Bid to stop Tongan king selling mansion

Tongan politicians have gone to court in a bid to stop plans by Tonga's King George Tupou V to sell a faded Auckland mansion.

Listed by real estate agency Bayleys, the 1.6 hectare property in Epsom, called 'Atalanga, is expected to fetch around $10 million.

But three politicians in Nuku'alofa have asked the Tongan Supreme Court to declare whether the sale is in direct contravention of the constitution of Tonga, a lawyer told Matangi Tonga newspaper.

King George's Auckland lawyer, Nicholas Fisher, told the newspaper the caveat on the property was "vexatious".

"Any actions to interfere with the king's undoubted right to sell the 'Atalanga property, in which it belongs to him in his personal capacity, both in New Zealand or in Tonga, will result in a claim for damages, which are likely to be substantial," Mr Fisher said.

'Atalanga was purchased in 1952 as the personal property of the king's grandmother Queen Salote Tupou III and her heirs and successors.

He said King George took the title in his own name and the Government of Tonga had no legal or equitable interest in the property, though opponents of the sale have claimed that the Tongan Government paid the annual Auckland City Council rates on the property.

- NZPA

Islam in Sri Lanka

Islam in Sri Lanka is practiced by a group of minorities who make up approximately 8% of the population.^[1][2] The Muslim community is divided into three main ethnic groups: the Sri Lankan Moors, the Indian Muslims, and the Malays, each with its own history and traditions. The attitude among the majority of people in Sri Lanka is to use the term '"Muslim" as an ethnic group, specifically when referring to Sri Lankan Moors.

With the arrival of Arab traders in the 8th century, Islam began to flourish in Sri Lanka. The first people to profess the Islamic faith were Arab merchants and their native wives, whom they married after converting to Islam. By the 15th century, Arab traders had controlled much of the trade on the Indian Ocean, including that of Sri Lanka's. Many of them settled down on the island in large numbers, encouraging the spread of Islam. However, when the Portuguese arrived during the 16th century, many of their descendants- the Sri Lankan Moors- were persecuted, thus forcing them to migrate to the Central Highlands and to the east coast of the country.

During 18th and 19th centuries, Javanese and Malaysian Muslims bought over by the Dutch and British rulers contributed to the growing Muslim population in Sri Lanka. Their descendants, now the Sri Lankan Malays, adapted several Sri Lankan Moor Islamic traditions while also contributing their unique cultural Islamic practices to other Muslim groups on the Island.

The arrival of Muslims from India during the 19th and 20th centuries has also contributed to the growth of Islam in Sri Lanka. Most notably, Pakistani and South Indian Muslims have introduced Shia Islam and the Hanafi school of thought into Sri Lanka, however although most Muslims on the island still adhere to the traditional practices of Sunni Islam.

In modern times, Muslims in Sri Lanka are handled by the Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs Department, which was established in the 1980s to prevent the continual isolation of the Muslim community from the rest of Sri Lanka. Today, about 8% of Sri Lankans adhere to Islam; mostly from the Moor and Malay ethnic communities on the island with smaller numbers of converts from other ethnicities.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was established in Sri Lanka in 1915.^[3]

Sri Lankan Moors

Sri Lankan Moors

Typical early 20th century Moor gentlemen

The Sri Lankan Moors make up almost 95% of the Muslim population and 7.2% of the total population of the country. They are predominantly Sunni Muslims of Shafi School. The Moors trace their ancestry to Arab traders who settled in Sri Lanka some time between the eighth and fifteenth centuries. The Arabic language brought by the early merchants is no longer spoken, though various Arabic words and phrases are still employed in daily usage. Until the recent past, the Moors employed Arwi as their mother tongue, though this is also extinct as a spoken language. Currently, the Moors in the east of Sri Lanka use Tamil as their primary language which includes many loan words from Arabic. Moors in the west coast are fluent in Sinhala, an Indo-European language spoken by the Sinhalese majority in Sri Lanka, but use English within the community. Thus, the Moors are a multilingual ethnic and religious group, lacking linguistic cohesion.

The Sri Lankan Moors lived primarily in coastal trading and agricultural communities, preserving their Islamic cultural heritage while adopting many Southern Asian customs. During the period of Portuguese colonization, the Moors suffered from persecution, and many moved to the Central Highlands, where their descendants remain.

East Coast Moors

On the east coast, Sri Lankan Moors are primarily farmers, fishermen, and traders. Their family lines are traced through women, as in kinship systems of the southwest Indian state of Kerala, but they govern themselves through Islamic law.^[4]

West Coast Moors

Many moors in the west of the island are traders, professionals or civil servants and are mainly concentrated in Colombo,Kalutara and Beruwala. Moors in Puttalam and Mannar predominantly make a living as prawn farmers, and fishermen. Moors in the west coast trace their family lines through their father. Along with those in the Central Province, the surname of many Moors in Colombo, Kalutara and Puttalam is their fathers first name, thus retaining similarity to the traditional Araband middle eastern kinship system.

The Malays

Sri Lankan Malays

Sri Lankan Malay Father and Son, 19th century

Mosque in Galle, Sri Lanka

The Malays of Sri Lanka originated in Southeast Asia and today consist of about 50,000 persons. Their ancestors came to the country when both Sri Lanka andIndonesia were colonies of the Dutch. Most of the early Malay immigrants were soldiers, posted by the Dutch colonial administration to Sri Lanka, who decided to settle on the island. Other immigrants were convicts or members of noble houses from Indonesia who were exiled to Sri Lanka and who never left. The main source of a continuing Malay identity is their common Malay language(Bahasa Melayu), which includes numerous words absorbed from Sinhaleseand the Moorish variant of the Tamil language. In the 1980s, the Malays made up about 5 % of the Muslim population in Sri Lanka and, like the Moors, predominantly follow the Shafi school of thought within Sunni Islam.

Indian Muslims (Memons, Bhoras, Khojas)

Dawoodi Bohra

Memons in Sri Lanka

The Indian Muslims are those who trace their origins to immigrants searching for business opportunities during the colonial period. Some of these people came to the country as far back as Portuguese times; others arrived during the British period from various parts of India. Majority of them came from Tamil Nadu and Kerala states, and unlike the Sri Lankan Moors, are ethnically related to South Indians and number approximately 30,000. The Memon, originally from Sindh (in modern Pakistan), first arrived in 1870; in the 1980s they numbered only about 3,000, they mostly follow the Hanafi Sunni school of Islam.

The Dawoodi Bohras and the Khoja are Shi'a Muslims came from northwestern India (Gujarat state) after 1880; in the 1980s they collectively numbered fewer than 2,000. These groups tended to retain their own places of worship and the languages of their ancestral homelands.

Sri Lanka Malay Club cricketers

Around 1100 Malay troops of the Dutch Colonial Army were absorbed into the Rifle Regiment formed by the British in 1827. The close association of the Malays with the British Military personnel saw them take to the game of Cricket like ducks to water. The Rifle Regiment comprised. Malay soldiers (from Java) but had British Officers. The cricket craze imbued in the Malays gave rise to a historic encounter on March 23, 1872, between an All-Malay team fielded by the Rifle Regiment and a British Regimental side. Consequently, the British Government gifted the Malays the northern end of the Rifle Parade Grounds at Slave Island which led to the founding of the Malay Cricket Club (now the Colombo Malay Cricket Club) in 1872, as the oldest Ceylonese Cricket Club. In later years, the Malay Club cricketers added finesse to their play and in 1920 became Ceylon Club Champions.

In 1925, the foundation stone of the CMCC pavilion and Jainudeen Memorial Hall was laid at Rifle Green by the Hon. Morrison, officer commanding troops in Sri Lanka. The structures were erected mostly out of funds donated by Mudliyar Jainudeen. Within a year, the pavilion and Memorial Hall were opened by Sir Hugh Clifford, the then Governor of Ceylon. The Malay Cricket Club has an unbroken history of over one hundred and thirty four years. Honour was bestowed on the club when it hosted the historic meeting inaugurating a new controlling body for cricket in the country – the Ceylon Cricket Board of Control (now Sri Lanka Cricket) at the Malay CC Pavilion, at Rifle Green, Slave Island (Colombo 2) on 25th June, 1948.

When World War II broke out in 1939, Rifle Green was requisitioned and the ground and pavilion taken over by the British Government as a recruiting centre for the intake of Ceylonese to the British Armed Forces. After conclusion of the war, the British Government honourably returned Rifle Green to the Malay CC in 1945 and arrangements made for restoration of the green. However the Malays were perturbed when they learnt of plans to acquire Rifle Green for relocating the Slave Island Police Station and Quarters for personnel. While construction was apace, the pavilion was spared. However, in 1957, this too was taken over and Malay CC were asked to accept a “Police Singlemen’s Barrack” (a hut with a straw-thatched roof) at Kew Road.

Notwithstanding this setback, the CMCC persevered under the leadership of their vibrant President, B.Zahiere Lye and made representations to successive governmental authorities seeking redress for the acquisition of their Rifle Green “home”. These paid rich dividends when in 1957, the regime of the late Hon. S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike allotted sufficient land for a ground at Kew Road, Slave Island. The CMCC members set about transforming this land to a cricket ground and two years later the mission was accomplished. However there was much more to be done to raise the standard of the ground. A new pavilion was also built and completed in 1960 with the Governor General, Sir Oliver Goonatilleke declaring it open at the invitation of Club President Mr. B. Zahiere Lye. The chief benefactor was showman Donovon Andree who organised a carnival and donated the proceeds for construction of the pavilion. In 1961, the ground was declared open by the then Inspector General of Police Mr. M. W.F.Abeykoon and named the PADANG. It took another two years before the ground was finally ready to take on competitive cricket

SRI LANKAN MALAYS

The Malays of Sri Lanka (also known in Sinhalese language as Ja Minissu, Javanese) originated in Southeast Asia and today consist of about 50,000 people. Their early ancestors came to the country when both Sri Lanka and Indonesia were colonies of the Dutch, while the second wave (1796–1948) came from the Malay Peninsular, when both Malaya and Sri Lanka were in the British Empire.

Most of the early immigrants were soldiers, posted by the Dutch which later continued by the British for colonial administration to Sri Lanka, who decided to settle on the island. Other immigrants were convicts or members of noble houses from Indonesia who were exiled to Sri Lanka and who never left. The main source of a continuing Malay identity is their common Malay language, which includes numerous words absorbed from the Moorish variant of the Tamil language and has changed its grammatical structures along the model provided by Sinhala and Tamil. In the 1980s, the Malays made up about 5% of the island's Muslim population, making them one of the smallest minority groups in Sri Lanka.

MASJID UBUDIAH KUALA KANGSAR, PERAK.

Masjid Ubudiah is Perak's royal mosque, and is located in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Malaysia. It is often regarded as Malaysia's most beautiful mosque.

The mosque was designed by Arthur Benison Hubback, a government architect who is notably credited for the design of the Ipoh railway station and the Kuala Lumpur railway station.

Built in 1917 during the reign of the 28th Sultan of Perak, Sultan Idris Murshidul'adzam Shah 1, the Masjid Ubudiah is located beside the Royal Mausoleum on Bukit Chandan. It was commissioned on the orders of the Sultan, who vowed that he would build a mosque of great beauty as thanksgiving for recovery from an illness which plagued him in those early days.

The construction of the mosque was not without difficulties. Work was interrupted several times, once when two elephants belonging to the sultan's and Raja Chulan were fighting and ran over and damaged the imported Italian marble titles.

The mosque was finally completed in late 1917 at a total cost of RM200,000- quite an astronomical figure for those days. It was officially declared open by Sultan Abdul Jalil Karamtullah Shah, successor to Sultan Idris. This imposing structure is now a symbol of great pride to all Muslims in the state of Perak Darul Ridzuan, the Land of Grace

source from wikipedia

FROM BANDUNG TO MELAKA & KUALA T'GANU.

Heritage Air: Bandung to Malaka & Kuala Terenggangu

Dec 21st, 2010

A new air service, Heritage Air, providing flights from Bandung to two cities in Malaysia.

Heritage Air, a new Malaysian owned, Malacca based airline, owned by Kemuning Group in partnership with Indonesian associate Kagum Group, will shortly begin flying twice daily from Bandung to Malaka and Kuala Terenggangu.

Kagum Group president director Henry Husada said the flights will begin by the end of 2010, or possibly at the beginning of 2011.

Heritage Air will operate two British Aerospace BAE146-200, with capacity of 98 passengers.

However the airline has not gotten off to a good start; on 14th December a Malaysian chartered aircraft (belonging to Heritage Air) carrying 81 passengers and crew was detained by the Indonesian air force at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya for apparently entering Indonesian air space without permission.

It appears the aircraft had been given permission to enter Indonesian air space, but the agent for the flight failed to secure landing rights. As such the aircraft was detained when it landed to refuel in Surabaya, from Dili.

However after this initial hiccup Heritage Air owners remain optimistic, hoping to soon add to their armada with more up to date aircraft, and add new routes from Bandung, to Bangkok, Brunei Darussalam, and Hong Kong.

MASJID PASANG SIAP DI KANADA

OTTAWA 11 Nov. - Masjid pertama di Artik Kanada dibuka semalam di Inuvik sebagai tempat ibadah bagi komuniti kecil Islam di sini, kata ahli jawatankuasa majid berkenaan ketika dihubungi melalui telefon dari Inuvik.

Bangunan masjid pasang siap itu tiba di bandar kecil di utara negara ini pada bulan lalu setelah menempuh perjalanan sejauh 4,000 kilometer melalui jalan darat dan air.

Sebahagian wartawan termasuk pemberita televisyen Arab menyertai masyarakat Islam tempatan dalam majlis pembukaan rasmi yang meriah itu.

Jumlah penduduk Islam di Wilayah Barat Laut Kanada kini telah meningkat kepada 80 orang sejak beberapa tahun lalu. Mereka menunaikan sembahyang di dalam karavan sebesar tiga kali tujuh meter sehingga ia tidak lagi dapat menampung pertambahan jemaah.

Ahli jawatankuasa masjid itu, Amer Suliman berkata, masjid baru yang digelar 'masjid kecil di tundra' oleh media Kanada itu mempunyai sebuah dewan solat utama dengan permaidani merah, sebuah perpustakaan dan ruang dapur.

Kariah bandar ini menempah masjid pasang siap itu menggunakan kapal dari Manitoba, yang mana kos tenaga kerja dan bahan binaan jauh lebih rendah daripada di utara Kanada.

Perjalanan masjid kuning yang kecil itu bermula pada akhir Ogos lalu menggunakan trak melalui jalan berliku-liku merentasi padang rumput dan hutan di barat Kanada diikuti laluan air melalui Sungai Hay di pinggir Great Slave Lake di wilayah barat laut negara itu.

Dari situ, masjid berkenaan dipindahkan pula ke atas tongkang dan dibawa mengikut aliran Sungai McKenzie untuk di bawa ke Inuvik yang terletak kira-kira 200 kilometer dari utara kawasan lingkaran kutub Artik. - AFP

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Denyutan 'nyawa' Laut Mati

24 Okt 2010

Apalah laut tanpa gelombang? Apalah laut tanpa ikan yang berenang-renang? Namun, pelajar Politeknik Singapura, NUR FADHLINA MISWAN, tetap senang menyaksikan ketakjuban Laut Mati.

Tahukah anda?Laut Mati merupakan kawasan terendah di dunia iaitu 412 meter di bawah paras laut.Ia terletak di perbatasan antara Israel dengan Jordan.

Dari mana datangnya nama Laut Mati itu?Mungkin ada yang sudah tahu. Sebenarnya, ramai orang yang menyangka bahawa tiada makhluk pun yang boleh hidup di Laut Mati ini kerana kandungan garamnya yang terlalu tinggi.

Bagaimanapun, hakikatnya, ada mikroorganisma yang mampu hidup di Laut Mati.

Al-Quran menyebut bahawa Laut Mati ini adalah tempat kaum Nabi Luth a.s. dihancurkan kerana mereka begitu berleluasa melakukan hubungan homoseksual dan langsung tidak mempedulikan nasihat Nabi Luth agar menghentikan perbuatan terkutuk itu.

Maka Allah saw mengutuskan malaikat untuk menterbalikkan bumi Sodom dan Gomorrah sekali gus menghancurkan seluruh kaumnya. Kota yang didiami kaum yang ingkar itu akhirnya menjadi Laut Mati.

Airnya cukup tenang, tiada gelombang dan tiada langsung kapal yang lalu-lalang atau berlabuh di situ.

Mereka yang datang kebanyakannya orang Barat, begitu riang bermandi-manda walaupun cuaca pada ketika itu agak panas.

Di pantai pula, ada yang berjemur di bawah terik mentari dengan hanya berseluar pendek bagi si lelaki dan berbikini bagi wanitanya.

Jika dilihat sekali lalu, anda mungkin tidak menyangka bahawa pantai indah dengan air laut yang tenang itu sebenarnya terletak dalam sebuah negara Islam iaitu Jordan.

Dan laut tenang yang langsung tidak bergelombang itu sebenarnya adalah Laut Mati – laut dengan kandungan garam paling tinggi, iaitu antara tujuh dengan sembilan kali lebih masin daripada air di lautan lain.

Masin bagai dicucuk
Baru-baru ini, saya berkesempatan ke Laut Mati dalam satu kunjungan ke Jordan, Syria dan Baitulmakdis – negara yang memang sukar dikunjungi kerana dikawal ketat oleh askar Israel.

Namun Alhamdulillah, tidak sukar untuk kami masuk ke sana.

Oleh kerana kesuntukan masa, saya tidak sempat berendam di Laut Mati ini. Bagaimanapun, untuk mengelakkan kempunan tidak dapat mandi di sana, saya cuba menjamah air laut ini untuk mengetahui betapa masin rasanya.

Dengan mencecahkan jari telunjuk kanan pada air laut ini, saya kemudian meletakkannya pada hujung lidah.

"Isy... masinnya!," saya berkata kepada anggota rombongan kami seramai 10 orang, yang diketuai oleh Ustaz Mohd Afandi Ahmad.

Mereka kelihatan ghairah mencelup tangan ke air laut untuk mengambil lumpur lalu disapukan pada anggota tubuh bagi melicinkan kulit! Memang rasa air laut itu terlalu masin hingga terasa lidah saya bagaikan dicucuk jarum kerana 'tajam' benar kemasinannya.

Terapung bagai boya
Satu lagi keunikan menarik yang terdapat pada Laut Mati ini ialah,anda tidak perlu bimbang jika mahu mandi tapi tidak tahu berenang.

Insya-Allah, anda tidak akan tenggelam. Sebaliknya, anda akan terapung-apung di permukaan air... macam ada boya!

Jadi, sambil berendam di laut ini, anda boleh membaca akhbar atau majalah. Pasti menyeronokkan!

Khasiat kulit
Saya kemudian meraba lebih dalam di laut itu dan berjaya mendapatbeberapa ketulan lumpur berwarna kelabu tua dan kehitam-hitaman.

Sambil melihat lumpur di kedua-dua tapak tangan, saya teringat kisah tentang asal usul laut yang turut disebut sebagai tasik oleh sesetengah pihak.

Ramai orang yang berkunjung ke sana untuk tujuan riadah, selainmengambil kesempatan 'berubat'.

Menurut beberapa sumber, garam dari Laut Mati dapat menyembuhkan kulit yang bermasalah. Contohnya, jika seseorang itu sering berendam di dalam air bercampur garam dari Laut Mati, masalah kulit seperti jerawat dan psoriasis dapat disembuhkan.

Hasil yang positif ini boleh didapatkan kerana adanya magnesiumdi dalam Laut Mati itu.

Rangkaian kosmetik
Bukan sahaja garam dari Laut Mati dikatakan boleh digunakan untukmerawat sesetengah penyakit kulit, bahkan lumpurnya juga padatberkhasiat.

Tentu anda sudah pernah dengar tentang barangan keluaran LautMati ini yang merangkumi rangkaian produk kosmetik seperti lumpur,garam, syampu, krim anti penuaan, krim antikedut dan lain-lain.

Kerana tingginya khasiat yang terdapat dalam mineral dari LautMati ini, maka barangan yang bersumber daripada lautan inisemakin banyak dijual di pasaran dan harganya, tidak murah!

Menurut beberapa pengguna produk seperti sabun, losen danlumpurnya, produk tersebut memang sangat berkesan dan ia tidakmengeringkan kulit.

"Saya memang sudah agak lama menggunakan sabun mandinya setiaphari. Kulit tidak kering malah halus dan lembut. Cuma harganya agak mahal sedikit," kata pelancong dari London yang saya temui di pantai Laut Mati, Jennifer Hannah.

Lumpur jadi kegilaan

Sambil menghirup hembusan angin segar dari Laut Mati dan memerhatikan orang sekeliling santai bermandi-manda dan terapung-apung, saya tiba-tiba dikejutkan dengan beberapa orang yang kelihatan kulitnya hitam legam.

Saya lantas mendekati mereka.

Setelah mendekat, saya ketawa geli hati kerana mereka sebenarnyamanusia biasa yang melumurkan muka dan seluruh badan mereka denganlumpur Laut Mati – menggunakan lumpur yang sudah diproses yangmemang dijual dalam paket-paket khas.

Ada juga yang memberitahu, mereka menggunakan lumpur asli yangdiambil dari laut tersebut – sama seperti lumpur yang saya dapati.

"Bagus... saya rasa kulit saya tegang dan segar," kata seorangpelancong dari Perancis yang hanya mahu dikenali sebagai Mark danberusia dalam lingkungan 30-an tahun.

Rakannya, yang minta dikenali sebagai James, juga dalam usia30-an tahun, akur dengan kata-kata Mark.

"Awak cubalah... nanti kulit awak bersih dan licin," katanya,yang sebelum ini pernah menggunakan lumpur Laut Mati ituuntuk dipalit ke seluruh tubuhnya.

Lumpur Laut Mati ini amat berkhasiat dalam menghaluskankulit kerana ia mengandungi kalium, magnesium dan bromium,dan mungkin kerana itulah lumpurnya dianggap sangatberkhasiat.

Jadi jika anda berpeluang ke Jordan, jangan lupa singgahke Laut Mati, kawasan peranginan yang cukup cantik, tenang,menakjubkan dengan saujana mata memandang.

Satu lagi keunikan menarik yang terdapat pada Laut Mati ini ialah, anda tidak perlu bimbang

jika mahu mandi tapi tidak tahu berenang. Insya-Allah, anda tidak akan tenggelam.

Sebaliknya, anda akan terapung-apung di permukaan air... macam ada boya!

AIR ASIA BLESSED WITH NEWBORN

On the evening of oct 21 , the stork delivered a healthy baby boy , while she was flying from Penang to Kuching. This the second babies for Liew.

Liew started feeling labor pains about 15 minutes into the flight and she alerted passenger next to her, who asked the flight attendant to help. An emergency re-route to to LCC Terminal, Kuala Lumpur was initiated while a member of the crew stayed with Liew to keep her calm. However the baby was too eager to see the world and he arrived safely at 2,000 feet as the aircraft approached LCCT to land. Coincidentally, Dr. Ronald Tang was on board and he facilitated the born with the assistance of flight attendants.

This is the first on-air birth for AirAsia and to mark the occasion AirAsia has presented Liew and her son , who she has named him Asia Liew Ya Hang, free flight for life! "Ya Hang" in Mandarin means AirAsia. When asked how she felt about the gifts, the tired new born ( Not new anymore. She mummed the second one ) smiled and said she was very happy about it.

AirAsia is also thankful to Dr. Tang for offering assistance and have awarded him with two complimentary tickrts to any destination within our network. When contacted by AirAsia Dr. Tang had this to say, " AirAsia did a great job. They were very effecient and helpful. The staff has done something significant by assuring and accompanying the mother at all times.The delivery was blessed with no complications. Everything was smooth and efficient. Well done to all".

This article I copied from airAsia inflight magazine Travel3SIXTYdegrees, complimentary copy given to me upon my request on my journey from Kuching to KL by AK5207 on Tuesdat 29th December 2009. I told the one of tthe crew members that there are numbers pf good materials that I want to include it in my blog. Thank you airAsia )

I WAS BLESSED WITH OLDBORN

FIRST: I already buckled myself into the seat No.7B center seat between on young female passanger and one Abang Haji on his way from Mukah to Temerloh. AK5207 supposed to take off at 1.55, but was informed by the counter crew , the flight was re-scheduled at2.15pm. Fine. But what puzzled me, the aircraft did not move ven after 2.15pm, 2.30pm, 2.45pm ad at 3.00pm I saw the clue. Problem. Not because of AirAsia. But one ugly character of one of the passengers was the cause. He smoke in the aircraft toilet and also usingphone talking with someone also in the toilet. This was monitored y the flight on duty and decided not to allow the said passengerto continue hisjourney. And later i saw, security personel also in and out of the aircraft. Moment later I saw the culprit walking out to the main door of the aircraft. Quite sometime the show was at the enrance. He refused to quit the aircraft. Time already 3.30pm. Soon I saw few Pilce Personel approached heir face at the tarmac. Show now was displayed on the staircase. But I admire the passangers showing their calmness. Theie civic thinking is very high.

Soon after that we saw the said guy has been escorted down from the staircase to the termilnal building. Big releived. The plain take off at around 3.45pm

SECOND: The plain reached KL LCCT tarmac safely at 4.50pm. But only by 5.50pm, I managed to board the Skybus after 1 hour waiting for the luggages to be appeared on the belt. Yes! Bus enroute from LCCT to KL Central depart around 6.20pm. During the journey, from the window's view, I admiring my country and its development. I am proud of it. But it never ended there. After passing through Sri Kembangan Rest Area, our bus BJD1279 sudddenly was moved to the side of the road and stopped. After few minutes, the driver on duty informed us ' belting putus".

So no choice, have to wait for the next moment of surprise. After a moment of nothing and feel stuffy inside the all-window-closed bus, I step down and try look for the driver. could not see him. He is at the back of the bus, struggling to remove the broken belt to enable him to replace with the new one. Its raining. In my mind, I do not have any confident on him. A driver cum mechanic. Its true. He is unable to solve the problem of the bus.Another Skybus passing by and stop. We thought it is a replacement bus. But no any instruction for us to board that bus. After sometime the said bus continue his journey.

And then we have been informed by the driver that he had requested the backup bus to ferry us to KL Central. Almost one hour later another bus stopped. Yes. It is our bus. But not the actual one. That bus also full of pasangers like us. So we boarded. We have to disload our luggage in the dark and the door of the luggage compartment is not holding itself properly. Easily it could knock down those who are in the battle struggling with the luggages, if not carefully handled. However we reached KL Central at 8.00pm safely. Tiredddddddddddd!!!!!!!!!!.

I wonder if I could get a glass of complimentary drinks from AirAsia.

I reserved my remark and like to see if there are any comments from the followers of this blog.

Happy New Year 2010, and may 2010 bring us plenty goodies . Cheers!.

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Singapore Espelanade - Nickname DURIAN

STONEHENGE

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) west of Amesbury and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones and sits at the centre of the densest complex of NeolithicBronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds.^[1]Archaeologists had believed that the iconic stone monument was erected around 2500 BC. However one recent theory has suggested that the first stones were not erected until 2400-2200 BC,^[2] whilst another suggests that bluestones may have been erected at the site as early as 3000 BC.

The surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC. The site and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1986 in a co-listing with Avebury henge monument, and it is also a legally protected Scheduled Ancient Monument. Stonehenge itself is owned by the Crown and managed by English Heritage while the surrounding land is owned by the National Trust.^[3][4] and

New archaeological evidence found by the Stonehenge Riverside Project indicates that Stonehenge served as a burial ground from its earliest beginnings.^[5] The dating of cremated remains found on the site shows that burials took place there as early as 3000 BC, when the initial ditch and bank were first dug. Burials continued at Stonehenge for at least another 500 years.^[6]

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Cantiknya...bumi Szechoslovakia

Halal Tour To Beijing

Alhamdulillah selamat sampai balik ke tanah air pada 9 Nov.

Semasa pesawat Air Asia X AK5218 mendarat di KL , para penumpang bertepuk tangan kerana pendaratan yg baik sekali dilakukan oleh pilot tanpa gegaran yang selalu dialami.

Shukur kpd Allah kerana telah mengkabulkan hasrat penulis untuk menjejak kaki ke bumi China. Bila penulis merujuk kpd Ustaz Azmi tentang hadith Rasullullah yg menasihati supaya kita menuntut ilmu hingga ke negeri China, sebenarnya kata Ustaz, hadith tsbt adalah hadith yg lemah. Apa yg sebenarnya ialah " Tuntutlah ilmu hingga ke hujung dunia" Rasulullah tidak pernah sampai ke China. Yang sampai ialah seorang sahabat iaitu Saad bin Abi Waqas r.a.

Semasa dalam pesawat, penulis bertemu ramai rakyat Malaysia dari beberapa daerah seperti Kuala Kangsar, Sungai Petani, Ipoh, Johor Baru, dan Kuala Lumpur.

Sampai di Tianjin Bhai International Airport jam 7.25 pagi 4 Nov ( waktu di China sama saja dgn waktu di Malaysia).

Pemandu pelancung bagi rombongan kami ialah En. Johan, seorang pemuda bangsa China suku Han. Beliau yang berkacamata fasih berbahasa Melayu Indonesia. Sepanjang perjalanan beliau memberi penerangan berbagai maklumat. Beliau membertahu penduduk Kota Beijing berjumlah 13 juta manakala jumlah basikal pula ialah sebanyak 9 juta. Ada basikal yang manual dan juga yg menggunakan bateri. Setiap bateri boleh dicaj semula dan tempoh penggunaan setiap 10 jam perlu dicaj semula. Knderaan sepeda ( basikal sangat popular dan nejadi kegunaan utama bagi yang kurang mampu). Juga tidak terdesak didalam kesesakan jalanraya.

Jarak diantara Tianjin dgn Beijing sejauh 130km mengambil masa 2 jam bagi perjalanan dengan kereta dilebuhraya. Perajlanan dgn keretapi hanya 1/2 jam sahaja. Beliau juga menasihati supaya berhati-hati dgn pertukaran matawang Yuan China kertana banyak wang palsu yg diedar dipasaran. Beliau menunjukkan contoh wang Yuan palsu dan yg asli dengan penerangan mengenai tanda-tanda dan perbezaannya..

Johan juga menunjukkan kad prepaid untuk buat panggilan telefon ke Malaysia. Kami semua membelinya.

Suhu di Tianjin semasa sampai ialah 2 darjah C. Salji telah turun pada 1 Nov lepas. Sepanjang jalan masih kelihatan sisa salji yag masih bertompok-tompok dipinggiran jalan. Di Beijing suhu boleh mencecah dibawah paras -2C dan boleh meningkat ke paras +5C.

Sepanjang perjalanan kami dapat melihat rumah-rumah kediaman dan kebun sayor-sayoran. aku juga nampak sekumpulan burung murai sedang bermain-main ditepi jalan. Johan memberitahu tanah-tanah adalah milik kerajaan. Rumah yg dibeli adalah sebagai sewaan selama 70 tahun. Selepas tamat tempoh tsbt boleh dilanjut lagi dgn bayaran tambahan yang tertentu.

Sesampai di Beijing kami dibawa ke sebuah Muslim restoran untuk breakfast/lunch ( brunch). Kemudiannya kami di bawa ke Muslim supermarket dan juga kami melawat ke Masjid Tua Niujie lalu solat Zohor dan Asar jamak disitu.

Dari masjid Niujie kami berangkat melawat Tiannamen Square dan Forbidden City. Penulis kagum sekali dengan pemandangan sekitarannya yang cantik dan bersih. Ramai pelancung berkeliaran disitu dgn berbagai aksi. Berjalan dan berlari dgn kamera ditangan mengambil gambar itu dan ini. Tidak ada pun orang yang meludah kesana-sini.

Selepas meninjau dan bergambar di Tiannamen Square, kami melintas jalan melalui laluan bawah tanah menuju ke Forbidden City pula. Johan memberitahu bahawa istana Forbidden City mempunyai 9,999 bilik-bilik yang disediakan untuk gundik-gundik dan anak-anak perempuan. Anak lelaki apabila mencapai usia 11 tahun keatas akan disuruh tinggal di bilik yg disediakan diluar istana bersama-sama pekerja-pekerja yg lain. Dalam Forbidden City terdapa 5 buah istana semuanya. Selain dari tembok yag tinggi yg mengawalnya, ianya di lindungi oleh pengawal-pengawal dan sungai yang melengkonginya.

Selesai melawat Forbidden City, kami dibawa pula untuk menionton Acrobatic Performance. Para acrobatnya terdiri dari ana-anak dan pemuda-pemuada pada umur yg terlalu muda. Kata Johan , mereka berasal dari Provinsi Szechuan yg dulunya dilanda gempabumi. Mereka dilindungi dan dibawa ke Beijing untuk membena hidup baru. Persembahan mereka kami rakamkan melalui digital camera masing-masing. Selesai pertunjukan kami dibawa makan malam sebelum balik ke hotel.

Khamis 5 Nov,

Kami bergerak pula untuk lawatan ke Great Wall of China. Johan membacakan sebuah pepatah China yg berbunyi" Kalau anda bukan ditempat yang besar anda bukannya pahlawan" . Kesimpulannya kami akan menjadi pahlawan sebaik kami berjaya menawan Tembok Besar Negeri China.

Johan juga mengulang kembali kenyataan bahawa satu-satunya buatan manusia yg dpt dilihat melalui pandangan dari bulan ialah Tembok Besar China. Johan menasihatkan supaya jangan panjat terlalu tinggi da berhati-hati ketika mengambil hambar. Jangan sampai tergelincir. Pernah berlaku pelancung yg jatuh dan mati kerana gagal mengawal diri ketika bergambar.

Tembok ini pada peringkat dibena dari tanah dan lumpur. akibatnya sering runtuha apabila dilanda hujan lebat dan air yang deras. tetapi semasa pemerintahan Dinasti Ming , tembok ini mula menggunakan batubata yg lebih kukuh. Panjangnya 6,700km dan tinggnnya mencecah 880meter dari bawah keatas gunung Warak.

Tembok ini dibina oleh berbagai golongan rakyat dari rakyat biasa, tentera dan banduan-banduan penjara. Kanak-kanak berumur 18 tahun keatas akan dikerah dalam pembinaan tembok ini. Sekiranya ada kematian, mayat-mayat akan ditanam dibawah tembok tersebut.

Ada peristiwa sedih berlaku yg berkitan dgn binaan tembok besar ini. Seorang suri rumah yg baru 3 hari berkahwin, suaminya telah dipanggil untuk kerja pembinaan tembok. Walau pun baru 3 hari berkahwin. beliau telah mengandung anak sulungnya. Setelah penantian yg lama dan suaminya tidak juga balik, beliau nekad untuk pergi mencari suaminya. Dgn kesukaran yg amat sangat, tambahan lagi bentuk kaki perempuan China yang telah dibedung sejak kecil, beliau berjalan mencari suaminya. Beliau kemudiannya mendapat tahu suaminya telah mati.

Hal ini disampaikan kepada Maharaja dan Maharaja bersedia memenuhi permintaan perempuan itu untuk mengadakan upacara balasungkawa untuk suaminya . Perempuan itu yg memakai kalongan batu jade yg berharga dilehernya dari pemberian suaminya, berstuju dgn pelawaan Maharaja, dgn syarat ianya dibuat ditempat yg tertinggi sekali dan Maharaja hadir bersama dalam upacara tersebut. Apa yg berlaku pd hari upacara balasungkawa itu, ialah perempuan itu terjun bunuh diri dari tempat yg tinggi itu.

Kebanyakan anak perempuan akan dibendung kaki mereka sejak berumur 3 tahun. Tujuan pembedungan ini untuk menghalang mereka dari keluar rumah meningggalkan suami mereka.
Kami masuk ke Great Wall melalui pintu gerbang Badaling. Tembok besar yang mula dibena kini berusia 2,000 tahun dan yg terbaru berusia 700 tahun.

Selesai lawatan ke Great Wall kami melawat pula ke Beijing Bao shu Tong Sci-Tech Pharmacentical Co Ltd. yang mengeluarkan ubat salap, ubat gatal, terbakar dan ubat bawasir. Factory ini sudah beroperasi sejak 20 tahun yg lalu. Mereka mengeluarka produk batu PIAB yg kata nya sangat mujarrab untuk mengubati penyakit-penyakit. Cawan (mug) dan rantai tangan yg di jual disitu berkhasiat mengubat penyakit sekiaranya minum menggunakan mug tersbut. Rantai pula dipakai pada pergelangan tangan kiri, yg katanya mempunyai kaitan saraf tangan dan jantung manusia.

PR yg bertugas sangup memegang rantai besi yg dibakar panas dan jari beliau yang melecur lalu disapu dgn salap dan kemudian pulih semula dalam masa yg singkat saja. Penulis membeli ubat salap, minyak angin dan rantai tangan batu PIAB. Ada juga yg membeli mug.

6.11.2009 ( Jumaat )

Selepas sarapan pagi, kami berbelanja di sebuah shopping complex. Kami diberi masa 2 jam unutuk berbelanja. Selepas itu kami makan tengahari sebelum berangkat menunaikan Solat Jumaat.

Selesai solat Jumaat kami dibawa melawat Summer Palace ( Istana Musim Panas ). Maharaja dan Maharani menggunakan istana ini di musim panas sahaja diantara bulan April dan Oktober untuk bercuti dan menyambut harijadi mereka. Pemandangan sekitarnya sangat indah. Luasnya kawasannya ialah 290 hektar dan paling bsesar di Pusat Beijing. Pembenaan bentuk bangunan sama dengan Forbidden City. Untuk melawat keseluruhan kawasan memerlukan satu hari penuh. Tiga suku bahagian darinya ianya tasik buatan manusia dan tanah yg dikorek dijadikan bukit yang dikenali sebagai Bukit Dirgahayu. Istana Winter Palace pula kena bakar sehabisnya selama 3 bulan diserang oleh musuh-musuh dari bahagian utara. Kami memasuki istana ini melalui pintu timur dan keluar juga melalui pintu yang sama. Nampaknya kalau ahli rombongan tercicir dari kumpulan mereka, amatlah sukar untuk mengesan semula kedudukan mereka kerana pelawat terlalu ramai dan kawasan yang luas pula.

7.11.2009 Sabtu:

Hari ini kami dibawa melawatke tempat yang diberi nama DR. Tea. Kilang yang memproses chinese tea. Ada berbagai jenis teh yang di tunjukkan dengan di tunjukkan cara minumnya dan juga khasiatnya. Selepas itu kami melawat kilang Freesky yang memproses mutiara ( fresh water pearl). Dalam satu demonstrasi kami di tunjukkan jumlah mutiara mentah yg terdapat di dalam seekor shell iaitu sebanyak 20 butir mutiara semuanya. Lawatan selanjutnya ialah ke Pisat jualan kain sutera. Antara gambar-gambar yang di pamir disitu, terdapat juga gambar YAB Dr. Mahathir Mohamad bersama Presiden China. Disitu kita dapat melihat ulat-ulatsutera dan daun mulberry yang menjadi makanannya. Juga kami dapat melihat sutera mentah sebelum diproses menjadi kain.

Kami juga dibawa melawat ke Stadium Olimpik 2008 - Stadium srang Burung dan Kolam renang Blue Cube.

8.11.2009 Ahad.

Hari ini kami berbelanja lagi. Sampai ada yg kehabisan wang Yuan China yg dibawa. habis membeli belah kami makan tengahari dan tunaikan solat Zohor dan Asar sekali secara jamak. Sebelah petangnya kami berlepas ke Tianjin. Kami bersiar-siar dibandar Tianjin sementara menanti makan malam. Selesai makan malam kami dibawa ke hotel untuk bermalam. Kmi diperlukan berada di lobi hotel esoknya Isnin 9 Nov jam 5.00 pagi untuk berangkat ke Tianjin Bhai International Airport.

9.11.2009 Isnin - Selamat Tinggal Beijing dan Tianjin.

Pesawat Air Asia X berlepas meninggalkan Lapangan terbang Tianjin pada jam 8.20 pagi.

Tak jauh seluang melaut. Akhirnya balik ke tepi juga. Itulah ibaratnya perjalanan ini. Bumi Malaysia ini tanah air kita. Tanah air datuk nenek kita dan tanah air anak cucu jenerasi kita yang akan datang. Jagalah sebaik-baiknya. Belajarlah hidup rukun dan damai, walau pun kita berbagai kaum dan berbagai budaya dan kepercayaan. Semuanya bergantung kepada pendekatan yg kita ambil. Buat baik berpada-pada. Buat jahat jangan sekali. Kalau asal benih yang baik. Jatuh ke laut menjadi pulau. Buatlah baik wahai kawan. Kedalam laut kamu campakkan. kalau tidak dikenal ikan. Tuhanmu tahu ia kah bukan?

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