Perak to promote temple

The Star; Friday October 9, 2009 By SYLVIA LOOI

THE 137-year-old Paloh Koo Miu Temple in Ipoh Old Town will be promoted as a tourist attraction.
Perak Non-Islamic Affairs Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said the temple, together with Little India and the Concubine Lane nearby, could give Ipoh’s tourism sector a boost.

 

 

Part of the intricate carvings atop the 137-yer-old temple which will be promoted as a tourist attraction.  

 

“With proper packaging, these three places can be included in the state’s tourism map,” he said after visiting the temple recently.

Noting that the temple is older than Ipoh city itself, Dr Mah said it had valuable antiques and interesting statues which could draw in visitors.

Among them are images of fairies and deities on the walls and roofs, brass urns and a large bell.

 

 

A caretaker of the Paloh Koo Mui Temple in Jalan Bijih Timah holding a 'weapon' crafted out of wood.  

 

Dr Mah said assistance would be provided by the state to help promote the temple.

He also announced an allocation of RM200,000 for the temple to help its committee preserve and upgrade its amenities.

The temple is known to locals as the Ipoh Chinese Tai Pak Koong Temple because of its worship of the deity.

In the olden days, it used to offer free medicine and consultation to local folk.

People with disputes even visited the temple to seek justice during its early years.

Among the temple’s milestones was when it established a free school for pupils considered too old to be admitted into government primary schools.

For those interested to visit the temple, it is located at 91, Jalan Bijih Timah.

Eye On Malaysia

Eye On Malaysia on the background with reflections upon the Melaka River mouth with silhouette of a couple.

Silhouette of a fishing enthusiast along the river banks of Melaka River.

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Eye On Malaysia

New wonder: A fireworks display lighting the sky during the official launch of the Eye On Malaysia at the Malacca rivermouth on Friday.

Picture from The Star, 11 November 2008 (Tuesday)

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'Eye' off to great start

New Straits Times; 08 Nov 2008

MALACCA: Some 10,000 tourists and Malacca folk alike converged at the mouth of Sungai Melaka to witness the official launch of the Eye On Malaysia, here, last night.

The Eye on Malaysia Malacca was launched by the Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob.

Standing 60m tall, the Ferris wheel will give riders a view of the World Heritage City of Malacca on one side and the Straits of Malacca on the other.

The Ferris wheel, which was moved from Kuala Lumpur's Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, has now found its permanent home at the riverbank of Sungai Melaka.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said some 700,000 visitors were expected to flock to the Eye On Malaysia in the first year of its operation.

"We are confident of achieving this target and the timing of the opening of the Eye is also important, as it is near the end of the year and school holidays are just around the corner."The Ferris wheel will be run by Eye On Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a joint venture between MST AD Suria and Kumpulan Melaka Bhd, the investment arm of the state government.

The investment here cost some RM50 million, including the RM6 million spent to buy the land on which an entertainment park will be built.

Eye on Malaysia to be relocated to Malacca

The Star
Tuesday September 2, 2008
By THO XIN YI
Photos by BRIAN MOH

IF YOU visit Taman Tasik Titiwangsa in Kuala Lumpur at night from now on, you will be sure to feel a sense of emptiness. Why?

New base: The Eye on Malaysia will be relocated to Malacca soon.

There is a vacuum there now that the lights of the iconic Eye on Malaysia at the lake garden are switched off following the final day of its operation there on Merdeka Day.

The 60m-high Ferris wheel had been operating at the Taman Titiwangsa since January last year, but it will be dismantled and relocated to Malacca this week.

According to Widyanty Yusope, the executive director of MST AD Suria Sdn Bhd, the operator of the Eye on Malaysia, the structure was originally put up in conjunction of the Visit Malaysia Year 2007 (VMY’07), but its operation was extended to Aug 31 this year, following popular demand.

“With the conclusion of the VMY’07, our contract has also come to an end,” Widyanty said.

Starting on Thursday: Cross explaining the dismantling process of the Ferris wheel.

“We are sad to leave Lake Titiwangsa,” MST AD Suria events marketing executive Rahyu Waris said..

Throughout the 20 months at Lake Titiwangsa, the Ferris wheel with 42 gondolas had attracted nearly 1.8 million visitors.

The once quiet Taman Titiwangsa was bustling with activities following the setting up of the tourist attraction, which took visitors up in the air to view the breathtaking Kuala Lumpur skyline during the 12-minute ride.

Next to the wheel, there was an Eye Cafe for visitors to enjoy a cuppa beside the scenic lake.

The dismantling work will start on Thursday, led by four engineers from the German-Swiss manufacturer and assisted by 16 local workers.

“Only the manufacturer’s engineers and technicians know how to dismantle each part of the giant wheel and how to specially load the parts into the containers,” operations manager Graeme Cross said.

Widyanty: The Eye on Malaysia will be opened to public in October in Malacca.

The first few steps of the dismantling process involve clearing up the walkway where visitors queued up to get on to the Ferris wheel, and taking down the fencing and entrance roof.

“After clearing the loading base, the gondolas will be taken off, followed by the storm bars, rim beams, spokes, globes and finally the axle,” Cross said.

“Given the optimum conditions, including fair weather, the work will be completed within six days. All the parts will be transported to Malacca, while the steel pins currently holding the parts together will be replaced with new ones,” he said.

In the historical city, the structure will be permanently installed at Kota Laksamana at the Malacca River mouth, close to the Straits of Malacca.

“It will be a 1.6ha leisure park equipped with a water screen, two restaurants and a space exhibition. We will develop it in three phases,” Widyanty said.

The structures at the park, according to her, will be a combination of modern and traditional buildings.

“It will be opened to the public in October and we target to have 700,000 visitors for the first year there,” Widyanty said.