A kopitiam or kopi tiam is a traditional coffee shop patronised for meals and beverages, predominantly operated by Chinese proprietors and especially members of the Hainanese community. The word kopi is a Malay/Hokkien term for coffee and tiam is the Hokkien and Hakka term for shop (Chinese : 店).
A common sight in Malaysia and neighbouring Singapore, menus often feature offerings like nasi lemak, boiled eggs, roti bakar, noodle dishes, bread and kuih. The owners of some kopitiam establishments may lease premise space to independent stallholders, who sometimes offer more specialised dishes beyond standard Chinese kopitiam fare.
Typical beverages include Milo, a malted chocolate drink considered iconic to Malaysians of all ages, as well as coffee (kopi) and tea (teh). Diners would use slang terms specific to kopitiam culture to order and customise drinks to their taste.
~wikipedia~
Safety boost for Batu Caves pilgrims
FOUR Indian companies and NGOs in Rawang, Selangor, will work together to ensure the safety of Hindus who undertake paathayathra or pilgrimage on foot to Batu Caves for Thaipusam, Makkal Osai reported.
Ehsan Jaya Transport chairman Datuk Suresh Rao said they would work with Pertubuhan Kebajikan Mesra Rawang Selangor, Itosu-ryu Karatedo Malaysia and Rawang Motorsport Club to assist the pilgrims.
Five tents will be set up, with one in Rawang as the gathering and starting point and four more along the way. The pilgrims can stop at any of the tents to rest or get assistance from the people manning them.
Devotees from Batang Kali, Serendah, Rawang and surrounding areas are expected to undertake the pilgrimage to Batu Caves beginning Jan 20 in conjunction with Thaipusam the following day.
> The Thennindhiya Nathigal Inaippu Vivasayigal Sangam (National-South India Rivers Linking Farmers Association) staged a gruesome protest using human skulls to demand payment for their crops, Tamil dailies reported.
The protest, which started on Jan 7, put forward eight demands including compensation for their sugar cane yield, which has been unpaid by the processing plant for nearly two years.
After initial negotiations with the authorities failed, the farmers staged the protest while wearing garlands made of human skulls and bones.
~News courtesy of The Star~
Visa exemption for China tourists extended to Dec 2019
The 15-day visa exemption for tourists from China has been extended from Jan 1 to Dec 31 this year, a piece of good news for local tourism industry players.
With many Chinese nationals going on holiday during the Chinese New Year next month and China’s National Day Golden Week break in October, Malaysia’s tourism association is hopeful that the exemption will boost arrivals.
Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Jan 2 made three separate orders to grant visa exemptions for Chinese and Indian tourists.
The orders granting the exemption under the Passports Act 1966 were published on Jan 3 in the Federal Government Gazette.
The three are: Passports (Exemption of Visa to Tourist Who is Citizen of The People’s Republic Of China) Order 2019; Passports (Exemption of Visa to Tourist Who is Citizen of India) Order 2019; and Passports (Exemption of Visa to Expatriate Who is Citizen of India) Order 2019.
Chinese tourists were first granted the 15-day visa exemptions on Oct 1, 2015, while Indian citizens including expatriates who visit Malaysia as tourists were first given exemptions on April 1, 2017.
The exemptions for both countries were extended every year since.
The exemption for tourists who are citizens of China comes with a number of conditions.
According to the orders, applicants must register with an electronic travel registration and information system provided by the Immigration Department.
They must have a return ticket and must produce on arrival, proof of sufficient pocket money, credit card or bank card with the UnionPay, AliPay or eWallet logo.
They must also produce their itinerary in Malaysia upon arrival.
The orders stated that the 15-day exemption could not be extended, and upon leaving Malaysia, the tourist was only allowed to re-register for exemption again after three months.
The exemption for tourists who are citizens of India has almost similar conditions while the exemption of Indian expatriates applies to all citizens of India working as expatriates outside India in all countries except Singapore.
They are granted the exemption when travelling to Malaysia as tourists.
~News courtesy of The Star~
KLIA exceeds quality of service
KL International Airport (KLIA) exceeded the service quality targets in October set under the Malaysian Aviation Commission’s Airport Quality of Service (QoS) framework.
Malaysia Airports acting group chief executive officer, Raja Azmi Raja Nazuddin said meeting the QoS targets was a fraction of the many initiatives undertaken to improve guests’ experience.
“At the core, we want to transform the mindset of our people and imbue them with a first-world service culture,” he said in a statement.
Initiated in September 2018, QoS is a service performance measure meant to ensure consistent passenger comfort at the airport and improve airport user experience for stakeholders.
~News courtesy of The Star~
