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Something Fishy Going On In KINTA VALLEY

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Travellers flying into Ipoh will never fail to notice, as the plane approaches, the numerous white patches of sand with abandoned ponds dotting the landscape below: a testimony that the Kinta Valley was once the largest producer of tin in the world. The ponds may look peaceful and serene but they are far from being abandoned. Instead they are teeming with economic activities, and outstanding among them is the thriving aquaculture industry.

self interest Before Others

A Lesson in Attitudes

The Right to sight

Red Tilapia feeding frenzy

The sarawak Connection

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2 Your Voice In The CommunityOctober 1-15 2010 IPOH ECHO

Criteria:• ScholarshipbasedoneventualacceptancebyUTAR• TotalfamilyincomeislessthanRM2,000permonth.• Nopayback,onlythecommitmenttohelpotherpoorstudents whenfinanciallysolventaftergraduation.

SendrequestwithICdetails,proofoffamilyincometo:[email protected]

KOON YEW YIN SCHOLARSHIPS FOR FINANCE/ACCOUNTANCY DEGREESPre-degreeorFoundationCourse

PaysforallthefeesandcostoflivinguntilthePTPTNloanissecured.

VACANCY

BasedinIpohInternationalSchoolJalanKelabGolf,IpohWorkingHours:7.00a.m.-4.00p.m.Call:019-3219952/012-2277202

Retail Assistant

IpohEchosincerelywishestoapologisetoDato’SeriHajiAhmadHusniHanadziah,MemberofParliament

forTambunandSecondFinanceMinister.WemistakenlycaptionedhimasStateAssemblyman

forTambuninourHariRayacelebrations’round-upinissue105.

An Apology to Dato’ Seri Ahmad Husni

The association (l-r) Ng Seng Joo (Chairman of Perak Feshwater Fish Breederes Association) Tan (Adviser) and Jimmy Chong ( Batu Gajah branch Chinese ChamberChairman)

Theaquacultureindustry,whichisgeneratingaturn-overofrevenueestimatedatwelloverRM120mil-

lionannually, isdividedintoornamentalfishandfresh-waterfishforconsumption.

Ninety per cent of the ornamental fish is exportedmainlythroughSingapore.ThetypesofornamentalfishbredaremainlyGoldFish,Koiand tropicalfish,whilethetypesoffreshwaterfoodfishrearedismainlyTilapia,Haruan, Catfish, Carp and also Jelawat or Sultan Fish.Tilapiaismostcommonbecauseitiseasilyadaptabletotheenvironment.

Thirtypercentofthefishforconsumptionisexportedto Singapore and Indonesia and the rest distributed towholesalersinSelangor,Malacca,JohorandKedah.

Facing An Uncertain FutureUnderneaththisthrivingindustry,anairofuncertaintyisemergingovertheallocationoflandtotheoperatorsforacontinuationoftheindustry.

Most of them had started during the depressioncausedbythecollapseofthetinminingindustryinmid1980.Thosewho did not go abroad towork toiled theex-mining land, growing vegetables and rearing ducks,chickenandfish.

The then State Government, then under Tan SriRamliNgahTalib, sympathisedwith themandallowedthemtoworkonthelandtowhichtheyhavenoclaim.So,aquaculturewhichstartedonanadhocbasishadgrownintoabigindustrybytheturnofthe21stcentury.

Now, Perak is the biggest aquaculture producer inthecountrycontributing25%ofoutputwithavalueofRM2.28billionfrommarinefish,aquaculture,ornamentalfish and food processing activities. The total revenuefromornamentalfish throughout the state lastyearwasRM82.3million.

Perak Strong Potential for GrowthEventhedirectoroftheStateFisheriesDepartment,Haji

Aquaculture - ESTIMATED ANNUAL TURNOVER OF RM120 MILLION

SaniMohdIsa,admitsthattheaquacultureindustrydoeshaveastrongpotentialforgrowth.Thedepartmentisverypositiveabout thefish industry in theKintaValleyandhadproposedthesettingupofanAquacultureIndustrialZoneintheKamparDistrict.

Theirrecommendationisbasedonthefact that thepresenceofdisusedminingpondsmakesthemanaturalchoice for an aquaculture industry. Additionally thepresenceoflimestoneintheenvironmentcontributestobetterwaterqualitywhichenablesahealthierornamentalfishcrop.

Theoperatorsrealisingthattheycouldmakealivingofftheland,appliedforTemporaryOccupationLicenseofthelandonwhichtheyhadbeensquatting.

Sadly,theover900operatorsintheKintaValleyarestillinadilemma.Theyareunabletogettitlesfortheirlanddespiterepeatedlysubmittingtheirapplications.

Ornamental Fish FarmingOrnamentalfishfarmerYeongTaiSai,55,hasbeenbreed-ing ornamental fish at his 3.5 acre farm at Sungei ItekinGopengsince1993.YeongonlycultivatestheOrandatypeofGoldFish.

Yeong feeds his Gold Fish with pellet fish mealand laments that it is thecostliestpartofhisoperation.Over the years his investments have amounted to overRM150,000.

At the time of sale the fish are quarantined andsegregated to gradesA and B with gradeA going forexport.All fish being exported are given a compulsoryBiosecuritytestbytheFisheriesDepartmentandcertified.Yeongsellsanaverageof2,000piecesofhisGoldFishweekly.

Fish for ConsumptionChanCheeKeongfromGopengrearsredTilapiaonhissix-acre farmwhich consists of five ponds. Each pondis capable of producing an average of 12,000fishwithagrossweightofseventonsineachpond.Eachharvesttakesplaceeverysixmonthsthusenablingtwoharvestsper pond per year for total annual sales of 70 tons peryear.

Chan’sfarmhaselectricitytorunthewateraerators.Chanalsoemploysoneworkertomixthefishmeal,feedthefishdailyandmaintainthefarm.HisinitialinvestmentforthefirstyearwasoverRM100,000.

BothChanandYeongshareasimilarconcern.Theyaresquattingonthelandthoughbothhadappliedtothestate for land titles repeatedly, but the result has beennegativesofar.

Unfortunately forYeong part of his land has beenacquired by a company, Safura House of DiamondSdnBhd, to initiate the state’s ProperVillagePlanningProgrammedespitehishaving toiled the farm forcloseto20years.

Two AssociationsThe aquaculture operators are represented by twoassociations–thePerakAquacultureAssociationandthePerakFreshwaterFishBreedersAssociation.AccordingtoTanThianMun,pastchairmanofthePerakAquacultureAssociation and current adviser to the Freshwater Fish

Breeders Association, there are approximately 500ornamentalfishoperatorsand400freshwaterfishbreederslocatedintheKintaValleyandBidor.Onlyafewofthemhavereceivedtheirlandtitles.

AccordingtoTanthesaleoffreshwaterfishhasgrownby30%overthelast threeyears.Thepossibilityfortheoperatorstoimprovetheirproductivityisgoodbutwouldinvolvemoreinvestmentswhichnoneoftheoperatorsarewilling todo for fear their landcouldbe takenbackonshortnoticeatanytime.

Assurances NeededThepositivepotentialoftheindustryintheKintaValleyhaspromptedTejaAssemblymanChangLihKangtourgethestategovernmenttoissuelandtitlestothefarmersandnot topropertydevelopers,whileMCAPresidentDatukSeriDr.ChuaSoiLeksaidthatthestate,bynotissuingthelandtitles,wouldbe“losingoutonrevenue”.

The plight of the aquaculture operatorsmight havesunk in as Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Zambry AbdulKadir announced recently, after a meeting with theState Agricultural Development Corporation (SADC),that the bodywould be restructured to enable the stateto be a “comprehensive food-producing state” and thataquaculturewasa“strategicindustry”.

More importantly though, when asked if he wouldlookintogivingoutlandtitles,Zambryreplied,“yesthatispartofit”.

For the operators who havewaited for 20 years, ageneralstatementlikethatiscauseforoptinism.

Yeong showing the painted pole indicat-ing the part on ‘his farm’ for property development

JAMES GOUGH

One of the aquaculture farms

To Advertise

Ramesh Kumar016 5531092


Yo u r Vo i c e I n T h e C o m m u n i t y

Your Voice In The Community October 1-15 2010IPOH ECHO 3

by Fathol Zaman BukhariFrom the Editor’s Desk



by Peter Lee

A wealthybusinessmaninhissixtieshasspent30yearsofhislifebuildinghistradingcompany fromscratch to amulti-millionbusiness.Heholds90%ofthesharesinhiscompanywhilehiswifeholds10%.Hehasasonwhoisalsohelpinghiminthebusinessbuthis25year-oldsonisanalcoholicandabigspenderandisalwaysbringinghimmanyproposalsforbusinesseswhichrequirehisfunding.Beingthedutifulfather,hesupportshis sonbut eachventure inevitablybrings losses tohiscompany.Thelaststrawcamewhenhissonbroughthimyetanotherproposalaboutinvestinginamachinewhereifyoupushinapigononeend,themachinewillprocessasausageattheotherendandthefatherinarage,retortedthat25yearsagohepushedinasausageandapigcameout!

Givensuchason,hewasinadilemmaandconfusedastohowtopreservehisestatewhenhedies.Oneofthethingshecoulddoforhis90%shareholdingsistoprepareaDeclarationofTrustgivingtheinstructiontoatrusteecompanylikeRockwillsTrusteeBhd.totransferhissharestoaprivatetrustwhenheisnolongeraround.ThemechanismofthisconceptisthatheholdsontothisshareasaSettlorandmainTrusteewhileheisalivebutintheeventofdeathhisshareswillbetransferredtoRockwillsTrusteeBhd.beingthesubstituteTrusteebyusinganirrevocablepowerofattorney.WhenRockwillsTrusteeBhd.holdsontotheshare,thenithastofollowtheinstructionslaiddownintheTrustDeed.

These instructionswould involve howmuch to give to the sonmonthly fordividends received from the shares and the duration of the trust. It is also veryimportanttoappointProtectorsortheProtectivecommitteesforthisTrustsothattheTrusteecouldliaisewiththemondistributioniftheneedarisesandatthesametimetheProtectorsorprotectivecommitteescouldactasawatchdogontheTrustee.Apartfromshares,anyassetencumberedornotsuchasresidentialproperty,unittrustfundinvestmentsandmoneysinthebankaccountscanbeutilizedforthistypeofTrust.ThisconceptdoesnotrequiretheGrantofProbatetotransfertheassetintotheTrust.

Havinghisshareholdingssortedout in theabovemanner,hestillhas to takecareoftherestofhisandhiswife’smovableandimmovableestate.ThatiswhenheandhiswifemustdoawilltogivesomemoneydirectlytotheirsonwhentheypassawayleavingtherestoftheassetstobegiventohimthroughaPrivateTrust.Inthiscase,boththeirestateswouldrequiretheGrantofProbatetotransfertheirassetstotheirPrivateTrust.

OncetheassetsaretransferredtothePrivateTrust,theTrusteecompanylikeRockwillsTrusteeBhd.mustfollowtheinstructionsintheTrustDeedwhichmaydifferfromtheaboveTrust.Onthequestionofwhygothroughthehassleofdoingthewillandnotputall theassetsintothePrivateTrust, theansweris,yesthat ispossibleprovidedyouarewillingtogiveupallyourassetstoaTrustduringyourlifetimeandpayforallthetransferfees.

Peter Lee is an Associate Estate Planning Practitioner (Wills & Trust) with Rockwills International Group. He is also an Islamic Estate Planner providing Wills & Trust services for Muslims. He is based in Ipoh and can be reached at: 012-5078825/05-2554853 or [email protected].

I Work Like a Dog and He Drinks Like a Fish

Tunku Abdul Rahman College or TAR College was the forerunner of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman

(UTAR).Builtona191-acresiteadjacenttoWardieburnCamp,SetapakinSeptember1972,thecollegeprovidedChinese youths opportunities to further their studiesuponcompletionoftheirsecondaryeducation.ItwastheequivalentoftheMARACollegeinOldTownPetalingJaya,whichcateredtoMalaystudents.

BeginningInJuly2001theEducationMinistryinvitedtheMalaysianChineseAssociation(MCA),theownerofTARCollege,toestablishauniversityofitsown.AsteeringcommitteeunderMCAPresident,Dr.LingLiongSik,drewuptheblueprintwhileaworkingcommittee,headedbythethenprincipalofTARCollegepreparedtheworkingpapers.

To ensure that the institution conformed tointernational standards an advisory council consistingofeminentscholarswasestablished.ThecouncilmetonApril15,2002tochartitscourse.

On June 10, 2002, the university received its firstintake of 411 students at its Petaling Jaya campus. InAugust 2002, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad,declared it opened. Today UTAR has over 16,000studentspursuing91programmesinninefacultiesspreadoverfourcampuses–PetalingJaya,Sg.Long(Cheras),SetapakandKampar.OfinterestistheKamparcampusinPerak.

Benign FacadeTheKamparcampussitsona1,300-acresitegivenbythePerakstategovernmentin2003.Surroundedbylakesand rolling hills, the campus is noted for its aestheticbeauty accentuated by a lush green and vibrant back-ground. It provides an ideal setting for those wanting

Self Interest Before OthersUTAR is unlike other public universities. It has no hostel facilities. Is this a genuine oversight or is it deliberate?

peaceandtranquillityawayfromthemaddingcrowd.Inshortaperfectenvironmentforstudying.

The campus’ pioneer batch of students reported inMay 2007. Although it can accommodate over 16,000studentsonlyabout10,000arecurrentlyenrolledinthe32programmesonoffer.

Behindthisbenignfaçade,however,amoreominoustaleunwinds;onewhich isset tohoundtheuniversity’seldersandMCAintheyearsahead.Inspiteofitsgrandeur,UTARisunlikeotherpublicuniversities.Ithasnohostelfacilities.Isthisagenuineoversightorisitdeliberate?Itcouldbebothdependinghowonewishestoviewit.

Custom-MadeEconomic considerations topped the agenda when

thecampuswasbuilt.Abustlinguniversitywithahugestudentpopulationmeansmoneyforthosewithpropertiestosellandrent.Landsincloseproximitytotheuniversityweresnappedupandhousesbuiltonthem.Thesehousesarecustom-madeforstudentswho,havingnoothermeansofaccommodation,areforcedtorentthem.

In one purpose-built housing estate,within strikingdistanceoftheinstitution,theterracehousescomeeitherin two or three storey configuration. The interiors arebeing partitioned into rooms (cubicles) ranging in sizefrom86to150sqft.Oneterracehousemayhaveasmanyas5or14rooms,basedonitsstructure.

ThegoingrateforsingleoccupancyaveragesaboutRM300 while twin/triple-sharing about RM200 perstudent per room per month, depending on the size ofthe room and amenities available.And since almost allthe rooms in these purpose-built houses are taken up,onecanimaginetheamountofmoneytheownermakesinamonth.Thereasonforthislop-sideddealisobvious– unfettered greed.A paradoxical Shylock exacting hispoundofflesh,itseems.

Rip-OffOnesympatheticIpohite,concernedforthewelfareofthemuch-malignedstudents,offeredtobuildahostelwithhisownmoney.Mindfulofthehavocthehostelwouldcause,MCAturned itdowncitingsome incomprehensible rea-sons.

“It’sarip-off,”lamentedonedejectedparentwhoseonlydaughterwasaccepted into theuniversity recently.“Parentsandstudentshavevoicedtheirdissatisfactionbuttheyhavefallenondeafears.”

Therewillnotbeasolutionintheforeseeablefuturesolongastheself-servinginterestofthegreedyremainsunshackled. It is cronyism at its best. Like all thingselse,thepoorandthemarginalisedarelefttopickupthepieces.


PUBLISHERipoh echo sdn Bhd (Regd No 687483 T) No 1 Jalan Lasam30450 ipoh Perak Darul RidzuanTel: (605) 249 5936Fax: (605) 255 2181email: [email protected] EDITORIALFathol Zaman BukhariG. sivapragasamJerry Francis

REPORTERJames Gough

GRAPHIC DESIGNRosli Mansor Ahd Razali

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WEB ADMINISTRATORTitus Raj

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USEFUL CONTACTS

Get your FREE copy of the Ipoh Echo from:Canning Gdn: Ariff Store,40JalanLeeKweeFoh. New Wing Fook Merchant,56JalanLeeKweeFoh. Lourd Enterprise,7LorongCecilRae.Ipoh Gdn: Muhibah Hair Stylist,103JalanDatoLauPakKhuan. Mama’s Home Baked Bread Stall(after7pm),AnekaSelera.Ipoh Gdn South: Pasar Mini Manaf,17JalanS.A.Lingam.First Gdn: LSF Sun Li Hardware Sdn Bhd,50,JalanNgWengHup.Labrooy Road: LSF Sun Li Hardware Sdn Bhd,16AJalanLabrooy.Meru: Golf Reception Counter,MeruValleyGolf&CountryClub.New Town: Ruba Rubi Ent154,JlnSultanIdrisShah.Tel.No017-5048531 Chan Sam Lock Photo Studio,77-81JlnSultanIdrisShah. M & A Securities Sdn Bhd,52AJlnSultanIdrisShah. Pooven Enterprise(oppSuperKinta),5JlnDatoOnnJaafar. S.Y. Dry Cleaning & Laundry,1JlnChungThyePhin.Simee: Newsvendor(morning),OppositeSimeeMarket.Bercham: Perniagaan Sagayah,22A,PersiaranBerchamSelatan8,TamanDesa Kencana.Tel:Maniam(014-3035697).Tmn Ipoh Jaya: Rasu Enterprise,271JalanGunungRapat.Tmn Tambun: Bawal Jaya Enterprise,66PsrnDesaTambun7,DesaTambun.Tiger Lane: Perak Academy,28JalanSultanAzlanShah.Golf Club Road: Fitness Junction,2JalanKelabGolf.Sitiawan P.N. Book Centre,7JalanDatoAhmadYunus.

Call:

Inevitably,whenone travels,unconsciouscomparisonsaremade between holiday and home. This is human nature,

butdoesnotnormallybecomeanymorethanidlethoughtsinone’smind.However,havingjustreturnedfromanextendedtriptoColorado,USAandAlberta,Canadaandbecauseofcer-tain events that have happened here during the holiday andwithinthefirst24hoursofmyreturntoIpoh,IampromptedtowriteaboutthedifferentattitudestolifeinFirstWorldNorthAmericaandThirdWorldIpohinthehopethatweinIpohcanresolvetodobetter.HavingsaidthatpleaseunderstandthatIamnotsayingthateverythinginNorthAmericaisperfect–itisnot.Theyhavetheirproblemsaswell,butoveralltheydoseemtohaveamorepleasantattitudetolifethanwedo.

Other’s PropertySoletusstartwithourattitudetootherpeople’sproperty.ThehomeoffriendswherewestayedinColoradoisisolatedafewmilesoutofthetownandoutofsightofanyotherhouse,butwhentheygoouttheydonotlocktheirdoor–andhavenotdonesoforthelast15years–eversincetheiryoungsonbrokethekeyinthelock.Yetnothinghasbeenstolen!InIpohwehavegrillsandmulti-plelocksbutstillhousebreakingisaverycommoncrime.Todemonstratethepoint,whilewewereenjoyingColorado,ourwatermeterandassoci-atedpipingwasstolen,leavingpreciouswatergushingoutuntilaplumbercouldbecalledbyourneighbour.

Onthesamesubject,thoseinAlbertawhohaveopen-backedtrucksalways leave their supermarket shopping in clear view therewhile theycompletetheirerrandsinadjacentstoresandyetitdoesnotgetstolen,butwhile shopping in Ipoh (at JuscoSupermarket) less than 24 hours afterarrivinghome,mywife’sempty,recyclableshoppingbagwasstolenfromhertrolley.Howsmallmindedcanoneget!

Road SafetyThenthereisourattitudetoroadsafety.InAlberta,assoonasoneplacesafootonamarkedpedestriancrossing,alltrafficstopsforyou.Atjunctionswheretherearenomarkedcrossingsorlights,againonefootontheroadisall that is required tohalt the traffic.Butwe inIpohdo itdifferently.WithinanhourofarrivinghomeIwashalf-wayacrossamarkedcrossingwhentwocarsracedpastjustinchesaway,oneinfrontandonebehindme.FortunatelyIamstillheretotellthetale.

Indigenous PeopleNowwhataboutourattitude to indigenouspeople? InCanada theycalltheRed Indians the “FirstNation”, never “Indians” or “Natives”.Theyarerespectedmembersofsociety,treatedequallyalongsideothers.Theyowntheirancestrallandsandtakepartineverydaylife.Wheretourismisinvolvedtheyareparticularlywelcomeandkeepalivetheirtraditionsforthe benefit of the country.More thanone third ofCalgary’smuseum isdedicatedtotheirculture.True,onthereservationstheydosufferfromthehistoricalproblemofalcoholism,butmuchisbeingdonetotrytoover-comethis.NeedImentionourattitudetotheOrangAsli?Ithinknot!

EnvironmentNextthereistheenvironmenttoconsider.InAlbertadespitethereonlybe-ingonegarbagecollectionaweekandthatlimitedtotwobagsunlessyoupayextra,therearenoillegalrubbishdumpsandthestreetsareclean.Thereare recycle bins absolutely everywhere and people use themconstantly.Thecouncilhasalsosetuphygienicrecyclingcentreswherecitizenscantaketheirpaper,cans,glassandplasticandgetpaidforthem.Aspartoftheprojectthegarbagecollectionmenactuallyrefusetocollectgarbagethatis

fitforrecycling.Whyarewesodifferent?Itisourenvironmenttoo!

HeritageFinally there isourattitude toheritage.Alberta’smodernhistorygoesbackjustaboutasfarasPerak’sandyettheirmajorcitiesarethousandsofpercentmoredevelopedthanours,buttheystillvalueheritage.Wheredevelopmentisnecessaryforthegoodofthepeopletheyconsiderherit-agefirst.Butthatdoesnotmeanzerodevelopment.InthesmallertownsareasareclassifiedasheritageenclaveswheredevelopmentisprohibitedinmuchthesamewayasPenangisstrivingtoachieve.Otherplanneddevelopmentisalloweduptoaspecifiedpopulationdensity.

InCalgary,acityofaboutonemillion,thereisnothingbuthigh-riseinthecentre,butasfarbackas1964theCityfathersnominateda127acregreen-fieldsitetobetheirheritagepark(http://www.heritagepark.ca/virtual.htm.) As necessary development goes ahead, historic oldbuildingsaremovedandrebuiltinthepark,lockstockandbarrel.Thisproject has continued for 46 years and in 2009 two more buildingsjoined the others, an art deco service station and a late 18th century,smallwoodenSynagogue.This parkmust be the best ‘living history’museumintheworldandwithits1,200retireesemployedascostumedguides itdrawsmillionsofvisitorseveryyear.Back in IpohwehavediscussedaTinMiningHeritageParkorgalleryformanyyears,withoutonejotofprogress!Why?

Ipoh Needs Your SupportIhavewrittenthisexpectingtobetold“Wellifyoudon’tlikeithere,thengosomewhereelse.”TheproblemisthatIdolikeithereanddoeverythingIcantosupportourcity,butIamconcernedthatthequal-ityoflifeinIpohcontinuestodeteriorate.Somethingpositivemustbedonetobringusuptothe21stcenturylivingstandardssooftenfoundelsewhere,bothinsideandoutsideMalaysia.Whyshouldwefallfurtherbehind?Tome the lesson is clear, attitudesmust changeat all levels;Government,theCivilService,theCityCouncilandthepeopleofIpoh,youarethekey.Ifyoustopcondoningtheseills;violenceandtheft,roadbullies,mistreatment of others, environmental vandalism and a disre-gard forheritage,muchofwhichoften involvesprofiteering,youcanmakethechange.AconcertedandgenuineeffortinthisdirectionwouldallowustoleavetheThirdWorldbehindusandjointheFirstWorld,butitneedsyoursupport–eachandeveryoneofyou.

thinking aloud

A Lesson in AttitudesbyIan Anderson

IanAnderson,retiredRoyalNavalCommanderandpermanentresidentofMalaysia,isthemanbehind

ipohWorld,ahistorypreservationorganisationbasedattheIpohInternationalSchoolinPerak.

Thisactive71-year-oldBritishwhoispassionateaboutIpoh,devotesmostofhistimemanagingipohWorldwhichwasestablishedtopromoteawarenessandappreciationofPerakanditsunique,diverseandrichheritage.Theeducation-based,not-for-profitorganisationhasitsparticularfocusonIpohandtheKintaValley.

Sinceitsinceptionin2004,theorganisationhascollectedabroadvarietyofitemsandinformationonIpohandPerakfromworldwidesources.ipohWorldgoesthroughasystematicmethodofdisciplinedrecordingandpreservationofoldphotographs,documents,interviews,artifacts,booksandvideos.Thesearearchivedintheorganisation’sdigitalimagedatabaseavailableforpublicviewingthroughitswebsite(www.ipohworld.org).Atotalof4,700itemshavebeensecuredinthedatabasethusfar.

Ianisoftenseenregularlytraversingaroundtown–fromthemarketstothecitycouncil,moreoftenthanmanylocals.Onehigh-rankingcivilservantoncehadthistosayaboutIan,“HereisamanwhocaresmoreaboutMalaysiathanmostMalaysians.”

A Street in the Heritage Park, Calgary, Canada


ReCiPe

HAWKeR FOODBy See Foon Chan-Koppen

[email protected] Health

The thosaiisafer-mentedcrepemade

fromriceandblacklentils.ItisatypicaldishinSouthIndiancuisine,eatenforbreakfastordinner,andisrichincarbohydratesandprotein.Thosaiisapopu-larbreakfastdietforlocalIndiansandotherracesalike,andcanbefoundinmostIndianandmamakstallsandrestaurantsaroundtown.Therearemanyvariationsforthe thosai,andsomeofthemorepopularonesincludepa-per,masala,rava thosaianduthapum thosai.

SomerecommendedplacesinIpoh:Krishna Bhawan Restaurant (KBR), 8 Jalan Lahat (Old Town)7.30a.m.-9.30p.m.,closedevery1stand3rdSundayofthemonth.

KrishnaBhawanisafull-fledgedvegetarianrestaurantandservesupto17variationsofthosaiallday.Recommendedonesincludetheirravaspecial(RM2,withonions),uthapamspecial(RM3,extratomatoes)andtheirkeralathosai(RM3.50)whichhasfourtypesofpoundedspices.Restaurant Ipoh Padang Curry House (93 Jalan Raja Ekram) 5.30a.m.-7.30p.m.,opendaily.

ThispopularIndianrestaurantservesthosaithewholedayandoffersupto9variationsonthemenu.Themasalathosaiisparticularlydeliciousandthis,togetherwithothervariationsofrava,onions,egg,Planta,gheeandpaperthosaiarepricedatRM1.50each.Theirchutneysarealsoverydeliciouswithavarietyofcoconut,pudina(mint)andtomatoavailable.Thillai’s (Stall No.25, Stadium Perak) 6.30a.m.-2.30p.m.,closedeverySunday.

Thillai’sisapopularbreakfastandlunchchoiceformanylocalIndiansandotherracesalike.Theyserveagood,thickandfluffytraditionalthosaiorpaperthosaionbananaleafforbreakfastbeginningatRM1apiece.Theircoconutchutneyisalsoverytasty.

Thosai

Ingredients (A) 5shallots3bigonions(blend)5clovesofgarlic20mlwater

Ingredients (B) 500gBasmatirice(soakbeforefor30mins)3tbsp(42g)CanolaOil5cmginger

1stickcinnamon1pcstaraniseseed3cloves4cardamomseeds1stalkpandan (screwpine)leaf1stalklemongrass3tbspcurrypowder1tspturmericpowder

Method:1.WashandsoaktheBasmatirice.PutasideandblendIngredients(A).

2.Heatoil.Addcinnamon,staraniseseed,clove,cardamomseeds,pandan leaf,lemongrassstalkandIngredients(A).Sautéun-tilbrown.

3.Addcurrypowder,mini-

Nasi BriyaniIn conjunction with World Heart Day on September 26, here is a healthy recipe. (Courtesy of the Dietetics Department of Hospital Fatimah Ipoh)

Eversatinasaunaandfeltlikeyourheartandlungsaregoing toburst from theexcessiveheat?Ohyes,

thefitnessgurus tell youhow important sweating is foryourhealthandhowagoodsweatinasaunawilldetoxifyyourbody.Butforhowlongcanyoustandthetorture?

GiventhatweliveintheFoodieparadisethatisIpohwheretemptationsaboundateverystreetcorner,howdoweminimisesomeoftheexcessesofthetableandretainamodicumofconcernforourhealth?

Sauna For HealthWellhelphasarrivedinIpohintheshapeoftheFarInfra-Red(FIR)sauna.Whentheofferofafreetrialcame,I,being ever the curious one and forever researching onhealthmatters (this ismyway of compensating formygluttony),jumpedattheopportunity.

Iwas given a very detailed form to fill out onmyhealthafterwhichIwasputonsomethingresemblingabathroomscalewhichmeasuredmybodymassindex,myepidermalandvisceralfatcontent,myweight(ofcourse!),mymetabolicrate,hydrationfactorandmetabolicage.

I was then escorted to the single sauna (they havesaunastoaccommodatefromonetofourpeople)andwasleftincompleteprivacytosweatitout.Beingbrandnew,the towels provided were pristine and I only hope thattheywillremainsoforthefuture.

Pleasant ExperienceThetemperatureinthesaunawasverypleasant.Startingat 38 degrees Celsius, it slowly climbed to 45 degreesandstayedthere.Whatwasamazingwastheprofusionofsweatthatpouredoutofmewithinamere3minutesandcontinuedthroughthenexthalfhour.Nownormally,Icanbarelylast12minutesinaregularsaunawithoutdashingout andgasping forbreath.But in theFIRcabin, Iwascomfortable throughout.A glass ofwaterwas availableandIwasencouragedtotakesipsduringthesession.

The big surprise came when I got on the scalesagain.Halfakilodrop inweightwas tobeexpectedasitwasallwaterbutmyfatcontenthaddiminishedalbeitby a minuscule amount and my biological age by twoyears!!‘Wow”Ithoughttomyself,“thisisjustafteronesession!WillIgettobesweetsixteenagain?”DreamonIchidedmyselfbutneverthelessthemachinedidmeasurefluctuationsinsomeofthehealthindicators,all towardsthefavourable.

DetoxificationSowhatarefarinfraredrays?FIRisaformoflighten-ergyemittedfromthesunwhichwefeelasheat.FIRrayspenetratetoapproximately1.5inchesandtransformstoheatenergy,causingbloodvessels todilateandpromot-ingbettercirculationas theheat rids thebodyof toxinsthroughsweating. FIRwarmsthebodywithoutheatingtheairin-betweenthesourceandtheobjectandistherea-sonIcouldsitcomfortablyforhalfandhourwhilesweat-ingprofusely.

Thebenefitofprofusesweatingfordetoxificationhasbeenverymuchunderestimated.Inconventionalsaunas,sweatis95-97%waterwhilewithFIR,itis80-85%pluscholesterol,fatsolubletoxins,heavymetalslikemercuryandaluminium,sulfuricacid,sodium,ammoniaanduric

acid.Adequate exposure

tofarinfrared(FIR)raysis claimed to promotehealing by energisingand rejuvenating thecells, improvingbloodcirculation,andincreasing metabolicrate.

Cardiovascular BenefitsIthasaPassiveCardiovascularConditioning

Effectmaking it possible for people inwheel chairs,those unable to exert themselves or thosewhowon’tfollowasetexerciseregime.Itisalsousefulforskinre-juvenation,astheinfraredraysareknowntostimulatecollagenandelastinsynthesis,whichinturnmaketheskinfirmerandyounger.

However, the increased metabolism also meansmoreenergyisburntandsomeoftheweightlossisrealfatloss.

Byhavingan“exercise-like”effect,regularuseofthe far infrared sauna is also claimed to help controlbloodsugarandcholesterollevels.Theprofusesweatingdetoxifiesthebody,andisagoodwaytogetridofuricacidandpreventorgetrelieffromgoutyarthritis.

NASA ResearchMedicalresearchersconfirmthattheuseofsaunapro-vides cardio-conditioning as the body works to coolitself and involves substantial increases in heart rate,cardiacoutputandmetabolic rate.Asconfirmationofthis,cardiovascularconditioningresearchbyNASAintheearly1980sfounditanidealwaytomaintaincar-diovascularhealthinAmericanastronautsduringlongspaceflights.

Packagesforsaunasessionsareavailable.ZAZEN Health Solutions

Tel.no.:05-5483918

SeeFoon checks out FAR INFRA-RED TECHNOLOGY AND ITS HEALTH BENEFITS

Nutritional value per servingCalories: 182kcalCarbohydrate: 30gProtein: 3g Fat: 5g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 1.7mg Fibre: 1.5g

mumsalttotasteandturmericpowderwith1bowlofwater.

4.Sautéfor3-5mins.5.Addthericeandstiruntilwellmixed.

6.Putalltheingredientsinthericecookerandadd2bowlsofwater.Leaveuntilriceiscooked,stir-ringoccasionally.


letters

It was wonderful to see my photographer and friend,Andrew Ng Keat Seong, win the top prize at the

“1MalaysiaPerakHeritageBuildingsPhotographyContest2010”(IpohEchoIssue105).ThiscomesasnosurpriseforanyonewhohasworkedwithAndrew,hispassionforphotographybordersontheridiculousandcombinedwithhisprofessionalworkethicshavemadehimintooneofthebestphotographersinIpoh.IattachamoodphototakenbyAndrewinoneofmyarchitecturalworks.Hispicturesneednowords.Myheartiestcongratulations.

1Malaysia Perak Heritage Buildings Photography Contest

“I amresearchingmyfamily history andtryingtofindoutasmuchas possible – good andbad–aboutmymother’sfamily. She was bornJoan Marjorie Joseph(e)in 1930, in Ipoh, one of13 children to a familyof, I believe, tinminers.Amongst her siblingswere Clarence, Clive,Kenny, and Patricia. In

1957, she married JamesGardner, a rubber planterwho hadmanaged planta-tions in Ipoh and later atRasa.

“The Gardner-Joseph wedding photois, of course, my parents’wedding. You’ll see thatmyAuntyPat(next to thebride) has been scratchedout –mymother’s doing,I’m afraid! I would beparticularly interestedin identifying the otherpeopleshownandwhereittookplace.”

These additional pho-tographs feature Vivianand Joan Joseph and theweddingofbrotherKennytoaladynamedHelen.

Finally we have asingle photo of “AuntieGirlie”asanofficerintheMalaysian prison service,

InthecollectionofphotographssentbyJudy,inadditiontotheabove,thereare5moretakenafterherparentshadbeentransferredtoRasa.TheyincludethenamesGeorgeJosephandAngela,EgbertandanAuntieSim.ThereisalsoacopyoftheGovernmentGazetteofJune9th1949whichrecordstheawardoftheMalayanVolunteerReserveEfficiencyMedaltoSapperJamesRowlandGardnerJ.V.E.Ifanyonebelievestheyknowanythingaboutthisfamilyweshallbehappytoprovidetheadditionalphoto-graphstohelpwithidentification.Welookforwardtoyourhelp.

Aunty Girlie

Gardner-Joseph wedding

Vivien & Joan Joseph

Wedding of Kenny & Helen Joseph

inIpohin1967.Herbadgeof rank is one pip on hershoulder and she is wear-ingamedalwithacrowninthecentre.Recogniseher?Ifsopleaseletusknow.

Judy Wild The Perak MalayaleeAssociation (PMA)

celebratedOnam(HarvestFestival) concurrentlywith Malaysia Day onThursday, September 16.The event, held at theIpoh TownHall, was at-tendedbyover600mem-bers, guests and VIPs.The celebrationwas alsoto honour members fortheirachievements in thefield of education andservices to the commu-nity.Cashandcertificatesweregivento31studentswhoexcelledinthe2009public examinations.Topping the list wasMsBalakavithawhoobtained5 As in STPM, the firstever by someone fromthe association. Othernotable recipients wereMs Anita Padmanathanwho was conferredthe Global Employee

Malaysia Day cum Onam Celebration

Award 2009 by DHLEurope and Ms DhanyaPoduval who was award-ed the Indian Council forCultural Relations by theIndian High Commission.President of PMA, K.Letchimanan Nair, gave

away the awards and cer-tificates. Present to gracethe occasion was Dato’Hj Nadzari Ismail, AdunforManjoi,whopromisedto provide some financialsupport in recognition ofPMA’scontributionstoso-ciety.

news roundup

Werefertothenewsitem‘NEWSFOCUS–BantingMurders’intheNewStraitsTimesofSeptember21.

We,agroupofanimalloversofthehorse-racingfraternityofthePerakTurfClubinIpoh,wereextremelyshockedandaggrievedtoreadaboutthesenselessmurderofthe9dogs,whichwere–itpainsustonote–healthyanimalscallouslyputdownbytheKualaLangatDistrictCouncil,andjustifiedbyitsPresidentAbdulRazakJaafaronthegroundsthat“itwasdoneaccordingtoprocedure”.

Wecommendthevariousorganisationsfortheirpromptandrightfulresponsetotheoutrage.Wehopethistragicandunfortunateepisodeservesasaremindertoallwell-meaningMalaysians,andmakesusadoptmorehumaneandcompassionatemeasureswhendealingwithanimalsinfuture.

To read the whole letter, please go online to: www.ipohecho.com.my

“Outrage Over Culling of Dogs”

Does Anyone Know this Family?

Ken Yeh

Perak Turf ClubThe letter carries 41 signatures

To Advertise

Ramesh Kumar016 5531092



FZB


young PERAK

A total of 122 students of theMaraPolytechnicCollege, Ipohwere conferred thecollege’sdeanawardsforsecuring3.5pointsandaboveintheirCGPAscores.The

top achieverswereNurul Ruslan and Intan SurayaRokamwho obtained a score of4.Rector,Dato’YusoffHarun,gaveaway theawardsatasimpleceremonyattendedbystudentsandparentsrecentlyatthecollegehall.“Hopefully,therecognitiongivenwouldspurstudentstostriveharder,”saidNorizanNordin,thecollegedirector.MaraPolytechicCollegeIpohhasbeeninoperationsince2003replacingtheformerKolejYayasanMaraandKolejInfo-TechMara.Itofferscoursesinmulti-mediaforstudentsseekingameaningfulcareerinICT.

Dean Awards

Study grants worth RM500,000 were given to TAJ International College, Ipoh toenablechildrenfrompoorfamiliestopursuecoursesatthecollege.Thegrantswere

disbursedata simpleceremonyattendedby thedonors’ representativesandguestsatthecollegehallrecently.Dato’TajuddinAbdulRahman,ChairmanofTAJInternationalCollege, received the grants.The donorswereUmno,UmnoYouth,MCA,MIC andYayasan Bina Upaya Darul Ridzuan.According to Pn Tina Tajuddin, CEO of TAJCollege,thegrantswouldbeusedtohelpneedystudents,regardlessoftheirethnicity,topursuecoursesatthecollegeinlinewiththe1Malaysiaconcept.

Study Grants for the PoorRM

RM

Mac&Zel,atwo-pieceJazzDuoisnowperformingatTheBistroofImpianaHotelIpoh.

Razel (Zel) the lead singer hasstrong vocals whileMarcos (Mac) is anexperienced yet multi-talented musicianbothonkeyboardandguitar.

CatchtheirperformanceatTheBistrofrom 8.30 p.m. to 12 midnight nightly,exceptSundays.

For reservations and enquiries, please call 05-255 5555 ext. 8008.

S C E N E & H E A R DJAZZ WITH MAC & ZEL @ THE BISTRO

Forty primary school students fromSungaiSiputparticipatedinthe4theditionofthe

1Malaysia Road Run in Kuala Lumpur re-cently.The runwasheld tomark thenation’s53rdIndependenceDaycelebration.Itsobjec-tivewastoinculcatethespiritoftogethernessamong the various races in the country. “ThefactthatthestudentsareofIndianoriginspeaksvolumesoftheparticipants’desireforracialintegration,”saidDatukAhamadPakehAdam,AdunforLintang,inaspeechbe-forehandingovertheJalurGemilangtothelocalteamleader.TheceremonywasheldatSekolahRendahKebangsaan(Tamil)Gandhi,Sg.Siput.

1Malaysia Road Run

RN

Menteri Besar Perak,Dato’ Seri Dr.

Zambry Abdul Kadir,wants Ipoh City Councilto upgrade Gunong Langinto a recreational cumtourist spot forboth localandforeignvisitors.“I’ve RN

askedMBItofindwaystoimprovetheparksoitwillbecomeaviabletouristat-traction,”hetoldreportersafter opening Ipoh CityCouncilHariRayaget-to-getherattheGunongLangParkonSeptember25.In

thepast,sucheventswereheldatthecouncilswim-ming pool across PerakStadium. This year’sgatheringwitnessedadif-ferent theme altogether.Insteadof the usual foodand cookies spread ontables, this time aroundit was done ala hawkerstallsoperatedbydepart-mentalstaff.Zambrytooktime to interact with thestall minders and tastedthe food prepared by thestaff. While the inviteesate, theadventurousonestooktothewateronboatsandminiferries.

Upgrade GUNONG LANG says MB

Charitypremiere,“EatPrayLove”withJuliaRobertsintheleadrole,playedtoafullhouseatKintaCity’sTGVcineplexonSunday,September26.PerakWomen

forWomen’sSecretary,MsYipSiewKeen, thankedpatronsfor theirsupport.“Wesoldall250tickets.Theproceedswillhelpfundoursociety’sprogrammes,”shetoldIpohEchowhenmetat thefoyer. Incidentally, thescreeningwas theonlyshowinIpoh.“Thestoryportrayswomen’spredicamentsingeneraland,assuch,wasanap-propriatepickforapremierescreening,”saidDrSharifah,thesociety’spresident.

FZB

CHARITY PREMIERE

community


Over 1,100 gradu-ate members of

the Nanyang UniversityAlumni Association,NUAA, congregated inIpoh on the weekend ofSeptember 3-5 for their12thGlobalReunion.

Nanyang University(NANTAH)startedin1955as a Chinese-languageUniversity in Singaporeand had offered coursesin the arts, sciences andcommerce.

In1980itwasmergedwith the Universityof Singapore and wasrenamed the NationalUniversity of Singapore(NUS)withthemediumofinstructionbeingEnglish.

In 1981, its groundswere taken over by anew technical institute,the Nanyang Technical

NANYANG ALUMNI Gather In Ipoh

Institute and in 1991 wasupgraded touniversitysta-tus as Singapore’s secondEnglish-mediumuniversity,theNanyangTechnologicalUniversity(NTU).

Although the originaluniversityhasbeendefunctfor thirty years the spiritof its alumni has notdiminishedasevidencedbyits well attended biennialGlobalReunion.

According to Ipohbusinessman,DavidChiewChengHee,70,agraduateof Nanyang and currentlythePresidentoftheNUAAPerak as well as the or-ganising chairman for theevent,otherthanSingaporeandMalaysia,alumnicamefrom Australia, Canada,Europe,USA,HongKong,Thailand and Indonesia to“gettogether,renewfriend-

ships and develop con-tacts”.

From among the1,100attendees,morethan100 were PhD holders,Research Professors andprominentbusinessmen.

On a personal note,Chiew felt he wanted todosomethingforIpohandhad proposed Ipoh as thereunionvenueattheirlastgathering in 2008.Chiew,anex-studentofYukChoySchoolIpohlefttostudyatNanyangin1958afterhisSenior Middle 3 exam tomajorinEconomics.

Besides enjoyingthe good ChineserestaurantfoodinIpohtheparticipants were treatedtoIpohstreetfoodatJalanBandar Timah (LeechStreet).The2blocksonthestreet where Kong HengCoffee Shop is locatedweresealedandtentswereerectedontheroadfortheguestsuntil4.00p.m.

Ipoh Echo salutesDavid Chiew, for doingthat “little something” forIpoh. Hopefully there aremoreofyouaround.

JAG

sport

Afteritslastvictory15yearsago,thePerakcricketteamemergedaschampionsinthePremierLeague

organisedbytheMalaysianCricketAssociation.PerakCricketAssociationPresident,MohammedIqbalAli,inhisaddress,mentionedthatthewinwasalongawaitedone for Perak, as that was his promise on assumingpresidency of the association in 2007. He requestedthekindsupportofMajlisSukanNegeriandguest-of-honour,StateChairmanforSports,YouthandCultureEncikZainolFadzi,toprovidetheteamwithanaturalturf to train.Currently, the state team trains inKualaLumpurandthisiscostly.Havinganaturalturfallowstheplayerstotrainmorefrequentlyandisalsocostef-fective.ZainolFadzicongratulatedtheteamandprom-isedtoseekasolutiontoitsproblem.Theteamconsistsof 14, including six foreign players.Under the guid-anceofheadcoach,M.Muniandyandhisassistant,Mr.ThusharaKodikara,theteam,whichwasonlyformedinNovember2009, hasdone exceptionallywell.ThefutureofcricketinPeraklookspromising.

A 15-Year Hiatus

DK

The Perak Wushu Championships held in Ipoh re-centlyattractedarecordnumberofparticipantsfrom

throughoutthestatecomparedtopreviousyears. The two-dayweekendeventwasheldat theStateSportsComplex.Thechampionshipwasdividedintotwocategories,TaoluandSanshou.Onehundredandtwenty-twoathletessignedupfortheTaolucategoryand47fortheSanshoucategory.

An athlete is permitted to enter multiple eventshence, therewasa totalparticipationof262entriesfor

the various Taolu events. The Taolu competition is anindividualperformanceofafixedsetofmovementssimilartohowTaiJiQuanispractised.

Unlike Taolu, the Sanshou competition is a full-contactcombatperformancebetweentwoindividualsbutguidedbyrulesandregulations.

The overall champions for the Sanshou eventwereTeamChi-KeChuan followed byTeamUtar fromKampar.

According to thesecretaryof theWushuFederationofPerak (WFP),K.W.Lam, the participants enjoyed anentertaining weekend of skilful exchange of punches,kicksandthrows.

2010 Perak Wushu Championship

JAG

The first Malaysia Day Celebration was held atDataranMBIinIpohonSeptember16.TheSultan

of PerakSultanAzlanShah,MenteriBesarDato’ SeriDr. ZambryAbdul Kadir and several state dignitarieswerepresent.

Zambry in his speech stated that the meaningof Malaysia Day needed to be disseminated andremembered, for unlike Merdeka Day, Malaysia Daywaswhen thedifferent ethnic communities throughoutthepeninsulaandSabahandSarawakbecameoneandcreatedwhatnowconstitutesMalaysia.

The evening events included a pantomime (pic) JAG

MALAYSIA DAY Celebration

His Highness Sultan Azlan Shah and Her RoyalHighnessTuankuBainun took a ride on theKuala

Lumpur-IpohelectrictrainonSeptember19.The royal couple boarded the train at the Kuala

Lumpur railwaystationat2.03p.m.andarrived in Ipoh

Royal Couple’s Train Rideat4.20p.m.

TheywereaccompaniedbyKTM’sElectricTrainSdn Bhd (ETS) COO Azizullah Kinayatullah andETS Customers’ Services Manager Puan RozimahMahyuddin.

According to an ETS spokesman, the royalcouple’s decision to use the train was impromptuandwasprobablypromptedbytheirsecondsonRajaAshmanShah,whohad tried theservicebeforeHariRaya.

Meantime, Azizullah stated that another returnKualaLumpur-Ipohtriphadbeenadded,bringingthetotaltosixreturntripsdaily,asfromSeptember8.Thenumberofreturntripswillbeincreasedtoeightnextmonth.

ThefareofRM30onewaywillbemaintainedtillChineseNewYearandwouldbereviewedthereafter.

depictingtheformationofMalaysiawithreferencestotheConfrontationwithIndonesiaandobjectionsby itsotherneighbours.

news roundup

The Class of ‘58


news roundup

Itwasfullhouseat theGrandBallroomofthe

SyuenHotelonthenightof the finals of theMissMalaysia Model of theWorldrecently.

Sabah student 19-year-old Marie BibianaBaxter beat 17 otherfinalists to walk awaywiththewinningtitle.

Baxter, of mixedEurasian and Kadazan

parentage is a final-yearstudent of Interior Designin Kota Kinabalu. Baxterwhose hobbies includeswimming and travellinghad last year representedSabahintheMissMalaysiacontest. She alsowon thetitleofMissCongeniality.

Thefirstrunner-upwasa finance and accountingstudent, Edwina Yong.Yong,22years,hailsfrom

Miri, Sarawak. This washerfirstbeautycontest.

Thesecond runner-upwas 22-year-old RachelAlessandra Bridger fromTawau, Sabah. Bridger,ofmixedBritish,Menadoand Kadazan parentagestatedthatsheenjoyedthecharityactivitiesorganisedfor the contestants whilein Ipoh and “thoroughlyloved the food here”.

Bridger is currently amodel and has ambitionsto become a successfulbusinesswoman.

Mention must begiven to the organisersof the beauty 2010pageant, Star AvenueProduction. This is theeighth consecutive yearthat it has been held inIpoh,which according toitsProducerandDirectorVeandraVoonisbeneficialforbusinessinIpohtown.

The internationalfinals of theMissModelof the World pageantwill be held in China inNovemberthisyear.

JAG

MISS MALAYSIAModel of the

WORLD 2010

(l-r) First runner-up Edwina Yong, winner Baxter and second runner-up Bridger

Next Issue: Part 2 – Tips on How to Look After Your Eyes and Maintaining Good Eye Sight

Visual impairment is a term used to describe anykind of vision loss to the extent that even with

conventional forms of correction or treatment, theperson’svisionremainspoor.

“Being visually impaired can be frightening,especially when it affects those who once had goodvision,”saysDr.Gill,whoisbasedinHospitalFatimahin Ipoh. “In fact, just taking into cognizance the factsonvisual impairment should send themessage thatwecannottakeoureyesforgranted”.

What Causes Visual Impairment?Manyfactorscancausevisualimpairment.“Cataracts,orthecloudingoftheeye’slenspreventinglightfrompass-ingthroughtotheretina,arecommoncausesforlossofvision,” saysDr.Gill. “Because cataracts form slowly,causinggradualvisionloss, itmaynotbenoticeabletothepatient”.Cataractsusuallyaffectpeopleintheir60sand70s,butmaysometimesappearearlierinpeoplewhoareexcessivelyexposedtosunlight.

“Manyofmypatientswhopresentearlyaregolfersand sports peoplewho are not in the habit ofwearingsunglasses.The general rule is that you should alwayswear good sunglasses whenever you go out duringdaylight hours.” Symptoms of cataract include doublevision,cloudyorblurryvision,difficultyseeinginpoorlylitspaces,andwhencoloursseemfaded.Earlydetectionand replacement of the eye’s natural lens with anintraocular lens (IOL) implant throughcataract surgeryusuallyrestoresvisioninthesecases.

“If you have diabetes, you need to be screenedregularlyforDiabetic Retinopathy,whichisaconditionwherethetinybloodvesselsintheretina(backoftheeye)are damaged due to diabetes. People with retinopathymay not have any problems seeing at first. But if theconditiongetsworse, they canbecomeblind.”Tohelpprevent retinopathy, peoplewith diabetes should avoidsmoking, keep their blood pressure under control, andkeeptheirbloodsugaratanevenlevel.

Another common cause isGlaucoma, a conditionwhere an increase in pressure inside the eye impairs

visionbydamaging theopticnerve. “Any damage to theoptic nerve is irreversibleso it is important to findout if there is any history ofglaucoma in your family asthe condition is hereditary.Earlydetectionandtreatmentis crucial or the vision willgradually deteriorate overtimetoasmall tunnelvision,andthenblindnesscanoccur,”emphasizesDr.Gill.

Most people may also find it surprising to notethat injury is one of the commonest causes for visionloss. Examples likegettinghitwithahockeyballorashuttlecock,orchildrenplayingwithsharpobjects,andinjuries from car accidents are common factors. Theseincidentsarepotentiallydevastatingandadrasticaccidentcan cause blindness. “I always advise parents to avoidbuyingtoyswithsharpedgesandpreventchildrenfromplayingwithchopsticksorpencils.Preventionisalwaysbetterthancure!”

Macular degenerationisagradualdeteriorationofthemacula (centrepointat thebackof theeye),whichis themostsensitiveregionoftheretina.Theconditionleadstoprogressivelossofcentralvision(theabilitytoseefinedetailsdirectlyinfront).Excessiveexposuretosunlightandsmokingcanincreasetheriskforage-relatedmaculardegeneration.Symptomsmayincludeincreaseddifficulty reading or watching TV, as vision becomesdistortedandstraight linesappearwavyorobjects looklargerorsmallerthannormal.

In children, amblyopia or “lazy eye” in earlychildhoodcandrastically reducevision inaneye if theweakeye isnot corrected. It is important todetect and

treatthelazyeyebeforetheageof7or8years,beforethe“visioncentre”inthebraincompletesdevelopment.

Preventing Visual ImpairmentForalargenumberofpeoplewhodevelopvisualimpair-mentintheir50sandlater,itusuallybeginswithapre-ventabledisease,unlessvisionlossiscausedbycataractswhichcanbereversedwithsurgery.Adiseaselikeglau-comaforinstance,hastobedetectedearlyandtreatedordamageisirreversible.

Some final words from Dr. Gill: “Many peoplewillhavesometypeofvisualproblematsomepoint intheirlives.Itisimportantthatifyouhaveanunderlyingcondition like diabetes, hypertension or glaucoma thatyouvisityourophthalmologistregularlyandcomplywithprescriptionmedicationandeyedropstopreventfurthervisionloss.”

Formoreinformation,[email protected]:www.fatimah.com.my.

In conjunction with World Sight Day on October 14, Ipoh Echo talks to Consultant Ophthalmologist Dr. S.S. Gill on ways to prevent visual impairment and the importance of early screening in eye disease management

THE RIGHT TO SIGHT

Dr. S.S. GillResident Consultant

Ophthalmologist

The World Health Organisation (WHO) facts:* Approximately 314 million people are visually im-

paired worldwide and 45 million of them are blind.* every 20 seconds, someone in the world becomes

visually impaired.* Most people with visual impairment are older, and

females are more at risk at every age, in every part of the world.

* Cataract remains the leading cause of blindness glo-bally, except in the most developed countries.

* Correction of refractive errors (short and long sight-edness) could restore normal vision to more than 12 million children between the ages 5 to 15.

* About 85% of all visual impairment is avoidable.


Mid Autumn (Lantern) Festival

ANNOUNCEMENTSAnnouncementsmustbesentbyfax:05-2552181;oremail:[email protected],bythe9th or23rdofeverymonthinordertomeetdeadlines.Announcementsbyphonewillnotbeentertained.IpohEchoreservestherighttoverifyanyannouncementbeforeitispublished.

ThepolicehavefinallysetupOpsPayong(OP)fortheTarcisianConventSchool.ForquitesometimeThe

ResidentsCommitteeandRukunTetangaofLimGardenhasbeenrequestingthepolicetosetupOPattheschool.

With so many abductions and snatch thefts, theresidents were worried for the safety of students. ThestudentsinthisschoolcomemainlyfromLimGardenandKampongManjoiandanumberofthemwalkorcycletoschool.Theparentsandguardiansare relievednowthatthestudentsarerelativelysafeunderthewatchfuleyesofthepolice.

The residents are thankful to Inspector N. Rameshforimplementingthesystem.InspectorRameshhashelda fewmeetings with the residents, explaining what thepolicearedoingtopreventcrime.Healsoexplainedhowthepubliccanhelpthepoliceinreducingcrime.Hehassetagoodexamplethatthepolicedolistentothepublicandarefriendsofthecommunityandcanbetrusted.

A. Jeyaraj

Ops Payong Set Up For Tarcisian Convent School

WalkingonthebundoftheKintaRiverfromJalanLeongBoonSweetoLahatLane,Iwasshockedat

theconditionofthestretchhiddenfromthesightofthegeneralpublic.

Thedrainagesystemhasfailedandisnotfunctioning.The drain from Jalan Sultan Yussuf (Belfield Street)runningalongthebundwhichdischargesintotheriverinLahatLaneissilted.

Inmanysectionsitisovergrownwithshrubsandthewaterisstagnant.Aconcretedamisalsobuiltacrossthedrain.Newdrainshavebeenbuilt todischargeintothiscloggeddrain.Infactalongsomestretchesitisconvenienttowalkonthesilteddrain.

Therearemanymaturetreesgrowingalongthesideofthebundwhichisovergrownwithshrubsandcreepers.Theslopeisaminijungle.Thetopofthebundisalsofullofshrubsandisusedasarubbishdump.

Without further delay enforcement officers fromMBIandJPSmustvisittheplaceandbringitbacktothestatusitwasinthefifties.Itisaneyesoretohavesuchaneglectedplacejustnexttothecitycentre.

Forgotten Stretch of Kinta River Bund

A. Jeyaraj

Wellness Talks by Ayur Centre Ipoh and Cohen Lifestyle Malaysia onOctober2 (Saturday)at2.30p.m.atBanquetRoom1,MFloor,IpohCity&CountryClub,283JalanRajaPermaisuriBainun,Ipoh.Freeadmissionwithrefreshments.TalkI:‘SignificanceofAyurvedicOilTherapyinHealthandIllness’byDrShivaPrasad;andTalkII:‘WeightLossandWellnessthroughNutrition–TheCohenWay’byPuanSriSiewYongGnanalingam.Forregistra-tion,contact:MsHelenviasms/phone:016-5928112 / 05-5473299 oremail: [email protected].

Pertubuhan Sri Dayananda Saraswati Fund Raising Food Fair.SundayOctober3from9.00a.m.to2.00p.m.atRayanCulturalHall,JalanTunPerak(ConnollyRd.).Inaidofneedyschoolchildren.CouponsatRM10perbook.Call:05-8074458 or016-5321087.

Budi Utama Siagian’s ‘Love, Dream and Hope 2010’ SoloOilPaintingExhibitiononOctober3-10,11.00a.m.-6.00p.m.,atGardenVilla,No.5,JalanRajaDr.NazrinShah(GopengRoad),Ipoh.OfficialopeningbyTanSriDato’(Dr.)HjAhmadAzizuddinbinHjZainalAbidinonSundayOctober3at11.00a.m.

Dinner Talk on Pranic Healing, “You Can Heal!”Tuesday,October5,7.30-10.00p.m.atSyuenHotel Ipoh,RoomBonzaiA,Level4.Admissionbyinvitationonly.CallMrsLeeat:012-5727766.

FMM ICT& Industrial Innovation Conference and Exhibition 2010, “Innovation:MovingUptheValueChain–CompeteforSuccess”.October5&6from8.30a.m.to5.00p.m.atImpianaHotelIpoh.Afree-of-chargefullday’sprogrammewithmealsprovided.Forregistration,contact:ChamberOffice(05-2555558).

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) CONVOFAIR’10 from October 14-17 (Thursday to Friday), 9 a.m.-12.00p.m. atUniversitiTeknologiPetronas,BandarSeri Iskandar, 31750Tronoh,Perak.Fordetails call:013-5930710/019-5221617/019-5205909.

Ipoh Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) Food FaironSundayNovember7atStJohn’sAmbulanceHQIpoh,134JalanRajaAziz,Ipoh.Stallsponsorships,donationsandvolunteersarewelcome.Couponswillbeonsale.Fordetailsorenquiriespleasecontact:016-5608905(Doreen)or016-5279515(Rani).MBI’s Community Affairs Department (JabatanHalEhwalKomuniti)isnowrelocatedtoWismaBougainvillea(6thFloor),acrossCentralMarketIpoh.Assuch,alldealingsrelatingtobookingsofsporthalls,sportingfacilities,communityhalls,tentsetcaretobemadeatWismaBougainvillea.Thedepartment’snewphonenumberis05-242 2640.

Pantai Hospital Ipoh’s Heritage Trail of Unity Walk

Eager children before the Heritage Walk

Children from Praise Boys Home with their lanterns at Bercham

St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Pengkalan

KUKU SPA Hand & Foot Care

Allequipmentfullysterilised.NailArt,ParaffinTreatment.

Manicures,Pedicures.

Kelab Anak Malaysia Batu Gajah Lantern Festival

12LorongTamanIpoh1,IpohGardenSouth.Tel.:012-5122300 or 05-5451399.


letter from ulu kinta byMariam Mokhtar

Sarawak, or “Land of the Hornbills”, is a placewhichevokesromanceandadventure.TheWhiteRajahs,Borneoheadhunters,nipahlowlands,Niah

andMulucaves,arepleasantremindersofavastgreencountry.Onthedownsidearethedisplacedpeoples,thedestruction of the rainforest and oil palm plantationsstretching into the horizon. Sarawak is where severalindigenouspeoplecomefrom,butfewrealisethatIpohisalsohometoaround500Sarawakians.

The Ibans The Ibans are very hospitable and fearless. They aresimple,yetadventurous,andthemalespursuethetraditionofbejalai–awalkaboutor‘travellinglongdistancesinsearchofworkandadventure’.Backinthelonghouses,Ibansleadademocraticlifebasedoncommunalsharingandanobletraditionofkinship.Theyhavedeeprespectforthejungle,thelandandsupernaturalforces.

InIpoh,theIbansbelongtotheRangerbattalionatCampSyedPutra,theancillaryunitsofthearmybrigadeand theGeneralOperation ForceNorthern Brigade inUluKinta.

Ujang Ujang was born in Ipoh, twenty three years ago. Hisfather was an Iban commando with Vat 69 (VeryAbleTroopers 69) of theNorthernBrigade.VAT69 ismodelledaftertheBritishSpecialAirServiceRegimentandformedin1969tocounter thecommunist terroristthreatsprevalentthen.

Apartfrom5years,whenhisfatherwastransferredback to Sarawak, Ujang has been in Ipoh all his life.He received his primary schooling at Sekolah ChungHwa and speaks the Iban language,Malay,Mandarin,CantoneseandEnglish.

The Sarawak ConnectionUjang’s fondestmemories are of life inUlu

Kinta: “My friends and I would explore thecountryside, setting traps for birds or smallanimals. Sometimes, we’d fish. Huntingreminded us of the jungles back inSarawak.”

He compares his outdoor thrillswith the children of today, whoprefercomputergamesandaremissingoutonthebestyearsoftheirlife.

The FutureAsayoungadult,heworriesabouthis future: “Life is difficult in Sarawak.Ibansarenotbusinessminded.Aftertoilinginthefields,Icannotunderstandwhyweexchangeourhome-grownpadifortheonetheChinesetradersellsinhisshop.Isn’tourownproducesuperior?Whynotexchangeourcropsforessentialgoodsinstead?”

Other young Ibans, he claims, share his views,“There’re few jobs in Sarawak. The wages are low.Aday’sworkat thesawmillwillbringbetweenRM8andRM12.TherearefewopportunitiesavailableandsowemigratetoSemenanjung.”

Ipoh is Home“IwasborninIpoh.Myfriendsarehere.Ipohismyhome.The older people may miss Sarawak, but the youngerIbansloveithere.”

Ujangremembers theSundayservicesatSt.John’sChurchinJalanSt.JohnandtheIbancommunityspiritof his childhood: “We looked forward toSundays.TheIbanwouldberkumpulforabigmakan,afterchurch.Thefamilyunitisveryimportant.”

“Nowadays, we hardly mix. People keep tothemselves.TheyoungonesrefusetospeakIbanathome.Wearelosingourkebudayaan.”

Lack of an Iban voiceUjang has another reason to be sad: “There is no IbanvoiceinIpoh.EveniftheIbanpopulationistransient,ourchildrenmustnotforgetourtraditions.”

He brightens up, remembering how Sarawakiansfromthearmyandpolicecampsusedto(butnolongerdo) interact during Gawai celebrations. “There wasplentiful tuak andbamboo chicken pansuh to feast on.The highlights were the ngajat (ceremonial warriordance)andthekumang gawai(beautycontest).”

Helooksintothedistanceandsays,“LikemostIbans,Iammusicallyinclinedandplaytheguitaranddrumsbutnot the traditional instruments.Mywarriorspirit isstillwithmebutIhavemodernskillsintaekwondoandmuaythai.”

Calling All Ibans Thisyoungman,whoalsoexcelsinrugbyandfootball,asks,“DoyouthinkanenterprisingIbanmightformanassociation so young Ibans can be in touch with theirroots? Ifwedon’tdosomethingsoon, I fearour socialvaluesandculturewillbecomeextinct.”

Where? The narrow road between IndulgenceandILTI.

Who was Foo Choong Nyit? Mr.FooChoongNyitwasbornin1860,in Ying Dong, a town in the Fujian(formerlyknownasFuzhou)provinceofChina.Hearrived inPenangat theage of 14, and worked in a businessshop. Three years later, in 1877, hemoved to Ipoh,workedasanappren-tice in tin-mining, for Mr. Foo ChooChoon. In 1890, aged 30, he startedhis own tin-mining business at BatuGajah, and held shares in several tinminesatPusing,Tg.Tualang,IpohandMenglembu.Hewas also theGeneralManageroftheFooBrothersHydraulicGoldMine,theFookBanSanandtheFookBanFohTinMines.

HewasaformerPresidentofthePerakChineseMaternityAssociation,AdvisertothePerakChineseChamberofCommerceandCommitteeMemberofthePerakChineseProtectorate.HewasappointedastheJusticeofPeacein1936.Asawell-knownphilanthropist,in1937hedonateda7-acresiteatKamparRoad,togetherwithMr.FooNyitTseandMr.ChangChongSiew,fortheconstructionofthenewPerakChineseMaternityHospitalbuilding.HewasalsooneofthefoundersofthePerakHakkaAssociationalsoknownasthePerakKhekCommunityAssociation.Hepassedawayin1937.

Did you know?Duringthatera,therewereacoupleofwell-knownandwealthyFoos,especiallyintheminingindustryandmanypeopletendtothinkthattheyareallrelated.Thetruthistheywerenot.

JalanFooChoongNyit

behind street names

Yeun Yin Fong


Published by Ipoh Echo Sdn Bhd, No 1, Jalan Lasam, 30350 Ipoh, Perak Darul Ridzuan and printed by Konway industries sdn Bhd, Plot 78, Lebuhraya Kampong Jawa, 11900 Bayan Baru, Pulau Pinang.

The Perak Government’s proposal to establish advisory boards in every district to hear public views from a broad spectrum in determining the state‘s

direction, appears to be a good idea.However,whyisitnecessarynow?Isthestategovernmentadmittingthatwhathad

beendoneinthepastwasnotaccordingto“publicopinionandfeedback”andthereforeitneedstoformtheadvisoryboardcomprisingNGOsandmediarepresentatives?Or,itismerelytosatisfythoseaspiringtoholdofficialpost?

ThisistheimpressionIgotwhenstatechairmanforlocalgovernment,Dato’Dr.MahHangSoon,recentlyexplainedthattheadvisoryboardismerelytochannelpublicopinionandfeedbackonissuesandproblemsfacedbythepeople.“Itsroleisonlytogiveopinionsandadvicefromtheirrespectivefieldofinterest,”hestressed.

ThecreationofanadvisorybodywasfirstdisclosedbytheMenteriBesarDato’SeriZambryAbdulKadirlastyear,althoughhelabelleditasacivicsocietycouncil.“Whatisgoodis that itwouldinvolvethewholecommunityinsocialdevelopmentwhere theNGOschosenwillberepresentingall thebodieswhichfocusonpovertyeradication,welfareanddevelopment,”Zambryhadstated.

Appoint Only Knowledgeable CouncillorsInanimmediatereactiontotheproposedmove,PresidentofIpohCityWatch(ICW),AugustineAnthony,describeditas“creatingmorebureaucracy”.

Accordingtohimifthelocalgovernmenthadfollowedsection10(2)oftheLocalGovernmentAct1976whenappointingtheircouncillorsthentherewouldbenoneedtosetupsuchanadvisoryboard.

“At present the Councillors aremostly from political parties who perhaps arecluelessintheaffairsofthelocalcouncilmattersandthefactthatthereisasuggestionthatthereshouldbeanadvisorybodyonlycompoundsthebeliefthattheyareso,”hesaid.Augustinepointedoutthatunderthesaidsection,thecouncillorsappointedmusthavewide experience in localgovernment affairs, have achieveddistinction in anyprofession in commerceor industry, and are capable of representing the interest oftheir communities in the local authority area. “It is for this reasonwehavealways

Proposed Advisory Board WILL CREATE MORE BUREAUCRACY askedthelocalgovernmenttofollowthespiritofsection10(2)andthatistoappointthe

bestbrainsinthecommunity.Andifwehavethebest,thenthereisnoreasonforthemtobeadvisedbysomeotheradvisorybody,”headded.

Two Heads Rather Than One?Itappearsthatthepresentcorpsoflocalcouncillorsinthestateisincapableofgettingopinionsandfeedbackfromthepeopleandthereforeitisnecessarytohavetwoheadsrather thanone?Howcansuchanadvisoryboardberelevant tothelocalauthoritieswhenitsmemberscanonlyprovidelipservice,astheyhavenovotingrights.Certainlythestategovernmenthassufficientexpertiseandthemachinerytounder-takedevelopmentprojectswhicharebeneficialtothepeoplewithouthavinganadvi-soryboardtopassonopinionandfeedback.

Creating an advisory boardwill just encourage discussion after discussion, andwastetimeaswellaspublicfunds,withoutachievingitsobjectives.Takeforinstancethevariousstategovernment’ssponsoredtourismseminarsandsymposiumsheldinthepastwiththeviewtoget“opinionsandfeedback”fromprivatesectorandindividualsto promote tourism to the state. Iwas invited to attend a number of them.Lengthydiscussionswereoftenheldandviewsandsuggestionswerecompiledandreportedtothestategovernment.

The same views and suggestions repeatedly emerged at subsequent seminarsandsymposiums.Yet,nothingcameoutofsuchdiscussions,justawasteoftimeandmoney.

Need For Honest IntentionTherefore, there isnodoubt that theproposedadvisoryboardwill endup the same,unlessthestategovernmenthasthehonestintentiontohearthe“opinionsandfeedback”ofthepeople.

The state government has all the trained professionals and agencies, includingtheStateEconomicPlanningUnit,StateDevelopmentCorporation,andvariouslocalcouncils to plan and implement suitable projects.All the state government needs isfor their elected representatives, councillors andofficers tobededicated and sincerein carrying out their responsibilities, and for the authorities, to honestly and fairlyimplement all viable requests from the people, irrespective of opposition controlledconstituencies.

my say

By Jerry Francis

If we have the best, then there is no rea-son for them to be advised by some other advisory body

~Augustine Anthony , ICW President“ ”

book reviewOriginally written to

boost the morale ofchild prisoners of Britishand Australian familiesincarcerated in ChangiPrison duringWWII,TheHappiness Box is as de-lightfullyinspirationalandentertainingtodayasitwasfirst written in December1942.

TheHappinessBox,achildren’s storybook, tells a captivating storyofhowthree jungle friends; Winston the lizard, Martin themonkey, andWobbley the frog, discovered amagicalboxandhowtheylearnedthesecretstohappinessinit.

The idea for creating this children’s story firstcameaboutwhentheAustralianPOWsconvincedtheirJapanese captors to agree to them sending Christmasgiftstochildrenincarceratedtogetherwiththewomenin Changi Prison. Twenty-seven year old Sgt. David

byWern Sze GillTHE HAPPINESS BOX, the Book They Buried In Changi PrisonGriffin,oneofthoserecruitedtomaketoysforthekids,couldn’tmaketoys.

But he could write stories. Thus came the idea ofwritingabookforChangiJail’schildprisoners.

Griffin set about creating the storyandenlistedhisfriendandfellowinmate,anaccomplishedartist,LeslieGreener, to do the illustrations. When completed, thepageswereboundintoalittlebookwhichwentondisplayalongwiththetoys.

However, when Gene-ral Saito arrived to conductan inspection of the toys before they were sent out toChangi, hebecame immediately suspiciousof thebookafter noting that a key character in the book,Winstonthe lizard, bore the same name as theBritish leader ofthe day, PrimeMinisterWinstonChurchill.Thinking itcontained secret codedmessages between the prisonershousedoutsideChangiJailandthecivilianswithin,theyorderedthebookconfiscated.TheAustralians,however,managed tocart thebookawayandeventuallyhid it inan ammunition container which they buried within thegroundsoftheprisoncamps.

Following the liberationofSingapore in1945,TheHappinessBoxwas dug up and returned to the author.Theoriginalcopysurvives,andistodaykeptintheStateLibraryofNewSouthWalesinSydneyAustralia.

In 1990, a historical research team from MediaMasters rediscovered Griffin’s work and produced thebook for public release. In 2006, the Great Librariesof Australia declared The Happiness Box a “NationalTreasure”. The book has since been a best-seller, andproclaimed“achildren’sbookwithastoryasgoodasthestoryinthebook”.

More than just a charming children’s book, TheHappinessBox is auniquepieceofhistory for allwhotreasurethehumanspirit’swilltosurviveandtoprevail.

TheHappinessBox,32pages,isretailedatRM18andisavailablethroughIpohEchoforindividualpurchaseorthroughMediaMastersPublishingforbulkorders.CallIpohEchoat05-2495936,oremail:[email protected].

connection something fishy going on in kinta valleyipohecho.com.my/pdf/106.pdf · october 1-15,...

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