Tanjung Piai tourist attractions

Tanjung Piai needs more public amenities and tourist attractions

Daily catch: Kukup in Tanjung Piai, Johor is known for fishing activities and fresh seafood.

This area attracts tourists from around the world who throng Tanjung Piai National Park to experience the thrill of being at the Southern tip of not just Peninsular Malaysia but Asia.

Tanjung Piai is the only Ramsar wetlands in the state, which has a lot of mangrove and is diverse with marine and migratory birds.

Known for its fishing activities and seafood restaurants located on stilts, Tanjung Piai is located along the coast of south Johor.

The Tanjung Piai constituency, made up of Pekan Nenas and Kukup, is about half an hour drive from Johor Baru via the Skudai-Pontian highway.

Usually at the mention of Pekan Nenas, people will instantly associate the place with pineapples and pineapple plantations.

Enjoying a visit: Tanjung Piai National Park in Johor.

With the many resorts and homestay villages in the constituency, the tourism sector in the area has boomed over the years but locals feel that more can be done not just to develop the sector but also spruce up the area including adding more facilities and amenities.

Traditional Chinese Medicine shop owner Teo Giak Song, 46, from Kukup, said the area lacked other leisure attractions for tourists to enjoy during their stay there.

Teo said on weekends especially, he noticed between 20 and 30 tour buses making stops at the Kukup bus station, which is next to his shop.

“This is a good sign and shows that domestic and international tourists are visiting our area.

“But other than going for boat rides to look at the mangrove forest, fish kelongs and karaoke activities at the resorts, there is hardly much to do for tourists here.

“I believe that the tourism sector can be expanded with the building of more attractions, which will in turn benefit other businesses as well,” he said.

Traditional stores: A shop selling local products and tidbits in Kukup.

Teo, who has been operating in Kukup for four years, suggested attractions that are more focused on health and a person’s wellbeing.

“If rightly done, more tourists are expected to arrive in Tanjung Piai in the coming years as people would want to escape the ‘urban jungle’ and busy city life for a solar solace by the sea,” he added.

But not many people know that the Pekan Nenas was not its original name. The town was initially called Batu 27, according to bakery owner Noorhaza Mardikon, 40, who grew up there.

“It was because many people ventured into pineapple harvesting few decades ago and there were also many pineapple processing plants and production factories for the fruit that the name was then changed to Pekan Nenas,” she said.

However, Noorhaza said these days many pineapple harvesters have switched to oil palm and rubber plantation as these commodity items fetched higher prices.

“We now rarely see pineapple farms along the roads compared to before. It’s a shame because our town used to be unique and true to its name but now Pekan Nenas is slowly losing its identity,” she said.

~News courtesy of The Star~

S'pore, Malaysia agree on high-speed rail link

S'pore, Malaysia agree on high-speed rail link

Singapore and Malaysia have agreed to build a high-speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, with a target to complete it by 2020.

This was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Tuesday during their annual Leaders' Retreat.

With the new link, it will take about 90 minutes to get from Singapore to KL and vice versa.

The two leaders described the high-speed rail system as a strategic development in the bilateral relations, saying it will dramatically improve the connectivity between Malaysia and Singapore.

The link will also facilitate seamless travel between KL and Singapore, enhance business links, and bring peoples of Singapore and Malaysia closer together.

Mr Lee said: "It is a strategic project for the two countries. It will change the way we see each other. It is the way people in London and Paris are able to think of it -- as twin cities, where you can commute, go up there, do business, meet friends, have a meal and come back, all within two thirds of the day.

"And I think it is going to be a game changer. It will transform the way people interact, the intensity of our cooperation and the degree to which we become interdependent on each other and therefore have stakes on each other's success."

The leaders added that it will usher in a new era of strong growth, prosperity and opportunities for both countries.

They said ultimately the project will give both countries greater stakes in each other's prosperity and success.

Mr Najib said a joint ministerial committee will look into the details of the project.

He said: "Our two cities will complement each other. Our two countries will look at each other differently and the opportunities are boundless between our two countries.

"So I am excited about the project. We will certainly do our level best to meet the 2020 deadline. It may go slightly beyond that, but those are details in implementation.

"The modalities will be offered to Singapore. Basically, we want Singapore to participate in this based on the different kinds of options that we will offer to the Singapore government."

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

18th World Kite Festival

Columbia, Russia and Zambia join the 18th World Kite Festival

Up, up and away: Johor State Tourism and Domestic Trade Committee chairman Datuk Hoo Seong Chang (third from left) together with Johor Tourism director Md Zainal Misram (second from left), On (fourth from left) and Rosniza (far right) and Kamaruld (far left) during the 18th World Kite Festival press conference.

Four new countries - Colombia, Russia, Ukraine and Zambia will be taking part in the upcoming 18th World Kite Festival.

Their participation will increase the number of countries taking part from 32 to 36 in 2011 and foreign participants from 225 to 236 in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

“More and more foreign countries have expressed their interest to participate in the yearly event,” Pasir Gudang Municipal Council (MMPG) president On Jabbar said in a press conference, recently.

He said this after receiving RM50,000 sponsorship from Johor Corp Business acceleration unit corporate services vice-president Kamaruld Salleh and KFC Holdings (M) Bhd group corporate communications general manager Rosniza Baharum.

On said the number of foreign countries and international participants taking part in the event had increased gradually since the event first started in 1995.

He said this year’s event would be more exciting as more local and foreign participations would show off their kite-flying skills with their own uniquely designed kites.

“Apart from watching colourful kites flying over Pasir Gudang skies, we have lined-up several activities in the four-day event,” added On.

Kite exhibitions, competitions, kite making workshops as well as cultural performances were among the activities to watch out for.

Similarly, MPPG has also launched the mobile radio vehicle which will roam different areas in Johor Baru, Nusajaya, Kulaijaya and Kota Tinggi to promote the event.

More than 800 local and foreign participants will take part in event at Bukit Layang-Layang, Pasir Gudang from Feb 20 to 24.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Working together to fight crime

Working together to fight crime

The Johor and the Singapore police are working hand in hand in crime prevention in both countries by handing out crime prevention pamphlets at the entry points.

State deputy police chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Ismail Yatim said the move would help to create better awareness between Malaysians and Singaporeans from falling victim of crimes.

He added that the state police would distribute 30,000 crime prevention pamphlets at main entrance points including at the Causeway here and Second Link Crossing in Tuas near Gelang Patah.

SAC Ismail said among others the pamphlets have tips on crime prevention and the hotline numbers of each police districts in Johor together with the state police hotline for Singaporeans to report on any crime cases involving them.

“Over the years the number of Singaporeans becoming crime victims in Johor has increased, from 400 in 2011 to 466 last year.

“Most of the cases involving Singaporean are vehicle theft where motorcycle thefts are the bulk of it,” he said.

He added that the republic’s Jurong police district would also issue similar pamphlets at the Singapore entry points.

“With the Iskandar Malaysia progressing well and the influx of Singaporean investors, we want to ensure that Johor is a safe place for them to do business,” he said.

He said this in a press conference after the launching of the pamphlets with Singapore Police Force Deputy Comm T. Raja Kumar at AEON Bukit Indah here recently.

Meanwhile, DCP Raja Kumar applauded the initiatives from both the Malaysia and Singapore police force.

“The cooperation between the two has long been established where sharing of intelligence from both sides has help solve and arrest criminals in both countries.

“In today’s borderless world, the initiatives taken will to ensure the safety and security of Malaysia and Singapore,” he said.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Happy Chinese New Year

CW3S - Route Extension

Train between S'pore & M'sia remain cancelled

Train services between S'pore & M'sia remain cancelled

Train services between Singapore and Malaysia remain cancelled, after a Singapore-bound train derailed and overturned near the Kempas train station on Saturday.

Malayan Railway (KTM) said repair works are expected to be done by Thursday.

With the temporary disruption in train service, many passengers are turning to buses. Some bus operators reported a 20-per cent increase in passengers heading to Malaysia on Sunday.

They added that the accident will not cause too much disruption as it occurred during the off peak travel season.

Managing director of Grassland Express & Tours Pte Ltd, Tan Boon Huat, said: "If it happened closer to the Lunar New Year festive period when everyone starts returning home, then it would be very crowded."

～News courtesy of Channel Newsasia～