Malaysia Info Guide
for Locals & Visitors

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian marine police said Sunday they had seized 6,250 turtle eggs smuggled in from a neighbouring country to be sold on the island of Borneo as a delicacy.

Gan Ping Sin, the marine police chief of Sandakan, in Borneo's eastern state of Sabah, said the eggs, worth RM11,250, were seized in an operation on Friday.

"The turtle eggs were seized from a boat in the Malaysian water during our operation but the boat operator managed to escape," Gan told AFP.

"We believe the eggs are smuggled in from a neighbouring country," he said but refused to identify which one.

The turtle eggs have been handed to wildlife authorities, Gan said, vowing to step up police operations in the area which he said had seen "quite rampant" turtle egg smuggling.

Turtle eggs are openly sold in markets in parts of Malaysia. Turtles once arrived in their thousands to lay their eggs on Malaysian beaches but are now increasingly rare due to poaching and coastal development.

Under Malaysian law, it is illegal to collect turtle eggs without a permit from the fisheries department but steady demand for turtle products and eggs in Southeast Asia continues to drive the illegal trade.

This prompted environmental group WWF to launch a campaign to stop Malaysians eating turtles in April last year, in a bid to help save stocks of the sea creatures.

Frangipani Langkawi Resort & Spa is a beachfront resort that has adopted over 100 initiatives to make it Malaysia’s leading green resort.

It won the Association of South East Asian Nations Tourism Association (Aseanta) award for the Best Conservation Effort in Asean in the 24th Aseanta Awards for Excellence 2010. The win was attributed to the resort’s role of championing the greening of Langkawi and establishing the resort as a model green resort for others within the tourism industry to use as a venue to learn how to contribute to environmental protection.

The resort’s other awards include Asean Green Hotel Award (2008), Langkawi Geopark Award, Highly Recommended Virgin Holiday Responsible Tourism Awards (2008) and PATA Gold Award (2009).

Besides enjoying the greenery surrounding the resort, you can relax on the tranquil sands and enjoy Langkawi’s legendary sunsets each afternoon.

Become a more responsible traveller and join the resort’s staff to discover how you can reduce your holiday footprint next time you travel.

Book the Frangipani Langkawi Resort & Spa HERE
 

LABUAN -- The 87,000-odd residents of Labuan now have another choice of ferry ride to Sabah with the launching of the Labuan-Menumbok ferry service on Tuesday.

The service provides three trips daily, starting at 9am, then at 1.45pm and the last at 5.30pm. Each trip takes about one hour.

The Miri International Jazz Festival (MIJF) 2010 promised to deliver another exciting event with wide repertoire of jazz genre already lined up to provide the entertainment.

This jazz festival which has been enjoying a steady growth in popularity will be held at the Pavilion of Parkcity Everly Hotel in Miri from May 14 and 15, 2010.

Organised by the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), the festival, entering into its 5th year, will see performances from jazz bands from various countries and their genre of jazz includes blues, fusion, world, smooth and Latino beat.

JOHOR BARU: Local researchers have managed to capture ground images of the spotted leopard, the first official documentation of the animal in the country.

The images were captured using a state-of-the-art camera trap, specially designed to work under extremely humid conditions.

Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia programme director Dr Melvin T. Gumal said the images confirmed the existence of spotted leopards in the country.

“Previously, we have only heard of sightings of these animals but now, we have documented proof they exist,” he told reporters at the Taman Negara Johor Biodiversity and Conservation Symposium held here yesterday.

KUNAK (Sabah) -- "Where is Kunak located?" This is the query that disappoints Kunak District Officer Susilo Sumarto every time he mentions the district to outsiders.

Based on this, he concluded that most outsiders were not familiar with Kunak unlike districts like Tawau, Semporna, Lahad Datu and Sandakan though all are located within Sabah's east coast.

Outsiders, especially tourists know Semporna due to its resort islands, Sandakan for its Orang Utan, Lahad Datu through Danum Valley and the Tabin Forest Reserve while Tawau for its seafood.

Maybe Kunak, located between Semporna and Lahad Datu, is less known because it lacks an identity like the rest though it has many of its own attractions.

In fact many think that Gua Madai, that is well known for its bird nest farming and its ancient history, is located in Lahad Datu whereas it is actually in Kunak.

JAPANESE TUNNEL

As Kunak seems to be oblivious to the outsiders, the administrators of the district have planned out activities to introduce Kunak to the outside world through the 2010 Kunak Carnival on 17 and 18 April, organised with the cooperation of the Drug Prevention Association (Pemadam) and the Information Department.

"Those from the district have pondered over the economic, socio-culture and tourism aspects that holds potential in showcasing Kunak. We saw a big potential.