Sunday, December 16, 2012

CHAPEL AT PORTUGUESE SETTLEMENT

Sunday December 16, 2012

Portuguese Settlement folk finally get a chapel By ALLISON LAI allison@thestar.com.my

Christmas cheer: Residents of the Portuguese Settlement can finally hold their Christmas Eve mass in their very own chapel at the village in Ujong Pasir, Malacca.

MALACCA: After five years of waiting, about 1,400 residents of the Portuguese Settlement in Ujong Pasir here can finally look forward to holding their Christmas Eve mass in their very own chapel at the village.

Village Regedor (headman) Peter Thomas Gomes was thankful that the chapel was finally ready for use by the community members here.

“The construction work was completed late last year and the priest spent some time designing the altar while we were busy furnishing the chapel.

“All work was done by February and we have been holding weekly mass services there since,” he said after attending the Wanita Barisan Nasional Christmas celebration at the village yesterday.

Also present were Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Wanita MCA chief Datuk Yu Chok Tow, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam and several other state women leaders.

The community had previously sought funds to build a church at the village.

The chapel has a seating capacity of 450. The request was approved by the Government and included in the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

During the national-level Christmas celebrations at the village two years ago, Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim personally delivered a RM480,000 cheque to the village to convert a hall into a chapel.

The chapel which has a seating capacity of 450 is named Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception.

“The chapel project was completed with prudent spending monitored by the village committee,” said Gomes.

He said more than 1,000 villagers and their families were expected to gather at and around the chapel on Christmas Eve.

Meanwhile, Mohd Ali said the completion of the chapel marked a significant achievement for the village which was set up some 80 years ago.

¥ “This is another good example of the Government giving priority to what the people need,” he said.

LIVE TRAFFIC CONDITION BY GOOGLE MAPS IN MELAKA.

If you intend to visit Melaka, you can now check live traffic situation in Melaka by logging into Google Map.

The Google Map wilk show you the different road situation - Red tells you the road is jam, Yellow is congested and Green is free flowing. So, with your smartphones, you can check the roads for congestion and take corrective action.

Friday, December 14, 2012

TOURISM MELAKA ADDS ON GOOGLE TRANSLATOR

Today, we added Google Translator on our main content page at www.tourism-melaka.con/review. Google Translator can translate the main page into 64 languages at the click of the button.

Our main page used to be in English and getting this page translated will take hours of hard work until now. It may not be perfect but the gist of the contents will be there. Just select the language you want the page to be translated and click on it. We want to target the Chinese audience and now they can do so.

Hope you will use this added value service by Google.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

MELAKA JAM TO END IN 2013?

14 December 2012 | last updated at 08:07AM Malacca traffic jam soon to be history

By Jason Gerald | jasong@nst.com.my

TRAM OPERATING ON NGV: RM272 million project will begin in February next year WITH the sounds of Christmas Jingles echoing in malls and popular tourist destinations, such as the Jonker Walk, and the curtains closing slowly but definitely for this year, the traffic in the city is starting to become a nightmare.

Unlike the previous months where traffic and people only flock the Historical City over the weekends, the current school holidays and the rush by almost everyone to strike out their remaining annual leave, the number of people and vehicles coming into Malacca and leaving has almost doubled in December.

Not only are the exits to Malacca via the Simpang Ampat, Ayer Keroh and Jasin exits along the North-South Expressway experiencing a crawl but almost all roads leading to the city centre is seeing a bumper to bumper traffic.

However, this is the small sacrifice that people in Malacca have to pay to ensure the Historical City remains a vibrant tourist destination, as tourism is one of the main income generators for the state coffers and many businesses involved in the hospitality industry.

And the traffic congestion would become part of history when the much awaited Malacca Tram, a RM272 million project undertaken by Mrails International Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Chief Minister Incorporated (CMI), begins in February next year. The tram, operating on liquefied natural gas (NGV), would be capable of ferrying 120 passengers at any one time at a speed of 40kph and would begin from its depot next to the Ayer Keroh toll plaza and head to the heritage zone of Malacca -- covering a distance of 40km and serving 11 of 14 major tourist spots.

Among the popular spots the tram will pass on its route are Hotel Seri Malaysia, Botanical Gardens, Melaka Zoo, Melaka International Trade Centre, Taman Muzaffar Shah, Pantai Hospital, Masjid Al-Azim, Hospital Melaka, Renaissance Hotel, Dataran Pahlawan, Hotel Mahkota, Harbour Club, Equatorial Hotel and Bukit Baru.

With the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) giving the "green light" for implementation of the tram project, although the law on the transport system is yet to be completed, the tram could very soon be seen plying the "tourism" routes in the state.

SPAD chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar said technical work such as the building of tracks and depots could still proceed and "there is still time to formulate the law" for the tram.

Syed Hamid also recently said SPAD had held discussions with the Attorney-General's Chambers in drafting the law for tabling in Parliament before gazetting. SPAD would ask for a detailed report on security and maintenance aspects of the tram system from the project developer to ensure its smooth operation.

When the Malacca Tram starts its operations, in about a year after the project starts in February, it is expected that some 110,000 passengers will use the service on weekdays and 210,000 on weekends.

Mrails is working with CNR Tangshan Railway Vehicles Co Ltd, a Chinese-based locomotive manufacturer, for the building of the coaches.

The tram is a rail borne vehicle, lighter than a train and differs from other forms of locomotion, as the tracks are embedded in the street.

It is able to accommodate 120 passengers at one time, caters to the disabled because of its ground-level design and will operate at speeds of 40kph.

Ticket for the tram ride is priced at RM2 for a single journey but students and senior citizens ride for free. A day pass, priced at RM5 is also available.

When launching the Tram project in February, last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak stressed that despite the nation's quest for greater modernisation, emphasis must be placed on environmentally-friendly technology to ensure sustainability and low carbon emissions.

He said long-term environmental conservation efforts were important and should not be compromised at the cost of development and that the Malacca Tram project was iconic, not only for the state, but for the nation as well.

This "next generation tram" is the world's first environmentally-friendly tram that runs on NGV engine. Najib said the project was suitable to be introduced here as it was in line with the state's slogan "Where It All Began".

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

MELAKA TRAM GETS SPAD APPROVAL

Wednesday December 12, 2012 MYT 7:39:00 PM

SPAD okays implementation of Malacca's tram project

MALACCA: The Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) has given the green light for implementation of the tram project in Malacca, although laws governing the system are not ready yet.

SPAD chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar said technical work such as the building of tracks and depots could still proceed.

"Since the existing traffic laws do not cover trams, there is no regulation governing it. However, we have allowed the project to start because there is still time to formulate the law," he told reporters after meeting Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam on the tram project here Wednesday.

He said SPAD had held discussions with the Attorney-General's Chamber to draft the law for tabling in Parliament before gazetting.

SPAD would ask for a detailed report on the security and maintenance aspects of the tram system from the project developer to ensure its smooth operation, he added.

The RM272mil project undertaken by Mrails International Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Chief Minister Incorporated (CMI) will cover 11 of 14 tourist areas in Malacca.

The tram, operating on liquefied natural gas (NGV), is capable of ferrying 120 passengers at any one time at a speed of 40kmph.

Mohd Ali said preliminary work on the tram project was expected to start in February next year. - Bernama More News Go

Saturday, December 8, 2012

CANOPY FOR JONKER WALK?

Friday December 7, 2012

Jonker Street needs a canopy

I RECENTLY visited the famous Jonker Street in historical Malacca. Situated near the mouth of the Malacca river, the street and its surrounding historical sites were filled with tourists.

One could not miss seeing pleasure boats cruising up and down the river or people queuing up for hours under the blazing sun just to savour the famous chicken rice balls, a sight not seen just a few years ago.

The state government has done a fantastic job and ought to be congratulated for transforming the area into a major tourist attraction.

However, one could also notice the effects of the blazing sun on the tourists walking along the narrow street or queuing up for food.

Using umbrellas to keep away the heat (or rain) on a crowded narrow street and walkway can be quite a challenge.

Would’nt it be nice and “cool” to have a canopy all along the Jonker Street?

It will keep the heat and rain away, thus encouraging more tourists to visit this unique historical site.

This will be good for the state and the business people.

The state government should consider the feasibility of a canopy.

ROBERT LIM

Alor Gajah, Malacca

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013

As 2012 draws to a close in 3 weeks' time, we want to wish everyone of Christian faith "A Very Merry Christmas" and to everyone " A Very Happy New Year 2013 ". Hopefully, 2013 will be a good year in our undertakings, health and happiness.

Enjoy your year end holidays and festivities. Do not drive if you drink and drive carefully.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR