred to target foreigners as locals were more familiar with the pricing system here.

"Tourists are much easier to cheat, as they don't know the average price for trips. Arabs are a favourite target as they are seen to be more generous," said Nazli.

Nazli also urged the public to only use legalised forms of public transport for their own safety.
v "These illegal cars are normally not insured to carry passengers. Also the risk of being robbed – or worse, raped – is much higher," said Nazli.

The 31 suspects were charged under Section 205(1) of the Public Transport Act 2010, which carries a fine up to RM50,000, imprisonment for no more than five years, or both.

~News courtesy of The Star~

KLIA Aeropolis a major boon

KLIA Aeropolis a major boon



Greener pastures: Liow looking at a model of the Aeropolis during the launch of the project. Accompanying Liow at the event in Kuala Lumpur are Badlisham (right) and Malaysia Airports Chairman Tan Sri Dr Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Abdullah.

The KLIA Aeropolis is expected to attract a gross domestic product (GDP) contribution of some RM30bil over a 15-year period and create 56,000 jobs. It will complement services offered in other regional airports.

“We are not competing with Changi Airport as we are synergistic.

“We are the regional airport and we are working together with other countries.

“We are quite a big region so we will definitely do well in our air cargo area as we are creating more facilities, putting up more plans and support system for the air cargo site,” said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai at a press conference after Malaysia Airports Holding Bhd’s (MAHB) launch of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Aeropolis yesterday.

Liow said with the KLIA Aeropolis project, Malaysia is focused on increa­sing its cargo and logistic traffic.

The country is targeting to increase its cargo volume bby between 2.5 million to 3 million tonnes by 2050 from 726,000 tonnes now and aims to catch up with Singapore’s 1.5 million tonnes of cargo annually, Liow added.

He said the Government has placed a greater concentration to ensure the successful development and completion of the KLIA Aeropolis.
/> With aviation being a key pillar of the logistics sector, Liow said the inter-ministerial National Logistics Taskforce (NLTF) was keen to see this come to fruition.

“The NLTF is being headed by me and my ministry, and we are equally committed to ensuring synergy between the nation’s logistic industry and the KLIA Aeropolis project.

“With this in mind, there have been close engagements between Malaysia Airports, NLTF, and the Malaysia Aerospace Council,” said Liow.

MAHB managing director Datuk Badlisham Ghazali said there was enough demand generated in terms of growth in air travel.

More air passengers would require more planes, spare parts and maintenance.

Badlisham said the KLIA Aeropolis would serve as the core of Malaysia Airport’s air cargo and logistics ecosystem that extends to Penang and Sabah and Sarawak.

The KLIA Aeropolis development is centred around the key clusters of air cargo and logistics; aerospace and aviation parks; meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE), and leisure.

The project, on a total land area of 100 sq km, is one of the strategic pillars in Malaysia Airport’s five-year business plan, Runway to Success 2020.

~News courtesy of The Star~

来适耕庄享美食听音乐‧美丽生活节周末有约

来适耕庄享美食听音乐‧美丽生活节周末有约

第一届“美丽生活节之发现适耕庄”，将于本周末（21及22日）在渔米之乡适耕庄举办，民众别忘了赴约。

届时，各表演单位将站上被黄金稻草围绕的稻田舞台，和民众一起以适耕庄道地佳肴和音乐欢庆丰收的快乐。

这项活动是由偶也文创主办，发现适耕庄联办，星洲日报及星洲电子报为媒体伙伴，GoodMorning 18谷粮荣誉赞助。

“黄昏稻田餐桌&音乐会”
坐稻田餐桌尝佳肴

5月21日，“黄昏稻田餐桌&音乐会”将会在适耕庄A村的稻田区举行，此活动亦获得大马记录大全认证为全马第一个稻田餐桌。黄昏时刻，民众坐在稻田旁，一道道适耕庄道地佳肴如炸飞碟、四宝、泥鳅及金瓜芋泥等将会捧上稻田餐桌，

除此之外，受邀嘉宾也会分享稻田餐桌上食物的故事。一众歌手如蒲公英合唱团、王思涵、云镁鑫、曾国辉、周金亮和张盛德也将踏上稻田舞台，演唱一首首关于生活的歌曲。

“稻．鼓GoodMorning音乐会”
让艺术与大自然融合

5月22日早上7时30分，大马女高音歌手林文荪将会为“稻．鼓GoodMorning音乐会”拉开序幕。大马知名敲击乐团手集团在稻田舞台呈献《一雷惊蛰始，小满遍地黄》为主题的敲击表演，以二十四节令鼓搭配马来民族敲击乐甘美兰，在晨旭中把艺术带进大自然里，和大家一起感受艺术的美丽。

南天宫有停车位
大会安排接驳车载送

参与美丽生活节的民众，可在5月21日当天把轿车停泊在适耕庄南天宫，大会将会安排接驳车载送民众到稻田舞台区。

另外，歌手张盛德和周金亮连同新闻主播陈嘉荣将会带领民众从南天宫进行走村活动到稻田舞台区。

民众受促提早出门

另一方面，大会也安排“挖生蚝”和“制作飞碟卷”生态体验游，让民众在欣赏黄金稻浪之外，还可以感受渔村的风味。

已购票参与美丽生活节的民众，也受促提早出门以避开交通阻塞。另外，民众也可以上到美丽生活节脸书专页查询替代路线。

5月21日（星期六）黄昏稻田餐桌&音乐会
时间：傍晚6时30分至晚上9时
“挖生蚝”生态体验游
时间：早上11时
合作单位：15号生蚝

走村活动
时间：傍晚5时30分
集合地点：南天宫
5月22日（星期日）
稻．鼓GoodMorning音乐会
时间：早上7时30分至早上9时

“制作飞碟卷”生态体验游
时间：下午2时
合作单位：咪咪鱼丸

（星洲日报‧大都会）

Blossom Arts Festival Malaysia has something for everyone

Chew: Blossom Arts Festival Malaysia has something for everyone

The month-long Blossom Arts Festival Malaysia, which starts on June 1, will have “something for all Malaysians to enjoy”.

“We want to instil a sense of unity so that people of all races can appreciate and enjoy arts and culture together,” said MCA vice-president Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun.

About 100 people, groups and societies will come together for a month of arts, exhibitions, stage performances, visual arts presentations as well as culture and folk activities.

Stage shows will feature such renowned performers as Datuk Ramli Ibrahim, Aswara Dance Company and Temple of Fine Arts.

The festival will occupy a total floor space of more than 5,000sq m across three levels at Wisma MCA.



Beauty in dance: (From right) Chew with MCA’s Grace Chew and Malaysia Choral Federation president Chew Hock Ping in front of the new billboard promoting the upcoming Blossom Arts Festival Malaysia at Wisma MCA.

It is organised by the Malaysian Chinese Culture and Arts Consultative Council and MCA with the support of the Tourism and Culture Ministry and Kuala Lumpur City Hall.

“We hope that people of all races will support the festival and work together with us to develop arts and culture in Malaysia,” Chew said at the unveiling of a giant billboard-sized banner above the entrance to Wisma MCA.

General admission to the event is free but visitors are required to book and buy tickets to attend the stage performances of their choice.

Multiple-entry season passes are available for those who wish to attend more than one stage performance. For more information, visit the event website (in English and Chinese) at www.blossomartsfestival.my

~News courtesy of The Star~

媲美“天空之镜”之称的大马“神秘海岛”

媲美“天空之镜”之称的大马“神秘海岛”，只在初一十五才出现？！

雪州的沙沙兰外海出现一个景色可媲美南美洲国家玻利维亚“天空之镜”之称的乌尤尼盐湖（Uyuni Salt Flat）的“神秘海岛”！

据悉，距离沙沙兰只有半小时船程的“神秘海岛”只有在逢农历初一和十五，尤其海水退潮时才会出现和让人登上岛；每次只“出现”一至两天。由于目前还没有太多人知道​​它的存在，因此，目前仍保留最完整自然的纯朴景色。

尽管“神秘海岛”被誉为可媲美乌尤尼盐湖，但要在该湖看到“海连天，天连海”景象还需大自然的配合，而“神秘海岛”则是只要一浮现，就出现让人赞叹的的景象。

1个多小时绕不完

据悉，当沙沙兰渔民发现“神秘海岛”上，曾环绕海岛，惟用上1个多小时还无法绕一圈，发现这个海岛大得有点惊人。

瓜雪县议员林耀明说，“神秘海岛”空无一物，只有丰富的生态，而各种贝类也随着海岛浮现而重见天日。

“在航海途中，你会发现鸟比渔船还多，而且种类繁多；白鹭、秃鹳、夜莺、海鸥等，在天空翱翔，有的在海上觅食。”

“由于毫无东西遮盖，欲前往“神秘海岛”者必须先做好防晒或携带雨伞​​，避免晒伤，而且在岛上也只能逗留约一小时就可以离开了。”

岛上有渔民作业，撒渔网捕鱼。 （图：星洲日报）

蓝天白云的倒影就在脚下，让人对美景赞叹不已。 （图：星洲日报）

浅滩有100足球场般大

不说不知道，也有人将“神秘海岛”称之为“海中浅滩”，而且这个浅滩有约100个​​足球场般大，站在浅滩上，只有一望无际的天空和大海，以及整片的沙滩和丰富的生态。

站在退潮后的浅滩，除了可欣赏海滨风景外，也可观察浅滩上的生态，而且，潮间带的冒出的小生物，除了常见的贝类，海蜗牛、水母、螃蟹等等随处可见。

当神秘海岛“浮现”后，各种贝类也随之“重见天日”，包括一些稀有贝类。 （图：星洲日报）

踏在浅滩上，一望无际的景色全映入眼帘，景色美不胜收。 （图：星洲日报）

前往两个海岛的旅途，可看见各种湿地鸟类。 （图：星洲日报）

林耀明：探讨发展成景点

瓜雪县议员林耀明从沙沙兰渔民口中获悉此岛后，特在日前带领适耕庄区州议员黄瑞林、瓜雪县议会主席诺莱妮及一众县议员到岛上一探究竟，也希望瓜雪县议会或黄瑞林能支持和提供良计，以将“神秘海岛”发展成为瓜雪的一个旅游景点。

他向记者披露，目前当局探讨将“神秘海岛”和附近的天鹅岛（Pulau Angsa）列入瓜雪的旅游景点内，可是，要真正去推行或带动这个景点，不是纸上谈兵般容易，必须要有渔民的支持。

他说，天鹅岛面积不大，全岛只有两、三名渔民居住；传闻之前有前雪州苏丹的别墅，后来别墅烧毁后，曾有大财团计划在该岛设立度假旅馆，不过后来因资金不足而不了了之。

“天鹅岛上还有一座灯塔，如今也开放灯塔让旅客上去，将一望无际的的海景尽收眼底。”

他说，这里也是钓鱼爱好者的天堂，通常他们会向沙沙兰的渔民租船或快艇出海捕鱼，偶尔海会在岛上待好几天，享受悠闲的钓鱼乐趣。

他表示，当局若把这两个海岛都列入旅游景点，将使瓜雪县的旅游配套更为扎实。
游了海岛再游渔村

林耀明建议游客到了瓜雪后，可在上午从沙沙兰渔村码头前往“神秘海岛”和天鹅岛。

他补充，除了上述两个地点，沿岸还有丰富的红树林和海鸟观看，大约下午就可回到沙沙兰。

“之​​后，旅客也可以到沙沙兰艺术馆走一圈，如州政府今年有多余预算，就可拨款推行这项艺术馆工程，内会有画作和雕像。”

他说，旅客过后也可参观当地的一家草药农庄，享受草药桑拿，傍晚再前往甘榜关丹关丹看萤火虫，然后到巴西不南邦享用海鲜，最后在瓜雪或适耕庄留宿。

他指出，瓜雪县议会主席诺莱妮对这些景点能协助推广当地旅游业感到高兴，并指县议会非常支持这项建议。

他认为，身为当地县议员，在协助推广旅游业责无旁贷，尤其一旦旅游业成熟，一定能带旺当地的经济活动，利惠居民。

他也说，沙沙兰村长李奋兴在上任后，也很努力地与大家配合，一起推动这个所谓的生态旅行，让沙沙兰这个小镇变得更棒！

天鹅岛面积不大，旅客可到灯塔上观赏海景。 （图：星洲日报）

黄瑞林：把适耕庄沙白连成一线

黄瑞林认为，一旦瓜雪有了旅游配套，将与适耕庄和沙白的景点连成一线，届时，游客无论到适耕庄或瓜雪，都可在北滨海区逗留更长的时间，促进当地的旅游业。

他除了支持林耀明的建议，也将协助县议会推广，让“神秘海岛”成为当地的一个旅游景点。

“有关海岛（浅滩）非常有特色，海滩上拥有许多的生物，而且海上还有渔船或货船经过，整个景色都非常宜人。”

参与考察团的黄瑞林（左四起）及诺莱妮等人以天鹅岛做为背景，在岛上合影。左一为林耀明。 （图：星洲日报）

淳朴的沙沙兰渔村外海有一座景色可媲美南美洲国家玻利维亚乌尤尼盐湖的“神秘海岛”，只需半小时的船程，即可抵达目的地。 （图：星洲日报）

神秘海岛上拥有丰富的生态，尤其贝类。 （图：星洲日报）

Tourists rave about KL despite negative claims

Tourists rave about KL despite negative claims



Malaysia boleh: Neumeier and Mack are very comfortable travelling in Malaysia.

Tourists are already planning a second visit despite claims that Kuala Lumpur is not safe and beer consumption is banned in most places.

“We are already thinking of coming back next year,” said first-time Scottish visitor Susan Calderhead, 43, and her husband Keith, 45.

“We’ve been here for three days, and have visited the KL Tower, the Petronas Twin Towers, the palace, a pewter factory, Chinatown and the Batu Caves,” said Keith.

“We’ve had a wonderful time, and everyone has been truly lovely.

“I did some online research before coming, and I was a bit nervous about bag-snatching and taxi drivers fleecing us, but now that we have been here for a few days, it’s all been fine. In fact, we walked around town last night, perfectly confident,” said Susan.

Drawn to visit by Tourism Malaysia ads shown in their home country that promised an “exciting, modern city”, the couple were not disappointed.

German tourists Sabrina Mack and Alexandra Neumeier, both 23, made Malaysia the second stop on their tour after Thailand.

“We feel very comfortable here,” said Sabrina.

Australian engineer David Knight and his wife Alexa, 38, travelling with daughters Xanthe, 3, and one-year-old Tessa, made safety paramount.

“I do all the research for our trips, and my benchmark is the Australian government’s travel advisories – and there was nothing in there to concern me about Malaysia,” Alexa said.

“People are very friendly and helpful. When we looked lost because we weren’t sure how to take the monorail to get to KLCC, someone just came up to us to help. Compared to many other countries, the English levels are very good, and that really helps travellers,” she said.

On Tuesday, a speaker at the Global Tourism Cities Conference 2016 said several websites claimed KL was a dangerous city, and that beer consumption was banned in the country.

One of these was worldatlas.com, which listed four Malaysian cities as among the most dangerous in Asia.

Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Datuk Hamzah Rahmat refuted such suggestions.

“Obviously, the speaker does not know that a licence is not required to sell beer in the country. KL is one of the most popular, safest cities.

“Twelve million foreign visitors are expected to visit this year,” he said.

~News courtesy of The Star~

全长2.5公里 衔接3村 吉胆岛建桥强推旅游业

全长2.5公里 衔接3村 吉胆岛建桥强推旅游业



渔村朴素与休闲的生活是吸引城市人前来旅游的卖点。

吉胆岛建桥“三通”计划一旦落实，有助进一步串联起岛上的旅游景点与特色，不单强化海岛旅游卖点，也为传统渔村注入新动力。

巴生市议会今年1月向旅游部提呈一项耗资900万令吉的工程建议书，以兴建贯通吉胆岛、原住民村与五条港三村，全长2.5公里的长桥通道，衔接三村的旅游产业，打造更多的旅游卖点。

一岛三渔村，各有千秋，各有特色，三通路线或可让游客延长逗留时间，以享尽三村自然美景，尝遍饕餮美食，甚至体验渔村朴实生活。

三村这百年来，在同一个岛屿上各自发展，属捕鱼为生。其中吉胆岛渔民多采用B型拖网渔船，原住民渔民则以传统A型渔船捕鱼；至于五条港渔民主要是捕虾为生，盛产虾米，是我国的“虾米之乡”。

《南洋商报》记者对此计划访问吉胆岛与五条港的村长，了解他们对长桥“三通”的看法、期望与前景。

由捕渔业走向旅游业 吉胆岛率先转型

上世纪80年代期间，吉胆岛因渔业蓬勃发展，人口一度突破2万人大关，五条港人口也曾达3000人，可说是渔业盛世。

1982年，前副首相敦嘉化峇峇巡视吉胆岛时，曾建议兴建衔接三村长桥，但引来岛民的大力反弹。

80年代中期，政府严格实施渔业法令，停止发放捕鱼执照，鼓励渔民设养鱼场或到深海捕鱼，导致渔业发展逐渐走下坡，人口也随之大幅流失。

90年代初，冷气快艇投入服务及巴生港口电动火车开启后，吉胆岛村民便看准旅游业的发展，逐渐投入民宿、酒店业及餐营业等发展，让该村率先成功转型。

走进21世纪，相较之下，吉胆岛在各种基本设施上也较其他两村发展蓬勃，五条港和原住民村的村民每天都会前往吉胆岛办理日常事务、求学及购物等。

报道/摄影：林秀芳

~南洋商报~