Malaysia Info Guide
for Locals & Visitors

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has declared Friday, Dec 31 as a public holiday to celebrate the success by the Malaysian football squad in winning the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, Wednesday night.

Najib also congratulated the Malaysian squad for beating the Indonesian team in the final on a 4-2 aggregate, describing it as "the greatest night in Malaysian football".

"The young team had done us proud and we must build this success to propel Malaysian football to greater heights," he said in a statement to Bernama.

Big Bike Party & Charity Event in Phuket (Thailand)

More than 2,000 bikers from around Thailand and Southeast Asia are set to come roaring into Phuket next month for Southern Big Bike Party and Charity 2010.

Organizer Kittiwong Jansattham met Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha at Provincial Hall last week to finalize arrangements for the event, activities for which will be centered at Saphan Hin Public Park December 17 to 18, 2010.

The activities will include contests for the best custom design and classic bikes, memorabilia auctions and live performances from artists including veteran rockers Hin Lek Fai.

Safety will be a theme throughout the festival, with a campaign to ensure all riders and passengers wear helmets.

All profits will be donated to Vachira Phuket Hospital and other public organizations in Phuket. Big bikes are expected to arrive from all regions of Thailand as well as Malaysia and Singapore.

Phuket authorities were ready to give support to the event, Gov Tri said. As well as boosting tourism, bikers were helping to promote safety by wearing safety helmets. This would help reduce accidents involving the public and tourists this high season, he said.

KUALA TERENGGANU - The operators of about 100 tourist boats here ceased activities early this month because of the monsoon season.

Redang Island Resort Operators Association secretary Lorenz Law said boat services to Pulau Redang, Pulau Perhentian and islands off Terengganu had been temporarily halted because of choppy seas and huge waves.

Operations will resume in March. However, Law said, the tourist boat service to Pulau Kapas in Marang was not affected. "Perhaps it is because the island is near to the mainland."

Cape Town travellers will be smiling at the new that another international airline will soon offer direct flights from the Mother City to one of Asia's most exciting destinations.

From October 1,  2010, Malaysia Airlines will offer two non-stop flights a week from Cape Town to Kuala Lumpur. The flights, which arrive from Buenos Aires, previously stopped in Johannesburg before departing for the Malaysian capital.

According to Tourism Update, flights MH201 and MH202 will now depart from Cape Town direct for Kuala Lumpur every Monday and Thursday, departing at 13h40 and arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 06h50 the next day.

Malaysia Airlines also says it will increase the number of flights between Johannesburg and Kuala Lumpur from October, adding one extra flight per week. Flights from Johannesburg to Kuala Lumpur will now depart on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, leaving at 13h40 and arriving in Kuala  Lumpur at 06h10 next morning.
 

The police and the consumer protection commission in Western Australia issued a joint warning against the growing number of Ponzi schemes.
The fraudulent investment schemes have been reported to grab $100 million from residents in the western state in the past two years. The Ponzi schemes offered high interest rates compared to other organized scam deals.

Senior Sergeant Don Heise of the Major Fraud Squad said the promised return of investment (ROI) through such scams run from 15 to 20 percent. Heise stressed, “We regularly see victims who have sadly lost their entire life savings as a result of these schemes, and our aim is to prevent it from
happening to others.”

The elderly have been noted to be the most common victims of scams. In September 1, 2010, the Consumer Protection Commission of the WA
Department of Commerce issued a statement about the travel scratch card scam. The statement warned of a bogus travel company in Malaysia, EverMAS Tourism, only registered on the worldwide web in July 2010.

Two Western Australians lost a total of $7,400 through wire transfer. Each victim believed the money would be used to process payment of a huge cash
prize of US$130,000.

WA Scamnet investigation found a similar version of the travel scam under the name  <http://www.aviatstravel.com> www.aviatstravel.com. Both EverMAS and Aviats Travel are believed to be duplicates of the Euphoria Travelling Group and Malaysia Starize Travelling Group scams which began operations in 2009.


 

 The first Hard Rock Hotel in Malaysia, the Hard Rock Hotel Penang, has opened for business.

Located at the famous Batu Ferringhi in Penang, Hard Rock Hotel Penang breaks the mould of conventional beach resorts.

Die hard music fans, should not miss checking out the more than 500 pieces of rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia collected from both local and international artists adorning the walls of the Hard Rock Hotel and Hard Rock Cafe Penang. These collections are also showcased through the ‘E-wall’ comprising of 8 screens located at the lobby.

“Hard Rock Hotel Penang will be one of the most sought after vacations in Penang. We define modern and stylish beach resorts with all the unexpected attributes for each of our guest to experience a lifestyle that is over the top. Our differentiator is the amplifier and it rocks,” said John Primmer, General Manager of the Hard Rock Hotel Penang.

The Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Ministry will set up operation rooms nationwide for consumers to lodge complaints during Aidilfitri.

The operation rooms will be opened for four days from Saturday from 8am to 6pm, it said in a statement Wednesday.

They can be reached at the following numbers: Kuala Lumpur (03-40454471), Putrajaya (03-88826805), Perlis (04-9795014), Selangor (03-55125485), Negeri Sembilan (06-6016509), Johor (07-2272811/2833), Pahang (09-5121234), Terengganu (09-6204700/693), Penang (04-2616167/6168), Kedah (04-7001745), Perak (05-2493403), Sarawak (082-466052), Sabah (088-484500) and Labuan (087-422210).