The Star Online: Nation
The Star Online: Nation |
- Travelling around safely
- Honorary send-off for ex-chief of Perak St John’s Ambulance
- Strong winds, rough seas to hit coasts
| Posted: 28 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST Safety and security of a location is an important consideration, travellers say. AN avid diver, Adeline Teoh had originally planned to go diving at Mabul Island, Sabah, early next year with some friends. However, her plans may have to change. "After the recent Semporna incident, my parents are a bit worried, and they're discouraging me from going. I still want to go though and was joking that now might be the best time to go diving there with the heightened security," says Teoh, 30, a sales manager in a pharmaceutical company. Last month, Malaysia made world headlines for the wrong reason when Taiwanese tourist Hsu Li Min, 57, was killed and his wife Chang An Wei, 58, was abducted by armed men at the Pom Pom Island Resort, a 45-minute boat ride from Semporna, Sabah. Teoh, who feels Mabul is less secluded than Pom Pom Island, says: "We always see the police patrolling the waters and there are more dive shops there compared to Pom Pom." Don't be mistaken though – safety and security are very important factors for Teoh as a traveller. "Safety is an important issue for me, especially if I'm on my own. I do read up about the places I'm visiting, and research on where I'll be staying. You can get a pretty good idea (of what a place is like) by reading reviews or comments written by other travellers," says Teoh, who has travelled to the United States, various parts of Europe, Canada, Taiwan, Nepal, Oman, Jordan, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. Teoh says she's felt safest while travelling in Germany, Austria, Nepal and Taiwan. "I think it's the people, and the fact that crime rates in these countries are low. In Nepal, for example, I felt the people were genuinely honest. They were not rude or disrespectful towards women. As for Taiwan, I feel perfectly comfortable going about on my own ... people there are very civilised. "In Germany, people will tell you it's okay to go about on your own and take a taxi, even after midnight," she says. At the other end of the spectrum, Teoh says South Africa, Prague and Rome don't give her very good vibes. "It's a feeling, and it's also based on what you hear from the tour operators and fellow travellers. I've been quite fortunate (to have never been mugged or attacked), but when I was in Rome, a fellow traveller was molested," she says. Another seasoned traveller, singer-songwriter Wong Ping Loong, 35, plans to go on an "open-ended land trip" around Malaysia in the first half of next year. "I first learned the joys of 'open-ended' land travel four years ago when I was living in Hong Kong. I crossed the border into Shenzhen, and travelled around China by train for a month, ending up in Dalian. There's something very inspiring about being on the road and seeing the changes in scenery as they pass. It also means more thinking time and more opportunities to meet local people on the journey. "For Malaysia, if the opportunity arises, I might find a way to East Malaysia. At the moment, I'm planning to travel solo, or with a couple of fellow musicians if I can find them," he says. For him, safety is important too. "I guess safety is in the preparation. I try to read more about a country before hand, and I try to talk to locals in terms of the street smarts. "But sometimes, feeling safe might not correlate with how safe a place actually is. For example, I spent three weeks in South Africa, and overall, I had quite a pleasant experience. But I did meet fellow tourists who were mugged at gunpoint. I just returned from Myanmar and I felt safe throughout the one-month trip although there are many who perceive it as unsafe," says Wong. Wong is thankful that he has not faced too many safety issues while travelling, but has a few stories to share. "In Egypt a 'security guard' at a tourist spot took a photo for a friend and I but refused to return our camera until we had given him some money. He had a sub-machine gun so we didn't want to argue. I've also had my camera cut off from my neck while in a flower market in China. "I've been pick-pocketed twice in Germany and Greece and chased by a gang in a Manila slum. Thankfully, though, no one has ever gone after my guitar – that would have broken my heart more than (if they had taken) my wallet," he laughs. As for Malaysia, Wong says his friends have warned him that "crime has been getting worse". "I suppose it means I should be more vigilant but a strong and visible police presence at tourist spots is always comforting," he says. It certainly wouldn't hurt for tourists to be more vigilant and for heightened police presence, especially with 28 million tourist arrivals targeted for Visit Malaysia Year 2014 (VMY2014). Despite the recent incident in Semporna, various stakeholders from within the tourism industry remain optimistic that VMY2014 will not be affected. Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) president Datuk Mohd Ilyas Zainol Abidin believes the Semporna incident is an isolated one, and should not have much impact on VMY2014. "Security has always been very important for all our members and most hotels are improving on their security cameras. We have periodic meetings with the police to update them if there's anything unusual happening in our areas. We welcome better police surveillance, but increased police presence can work both ways – if there are too many uniformed police in an area, it can create a negative perception among tourists as well. What is needed is a good balance," he says. Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president Hamzah Rahmat agrees. "The Semporna incident won't affect VMY2014, because it's an isolated case at an isolated location. Tourist arrivals to that part of Malaysia are too negligible to have any impact overall. "The visibility of our tourist police is greatly needed in major towns, especially in KL. Otherwise, our security is generally at an acceptable level," he says. |
| Honorary send-off for ex-chief of Perak St John’s Ambulance Posted: 28 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST IPOH: Hundreds of people came for the funeral wake and procession of former Perak commander of St John's Ambulance Ng Khoon Hong (pic) here. Many of the those who came were dressed in the black and white association uniforms. Khoon Hong, who was state commander from 1972 to 1996, died of a stroke on Thursday with family members at his bedside. He was 88. His youngest son Kelvin Ng Hock Heng penned a moving one-page tribute to his father that was published in The Star on Friday. Kelvin said the family, including his two older brothers and Khoon Hong's grandchildren had gathered in Ipoh a few weeks ago when they learnt of his father's ill health. "I wrote the tribute on my smartphone when I had some time alone on the night of Christmas Day. "After my father took his last breath, I sent the tribute to my law office in Kuala Lumpur for the obituary, but did not think that the message could be published in whole," he said. In the tribute, Kelvin, 46, reminisced about his first day as a St John's Ambulance member, his father's contributions in aid efforts during World War II and the Gunung Cheroh disaster, where about 40 people died in 1973 when chunks from a limestone hill in Gunung Cheroh, Ipoh, collapsed onto a squatter colony below. "I remember him as a loving father who took us on fishing trips to his hometown in Kuala Kurau, and his tireless efforts in supporting the family. "My brothers and I learnt many valuable lessons from him, such as to respect everyone regardless of race or social ranking and the St John's Ambulance motto of 'Service to Mankind'," he said. St John's Ambulance state secretary Manin Singh said Khoon Hong's passing was a great loss to the brigade and those who knew him. "He was a very nice and generous man who was always there to lend a helping hand even after he retired from service and up until his final years," he said. After family members, friends and brigade members paid their last respects, the St John's Ambulance State of Perak band gave Khoon Hong an honorary send-off and his cortege left the funeral parlour for the Kek Look Seah crematorium in Bercham. |
| Strong winds, rough seas to hit coasts Posted: 28 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Strong winds and rough seas classified as third category (most dangerous) in the coastal areas of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Johor Timur are expected until next Tuesday. A statement from the Meteorological Department said strong north-easterly winds at speeds of 60kmph may cause waves measuring over 5.5m. Coastal areas in the affected states are also prone to increased water levels expected to last until next Tuesday. These conditions are dangerous to all beach and shipping activities which include fishing, work on oil platforms and ferry services. The statement said that thunderstorms in the coasts of Sarawak (Mukah, Bintulu and Miri) had also been expected to continue until late last night. — Bernama |
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