The King's Enthronement

Malaysia's New King Installation

Last Wednesday, 11 April 2012 was declared a public holiday for Malaysia. On that historical day, the country celebrated the enthronement of its new king. The ceremony was done lavishly, rich in centuries-old royal traditions.

Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah who is now 84, was also the King in the 1970s. He is the first King to hold the position twice under the country's rotating monarchy.

The "Yang di-Pertuan Agong" (meaning "He Who Is Made Lord") a name given based on his rank, is the normal and respectful way  to address the king in this country. 

The King officially took his oath in a public ceremony in the yellow carpet throne room of the National Palace at the hilltop in Kuala Lumpur.

The King who studied at Oxford University, is a great fan of jazz, football, polo and golf.

He was proclaimed as the fourteenth King by Malaysia's Prime Minister and before an audience of other sultans, ministers and foreign dignitaries.

For the ceremony, the monarch was dressed in black and yellow royal regalia, made of wool and embroidered with gold threads. He was presented with a Koran and then with "Keris Panjang Diraja", the royal long dagger.

It is known that in the Malay history and among the Malay rulers, these two things signify symbols of power and authority. The King drew out the dagger and kissed it. The country's sultan lineage can be traced back to the 15th century, since Parameswara's settlement in Malacca.

Government offices in the country must show respect to their king and queen by hanging potraits of them both on the wall where it can be easily seen by the public. The king is also the symbolic head of Islam in the nation, as well as the nominal chief of the military.

The country has had an elected monarchy since independence from Britain in 1957. In a unique arrangement, the throne rotates every five years among the rulers of the nine Malaysian states still headed by royalty.

Visit Kinabalu National Park, A World Heritage Site

Mt Kinabalu

In December 2000, at the World Heritage Conference in Cairn Australia, an announcement was made that Kinabalu Park had been chosen as one of the World Heritage Sites in the natural site category. It is also Malaysia’s very first world heritage site.

Kinabalu had attained two criteria which warranted for inscription Criteria (ix) and (x): The site has a various biota and substantial endemism. The altitudinal and climatic gradient from tropical forest to alpine conditions  blend together with precipitous topography, diverse geology and frequent climate oscillations to give conditions suitable for the growth of the rare varieties of plants.

Beautiful Valley

The Park features high biodiversity with representatives from more than half the families of all flowering plants. The majority of Borneo’s animals, birds, amphibians and invertebrates, many endangered and vulnerable, can be found in the dense forest of the Park.

Mt Kinabalu at 4095m is the highest mountain in South-East Asia and is located in the Kinabalu National Park in the province of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo. Countless numbers of tourists visit Kinabalu National Park each year and most come here determined to conquer Mt Kinabalu.

Results of Climbathon 2011

The Climbathon, an international sport event which has attracted participants from all over the world, is being held here every two years.

There is good news for the not so confident climbers! Mt Kinabalu is one of the least difficult peaks in the world to overcome. It requires just two days and climbers don't need any previous experience at mountain climbing. At sunrise, the views from Mt Kinabalu's summit at Low's Peak are spectacular, a sweet reward for all of the  hard work.

Frequently, climbers take two days to climb up and descend Mt Kinabalu. The eight-kilometre climb starts from the Timpohon Gate near park headquarters at 1800m, with an over night stay at one of the visitor houses at Laban Rata which is at 3273m high. Early next morning, climbers will proceed to the summit which takes about 2- 3 hours to arrive. If the weather is fine, Mt Kinabalu's summit will be reached in time to view the sunrise, before going back to Laban Rata for morning meal. Climbers then descend the mountain, generally reaching the park headquarters by late-afternoon.

Timpohon Gate, the Starting Point of  Mt Climbing

Anyone with a fair level of fitness and the determination to persevere through fatigue and discomfort can climb to the peak of Mt Kinabalu. It is achievable and extremely fulfilling.

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Copyright@2012 Kota Kinabalu Tourism.Com. All Rights Reserved.

Kipandi Butterly Park, A Great Place For the Nature Lovers

Kipandi Butterfly Park

The Kipandi Butterfly Park is located in the Crocker Range which is a complex of high altitude hills, up to 1500m, extending southward from this summit. These hills are mostly covered with primary forest in which at least 8000 species of  plants including 2500 species of trees have been recorded and this area is one of the most important sanctuary for the biodiversity in the world. The entomological fauna of this area is one of the richest in the world.

Kipandi Butterfly Park is situated in Moyog, in the district of Penampang and lies at 700 meter altitude in the heart of the Crocker Range. It  is a very beautiful place, great for relaxing and enjoying the cool mountain air. It is also a favourite place for photographers who enjoy taking nature photographs especially gorgeous butterflies and exotic flowering plants. The park is surrounded with forest and taking a walk in it will bring you back to a lost paradise with the song of cicadas and birds and fluttering butterflies sipping the nectar of rare flowers. Many butterflies come into the garden to suck nectar from the many flower shrubs. Over 100 species have been recorded and they can be easily photographed inside the enclosure.

A Rare Butterfly

Some of the rarest species of butterflies that can be seen at the park are the Rajah Brooks' and Golden Birdwings. The breeding of these species is carried out through a joint venture project with Sabah's Wildlife Department. This joint work aims to repopulate the forest with the threatened species and since its inception, have several times released hundreds of birdwings butterflies into the wild.

First Insect Museum in Sabah

You will also be able to visit the very first Insect Museum of Sabah at the Park. There, you will see a great diversity of butterflies in various shapes and colours. The museum has over 500 butterflies and over 3000 beetles. It also showcases some very rare endemic species recently discovered by scientists.

Butterfly Enclosure

Special enclosures have been constructed to house some of the rare and endangered orchids and pitcher plants in Sabah.

Native Orchids

These botanical collections allow specialists to study the more than 500 species of native orchids, which are known to be extremely rare and therefore, difficult to find in the forest.

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Copyright@2012 Kota Kinabalu Tourism.Com.
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Sabah More Than 50percent Forested

The State Forestry Department Director, Datuk Sam Mannan said that after the introduction of agriculture to counter the over-reliance on timber, Sabah is still about 60 percent forested. 

Between 1970 and 2010, the percentage of deforestation was about 0.5 per cent a year. The height of deforestation happened between 1990 and 2000 during the booming of oil palm industry and this also saw the increase in the number of Orang Utans sent to the rehabilitation centre in Sepilok. 

Speaking at the Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) in Sepilok, also during the time of Sultan Brunei's visit to Sandakan early this month, he said about four million hectares in Sabah remain under forest reserves, parks and wildlife sanctuaries and great effort is being made to expand the forest reserve system. 

Sabah Rhino Via Save the Sabah Rhino

Mannan said that despite countless acts of random madness in the past, the rainforests have managed to recover, with considerable biological assets remain untouched, and only one species, the Sabah Rhino, is found to be close to extinction.

The RDC is now taking steps to try to save the Sabah Rhino by means of captive breeding. Launched in 2007, the RDC is created to create awareness on conservation and care for the environment. The state government of Sabah also actively supports and promotes ecotourism and recreation, education and research and development.

Source -  http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=80868

Celebration of Catholic Mass at Mount Kinabalu

The summit of Mt. Kinabalu at over 4,095.2 metre has been a favorite backdrop for many record-setting events. Some 30 years after late bishop Datuk Simon Fung of the then Diocese of Sabah celebrated mass on the highest point in South East Asia, a similar attempt was accomplished last month as catholics worldwide entered the season of lent, a 40-day period of fasting, abstinence and alms giving before Easter.

It culminated in a group of parishioners from the St John's Church of Tuaran celebrating mass near low's peak. Already, a group of seminarians and aspirants will do the same in May and the would be clergy to be led by co-adjuctant Bishop John Wong, and his successor as priest-in-charge of the aspirants, Rev Fr Wilfred Atin.

In the February mission, a group of 24 parishioners from the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement of the St John's Church led by Rev Fr Rayner Bisius succeeded in having mass amid the craggy peaks above the clouds after two earlier attempts failed due to bad weather.

'We thank God that we finally succeeded in celebrating mass there in line with the theme of the climb, Journey of Faith.' Fr Rayner told the Daily Express.'

Asked why did they decided to try it and the theme, the assistant rector of St. John's parish explained that it was in line with the 'Year of Faith' declared by the Pope for this year.

I feel grateful to God, happy awesome...words cannot describe. Our mountain guide said we were lucky because it had been raining the few days before our assault,' said Fr Rayner, on how he felt after the mass.

On whether the group would do it again next year or make it an annual event, the priest said 'may be, why not' adding that preparation for the recent trip started last year and that there was a lot of training and praying as the trip got nearer.

Joining the group recently was Rev Fr Mathius Augustine of Bundu Tuhan.

The feat by the St. John's Church CCR group is expected to spark a renewed interest in other catholic churches throughout sabah doing the same.

Mountains played an important part in the history of Christianity.

Throughout the bible, there were many significant incidents and the ten commandments, Jesus fasted for 40 days and later tempted by the devil on a mountain, the sermon on the mount, just to name a few.


Source: Daily Express, Special Report, Sunday, March 11,2012

Brunei's Sultan Visited Sandakan Festival

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah was in Sandakan for a two-day visit on 3-4 March 2012. The Sultan and his 17-member entourage came by an exclusive airplane which landed down at Sandakan Airport at 9.25am.

The Governor state of Sabah, Tun Juhar Mahiruddin, Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Musa Aman and several state ministers were at the airport to welcome the Sultan of Brunei.

Musa described the visit by Sultan of Brunei Darussalam as a historic moment.

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah officiated the Sandakan Festival at the Padang Bandaran on Saturday, 3 March 2012. Musa, in his speech, expressed confidence that the visit would further reinforce the ties between Brunei and Malaysia, especially the Sabah State government.

The Sandakan Festival was launched in 2000 with its main goal to push the economic growth for Sandakan district and Sabah, in general.

"It is demonstrated that by organizing various cultural, arts and tourism activities, not only it is packed with distinctive and pleasant tradition but also possessing its own status and interesting attractions," Musa said.

Apart from displaying the history, uniqueness and attractiveness of the district, the event had also increased co-operation amongst the people from a variety of sub-ethnic race groups, religions and culture.

Source- http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=80867

Lahad Datu: A Fast Developing Tourism Hub For Sabah

Lahad Datu is just a small town. Yet it takes on a significant role in the economic growth of Sabah, especially in the tourism industry.

Palm oil estates managed by sole proprietors and corporate and business leaders cover lengths and widths of the land, all set to fulfill the local and overseas customers' demand for palm oil. Other agriculture activities that can be seen here are the production of rubber, cocoa, and copra which is the dried kernel of coconut, to produce cooking oil. Its position close to the beach also promotes fishing activities. Other sea products here include tiger prawns, white prawns, mud crab and seaweed.

Some of the ethnicities in Lahad Datu are the Kadazan-Dusun, Dusun Subpan, Dusun Bagahak, Suluk, Bajau, Chinese, Kokos, Iranun, Bugis, Timor, Tidong, Jawa, Sungai, Idahan and Kagayan.

The title “Lahad Datu” began from the Bajau language. When interpreted into English, “Lahad” indicates “a place” and “Datu” is a name that was granted to dignitaries in historical times. The place was named so after the Datu clan migrated from the Suluk empire, headed by Datu Puti. The Sultan of Brunei passed over the land authority to the Suluk Sultan in 1879.

It is also claimed that the district’s name, was previously known as “Kerugau”. It probably originated from the visible spotted corals that can be seen around the beach from Kunak to Membatu, located in Tungku.

One can easily go to well-known destinations like Lembah Danum, the Tabin Wildlife Park, and the Batu Tulug Archaeological Museum, by road.

Lembah Danum, where the Ulu Segama Malua Forest Reserve is located is already enlisted by the state government as another potential world heritage site for Sabah. The Borneo Pygmy Elephant which is the smallest elephant in the world and categorized as a rare species can be found here. Other unique and distinct flora and fauna are the Borneo Sumateran Rhinoceros, Orang Utan, Tembedau, and numerous species of wild orchid can be discovered in large quantity in the forest.

With its distinctive and diverse flora and fauna, it is no wonder that the forest has been acknowledged as one of the world’s most elaborate ecosystems. Another such intriguing spot is the Tabin Wildlife Park, famous for its mud volcano, which is the source of minerals for the wildlife there. If tourists are lucky, they will be able to see fresh new footprints of its inhabitants.

The Lahad Datu district also has the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary that is home to three rhinoceroses. The sanctuary was created to help propagation of the species, which is presently on the brink of extinction.

After traveling to these places, visitors can go towards Sandakan, famous for its Orang Utan Rehabilitation Center in Sepilok, or to Semporna, the access to Pulau Perhentian and Pulau Mabul. Both islands are known for their stunning sceneries, and are much-loved by scuba-divers.

Lahad Datu’s ability to offer a total experience on land and under the sea can be its stepping-stone towards turning into a tourism centre.

The town, presently in the process of rapid growth, is the economic pulse of not only the people in Lahad Datu, but also those in adjoining areas, such as Silabukan, Silam and Kinabatangan. Foreigners from Philippines and Indonesia, who are mostly palm oil estate workers, get into the town in droves for numerous
dealings.

The local people try to benefit the situation by supplying various services. One of them is the “mini-buses”, a public transportation using vans that can sit about 14 passengers.

Lahad Datu may not be offering the most contemporary and superior kind of facilities, but the friendliness of its people is a significant lure of the town. The ever-cheerful locals are very helpful and would not think twice to stop and assist a stranger in need. There is still a big room for improvement to give visitors a cozier experience. The district office, with the support from the state government, can tap more of the town’s potential for the advantage of all parties.

Source: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/03/10/lahad-datu-a-top-tourism-centre-in-the-making-latest/#ixzz1pLviGfgp