The Cat City - KUCHING V 3.0

[rizalhakim]

Cold Storage expands to Kuching
Published: 2008/06/13


GCH Retail (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd is expanding its business to East Malaysia with the opening of the first Cold Storage Supermarket in Kuching today.

Cold Storage’s operations manager Charles Van Coller said the new supermarket involved an investment of RM5.5 million.

He said the opening of the supermarket, which is the anchor tenant at the two-storey Green Heights Mall, was in response to the growing demand for a wide range of imported groceries and superior quality fresh produce, such as fruits, vegetables and meat.

“We believe we have a market in Sarawak and Sabah, especially for discerning shoppers who do not mind spending on food despite an increase in prices,” Coller told reporters at a preview of the supermarket situated in the Green Heights housing and commercial estate.



The supermarket is Cold Storage’s 19th nationwide, occupying a retail space of 20,200 square feet.

With consumers generally tightening their belts, Coller said the company would not raise prices unless the transportation cost for imported foodstuff from countries like France, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong increased.

He also said that Cold Storage, popularly known as the “Fresh Food People" in Malaysia, is looking to open its second store in East Malaysia.

“We are in the process of identifying a location in Kota Kinabalu,” he added.

Coller said Cold Storage’s turnover for its organic food had seen a 10 to 20 per cent increase from last year.

Cold Storage was established 44 years ago with its first store in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. — Bernama

[rizalhakim]

Cold Storage in east Malaysia
By JACK WONG


KUCHING: Supermarket chain Cold Storage has spread its wings to east Malaysia with the opening of its first store in Green Heights Mall near to the Kuching Airport.

GCH Retail (M) Sdn Bhd, the owner of Cold Storage, invested RM5.5mil in the new store, the 19th in Malaysia, said operations manager Charles van Coller.

He said the Kuching store was the fourth Cold Storage outlet opened this year after Putrajaya, Malacca and Kuala Lumpur.

“We look forward to opening more stores in east Malaysia, possibly in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, next,” he said after a media tour of the new store yesterday. Cold Storage is the anchor tenant in Green Heights Mall, which will open for business today.

Asked if Cold Storage was reviewing the prices of its goods amid rising costs, van Coller he said this would depend on the suppliers but indicated that it would try to maintain prices of goods and opt for lower profit margin.

[kiko]

Sarawak’s first Cold Storage Supermarket to open today



KUCHING: Sarawak’s first Cold Storage Supermarket will officially open today, offering customers exceptional choices of both local and international fares.

Located in Green Heights Mall, Cold Storage, a home-grown brand, is popularly known as Fresh Food People by Malaysians.

This is because it has been meeting consumers’ demand for quality, freshness, variety as well as good value since its establishment 44 years ago.

The store is here to cater for the growing demand for premium food and groceries by Sarawakians.

Green Heights Mall will also officially open today.

Cold Storage Supermarket operations manager for Malaysia Charles van Coller said their specialty is to give customers a wide range of imported products which are not available locally.

“The opening of the store is in response to growing demand for a wide range of imported groceries and superior quality fresh produces such as fruits, vegetables and meats. Our goal is to exceed shoppers’ expectations every time they walk through the check-out counter,” he told reporters yesterday.

The store, occupying a retail space of 20,200 sq ft, offers the same attractive, comfortable and vibrant ambience that has become the trademark of Cold Storage supermarkets throughout the country.

Shoppers will find ample parking and friendly facilities such as the ‘travellators’ which take customers straight to the car park.

Charles said customers will find an international range of delicatessen, organic food, a wide range of cheese, spices, sauces, special cuts of meat, wine and dairy products items that are not available in other supermarkets in the city.

To ensure variety and freshness, Cold Storage also imports foodstuff from countries like France, Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Chile, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Germany, Switzerland and United States.

“We even have a bakery section where most of our breads are baked. As we are also promoting healthy products, the section also sells non-sugar cakes. We also have a ready-to-eat department selling snacks, pizzas, sandwiches and many more,” he said.

Apart from these, the store has a Japanese sushi corner where sushi are made on site. Customers can, therefore, enjoy freshly made sushi.

Cold Storage is the anchor tenant at Green Heights Mall, a two-storey family and household concept suburban mall located in Green Heights, a well-established housing and commercial estate in the city.

To celebrate its debut in Kuching, the store is offering customers a range of products at a give-away prize of 10 sen each.

In addition, it will offer at special prices, a wide selection of cheese, homemade sausages (chicken, lamb and beef), imported fruits such as fragrant pears, Australian avocado, and vegetables (Australian brussels sprouts and USA red potatoes) snacks and biscuits.

On top of this, Cold Storage will give away RM10 voucher for purchases over RM100 in a single receipt.

Charles said they invested a total RM5.5 million to build the store.

“We believe that current crisis of people facing prices increase on many things including fuel will not affect our business because people still want to have a little bit of indulgence and the best way they can spoil themselves is with food.

“We are not going to increase our prices unless suppliers increase their prices,” he said.

[kiko]

Pasar Gambier lengang, peniaga akhirnya pindah ke Pasar Komuniti Stutong



KUCHING: Suasana di Pasar Gambier kelihatan lengang selepas segala operasi perniagaan di situ dihentikan serta-merta semalam.

Semua peniaga telah diarah berpindah ke lokasi perniagaan baru, Pasar Komuniti Stutong di Tabuan Laru, dekat sini.

Tinjauan Utusan Borneo di lokasi semalam mendapati beberapa pekerja merobohkan gerai ditinggalkan para peniaga dengan dikawal serta diawasi oleh pegawai-pegawai dan anggota penguat kuasa Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Utara (DBKU).

Keadaan Jalan Gambier juga kurang sesak jika dibandingkan dengan keadaan sebelum ini, namun aktiviti membeli-belah di kedai-kedai sepanjang jalan itu masih berjalan seperti biasa.

Sementara itu, tinjauan di Pasar Komuniti Stutong pada hari yang sama mendapati peniaga-peniaga sudah mula berniaga di situ namun masih ada beberapa gerai atau lot perniagaan masih belum beroperasi.

Walaupun lokasi itu masih baru namun orang ramai dilihat begitu ghairah mengunjungi pasar baru itu untuk membeli-belah pebagai ke-perluan harian seperti ikan, sayur dan sebagainya.

Peniaga-peniaga yang sudah berpindah di Pasar Komuniti Stutong itu adalah peniaga pasar basah seperti peniaga ikan, sayur-sayuran, peniaga runcit dan bermacam-macam jualan hasil hutan.

Pasar Komuniti Stutong menyediakan ruang perniagaan sebanyak 500 gerai bagi menampung jumlah peniaga yang ramai berbanding pasar basah Jalan Gambier yang agak sempit serta kesibukan lalu lintas.

Pasar bernilai sekitar RM15 juta itu dibina di atas tanah seluas tujuh ekar dan merupakan yang pertama di Sarawak dilengkapi dengan pelan rawatan sisa buangan berkualiti bagi menjamin kebersihan pasar dan persekitaran.

Isu perpindahan peniaga dari Pasar Gambier ke Pasar Komuniti Stutong bukan suatu yang baru kerana sering ditangguhkan atas beberapa sebab dan ia menjadi kenyataan apabila pasar dua tingkat itu siap sepenuhnya pada April 2007.

Biarpun agak jauh dari pusat bandar raya, Pasar Komuniti Stutong dikelilingi kawa-san kediaman dan perumahan yang dilihat mampu menyediakan peluang perniagaan cerah kepada peniaga.

Bulan lalu, Menteri Muda di Pejabat Ketua Menteri Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman berkata peniaga di Pasar Gambier perlu berpindah ke lokasi baru pada 15 Jun 2008 iaitu semalam sama ada mereka suka atau sebaliknya.

Beliau turut memberitahu kerajaan telah berbincang dengan para peniaga terbabit tujuh kali sebelum tamat tempoh perpindahan dikeluarkan pada masa sama memberi tempoh mencukupi untuk mereka berpindah dengan memberi notis sebulan.

Menurut beliau, Pasar Gambier akan dirobohkan bagi membolehkan pembinaan Tebingan Kuching dipanjangkan ke Brooke Dockyard bagaimanapun berkata pelan pembangunan selanjutnya di situ belum dapat di-pastikan.

Malahan katanya, penutupan Pasar Gambier perlu kerana ia menyumbangkan kepada masalah pencemaran Sungai Sarawak dan bau akibat tiadanya sistem rawatan sisa berkualiti seperti di pasar baru Stutong selain masalah kesesakan teruk di situ.

[fuitze89]

No updates??

[nazrey]

by yasril123

image hosted on flickr


by nature_eagleyes76

image hosted on flickr

[nazrey]

by jbeaulieu

image hosted on flickr

[kiko]

some one need to update something on all the ongoing project in kuching such as novotel, merdeka plaza, 4 points sheraton, convention centre, DUN building, boulevard phase 2 and etc. Ive try so many times postinig pictures here but so difficult..tq for any cooperation.

[walking_coffee]

Views of the city from the dear little tambang. On the left is the city centre, on the right is the big huge umbrella, also known as the new Dewan Undangan Negeri Sarawak.







p.s. RM20 for 30 minutes, RM40 for 1 hour; your own private cruise on the rustic little tambang, with the tambang driver as your guide.

[rizalhakim]

Main Bazaar gedung khazanah

Oleh SOPI SAMAILE



PELANCONG tertarik melihat hasil kraf tangan di Main Bazaar, Kuching.

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KUCHING 26 Jun - Main Bazaar juga dikenali sebagai Bazaar Utama yang terletak di tengah-tengah bandar raya ini yang telah wujud beratus-ratus tahun lalu sebagai pusat perniagaan yang sehingga kini masih teguh dengan aktivitinya boleh dilabelkan sebagai gedung khazanah warisan Sarawak.

Bertentangan dengan Tebingan Kuching, Main Bazaar terletak di jalan tertua di Kuching malah merupakan 'pusat Kuching lama' yang menempatkan beberapa contoh seni bina rumah-rumah kedai Cina.

Dengan sejarah serta warisan turun temurun, Main Bazaar diduduki oleh keluarga yang sama sehingga bergenerasi lamanya dengan kebanyakan mereka mengamalkan pekerjaan tradisional seperti tukang timah, pertukangan kayu dan perniagaan runcit.

Maka, tidak hairan terdapat kedai-kedai antik dan kraf tangan kebanyakannya berpusat di situ sehingga ke hari ini malah cukup dikenali di kalangan para pelancong tempatan dan asing.

''Para pelancong bukan sahaja ditawarkan seni kraf tangan atau sebagainya yang dijual di Main Bazaar ini tetapi apa yang lebih mencuri tumpuan adalah uniknya rekaan bangunan di sini.

''Ia kelihatan seperti bangunan kedai kopi lama yang masih menggunakan panel-panel dinding dan meja-meja marmar manakala kami generasi baru yang mewarisinya tidak sekali-kali ingin mengubahnya," kata seorang peniaga kraf tangan di Main Bazaar, Chieng Tiew Tong, 37.

Menurut Tiew Tong, menariknya Main Bazaar ini ia bukan dibina dalam tempoh setahun dua sahaja, namun mempunyai sejarah lebih 150 tahun malah kedai miliknya itu berusia 130 tahun.

Katanya, kebanyakan bangunan di situ mengekalkan reka bentuknya yang asal dan diwarisi turun temurun dari nenek moyang manakala beliau sendiri mewarisi daripada ayahnya.

''Sebab mengapa Main Bazaar menjadi tumpuan pelancong kerana ia bukan hanya menawarkan pelbagai kraftangan kepada pelancong sebaliknya memberi satu perasaan 'antik' kepada pengunjung tentang persekitaran yang mungkin tiada di tempat lain sepertinya," kata Tiew Tong.

Mengapa Main Bazaar dikatakan gedung khazanah warisan Sarawak, Tiew Tong memberitahu, ia mungkin disebabkan di Main Bazaar itu menempatkan segala kraf tangan, produk makanan, kain tenunan serta pelbagai lagi barangan buatan asli dari seluruh negeri.

Katanya, Main Bazaar seperti sebuah pusat pengumpulan hasil seni, budaya serta warisan pelbagai kaum di Sarawak khususnya Dayak yang begitu terkenal dengan kekayaan adat serta tradisi turun temurun.

Tambahnya, Main Bazaar mampu menceritakan serta menggambarkan betapa uniknya Sarawak kepada para pelancong yang hadir ke negeri ini.

''Boleh dikatakan apa yang terdapat di Main Bazaar adalah datangnya dari seluruh negeri dan saya memberi jaminan bahawa kraf tangan yang dihasilkan adalah asli dan buatan halus tangan sendiri," katanya.

Beliau menambah, jika anda pernah ke Singapura, Hong Kong atau negara-negara Asia yang lain, mungkin ada yang menarik tetapi tidak akan sama dengan Main Bazaar Kuching kerana tidak akan ada tempat lain yang serupa dengannya.

Seorang pelancong tempatan yang ditemui, Rahmat Ismail, 46, berkata, kehadirannya ke Sarawak pada kali ini adalah yang keempat dan Main Bazaar menjadi tempat yang harus dilawatinya.

Berasal dari Melaka, Penolong Eksekutif itu berkata, pertama kali dia datang ke Kuching adalah pada tahun 1986 dan berasa kagum dengan peningkatan industri pelancongan di Main Bazaar yang sedikit pun tidak mengubah rupa bentuk sejarah bangunan lama tersebut hingga ke hari ini.

''Saya suka dengan bangunan-bangunannya yang kelihatan antik dan bersejarah malah industri pelancongan di situ semakin meriah dari sehari ke sehari.

''Lebih menarik, apa yang diperagakan dan dijual di Main Bazaar menonjolkan identiti negeri ini iaitu mengenai budaya, warisan serta seni tangannya," kata Rahmat kepada Utusan Malaysia di sini baru-baru ini.

Abdul Rahman Abu Bakar, 43, berasal dari Pulau Pinang dan baru menjejakkan kaki ke Main Bazaar pada hari ini sudah berkira-kira untuk membawa keluarganya datang ke laluan yang dianggapnya bersejarah itu pada satu hari kelak.

Beliau ke Sarawak atas urusan kerja melahirkan rasa teruja dengan keunikan kraf tangan serta budaya yang dipamerkan di Main Bazaar yang mungkin tiada tempat sepertinya di Semenanjung.

''Saya berasa kagum dengan hasil kraf tangan serta seni di sini (Main Bazaar) yang begitu unik dan saya seorang yang suka kepada barang-barang yang pelik.

''Bermacam-macam ada, daripada sekecil-kecil sehinggalah ke sebesar-sebesar perkara boleh didapati di Main Bazaar dan boleh dikatakan semua yang terdapat di Sarawak ada di situ'', kata Khairuddin Yaakob, 40.

Selepas tiga kali ke negeri Bumi Kenyalang ini, Khairuddin tidak pernah tidak berkunjung ke Main Bazaar dan ada sahaja kraf tangan atau cenderahati yang mahu dibeli untuk kenangan sendiri atau diberi kepada rakan-rakan.

[rizalhakim]

Kamdar to add new stores and start franchise scheme



Over the next two months, Kamdar will open its first two stores in Sabah and Sarawak - one each in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. The company is also waiting for the green light from local authorities for an outlet in Taiping, Perak.

[kiko]

From Borneo Post
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=37830
By Vijaya Menon

KUCHING: The public is invited to attend two free Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) preview shows at three venues next week.

Assistant Minister of Tourism Hamden Ahmad in a press conference yesterday said the first preview show would be held on July 8 at Amphitheatre starting 7pm.

The show will be two groups, Pinikpikan from Philippines and Sheldon Blackman and The Love Circle from Trinidad and Tobago.

“While the second show will be held simultaneously at two venues on July 9. They are tHe Spring Shopping Mall and Boulevard Shopping Mall. Shows will start at 7pm as well,” he said.

Oikotaan from India, Kasai Masai from Congo and Kan’id, an all-girl Kelabit sape band will be performing at tHe Spring, while Yakande from Guinea-Gambia and Beltaine from Poland and Anak Jati Bisaya Orkestra the Boulevard Shopping Mal, said Hamden.

RWMF co-organsing president Gracie Geikie said the preview shows were opportunities for the public to have of what they can expect from RMWF on July 11 to 13.

“Apart from that these shows are also to provide opportunities to those with special needs who cannot attend RWMF to have a good two hour viewing of the music performances,” she said.

Reporting on the preparation of the festival which will be held soon, she said setting up of the stage and equipment is taking place and additional giant screens will be put up for the festival.

“We have also opened up more space for food stalls,” she added.

Geikie said the expenditure to support RWMF had increased to RM1.9 million as compared to RM1.6 million last year.

She pointed out that many of the performers came from exotic destinations and with the recent price hike in oil price, flight, food and many other services had became more expensive.

“We have requested for a grant from the federal government and hope that the request for grants to support the festival will be given as this year had been a trial year,” she said.

Geikie revealed that apart from RWMF, there were about 60 other big and small events in the state and all needed funding.

She was pleased with the support from Tourism Malaysia for bringing 110 international media and tour operators to RWMF as a step to promote the festival on a larger scale.

This would enable the local authority and foreign representatives to discuss and develop special packages for RWMF 2009, she said.

“We cannot be famous without the media and tour operators,” she added.

Hamden, meanwhile, was confident that the three-day music festival would draw some 24,000 festival goers and generate a revenue of RM4 million.

He said the festival had received very good response since it was first introduced and this year 14 internationally talented bands would be performing.

“Out of 450 bands and music groups who applied to participate in this event, only 14 who met the criteria were selected.”

He said unlike previously when the organisers had to look for participants, this year, many came “knocking on the door”.

[kiko]

JOHN TEO: Kuching fast losing its old-world charm
By : JOHN TEO

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Youngsters taking advantage of the breeze at the Kuching waterfront. Rehabilitation of the stretch is making a monstrosity of the city’s rich heritage.


AN era in Kuching's urban development closed with the relocation a month ago of the traditional wet markets along the city's historic waterfront across the Sarawak River from the Brooke-period Istana and the incongruous concrete monstrosity that is the new state legislative assembly building.

The relocation sets in motion the "rehabilitation" of that stretch of the Kuching waterfront, in the old heart of town. The old markets were housed within some of the city's earliest concrete buildings, including a handsome high-ceilinged edifice with open archways that would not look out of place on a waterway in Venice.

Old Kuching will lose some of its greatest charm if such priceless architectural relics are sacrificed on the altar of commercial redevelopment in the name of urban progress. Gone too, most surely, will be the tea-shop atop an old godown that advertised itself as offering the experience of having tea as His Highness the Rajah once did, in full view of the busy waterway below.

The pungent smells of spices, the call to prayer from the mosque, well hidden along the five-foot ways of the shops by the appropriately-named Gambier Street, may be next to disappear forever.

As Main Bazaar on the other side of the old Court House complex has transformed itself into Kuching's craft bazaar, Gambier Street may yet metamorphose into something equally enticing for locals and tourists alike, but this city will never be quite the same again.

For all the effort and expense of Sarawak's push to attract tourists in the past decades, the results have been disappointing. The fancy hotels, in cities such as Kuching and Miri, would be largely empty were it not for government-related events and business visitors.

A greater inflow of tourists might have helped preserve old Kuching the way it always was, against the constant onslaught of developers always hungry to tear down the old in order to make way for developments that will yield better dividends from prime city-centre locations.

But the signs are somewhat promising. It is quite common now to see couples or small groups of Western tourists lugging backpacks along narrow and winding Carpenter Street or Green Hills in search of the mushrooming small bed-and-breakfast lodgings.

Perhaps such bottom-up tourism growth should have been the route the state took when it first decided that tourism was the way to go. In any case, it is the logical way to go now, with the top-down approach to tourism having more-or-less failed, or at least achieved nothing particularly stellar.

The humble backpacker travelling alone or in small groups and spending directly on local service providers may actually have a greater multiplier effect on the economy than tourists on pre-arranged and heavily discounted travel packages.

Individual travellers also have a much more impressive record as holiday trailblazers in the creation of new tourist destinations and the promotion of responsible and sustainable tourism. The influence such intrepid travellers have in determining new world tourist hotspots is not to be taken lightly.

Of course, I have a selfish motive in wanting to see more individual, independent travellers making a beeline to Kuching. The thought of relentless development veering ever closer to the inner and historical sanctum of my hometown fills me with rising dread.

I figure that if tourism can help keep the cultural heart of Bali in Ubud vital and vibrant, such tourism may be my best ally in securing Kuching as a modern and progressive city that nevertheless nurtures proud historical roots.

The banging of the Chinese tinsmiths in the narrow alleyway from Main Bazaar to Carpenter Street still reverberates every day, as it must have been in decades and centuries past. One must hope -- perhaps against hope -- that it continues to beat in the heart of old Kuching forever.

[The Usual Suspect]

Kuching is very interesting by day. But the city center is so dead at night..

[kiko]

haha..u can see tat most kuchingites went to other commercial centre like the spring, boulevard, bdc, tabuan height and mjc. we r not centred city like kk..

[kiko]

RWMF to play small part for environment



KUCHING: The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) this year will be doing more for the environment with the introduction of recyclable paper food boxes to replace the polystyrene ones.

Urban Development and Tourism Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh announced this at a press conference here yesterday.

He said the environmentally friendly paper food packaging called ‘eco box’ is the brainchild of MakanMedia Marketing, which will be sponsoring 100,000 boxes at the RWMF.

The boxes, the company’s first project, will eventually be introduced to schools and at other events.

“We are pleased to note that we are striving to ‘go green’. The new packaging will be made available for free to all our food vendors operating at the festival venue for serving as well as take-away,” he pointed out.

MakanMedia Marketing managing director Isaac Lee was present to hand over the sponsorship to Wong.

Meanwhile, Wong said that there would be three preview shows before the festival.

“On the suggestion of Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, we had organised preview shows for the public and admission to the shows is free,” he said.

The first preview show for RWMF was held yesterday at the amphitheatre. Tonight, there will be preview shows at tHe Spring Shopping Complex and Boulevard Shopping Complex starting simultaneously at 7pm.

The objective of the previews is to give Kuchingites as well as children from the Sarawak Cancer Society and Kuching Autistic Association a chance to experience the annual global music celebration.

Asked on the progress of the final preparation for the 11th edition of the three-day festival that will kick-off on July 11, Wong replied: “We are ready! This is an event that all of us should proud of.”

He hoped that everyone from behind-the-counter hotel workers to the public will “go all out” to ensure that the event would be another big success.

“Some 200 media friends from throughout the world will be flying into the city to cover the event,” he pointed out.

He called on the public to be at their best behaviour and live up to the warmth and hospitality that Malaysians are known for so that outsiders will feel welcome throughout their stay here.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) chief executive officer Gracie Geikie said the first group of performers had arrived on Monday and they are expecting most groups to arrive yesterday.

“A total of 16 or 17 groups had arrived and we are expecting most of them to be here by Tuesday. Just in time for the show previews held at various venue,” she pointed out.

She targeted the crowd to be more than the previous RWMF, which was recorded at 20,000, thus Kuchingtes are advised to fully utilise the shuttle services that ply Kuching and the venue for the festival, Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV), to minimise traffic congestion there.

Also present at the function was RWMF organising chairman Benedict Jimbau.

[kiko]

Railway for SCORE
By Patrick Joseph


State’s first train in modern era to run in central region, says Taib

BINTULU: Sarawak is to build railway in Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) to facilitate development in the growth area, Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said here yesterday.

He said rail transportation would be a cheaper alternative compared with cargo trucks that were presently used.

Opening the Residents and District Officers’ Conference, the Chief Minister said logistics development in the corridor which stretched for 320km from Similajau in Bintulu Division to Tanjong Manis in Mukah Division needed to look at, among other things, the rising price of fuel as SCORE was a mammoth development plan.

Taib, however, did not indicate the cost of the railway project but said its development would go beyond 2020.

The chief minister said SCORE, which was launched by the prime minister in February this year, was to speed up the development of the state’s central region.

According to him, the central region was comparatively lagging behind the northern and southern regions.

Saying that SCORE would be the final phase for the completion of the state’s development, Taib said the corridor was expected to attract about RM300 billion worth of investments in the next three decades.

Of the amount, he said, at least RM230 billion would come from the private sector.

He also said many of the workers and entrepreneurs from the central region had been moving to other places in the state like Kuching or Miri in search of business and employment opportunities, adding that this was a loss to the region.

Taib said the potential for development in the central region were enormous and they included projects relating to aluminium, coal, paper and pulp and oil and gas.

He said oil, agriculture and fishing industries in the region were already bearing fruits and more needed to be done to further expand the industries and the development of corridor would augur well.

Mukah for instance, according to Taib, had a huge reserve of coal that amounted to billions of tonnes and what was needed was good infrastructure and related efforts to extract it.

He also told the divisional residents and district officers in the state to work together in shaping the minds of the people in their area of jurisdiction to prepare them to get the maximum benefits from the development of SCORE.

Touching on education, Taib reminded parents to ensure their children received the right kind of education, possessed the right skills and talents to meet the future demands and challenges.

About 300 people are attending the three-day conference themed ‘Sarawak Corridor Development: Reshaping Human Talents for the Future’ which started Monday.

Housing Minister Dato Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg and Environment and Public Health Minister Datuk Michael Manyin were among those present during the opening ceremony.

[nazrey]

Novotel Interhill Kuching



Progress
by PilotGirl

image hosted on flickr

[rizalhakim]

Originally Posted by nazrey

Novotel Interhill Kuching



Progress
by PilotGirl

image hosted on flickr

[rizalhakim]

Originally Posted by kiko

Kuching bakal memiliki terminal bas yang canggih




KUCHING: Bandar raya Kuching bakal memiliki terminal bas yang canggih dikenali sebagai Kuching Sentral.

Projek Permodalan Assar Sdn Bhd yang terletak di Batu 6 setengah Jalan Penrissen itu, menelan belanja sebanyak RM60 juta.

Model projek berkenaan disaksikan Ketua Menteri Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud selepas mengumumkan dividen Amanah Saham Sarawak (Assar) di sini, semalam.

Menurut jurucakap Inner City Development Sdn Bhd, syarikat pelaksana, kerja-kerja pembersihan tapak bermula Disember tahun lepas dan dijangka siap dalam tempoh 24 bulan.

Kuching Sentral mampu menampung kehadiran 12,000 penumpang dalam sehari.

Dibina di atas tanah seluas tujuh ekar dengan bangunan tiga tingat, Kuching Sentral merupakan terminal bas yang berkedudukan strategik. De-kat dengan Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuching, Kota Sentosa dan 20 minit perjalanan ke pusat bandar raya.

Bukan sahaja menempatkan bas luar kawasan, tetapi bas yang beroperasi dalam bandar raya ini akan diletakkan di situ. Malah, ia akan menawarkan perkhidmatan teksi dan kereta sewa.

Dibina dengan 11 ruang kereta sewa, 42 bas luar kawasan dan 67 bas bandar raya, ia dikatakan mampu menampung jumlah penumpang kenderaan awam yang semakin bertambah. Ia juga dilengkapi dengan restoran dan kafe, tempat menyimpan bagasi, tandas, mesin teller automatik (ATM), wi-fi dan surau.

Kuching Sentral akan diserikan lagi dengan pasar raya seluas 25,000 kaki persegi, kedai cenderamata dan pusat penjagaan kesihatan.