Kuala Lumpur Blog - The Reflection Of The City Through My Own Eyes

Entry Date: 20/05/2007 2.10pm Posted by: Roszs

KL’s Image Enhance

The Kuala Lumpur City Hall has pledged to work closely with the police to help make Kuala Lumpur a safe city.

Both parties agreed to work hand in hand on issues such as CCTV surveillance, snatch thefts, pirated VCDs, illegal car park operators, drug addicts, illegal entertainment centres and traffic management.

There are 250 units of surveillance CCTV and ITIS (Integrated Transport Infor-mation System) installed around Kuala Lumpur and the City Hall has confirmed that it would be adding 30 more units.

Entry Date: 20/05/2007 2.10pm Posted by: Roszs

Man Utd's Is Back

Malaysian football authorities reversed a decision to cancel the Kuala Lumpur leg of Manchester United's Asian tour in July.

The decision followed intervention from Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who gave his support to the match which was called off last week after pressure from the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA.

The FAM respects the statement by the prime minister of Malaysia that the Manchester United tour should go on as planned to be part of the celebration for Malaysia's 50th anniversary.

The body faces the wrath of AFC president Mohammed bin Hammam and his FIFA counterpart Sepp Blatter who have led efforts to have the July 27 match dumped as it clashes with the Asian Cup finals which are co-hosted by Malaysia.

The AFC fear the presence of such a big club in the region during the Asian Cup finals from July 7-29 will divert attention from what is the continent's flagship football competition.

United plan to kick off their pre-season commercial tour against J-League champions Urawa Red Diamonds on July 17 in Saitama before travelling to the South Korean capital for a showdown with FC Seoul on July 20.

Alex Ferguson's team then head to Macau for a match against Shenzhen on July 23, before ending the tour in Kuala Lumpur on July 27 against a Malaysian XI.

Entry Date: 20/05/2007 2.10pm Posted by: Roszs

Regent Become Millennium

Effective June 1, The Regent Kuala Lumpur will officially become the Millennium Kuala Lumpur. It's the first Millen-nium hotel in Malaysia!

The Millennium Kuala Lumpur is currently undergoing a multimillion-ringgit makeover to reflect the new brand’s style.

Upon completion of the refurbishment, the hotel will feature 468 elegantly transformed guest-rooms and suites, grand lobby and reception areas, and exciting dining and entertainment outlets poised to set new trends in Kuala Lumpur’s hospitality scene.

Strategically located in the heart of the Golden Triangle, the capital city’s prestigious shopping and entertainment district, the hotel has received numerous international awards, including the Hospitality Asia Platinum Award for Service Excellence and the Hospitality Asia Platinum Award for Best Executive Club Lounge.

The hotel joins M&C’s list of more than 114 hotels in 18 countries, including the Millennium Hotel London Mayfair in the UK, the Millennium Hotel Paris Opera in France; the Millennium Hotel Abu Dhabi in the UAE; and the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York.

Entry Date: 20/05/2007 2.10pm Posted by: Roszs

F1 Night Racing

Malaysia has won an extension to hosting its Formula One Grand Prix until 2015. It also may host night races as early as next year.

Malaysia has hosted F1 races since 1999 and its current contract expires in 2010.

Entry Date: 20/05/2007 2.10pm Posted by: Roszs

PM Backs Man U

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi gave his backing to Manchester United's planned tour of the country, despite strong opposition from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam on Monday launched a stinging attack on United, calling them "disrespectful" and demanding they cancel their Asian tour.

Last year Malaysian football bosses signed an agreement with the AFC, which is based in Kuala Lumpur, not to promote other matches during the July 7-29 Asian Cup, co-hosted by Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.

United announced in April that they would warm up for the 2007-2008 season with a tour that takes them to Japan, South Korea, Macau and Malaysia. They plan to kick off against J-League champions Urawa Red Diamonds on July 17 in Saitama before travelling to the South Korean capital for a showdown with FC Seoul on July 20.

Alex Ferguson's team are then due to head to Macau for a match against Shenzhen on July 23, before ending the tour in Kuala Lumpur on July 27 against a Malaysian XI.

Entry Date: 13/05/2007 7.13pm Posted by: Roszs

KL - S'pore Air Route

Senior Transport Ministry officials from Malaysia and Singapore met on May 8 to discuaa on the opening up of the lucrative Kuala Lumpur - Singapore air route.

The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore route is now dominated by the national carriers of both countries, namely Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and Singapore Airlines (SIA), with both operating more than 200 flights a week.

Both countries have agreed to further liberalise their air routes as this would be beneficial to them. More airlines, including low-cost carriers, are expected to capitalise on the opportunities that would arise from liberalisation.

Entry Date: 13/05/2007 7.13pm Posted by: Roszs

King and Queen Portraits Doctored

Why pay when you can get for free? Some unscrupulous traders are cashing in on the elevation of Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin as the country’s 13th King, by selling the King and Queen portraits!

Unauthorised portraits of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Raja Permaisuri Agong are being sold at some bookshops nationwide at RM90 per set!

This a scam as the royal portraits can be obtained free from the Information Department’s state and district offices. The department had printed 500,000 sets of the royal portraits, and if it's not enough, they will print some more.

The irresponsible parties used superimposition techniques to produce and sell the purported portraits of the royal couple. They superimposed the faces of Tuanku Mizan and Tuanku Nur Zahirah on the images of the former King and Queen before the new Yang di-Pertuan Agong was installed.

As a result, medals on the royal attire (in the portrait) do not match those of the current Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Entry Date: 13/05/2007 7.13pm Posted by: Roszs

KL Book Fair 2007

Malaysia’s biggest book fair, the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair 2007, ended on May 6th. The book fair, held at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur, was open from 10am to 10pm.

It is held in conjunction with World Book Day which fell on April 23. It featured 631 booths by 182 exhibitors with 137 local and 27 foreign exhibitors from Europe, South-East Asia and Australia.

Apart from exhibiting the latest books and educational materials from Malaysia and abroad, the fair is also a platform for publishers and book lovers from all over the world to meet.

Entry Date: 13/05/2007 7.13pm Posted by: Roszs

Gulf Air to Fly Daily to KL

The Bahrain based airline Gulf Air will be increasing its flights to Kuala Lumpur starting this July to cater to demand from tourists during the summer season in the Gulf states.

Currently Gulf Air has three direct flights weekly to Kuala Lumpur and this is expected to be increased to one flight daily by July. Gulf Air will be also discussing with Malaysia Airlines on code sharing arrangement between the two airlines.

Code sharing is important as they also bring in many tourists from Europe and the Middle East countries who fly to Kuala Lumpur and go on to other local destinations such as Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu and Penang.

Entry Date: 06/05/2007 11.52am Posted by: Roszs

Happy Wesak Day

The scent of burning joss sticks filled the air in Buddhist temples around the country as thousands of devotees paid homage to Buddha on Wesak Day. Wesak Day falls on 1st May this year, the same day as the Labor Day.

Devotees sought blessings from monks and tied yellow threads around their wrists meant to protect and bless them at all times. Children and adults rang bells that were placed at the compound of the temple and lit lotus-shaped candles and oil lamps.

Entry Date: 06/05/2007 11.52am Posted by: Roszs

Kuala Lumpur - Laos Flight

The Tourism Ministry says it wants either Malaysia Airlines (MAS) or budget carrier, AirAsia, to operate Kuala Lumpur-Vientiane direct flights, in order to woo more Laotian tourists to Malaysia.

In the absence of direct flights to Kuala Lumpur, Laotian tourists have had to transit either in Bangkok, Phnom Penh or Hanoi, which is time-consuming and costly for them. This inconvenience has led to many Laotians to skip Malaysia from their tourism destinations.

Records showed 6,800 Malaysians visited Laos last year, up 200 compared with the previous year, he said.

Last year, a total of 4,371 Laotian tourists came to Malaysia, an increase of 124.8 per cent from 1,944 in 2005, he said.

Between January and February, 1,001 Laotians came to Malaysia, compared to 642 in the same period last year, said Lim, who met Laos National Tourism Administration vice-chairman Dr Sila Mounthalavong and tour and travel agency operators yesterday.

Entry Date: 06/05/2007 11.52am Posted by: Roszs

King and Queen Graced Event

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin graced a cultural event at Dataran Merdeka here last night that showcased Malaysia's rich culture.

The Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tuanku Nur Zahirah, accompanied His Majesty at the event, themed Raja dan Rakyat Berpisah Tiada, which marked his ascension as the country's 13th elected king.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was among the dignitaries present.

Entry Date: 06/05/2007 11.52am Posted by: Roszs

World Book Capital

Despite Malaysians' poor reading habits, the country hopes that Kuala Lumpur will be designated as the World Book Capital (WBC) in 2010.

The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) confers the title to a city in recognition of the quality of the programmes it undertakes to promote books and reading as well as the dedication of all players in the book industry.

Kuala Lumpur may fulfils the selection criteria based on the number of programmes organised by ministries, companies and organisations. Currently, the 26th Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF 2007) is being held at the Putra World Trade Centre until May 6. It is open 10am to 7pm (Mondays to Thursdays) and 10am to 10pm (Fridays to Sundays, including public holidays).

Entry Date: 06/05/2007 11.52am Posted by: Roszs

Tuanku Mizan Installed As King

The Sultan of Terengganu, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin was installed as the 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong in a ceremony steeped in the tradition of the Malay rulers at Balairong Seri of Istana Negara on 27th April 2007.

Soon after the 45-year-old King read out his pledge as the Head of State, the VIPs and guests led by Datuk Maharaja Lela Tengku Farouk Tengku Jalil hailed Daulat Tuanku three times.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, in his pledge inscribed in Jawi on a goat hide, vowed to govern the nation with utmost fairness in accordance with provisions in the Federal Constitution and uphold Islam.

After His Majesty read out his pledge, a nafiri (trumpet) was sounded followed by the beatings of the nobat (drum) Raja Bertabal (the King has been installed) by the Royal Terengganu Nobat Group.

This was followed by a 21-gun salute by the 41st Artillery Battery Regiment followed by the rendition of Negara Ku by the Royal Armour Corps.

Tengku Farouk then stepped forward to present the government keris or Keris Panjang di-Raja, the main royal insignia denoting greatness and power of the King.

Tuanku Mizan then kissed the keris and sheathed it before placing it on a side table on his left and read out his pledge.

The Malay Rulers, who attended the ceremony were the Sultan of Kedah, who is also the Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Sultan of Pahang, Sultan of Kelantan, Sultan of Perak, Regent of Terengganu and Sultan of Selangor.

Johor was represented by the Tengku Mahkota of Johor, Tunku Ibrahim Ismail, and Perlis by the Raja Muda of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Faizzudin. The Crown Prince of Brunei, Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah, represented the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

Also present were Yang di-Pertuas Negeri, ministers, menteris besar and chief ministers, and the Terengganu royal family.

The ceremony was also attended by foreign diplomats and guests.

Tuanku Mizan was elected as the 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong by the nine Malay Rulers at the 208th Conference of Rulers meeting at Istana Negara on Nov 3 last year, succeeding the 12th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail, whose five-year term ended on Dec 12 last year.