'Malacca losing its straits charm' |
Written by straits-mongrel |
Sunday, 01 November 2009 19:50 |
We think Melaka's a real neat place. It has that bit of history no Malaysian town can lay claim and the tourism statistics are pretty remarkable. A Bernama report quotes: "In 2004, 4.0 million tourists visited Melaka followed by 4.7 million a year later. In 2006 the number went up to 5.1 million visitors followed by 6.1 million (2007) and 7.2 million in 2008. The target is 8.0 million for this year." Cool.
Melaka's longer-term sustainable future is another matter. Much depends on the wisdom of the State government in its development plans. So far it seems headed towards exotic theme park solutions, while its native jewels like the Hawksbill Turtles await an uncertain future.
For a few years now, the Klebang coast has been drastically altered by land reclamation. Livelihoods have been threatened, and the organic patterns of human activity and nature irrevocably disturbed.
Once upon a time Klebang was dotted with fine houses of the rich. Today many are in a dilapidated state, awaiting the time their history is permanently erased. Many have questioned this curious decision on reclaiming land at the coast. Here's the latest from investors abroad: (First published in Sun2Surf) WE are four Finnish families who have fallen in love with the beauty of the Malaysian landscape and its people. After many memorable vacations in Malacca, we bought condominium units in Tanjung Kling. But in recent years, we have been devastated to see the extensive reclamation work on Malacca’s beaches. We have seen how the immense reclamation work has damaged the environment in front of the city of Malacca, especially in Klebang. The reclamation is continuing into new areas which may destroy the shoreline fronting our condominium. We appeal to the authorities to stop this environmental catastrophe for the following reasons:
Most importantly it is an environmental catastrophe. This kind of work cannot have had a proper environmental study and approval. Who or what is behind this historical damage to the ecology? Once again, we appeal to the authorities to do whatever possible to stop the ravage of the once fabulous Malacca coast. Unhappy Investors Picture 1 / Chikong Pictures 2 & 3 / Suatu Ketika |