MelakaHeritage:Tall Ship

[GWR]

2008/06/05
Malacca and Penang clear heritage site final hurdle

MALACCA: It looks like the historical city's eight-year wait to be included on the Unesco World Heritage Site list will be over soon.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the state had passed the final stumbling block - a request by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos) for Bukit Cina to be included in the buffer zone of the heritage site in Malacca.

"As requested by Icomos, the state executive council yesterday gave the green light for Bukit Cina, all 41.5ha of the biggest Chinese cemetery in the world outside of China, to be included as a heritage site buffer zone to complete our dossier in our nomination for us to be listed as a world heritage site together with Penang.

"This was among the six criteria which the state needed to comply with before the world heritage committee meets in Quebec, Canada, next month to accept Malacca and Penang's applications to be included in the list."

The five other criteria, which Malacca has fulfilled, were - setting up a management group or body to ensure the coordinated management of the two cities, a comprehensive conservation plan designed and implemented for the cities, measures to decrease motor traffic, control of tourism pressures and a comprehensive monitoring system of all the components in the heritage zone.

"It everything goes well, Malacca and Penang would be known as 'Malacca and George Town Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca'."

With the inclusion of Bukit Cina, the heritage site in Malacca will cover a core area of 38.1ha which include the area around the A'Famosa, Stadhuys and Jonker Walk and a 170ha buffer zone covering Dataran Pahlawan, Banda Kaba, Kampung Jawa, Kampung Satu, Kampung Dua, Kampung Tiga, Kampung Empat, Kampung Pantai, Gajah Berang and areas from Jalan Munshi Abdullah to the Bukit Cina roundabout.

"In total, the heritage site in Malacca will comprise an area covering 208ha."

Bukit Cina, the biggest Chinese cemetery in the world outside China, comprises three hills - Bukit Gedung, Bukit Tempurung and Bukit Cina.
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/National/2258742/Article/index_html

[GWR]

Tuesday July 8, 2008
Unesco accepts George Town and Malacca as World Heritage Sites
By EDDIE CHUA

GEORGE TOWN: The historical sites of George Town and Malacca have finally been listed as World Heritage Sites – a much sought after listing by nations across the globe.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) accorded the two cities the status yesterday when the Paris-based World Heritage Council met in Quebec, Canada.

The recognition will see historical and cultural properties in both cities to be listed on the Unesco World Heritage List.

Malaysia had been bidding for the prestigious listing since 2004.

The core areas encompass the historical sites of George Town, including the Lebuh Acheh historical enclave and sites such as the Lebuh Acheh Malay Mosque, Jalan Mesjid Kapitan Kling Mosque, the Goddess of Mercy Temple, Sri Mariamman Temple, Khoo Kongsi, St George’s Church, Assumption Church, St Xavier’s Institution, Convent Light Street, Little India, the museum and court building, the commercial area of Beach Street, Fort Cornwallis, Esplanade, City Hall, the clan jetties and the port areas.

In Malacca, the historical sites near the St Paul’s Hill, the 17th century Dutch Stadhuys buildings, Jonker Street with its Dutch-era buildings, Jalan Tukang Besi, Kampung Morten and Malacca River have been recognised as part of the world heritage sites.

Penang Tourism Development, Cultural, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Danny Law Heng Kiang said a state representative who were following the meeting in Canada informed them of the success bid yesterday evening.

“Listing George Town and Malacca on the World Heritage List would definitely help to boost the tourism in both states in a long run.”

Former Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said the success in the bid is a boost to multiculturalism and tourism for Malaysia.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/7/8/nation/21765425&sec=nation

[GWR]

Thursday July 17, 2008
Portuguese community heave a sigh of relief as seafront is spared
By MARTIN CARVALHO

MALACCA: The 1,000-strong community in the Portuguese Settlement here can rest assured that they would not lose their seafront because of the development of a coastal highway.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the state would ensure that the Ujong Pasir coastline would not be affected by land reclamation for the project.

“A proposal has been submitted by a company to the urban planning authorities to bypass the Ujong Pasir coastline near the Portuguese Settlement.

“This will be achieved by reclaiming an island off the coast to link the coastal highway to the existing Pulau Melaka before exiting at Padang Temu,” he said after officiating at the groundbreaking ceremony for the coastal highway at Kota Laksamana recently.

Costing RM12.4mil and scheduled for completion within a year, the first phase of the coastal highway will cover 2.4 km linking Kota Laksamana and Limbongan.

The Portuguese community had, on numerous occasions, raised concern over the loss of their seafront since the early 1990s following proposed coastal reclamation by the state.

Meanwhile, Portuguese village Regedor (headman) Peter Thomas Gomez said he welcomed the assurance by the state.

“The Portuguese community here is linked closely to the sea and the loss of the seafront would mean the end of our unique way of life,” he said, adding that the annual Festa San Pedro was one such tradition connected to the sea.

He supported the development of the coastal highway on a reclaimed island as it would help ease traffic congestion along Ujong Pasir.

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/7/17/southneast/21671233&sec=southneast

[GWR]

Friday August 1, 2008
Sail ship offers tours out of Malacca
By CHEN PELF YEEN

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/8/1/southneast/ms_pg02lili.jpg
Photo: The Star - Fully rigged: The three-masted Lili Marleen anchored off the coast of Malacca recently.

MALACCA: The recent arrival of the ocean-going sailing vessel ss Lili Marleen at this historic port city has brought forgotten images of the state’s glorious maritime to history life.

Known as a tall ship, the 76.6m Lili Marleen is a three-masted sail ship with over 1,208 square metres of sail, and the only one of its kind plying the Straits of Malacca.

Tan Sri Halim Mohamad, CEO of the ship’s owner, the Halim Mazmin Group, recently weighed anchor off the coast of Malacca to offer trips for those wishing to experience a sail ship.

“We were invited to sail to Penang but chose Malacca as it was here that hundreds of sail ships called during the Sultanate Era 600 years ago,” he said, adding that Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam requested that the ship be stationed here.

He said the company, which has been in the oil and gas transportation business for over 18 years, purchased the fully-rigged wooden-hull ship for six million Euros to lease it as a floating hotel or a venue for social and private events.

“The ship, whose finishings and facilities are comparable to a five-star hotel, can make ocean voyagers by sail or engine power,” he said.

Lili Marleen is named after two different singers made popular by the German army during World War II.

The ship has three decks, with the promenade deck consisting of three deluxe cabins, Lili’s bar, and a library sun deck.

The main deck includes two cabins with upper and lower berths, reception, a restaurant, lounge bar and a laundry while the cabin deck includes 19 outside cabins and a first-aid post.

He said the company would collaborate with the state to use the ship to promote Malacca as a tourist destination.

“It is timely that Lili Marleen is anchored off here as Malacca was a famous port for sail ships and was recently recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mohd Ali said the state tourism promotion division and hoteliers here would promote the ship as a tourist attraction.

For a start, he said the ship would offer tourists a sunset dinner cruise on the Straits of Malacca, the busiest shipping lane in the world.

“I believe Lili Marleen will attract tourists to stay in Malacca as the cruise will take five hours,” he said, adding that those wishing for more could hire the vessel for voyages to other ports in the region.

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/8/1/southneast/1697549&sec=southneast