Greetings! In July, Melaka and George Town were jointly proclaimed Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca by UNESCO. They are now World (cultural) Heritage Sites. The inscription is recognition for their unique cultural heritage to the world. Front page news, indeed. Yet, the inscription is received with mixed emotions. Read our over-view on page 4.

Mid-September, good news came again to stir our heri.pride. Two Malaysian entries won the 2008 UNESCO Asia-pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation: the Award of Excellence to Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur and the Award of Distinction to Suffolk House, Penang. To all who contributed to their success, congratulations!

Finally, readers’ contributions have started to happen. In the following pages, you will read articles from several members and friends of the PHS.

Professor Lynn Hollen-Lees is captivated by Perak history. During her last visit, she went to see the historic Catholic settlement in Bagan Serai. We are privileged to reproduce her notes on Kampong Padri, with photographs, of course (see page 6). If you wish to visit this surprising place, we can make a trip there. Just let us know.

Liz Price is an authority on caves. An ardent caver and a writer, she has several books (on caves, naturally) to her name and numerous feature stories of her caving trips around Malaysia and South-east Asia in local dailies and magazines. Read her story on adventure caving in the Kinta Valley on page 9 and 10.

Taiping Heritage Society Vice-president, Yeap Thean Eng celebrated the 125th anniversary of his alma mater by contributing a short story on the history of the school. Read it on page 8.

What about our PHS heri.trails? Members looking for thrills may be disappointed that new trails are not forth coming. (To get some inkling of what happens when we go mapping new trails for you, read Lynn’s Kampong Padri on page 4.) Old trails deserve re-visits, which are very important because they keep you in touch with your favourite sites and help you learn about change and ageing. Well, those of you who have repeated the old route, keep it up. Better still, share your discoveries with us!

In the outpouring of fantastic responses following the listing of Melaka and George Town , some members asked HN if Ipoh can be listed. What a great idea! For reality check, HN5.6 will be devoted to exploring the heritage qualities for which Ipoh and the Kinta Valley deserve some world recognition.

Meanwhile, enjoy this belated issue as we rush for the next so that you may get it before Christmas.

Heritage NewsA bi-monthly newsletter of the Perak Heritage Society. For Members only.

July - October 2008Volume 5, Issue 4 & 5

PHS Committee 2008 - 2009President : Law Siak HongV-Pres. : Mohd Taib MohamedHon Sec : Philip Pu Hon Treas : Eddie TeoMembers : Audrey Poh Charlie Choong Peter Bucher Stephen Yaw Editorial Committee Lau Sook Mei Law Siak HongMohd Taib MohamedPeter VongCharlie ChoongDTP : J Ad graphics

Views and opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily

reflect those of the Editorial Committee. Verification of facts

and statistics are the responsibility of the respective writers.

Imaginative new designfor the old Malacca fort

Source : The Star~ October 8, 2008

IN THE NEWS Pg 2 of 12

Newspaper cuttings; source : NST dated 16th October 2008

Masjid Kampong Kuala Dal.

Mubin Sheppard Memorial PrizeSource: Buletin Warisan, Badan Warisan Malaysia.Photos : Chong Fong Loon

The Mubin Sheppard Memorial Prize (MSMP) was set up to honour the memory of the late Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Haji Mubin Sheppard. It was first launched on 8 February 1996. The MSMP aims to stimulate students’ awareness of, and research into, the conservation of Malaysia’s built heritage. Between March 1997 and December 2005, six cycles of the competition have been completed.

Tan Sri Mubin Sheppard was a founder member of Badan Warisan Malaysia and Sahabat Warisan Malaysia. Sahabat Warisan Malaysia (Friends of the Heritage of Malaysia Trust), was a society set up in 1984 to support Badan Warisan Malaysia in its objectives. The Mubin Sheppard Memorial Prize is a culmination of one of its fundraising efforts. In 1995 Sahabat Warisan was dissolved and its membership was merged with Badan Warisan’s.

Badan Warisan Malaysia (Heritage of Malaysia Trust) is a tax exempt charity set up in 1983 to conserve Malaysia’s built heritage and areas of architectural interest in all parts of the country. It offers research awards to students through the Mubin Sheppard Memorial Prize in order to:

• Encourage and stimulate students' awareness and study of the heritage of Malaysian architecture and the built environment.

• Encourage research and writing on specific aspects of conservation and the preservation of Malaysian architecture and the built environment.

• Encourage the study, planning and design of heritage areas with potential for conservation.

• Accumulate a collection of research and reference materials to be kept in Badan Warisan Malaysian's Resource Centre.

HN: Badan Warisan Malaysia recently launched the MSMP Measured Drawing Grant 2008 as an extension of the MSMP to encourage documentation of lesser known heritage buildings or endangered heritage buildings in remote locations. Two sites in Perak have been selected. The Kampong Kuala Dal Mosque will be studied by the LimKokWing University of Creative Technology, while the Tronoh Police Station will be drawn by the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Seri Iskandar, Perak.

The measured drawing of Pudu Prison, produced by Universiti Malaysia’s Department of Architecture (1997/98) won the Mubin Sheppard Memorial Prize 2000. We await further development as Badan Warisan Malaysia and war veterans work on preserving the site to honour the sacrifice of prisoners-of-war (WW2) who were incarcerated here. Its strategic location is under intense pressure from development.

Finally, the old Ipoh Post Office, owned by Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh, will be restored by the Department of Heritage (Jabatan Warisan Negara - JWN). Tasked to UiTM, Perak, the measured drawing is in progress. The building will be adapted as an art gallery, as well as offices and showrooms for culture, heritage and tourism.

Pg 3 of 12 HERI.AWARD

Masjid Kampong Kuala Dal.

Old Ipoh Post Office

Melaka & George Town:Historic Cities of the Straits of MalaccaLaw Siak Hong

Since 1978, UNESCO has listed 628 cultural sites, 137 natural sites, and 24 composite sites in 137 countries. On 7 July 2008, it was announced in Canada that Melaka & George Town have been jointly listed as UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites, the first cultural heritage sites in Malaysia . It was the strategy of joint-application that cemented their fate. The port-cities of Melaka and George Town are already stamped as world tourist destinations: they now ‘belong’ to the world, and we are their custodians.

News reports following the listing were joyous enough. Excited politicians talk about profitable tourism. By the end of the week, reality finally set in when heritage experts finally got their views heard.

Well, the picture is not so rosy after all. Much has to be done to maintain the status so we can truly enjoy the prestige. The inscription comes with strict rules. Certain legalities on re-development must be adhered to. Continued neglect and inappropriate exploitation must stop. Superficial glossy appearance is not acceptable. Under the unavoidable pressure of development, protection must be provided. Governments and communities must get organized to preserve, protect and conserve

their unique heritage not only for themselves but the world. More information has to be made available to locals and tourists for a deeper understanding and appreciation. Foreign and local expertise in heritage conservation must be consulted. But in the end, only local pride can save the day.

The application for listing took over ten years of work. Its success is only the beginning. It must be stressed that governments must not misjudge what tourists come for and every effort must be made to educate the local communities the value of their heritage. Without this, there can be no continuity in efforts to protect and conserve heritage. Most critically, without hospitable and honest locals who take pride in cleanliness and hygiene, tourists will not return.

But, first, let’s celebrate! The living heritage community in Penang got organized quickly. In less than two

UNESCO LISTING Pg 4 of 12

Source : Star; graphics by Enghwa, Izudin, Amira

Melaka

The World Heritage Site covers :l St Paul’s Hill civic zone with St Paul’s Church, Porta de Santiago (A Famosa) fortress and Stadhuys complex;l Residential and commercial areas of jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (heeren Street), jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Walk) and adjacent streets, including harmony Street; andl The Malacca River.

George Town

The site here covers :l Waterfront district including the Esplande and harbour area, Fort

Cornwallis, Weld Quayand Beach Street;

l Historical commercial centre, including the ‘ethnic streets’

like Bishop and Church streets (Eurasians), China Street (Chinese)

and Market and Chulia streets (Indians), and Little India;

l The guilds and trades precinct including Chulia, Muntri, Leith

and adjacent streets;l Mosque and wakaf enclave of

Acheen Street and Kapitan Keling mosques; and

l Chinese clan enclave with the Khoo, Cheah, tan, Lim, Yap and Yeoh

clan or Kongsi houses.

Pg 5 of 12 UNESCO LISTING

weeks, with business sponsorships and community participation, the streets came alive with cultural shows and interactive activities. Coincidentally, the Little Penang Street Market, another heritage community initiative, celebrated its 2nd anniversary on the last of the three-day celebrations. Melaka also had a month-long celebration but we heard nothing of it.

It is perverse: Melaka’s immediate idea was to build a huge monument to mark the listing. Where? Why? The core zone and buffer zone hardly need a sign for their venerable age to be notice. The small allocations for heritage conservation are better spent sensibly on repairing important buildings and improving infrastructure, sensitively. A few well-written storyboards in key locations, in various languages convenient to our tourists, will suffice.

Here is UNESCO’s official verdict:

Melaka and Geroge Town Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia) have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca.

The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century.

Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and South-east Asia .

Cynics hissed: the listing was merely to stop them from further ruin - too much has been lost. On the other hand, local heri.experts believe that despite the destructions, there is still so much in both cities.

In fact, UNESCO’s justifications are strong. Conservation projects in both cities have won UNESCO awards, setting new standards in restoration work. Despite misgivings through politicised judgment, governmental actions are well-intended. Both governments know the lucrative benefits to the city, especially through tourism. Problems have arisen because of a lack of consultation with the local communities, and experts in the field of heritage conservation. This has resulted in decisions and priorities inconsistent with the greater vision of heritage cities.

Not understanding the value of preservation, owners torched their dilapidated buildings for quick relief from the burden of repairs. Foreign ownership has increased as gentrification takes place. Owners are encouraged to invest in adaptive re-use. But will the essential local communities be displaced eventually? There may come a point when there is not enough to hold the status of a heri.city.

The UNESCO listing is not permanent, it can be taken away. It is now up to the governments to act in consultation with local and foreign experts to pursue a course of sustainable re-development while preserving the best parts of our material culture and the intangible heritage of our world.

But, until we learn a fresh approach to mind our physical environment and our cultural wealth, preferred practices and better options will continue to be the bones of contention in the art of heritage conservation.

CONGRATULATIONS!

UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awardsfor Culture and

Heritage Conservation 2008 goes to

2 Malaysian heritage buildings :

Stadium Merdeka, KLthe monument of

Independence

Suffolk House, Penang‘the purest example of

Anglo-Indian architecture outside India’,

formerly the residence of Francis Light.

Snapshots of Penang by Julie Lim

Recce to Kampong Padri, Bagan SeraiExtract, edited, from Notes of Professor Lynn Hollen-Lees: INTERVIEW WITH PAKIAM, and other parishioners, Kampong Padri, Bagan Serai, 25 May 2008. It is detailed, as one would expect from field studies. Photos: by courtesy of Lynn Hollen-Lees.

Kampong Padri: With 400 acres of land, it was the original Tamil Roman Catholics (RC) settlement founded by Father Fee (French) in 1882. Many of the original families are still there (4 generations of Tamil RCs). They owned (and many still own) padi land. Old houses are gone, but the families remain. It seems to be a self-sufficient community, which until recently, inter-married and remained on the land. The children of the older people interviewed have mostly left for work elsewhere. Change was said to come around and after 1970s, when the level of education rose and children were sent to get more education. While the original workers and current elderly (3rd generation) grew padi, the landowners now rent it out to others to do the work. Over the last several (unclear how many) years some of the land was sold to Malays and others who live now in the kampong. There are other local non-owners, some Malays, but not foreign workers. The area is flat padi fields interspersed with houses and fruit trees and canals. No shops in the kampong. Small paved roads lead to the church. There are now about 150 families living in the kampong. About 110 families belong to the church. We began with St Joseph’s Church, built 1905. We met Sister Luke, now retired and living in the adjoining priests’ house. The history of the parish is included in the Golden Jubilee Diocese of Penang book she gave to me. The priest services Nibong Tebal and Parit Buntar RC churches, and was at one of them. The church has a web site (http://www.sjbaganserai.org/index.html), which has many photos and detailed parish history. While we were there, young girls and boys showed up to open the church, sweep it, and practised as a choir. Older women came in with flowers to decorate the church for the evening service. After touring the graveyard with Arulandoo, Tamil man in rubber boots and very old clothes) who is the secretary of the kampong. He directed us to older residents of Kampong Padri. He walked us to their houses and served as interpreter for about 1 ½-2 hours. We were joined by Rosalind, aged 19, who was walking along the same dirt path as we were. [She went to a government school, speaks Tamil, Malay, and surprisingly good English. She works at a Dell computer factory in Juru, where she works a 12-hour shift, after being picked up by a factory van at 5.30 am, travelling for an hour, working and then returning by van around 9 pm at night! She is saving money for further education.] First we interviewed Sebastian, a half-toothless man with eye trouble, born 1936, wearing old shirt and shorts, barefoot. He was not communicative. We sat on the porch of his single-storey, flat roofed, concrete Tamil-style house sited next to the drainage canal. His statements: his grandfather came from Tamil Nadu, he does not know exactly where. He and his parents grew up in the kampong where he has stayed. He went to the Tamil school at the church. What he remembers of childhood is growing padi, fishing, playing, and going to the church. Next, we walked several hundred yards down the dirt path along a very dirty canal, past lots of vegetation and a few houses, dogs and birds; padi fields adjoining, to another house set a hundred feet back from the road. We were directed there by Arulandoo, to meet Pakiam, who lived there with her daughter, Anna Mary. Arunlandoo acted as interpreter. Anna Mary, Rosalind, and, later, Mr M S Ellias, a retired government servant and neighbour to Pakiam were also in the room with Hong, Mohd Taib and me. Our joint interview/conversation began slowly and awkwardly, and then took off. They live in a concrete house (rich golden yellow color on outside,

OUT & ABOUT Pg 6 of 12

Inside St Joseph’s Church

St Joseph’s Church

Side view of priests’ house

bare concrete on the inside, floors too, 4 rooms, fairly new). It is Tamil style, directly on the ground, small over-hanging roof over the entrance, flowers and canal outside. There is a kitchen and two bedrooms with mattresses on the floor, and minimal furniture: a table, some rattan with upholstered (chintz print) cushions, furniture in main room, a small altar along one wall with flowers and a picture; Anna Mary brought out a porcelain statue of Mary for the photo. Pakiam: born 1924, married, 1941. Parents were born in Kampung Padri (KP); Grandparents came to KP from Tamil Nadu. Her parents had 6 kids. They all grew up in the kampong went to the RC church’s Tamil school. Young women were not allowed to leave KP. They had a simple, poor life, and lived in an atap house with mud floors. They grew padi, and all helped to work in the fields. They caught fish, grew veggies and tapioca, and had fruit trees. They sold fish to get money. They ate some of the rice and gave the rest to the church. She graduated from the church’s Tamil school and was good enough to be given a job immediately after, teaching the younger children. She is well-educated in Tamil, knows Malay but not English. The RC parish was the centre of their lives. The children were baptized there; they were married there. They followed only RC ceremonies and rituals. The most important holiday was the feast of St Joseph, on 1st of May, where the whole congregation would, until sometime around 1982, when the government banned it, parade into Bagan Serai and back. They had 6 carts and 13 floats with saint images and hurricane lamps and lights. Her children were delivered at home by a local midwife, or bidan, named Mary. Untrained, Mary delivered lots of children in the kampong, including those of Arulandoo. Other medical care came from the colonial government clinic in Bagan Serai, but there was a lot of use of local herbal medicine. People generally knew which leaves and herbs could cure which things, and they did that for themselves. Conversation broadened when M S Ellias, 72, and Arulandoo entered it. They said that the kampong did not have electricity or running water until 1997, and the most minimal of paved road, 1-car wide, while access to all the houses are dirt paths. The ketua kampong is a Malay man in his early 70s. The men said: the people did not market their rice, but ate some and gave the rest to the church, which gave it away to the poor and to NGOs. Money for taxes and other things was said to come from sale of coconuts, fish, and, at an earlier point, rubber. The church supplied clothing from gifts from outside charitable groups and church funds. The families had grown 1 rice crop a year. Land was left fallow or planted in tapioca or used for grazing at other times of the year. Since 1960s or 1970s, they began to grow 2 and then 3 crops a year. During WW2, the men were allowed to stay on the land. It was a hard time. They grew and ate tapioca. The priests and kampong residents have a good sense of their history and they would make very good subjects for an oral history documentary.

Pg 7 of 12 HERI.FEATURES

The graveyard at the back of the church.

From left : Arulandoo, Mohd Taib, Anna Mary, MS Ellias and

Pakiam.

Malaysian Village HomesText: Heritage - countryside Houses, 4 DEC 2007Photos : Law Siak Hong

What do you call a kingdom halved by a river?

18th century Kuala Kangsar found a simple solution; call one side Kota Lama Kanan and the other Kota Lama Kiri. With the palace and commercial district on the left, Kota Lama Kiri eventually outgrown Kanan and was uptown “Beverly Hills” for local rich and famous to build houses. Historic past has left Kota Lama Kiri with beautiful Malay houses; not many are still standing though.

Unlike Kelantan and Terengganu east coast Malay houses that are heavily influenced by 16th century Siamese Langkasuka kingdom (especially the use of Singhora roof tiles), houses on the west coast draw inspiration from north Sumatrans. Kiri’s old houses are perfect to prove the case. A spin off from Kuala Kangsar’s commercial importance, many affluent Achehnese and Mandailing merchants made Kota Lama Kiri their base and later, home.

Fearing earthquakes, a common occurrence in Sumatra, early builders place serious emphasis on foundation; main pillars are always planted in deep mortar footing. No nails are used. Form-fit joints would secure wooden structure, allowing it to “sway” with tremors, hence minimising sudden collapse and damage. Wedges are driven into joints periodically to counteract any slack from aging or “quakes”.

While Negeri Sembilan Minangkabau’s houses with horned steep roof and simple staircase illustrate central Sumatra influence, roofs here are mildly sloped and staircase to the “serambi”, or verandah, is profiled with elaborate crafted railings. Floral ornate carvings, decorates door, “jendela” frames and “tebar layar”; signifying status and wealth of inhabitant. The kitchen, or “rumah dapur”, has a separate stair and is built lower; perhaps a shorter route to lessen daily burden of carrying loads of firewood and water.

Through the years, wood bio-oxidisation has given these houses a distinct “blackness”. Haji Nor Yahaya Esar, 62, third generation occupant of an artefact house sums it up nicely, ”These houses would have long been bulldozed by urban development if not for the low economic action here”.

Editor: Our heri.friend reported that the rumah kutai in Karai, next to Kota Lama Kanan, has fallen into ruins. Perhaps the old man who welcomed the PHS trail-blazers into his house has passed on.

King Edward Vii School, Taiping – A Brief HistoryCompiled by Yeap Thean Eng, Vice-President of the Taiping Heritage Society, KE7 class of 1980 (Form 6).

The King Edward VII School began in 1883 as the Central School, Taiping on a small plot of land near the present school on Station Road. It was the first English School in the Malay States.

In 1905, with the demand of education exceeding all expectations, a site at Station Road was chosen where a permanent structure of Victorian Style was built on the site of the first Railway Station of Malaya. The Headmaster (1900 – 1922) Roger Francis Stainer, renamed the school King Edward VII (KE7) in honour of King Edward VII who succeeded the English throne in 1901 on the death of Queen Victoria. Official opening of the ‘new’ school was performed by HH Sultan of Perak, Sultan Idris in 1906.

The proud tradition of KE7 is the high reputation of its academic and sporting life. The School motto in Latin “Magni Nominis Umbra”, which means “Under The Shadow of A Great Name”, was chosen by Stainer; in the school emblem was a Malayan Tiger, ‘ferocious looking, blending and striving rich moral values’. The row of magnificent Rain trees lining the side

HERI.FEATURES Pg 8 of 12

Wraught iron gate of King Edward VII School.Source : http://taipingtalk.com/schools/

A Malay house in Kota Lama.

Sultan Iskandar bridge, 1932.

Dilapidated rumah kutai.

of the School was planted by Mr. P. Moses in early 1910, making KE7 “the most picturesque school grounds in Malaya”. During the 2nd World War, the Kampeitai, the Japanese Military Police used the School as their Headquarters. The classrooms became torture chambers and the school field was dug up for the growing of food.

After the war, the school moved back into its old buildings. New buildings were acquired and converted into classrooms. The school today is divided into 4 separate units, with 2 Primary Schools, one near the Lake Gardens and the other at the main buildings on Station Road, the Lower and Upper secondary Classes at a Block of buildings as well as in what was formerly the Sheffield Hostel on Jalan Muzium Hulu. The School Hostel is at the intersection of Jalan Larut and Jalan Muzium Hulu.

Adventure Caving in the Kinta ValleyBy Liz Price, Vice-Chair, International Union for Conservation of Nature/World Commission on Protected Areas (IUCN/WCPA) Working Group on Cave and Karst Protection. All photos by courtesy of Liz Price. Several Malaysian states are blessed with a profusion of limestone caves. In many places the landscape is dominated by impressive limestone towers rising majestically above the plains. In Perak, the Kinta Valley surrounding Ipoh is renowned for its limestone hills. Many of the hills are riddled with caves, some of which are famous temples, others such as Gua Tempurung are open for tourism, with electric lighting and walkways. And of course there are the wild or undeveloped caves. Some caves, especially in Gunung Lanno have been mined for tin. Many of the caves are spectacular, with stalactites and stalagmites and other fine formations. Some such as Gua Tempurung have an underground river. This has to be one of my favourite caves in the Peninsula. The total cave is some four km long, and the river flows right through the cave from one end to the other, for a total distance of about 1.6 km. Some of the cave chambers are really huge, one is appropriately named Gergasi, or giant. The rock forming the caves is ancient, dated at around 200 million years. This limestone rock was originally formed from layers of shells and corals which were deposited under the sea. These layers compacted, forming rocks, and later on the rock was uplifted into hills and mountains seen today.

Pg 9 of 12 HERI.FEATURES

Part of the Gunung Tempurung massif where Bat Cave is located.

Photo of shell named after Liz. The snail is Sinoennea lizae

‘I am what I am because of my school.’ -- Mohaideen Mohd Ishack, president, Old Edwardians Association of Malaysia, for the past 30 years.

All the caves are formed by water. Over the years, water gradually eroded the rock, enlarging small cracks and fissures into the passages and chambers seen today. Then calcite formations developed as stalagmites and stalactites. These formations are wonderful: long stalactites hanging down from the ceiling with the often stumpy stalagmites rising up from the floor to meet them. If they join they become columns. They can be of various shapes and sizes and colours, some glisten as the calcite crystals reflect from the torchlight. Each cave is different, each is a natural wonder. I am often asked why I like to go into caves, and I think part of the reason is the fact that every one is different, and they are all of various shapes and sizes, some are wet, some are dry, some have only horizontal passages whilst others have vertical drops and climbs. And some have cave fauna. It is always wonderful to see the animal life which inhabits caves. Bats are often found in caves, and if they are present there is often a whole variety of animals living on the floor below, feeding on the bat guano. These creepy crawlies include bugs and beetles, spiders, cockroaches, centipedes, flies, and others. In turn larger animals such as frogs and maybe small mammals feed on these. At the top of the food chain is the cave racer snake. This snake is about 2 m long and feeds on bats. It is non-poisonous and we were able to get some good photos of it as it seemed quite placid and didn’t really mind our presence, although I suspect the flashlights disturbed it. Caves are totally dark, and it is amazing to think how these creatures are totally adapted to spending their life in this darkness. Some caves are of archaeological importance. The oldest inhabitant of Peninsula Malaysia was found in a cave in the Lenggong Valley in Perak. He is known as the Perak Man, his skeleton is estimated to be about 11,000 years old. Several other caves in the area have yielded traces of prehistoric man. Traces of ancient lifestyle, such as pottery, tools, rock paintings and burial sites, have been found in caves. Caves are fascinating places and caving is a great sport. There are many caves in Malaysia to choose from. It is always good to go with a group of friends and explore different sites. Although caving is not advisable for the unprepared, it can easily be made safe. The golden rule is to have enough lights. Caves are totally dark, so each person must be equipped with a torch, preferably mounted on a helmet to keep the hands free. And a spare torch should also be taken, along with extra batteries and bulbs. Although caves are made of rock, their environment is still fragile. The calcite formations should never be touched as they are easily damaged and broken. And you should never write on the walls. If you want to mark your route as you go through a cave, use string or paper, and make sure you remove the markers before you leave the cave.

HERI.FEATURES Pg 10 of 12

Quotable Quotes

‘Timber is God’s gift, and I want to make money from it.’ -- Azizan Abdul Razak, Kedah Menteri Besar, on the logging of the 122,798 hectare forest reserves and water catchment areas comprising Pedu, Muda and Ahning, because the Federal Government has not compensated the state with the RM100 million as promised. Expected revenue from logging: RM16 billion.

‘Although the power generation scheme will doubtlessly make a lot of money for the rich and powerful, it will negatively impact the land and cultural rights of the indigenous people.’ -- Prof. Elery Hamilton-Smith, Australia, Chair, IUCN/WCPA, in a letter to the Sun, 25 July, in reference to the Tutoh Dam which might submerge parts of the Mulu National Park, a World (Natural) Heritage Site..

Cave Racer found in Gua Angin.

Squeeze through calcite formation in Gua Angin, Gunung Lanno,

Apologies:

to Mr Selvamany.

In HN5.3, his name

was misspelt.

Pg 11 of 12 SNIPPETS! SNIPPETS! SNIPPETS!

Sarawak: The dam and Mulu ParkAccording to Bernama, the proposed dam for hydro-electric power will submerge parts of the Mulu National Park , one of two UNESCO World (Natural) Heritage Sites in Malaysia . Environmentalist Gurmit Singh said ‘the development of Sarawak‘s 12 Dam project reflects ‘a planning strategy inconsistent with the principles of sustainable development’. Perak and Sarawak : 3000 year old human skeletons Exciting archaeological news. In June 2007, six Neolithic skeletons were found in Gua Kain Hitam near the Painted Cave in Niah, Sarawak , by a joint team led by Associate Professor Stephen Chia of USM. These are the most important finds in 50 years, and are of Australomelanasoid ethnicity. Three skeletons were recovered from mangroves at Pulau Kalumpang in Perak by an archaeological team from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in August 2008. The Perak bones appear to show Mongoloid features. -- Liz Price Perak: Minerals mining: a threat to environmentPrices of minerals in the world market are at record levels due to huge demand from new industrial giants like China and India . Perak has huge reserves of tin and iron, clay and limestone, and sand from ex-mining land and the state government wants to tap them. It also wants to impose strict conditions for exploration and mining the minerals. Batu Gajah: Kinta Nature Park To promote eco-tourism, nature education, conservation and protection for the ecology of biological diversity, the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) proposes to gazette the Kinta Nature Park . Established in 2001, the Park’s ex -mining ponds are home to 120 bird species. It is the only location in the country that hosts five breeding populations of herons and egrets. Gopeng: Orang Asli asserts their cultural rights Having sold the historic pipeline for scrap metal, Gopeng Berhad wants to extract timber and cultivate oil palm in this same water catchment area. This is productive Orang Asli ancestral land alienated by the state. Following consultation, the company accepted another piece of land in exchange. Another battle on hand: the state intends to award land and title to each, which will replace community ownership of ancestral land. Gopeng: No protection for ancient cave fossilThe fossil of a mammal embedded in the cave wall at Naga Mas was found in 1992. It is thought to be a leopard or other cat. No tests have been done, but concrete steps leading up to the cave are overgrown, and the signboard erected by the Dept of Museums and Antiquities is missing. -- Liz Price Ipoh: The Cenotaph re-facedRetired Batu Gajah OCPD, Datuk R Thambipillay found the plaque missing from the Cenotaph in a Public Works Department (JKR) storeroom. He got the plaque re-installed, and added a new one to commemorate the heroes of the Emergency (1948-60), the Confrontation (1962-65) and the Insurgency (1972-90). Significantly, the Orang Asli who served during the Emergency are officially recognized. Ipoh: The last timber cave temple threatenedTambun’s Taoist ‘Nam Lung Gu Miu’ is now a Tibetan Buddist cave temple. Set up before 1895, this former meditation facility is marked by an awesome cliff-hugging timber structure. Problems of compliance with building code surfaced when the temple committee decided to raise funds to build a new 5-storey structure in front of the cave. En-route to Penang to deliver her talk on the UNESCO listing, Taiwan heri.guru, Alice Chiu visited the cave and was impressed.

Some property-owners have raised strong objections to restrictions on re-development in Taiping, the heritage town, or as some locals prefer, the town of everlasting peace. They want their cake and eat it too. The fact is, if highrises dominate low shophouses, the heritage town would be lost. Can Taiping survive without its historical feel, its romantic ambience? What do you have to say about this? Write to us!

Nam Lung Gu Miu

“Be very scared of

environmental

degradation.

It affects us all.

Worse, it affects the

future generations.”

- Anon

Sarawak, briefly:

In 1841, Sir James Brooke was made a Raja by the Sultan of Brunei. At the time, Sarawak was part of Brunei . Raja Brooke of Kuching ruled Sarawak for generations. After WW2, in 1946, Sarawak became a British Settlement, and later, a part of Malaysia in 1963.

History & Heritage

Teaching History in primary schools? Why don’t we teach Heritage instead? At least, it makes History fun. Really, it should be done outside the classroom and include the appreciation of nature.

MAP OF PERAK

WeCare About

Our PastPHS, as we call ourselves,

is a non profit-taking non governmental

organization.

Our main aim is to promote

heritage preservation and raise awareness of

our natural andcultural heritage.

An elected committee runsa programme of activitiesfor members and friends.

We network with individuals, groups and local communities for

local knowledge. We support

information-gathering on‘hometown heritage’.

Heritage News (HN)is the vehicle for news,

views and information to reach our readers.

Membership has its privileges;

more information and application forms are

available from our office.

Persatuan Warisan Perak,the Perak Heritage Society

(Reg No:1254) was registered with

the Registrar of Societies in August, 2003.

Office and Postal Address:

85C, Jalan Sultan Abdul Jalil, 30300 IPOH, Perak, Malaysia.

(opposite the Syuen Hotel)

Fax: 05-253 5507

E-mail: perakheritage36@gmail.com

Belum-TemenggorForest

Ipoh

SlimRiver

Gopeng

KualaKangsar

BatuGajah

Tg.Tualang Kampar

Lenggong

Taiping

Matang

KualaSepetang

Tg.Malim

BaganSerai

Karai

Gerik

Lumut

KEDAH

THAILAND

Pulau Banding

Kpg.Kepayang

Tg.Rambutan

Chenderong

LEGENDLand 150m above sea level

North-South Expressway

MainRoad

KELANTAN

PAHANG

TelukIntan

Location of the state of Perak in Peninsular Malaysia

Papan

KualaGula

SELANGORPenang

Melaka

GuaTempurung

Kota LamaKiri&Kanan

Tambun

Perak