# Malacca, Penang asked to resubmit heritage site applications to Unesco



## nazrey (Sep 12, 2003)

*Penaga Laut trees are back in George Town*
Monday July 28, 2008, TheStar

THE Penaga Laut (Calophyllum inophyllum), also known as the Alexandrian Laurel, once thrived in abundance in the cape of George Town but not a single tree could be found there in recent years.

On Friday, the Penang Municipal Council and the state Forestry Department planted 10 Penaga Laut trees at the Esplanade field near the seafront, in conjunction with the celebrations to mark George Town’s inscription as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

State Forestry director Mohd Puat Dahalan said the three-year-old trees, worth over RM100 each, were from the department’s nursery in Lentang, Pahang.

“They can grow to be big shady trees of up to 20m within 10 to 15 years,” he added.

Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) president Datuk Zainal Rahim Seman said the tree-planting was the first part of a joint effort between the council and the department to plant 300 Penaga Laut trees at 20 locations on the island.

“We hope to plant the remaining 290 trees by year-end,” Zainal said, adding that apart from this programme, the council had planted 2,000 trees on the island last year and a further 700 trees to date this year.

Sahabat Alam Malaysia vice-president Datuk Dr Anwar Fazal, who had the honour of planting the first tree yesterday along with Mohd Puat, Zainal and Penang Tourism Action Council chairman Datuk Kee Phaik Cheen, said George Town was once known as Tanjung Penaga by the early settlers.

Anwar said the Penaga Laut trees could not be found in the inner city of George Town in recent years although there were some at the Penang Botanical Gardens and the Residency Road area.


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## Ribarca (Jan 28, 2005)

RafflesCity said:


> Without going too far off topic, just like to share recent shots I’d taken of the Kampong Glam conservation area, an example of conservation where old architecture continues to thrive alongside the modern city beside it:


Great contrast!

Will be in Singapore (and Penang afterwards) for the grand prix:banana:.

In HK hardly any old buildings were preserved:bash:.


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## nazrey (Sep 12, 2003)

by New2mac



















by vincentan_my


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## nazrey (Sep 12, 2003)

From Serve.com
Beach Street



















Carnavon Street










Chulia Street










Downing Street 










The Explanad










Kalawei Road










Light Street










Macalister Road










Northam Road










Penang Road


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## RafflesCity (Sep 11, 2002)

Ribarca said:


> Great contrast!
> 
> Will be in Singapore (and Penang afterwards) for the grand prix:banana:.
> 
> In HK hardly any old buildings were preserved:bash:.


Thanks! 

For more pics of that area in Singapore you can look at this thread:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=169716


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## nazrey (Sep 12, 2003)

*Khalil Declares Melaka A World Heritage City*
August 02, 2008 00:08 AM 

MELAKA, Aug 1 (Bernama) -- Melaka Yang Dipertua Negeri, Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob Friday officially declared Melaka a World Heritage City as recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) recently.

About 7,000 visitors including foreign tourists flocked the area in front of the Stadhuys Building near the Bandar Hilir Historical Complex, to witness the Letter of Declaration of Melaka being recognised as World Heritage City, which was symbolically delivered to Khalil by a group of "warriors".

Also present was Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam.

Various activities have been lined up for a month-long celebration in conjunction with the declaration, including an Everlasting Living Heritage-themed fireworks display.

-- BERNAMA


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## nazrey (Sep 12, 2003)

*WiMAX service available in Penang by Dec	*
Published: 2008/09/25

Penang Chief Minister says the cutting-edge wireless WiMAX service will make the state among the first cities in the world to experience broadband on the move

WIRELESS Internet surfing via WiMAX will be a reality in Penang as early as December this year.

The State Government has entered into a partnership with Packet One (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (P1) to enable the company to supply the infrastructure for WiMAX in the state.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the cutting-edge wireless WiMAX service will make Penang among the first cities in the world to experience broadband on the move. 

He said WiMAX, a telecommunications technology aimed at providing wireless data over long distances in a variety of ways and from point-to-point to full mobile access, will bring Penang another step closer to being a fully developed state.

Speaking at the preview of [email protected] today, he said P1,a subsidiary of Green Packet Bhd and one of the first WiMAX telcos in the world, is one of the state government’s partner in the [email protected] project which was unveiled last week.

Meanwhile, the chief executive officer of P1 Michael Lai said the company expects to extend its coverage to 70 per cent of the Penang state by the end of next year.

He said the WiMAX service will be carried out in two phases and the company will spend more than RM20 million for the project.

*“By becoming a WiMAX state, Penang could easily boost its UNESCO World Heritage site and bring more world-class foreign direct investments to the state,” he said. — Bernama*


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## nazrey (Sep 12, 2003)

*For a walk down historic Malacca*
Monday October 6, 2008 By ALLISON LAI TheStar










AS A BOOST to its status as a Unicef World Heritage Site, Malacca will add another tourist attraction when work to restore Middleburg Bastion and parts of the ancient fort’s walls are completed within a month.

Two years ago, parts of the bastion and the walls were discovered during construction of the RM24.5mil Taming Sari viewing tower in Jalan Quayside next to Malacca River.

Following the find, the Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry issued a stop-work order to preserve the 17th century Dutch-era fortress.

Middleburg Bastion, estimated to be 1.5km long, was a strategic military landmark in Malacca 250 years ago.

It was built as an extension to the A’Famosa fortress left by the Portuguese.

According to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Associate Professor Dr Nordin Hussin, the restoration is 90% complete.

“The research committee is also working on Frederick Hendrick Bastion, a major bastion along the Malacca fortress.

“It is very big in the real sense. In fact, the former HSBC building is in the bastion,” he said.

Dr Nordin is part of the committee undertaking archeological excavation and restoration under the Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry’s RM12.8mil project, including acquisition of the former HSBC building.

He said both Middleburg and Fredrick Hendrick bastions were strategically located to prevent enemies from entering Malacca River and repulsing naval attacks.

The area around the fort, demolished by the British in the beginning of the 19th century, was put to commercial use.

“We have found the inner wall and are looking for the outer wall. We have excavated 40% of the area while the other 60% is thought to be under part the road and in the area adjacent to it,” he said.

In July, excavation teams from University Sains Malaysia (USM) found four human skeletal remains that are 600 years old based on carbon-dating analysis in the United States.

Nordin said the Ministry hoped Jalan Quayside would be closed to traffic for a day to allow excavation to unearth the bastion.

It was part of the HSBC building, which would be converted into the Ministry’s heritage gallery and interpretive centre, he added.

“What we will do finally is in the planning stage, but if we get a good response from the state in the form of ideas and support, we would like to restore the bastion to its original form,” he said.

“We plan to provide visitors a walk through Malacca’s heritage from the 15th Century Malacca Sultanate to the construction of the fort by the Portuguese and its successive use by the Dutch before it was blown up by the British in 1807.

“It is the soul of Malacca. We are attempting to bring the soul of Malacca to its original form. This is what heritage is all about.

“It is not only about the buildings but also what life was like for the cosmopolitan society of the city,” he said, adding that the gallery would serve as a window through the passage of time.

However, not everyone shared his view.

One such person is local Malacca-Dutch history expert and author Dennis De Witt, who is of Dutch-Eurasian ancestry.

“While it is good that proper archeological and excavation work is being done to restore the bastions, it must be done as accurately as possible and not merely be a representation of what the walls were like,” he said, adding that the walls of the fort might have been more imposing and higher than what they were being restored to.

Rather than restoration work, he suggested that part the walls to be left in their ruined state so that locals and tourists would appreciate what archeology was about.

“It will be better for some of the allocation to be spent on creating a virtual walk through the fort and the ancient city as this will give visitors a more complete understanding of the size of the fort,” he said.


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## nazrey (Sep 12, 2003)

*Bigger staff for tourist police*
Thursday October 23, 2008 By MARTIN CARVALHO TheStar










MALACCA police will upgrade and enlarge its Tourist Police Unit to provide better security for visitors now that the city has been inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

State chief police officer SAC (I) Datuk Mazlan Mansor said that measures were underway to beef up personnel and streamline the unit’s operations.

“The unit comprising 34 personnel is currently headed by an inspector. However, when approved, the unit’s staff will be increased to 54 and it will be headed by a deputy superintendent, two assistant superintendents and four inspectors,” said Datuk Mazlan in an interview here recently.











Riding high: The unit's mounted patrol has helped boost its image.


With the increase, the unit will be divided into two wings, he said, adding that one wing would be responsible for investigations while the other would focus on crime prevention.

“This will be convenient for tourists as their reports will be handled immediately by the unit’s investigating officers instead of being forwarded to the district police station for further action,” he said.

Established in June 1985, the Tourist Police Unit has come a long way since its humble beginnings with a handful of foot patrol personnel.

Today, the unit is housed in the heart of the old city in a restored 19th-century building next to Malacca River along Jalan Laksamana.

It boasts five horses for mounted patrol duties and six personnel doing rounds on bicycles.











Doubling up: Officers of the state's Tourist 
Police Unit providing information to tourists.


The unit has an all-women pocoh-pocoh line-dance group that has performed at public gatherings on several occasions.

The inclusion of smartly-dressed officers patrolling on horseback, bicycling through the narrow city streets or performing line-dancing has boosted the unit’s image.

Domestic and foreign tourist arrivals is expected to see a sharp rise following the historic city’s inscription as a World Heritage Site in July.

A further rise in arrivals is expected when the extended Batu Berendam Airport begins operations as a low-cost carrier hub for the southern region by early next year.











Crime prevention: A demonstration of how cops 
tackle snatch thieves making getaways on motorbikes.


In 2007, slightly more than six million tourists visited the state and the number is expected to rise to 6.5 million this year and eight million in 2010.

On the upgrading of the unit’s capabilities, Datuk Mazlan said the officers concerned would be taught how to carry themselves with the utmost professionalism, dedication and integrity while on duty.

In this respect, he said the officers must be pleasant in nature and conversant in other languages as they double-up as tourist guides by providing information to visitors.

He said the Melaka Tengah district police station served as the command centre for 50 CCTV cameras set up at strategic locations throughout the city by Malacca Historic City Council.


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## nazrey (Sep 12, 2003)

*Multilingual road signs put up to boost Penang's tourism*
Saturday November 22, 2008
By NG SU-ANN










New attraction: Visitors to Lebuh Acheh in Penang will be 
able to see one of the much-debated multilingual signboards.

GEORGE TOWN: Lebuh Acheh and Lebuh Carnarvon are the first streets here to display the much-debated multilingual signboards.

While maintaining their Bahasa Malaysia versions, the four signboards along Lebuh Acheh have translations in Arabic, Chinese and Tamil while the Lebuh Carnarvon one includes a Chinese translation.

Implemented in phases, the project recently came under fire from certain quarters.

On Nov 4, Pahang accountant Nik Rizman Sapian filed an injunction at a High Court here to stop the Penang Municipal Council from putting up the multilingual signboards.

He claimed that the move would jeopardise the position of Bahasa Malaysia as the country’s national language.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who unveiled the signboards yesterday, said the state was merely adding other languages in the signboards while retaining Bahasa Malaysia in deference to it being the national language.

This was part of its efforts to boost Penang’s tourism and promote George Town as a place which welcomed everyone, just like in an airport, he added.

On the project’s critics, he said: “We don’t want to be racists like them. A leopard can’t change its spots.

“Let them continue to live under the coconut shell. We don’t have to follow them.”

He said each name plate cost RM150 while the pole cost another RM150, adding that some signboards retained their original poles.


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## nazrey (Sep 12, 2003)

*Heritage at stake: Unesco status or high rise dilemma for Penang*
By ANDREA FILMER










An artist’s impression of the Rice Miller boutique hotel which will be built in 
Weld Quay, George Town. It is one of four projects to be carried out in the 
island’s heritage zone, a move that could threaten Penang’s World Heritage Site listing.

GEORGE TOWN: The state government has found itself in a catch 22 situation – jeopardise George Town’s Unesco World Heritage Site status or run the risk of being sued for hundreds of millions by developers.

The crisis centres on the building of four high-rise hotels in the heritage core and buffer zones which violate the guidelines approved by the World Heritage Committee (WHC).

Under stringent heritage guidelines sent to the committee in August 2007, a maximum height of 18m or roughly five storeys was set for new buildings in the two zones.

“The guidelines were not made widely known when they were first put in place. Only when George Town’s Unesco status was approved did we realise the guidelines,” Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said after a dialogue session with the Heritage Steering Committee’s

Advisory Panel yesterday.

“Now, we’re caught in a conundrum. If we allow the buildings to go ahead, we may risk the status, but if we stop the buildings, we could be sued for hundreds of millions which will definitely bankrupt the local council.

“We’re damned if we do, and damned if we don’t.”

The four hotels are the Rice Miller boutique hotel in Weld Quay and the Boustead Royale Bintang Hotel project behind the General Post Office in Lebuh Downing, both lying in the heritage core zone, and the E&O Hotel extension and 23-storey hotel in Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah by the Low Yat Group in the buffer zone, both of which will be 84.4m high.

Lim said three of the four hotels were approved by the previous state administration while the Boustead building was approved on June 26, less than two weeks before the Unesco status was granted.

He said the state was now looking to the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry for direction.

“Although the state wants to take active measures to alleviate the problem, we cannot plunge in recklessly. The legal situation has to be studied carefully and it does not seem to favour us.”

Unesco regional adviser for the Asia-Pasific Dr Richard Engelhardt, who was present at the dialogue, said George Town had no choice but to follow the guidelines approved by the WHC.

“When the status is approved, the guidelines trump all previous existing regulations. Why would you apply for the status if there was no intention of following the guidelines?

“If the state decides to go along with the high-rises, I’m sure it will be called up by the WHC to explain why it allowed such a thing and whether it is compatible with the preservation of heritage,” he said.

“The worst-case scenario is that George Town is delisted, but that is not the usual situation as when a site applies for World Heritage status, it is interested in preserving the heritage,” he added.


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## nazrey (Sep 12, 2003)

*Government To Form Special Committee To Ensure Georgetown, Melaka Remain Heritage Sites*
November 22, 2008 16:10 PM

KUANTAN, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- The Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry will be setting up a special committee to ensure Georgetown and Melaka remain World Heritage Sites as recognised by Unesco.

Its minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Afdal said he himself would be chairing the committee to ensure the Penang and Melaka governments do not lose the status for the two places.

He told this to reporters after launching Paya Besar's unity carnival here Saturday.

He added that among others, the committee would serve as a reference point for physical development in Melaka and Georgetown so that Unesco's conditions for continued recognition of them as heritage sites are met.

-- BERNAMA


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## nazrey (Sep 12, 2003)

*Unesco's Recognition Of Heritage Site To Boost National Economy*
November 22, 2008 23:22 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- The recognition given to Melaka and Georgetown as a World Heritage Site under the cultural category can provide a boost to the national economy, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

"As a nation where tourism is among the most important sectors of the economy, such recognition is certainly most welcomed by Malaysia.

"I am told that based on the analysis carried out, an area that has been recognised as a World Heritage Site can register an increase in tourist arrivals of up to 30 per cent in the first year," he said at the ceremony to hand over the letter of recognition of Melaka and Georgetown as a World Heritage Site at the Dataran Merdeka, here Saturday night.

However, Abdullah said the Penang and Melaka state governments must do their best to protect the heritage sites.

"It is most important (to protect the heritage sites) as failure in ensuring that all the guidelines stipulated, including the construction of highrise buildings, are met will result in the recognition, that we have all worked hard to achieve, being withdrawn," he said.

If the recognition were to be withdrawn, it would be a great loss not only to both states, but to the country as well, said Abdullah.

"Keep in mind that Malaysia has only three world heritage sites. Thus, they must be protected at all costs," he said.

Before the selection of Melaka and Georgetown as World Heritage Sites under the cultural category, the Kinabalu National Park (Sabah) and the Mulu National Park (Sarawak) had been recognised as World Heritage Sites under the Natural Site category in the year 2000.

At the ceremony, Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin received the official letter of recognition from Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, who is also the President of the National Commission of Unesco, Malaysia.

Hishammuddin had earlier received the letter of recognition from the Unesco representative, Hubert J. Gijzen.

Abdullah also hoped that the RM50 million allocation given to the Ministry of of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage in the 2009 Budget would be utilised in the best manner for the preservation and rehabilitation of heritage sites in both the urban centres.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister described the recognition of Melaka and Georgetown as World Heritage Sites as very appropriate.

"The history of Melaka and Georgetown had begun centuries ago. The location of both sites along the Melaka Straits is most strategic as the straits had been the most important route for trade between the East and the West.

"The arrival of the various communities from all over the world to Melaka was the beginning for all things... Eventually Malaya became a multiracial country until today. That was the beginning of the history of Malaya which later became Malaysia," he said.

Abdullah said history had clearly shown that right from the start, the people of this country had always adopted an open and tolerant attitude and lived in harmony.

-- BERNAMA


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## nazrey (Sep 12, 2003)

*George Town and Malacca receive World Heritage Site Award*
Sunday November 23, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: Thousands of Malaysians and foreign tourists witnessed the official awarding of the Unesco World Heritage Site to George Town and Malacca at a colourful ceremony at Dataran Merdeka last night.

The award arrived on an elephant and was passed to Unesco’s regional science bureau for Asia and the Pacific director Hubert J. Gijzen who then gave it to Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammud-din Tun Hussein who is Malaysia’s Unesco national committee president.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, then received the award from Hishammuddin.

Penang Governor Tun Dr Abd Rahman Abbas, Malacca Governor Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Mohd Ali Rustam and Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal witnessed the ceremony.

“The heritage status put us on the world tourism map, said Abdullah.

“These towns have a heavy responsibility to maintain the status. They have to preserve buildings, monuments and the environment,” he added.

Cultural troupes from Malacca and Penang put up musical plays that illustrated the founding of the towns.

There were also boria, ghazal and chingay performances from Penang while Malacca’s famous dondang sayang and Portuguese dancers performed for the crowd.


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## nazrey (Sep 12, 2003)

*City status not affected*
Sunday November 23, 2008

GEORGE TOWN: George Town’s World Heritage Site status is not in jeopardy as the upcoming high-rise hotels in the area were approved with Unesco’s knowledge, said a former state exco member.

Teng Chang Yeow said the State Planning Committee amended the Penang Municipal Council planning guidelines in early 2007 to facilitate development and building of hotels.

The former Penang Tourism Development and Environment Committee chairman said Prof David Lung, sent by the World Heritage Committee to assess the heritage value of the city, was fully briefed about the three projects and raised no objections at any time.

“As such, when Unesco approved George Town’s heritage site status on July 7, it was with full awareness that the three hotels would be built.

“This means the risk of these projects affecting the city’s status as a World Heritage Site should not arise at all,” said Teng who was chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the Unesco World Heritage Listing of George Town.

Teng said that the amendment on the height control in the heritage zone were submitted to Unesco in February and approved by the world body.

He said the council had originally adopted the policy of putting a maximum height of 18m in 1996.

Two of the hotel projects are the Rice Miller Boutique Hotel and the Boustead Royale Bintang Hotel.

Both the Boustead and Rice Miller hotel are set to equal the neighbouring Bangunan Syed Putra at 51.7m while a 23-storey hotel project proposed by the Low Yat Group was approved on June 26.

He said the approval of buildings exceeding 18m in the heritage zone was under strict conditions and not a blanket approval on all buildings.

Teng also hit out at the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Associa-tion (Rehda) Penang for stating that no public participation, input or consultation was ever conducted before the application and successful listing.

“In a series of listing exercises in the middle of last year, stakeholders and state bodies were consulted on the Unesco application including Rehda,” said Teng.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said he was unaware of the amended guidelines.

“In 2007, a waiver had been put in to allow the state some leeway in approving buildings as long as they were not higher than existing buildings in the vicinity.

“However, these guidelines were never included into the Penang Municipal Council building plans, so we were not aware of it,” he said when contacted.

The Consumers Association of Penang, meanwhile, urged the state governments of Penang and Malacca and the Federal Govern-ment to work together to protect the heritage site status of the two cities.


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## OshHisham (Nov 14, 2005)

nazrey said:


> *Penaga Laut trees are back in George Town*
> Monday July 28, 2008, TheStar
> 
> THE Penaga Laut (Calophyllum inophyllum), also known as the Alexandrian Laurel, once thrived in abundance in the cape of George Town but not a single tree could be found there in recent years.
> ...


ahhh...how come i miss read this news. wow, a green shady penang within 10 years time....! :banana:


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## Greg (Nov 9, 2003)

*Penang to lose heritage status?*

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/SE+Asia/Story/STIStory_306283.html

KUALA LUMPUR - THE UN said on Monday Malaysia's Penang island could lose its newly-acquired world heritage status because of a row over plans for four high-rise hotels. 
Mr Hubert Gijzen, the regional chief of Unesco, the UN's cultural wing, who officially presented the listing to Penang and southern Malacca state at the weekend, said the body would send experts to help resolve the controversy. 

It is claimed that the hotels, all of which have been approved by Malaysian planning authorities, would be too tall under Unesco's rules for world heritage listing. 

'I have spoken to the Malaysian minister of unity, culture and heritage and we agreed to set up a joint Unesco mission of experts who will sit with the local government and developers to work this out,' he told AFP. 

'The team will look at all angles and submit its findings and we will try to work it out but if after several rounds we cannot reach an agreement then the island will risk losing its heritage status,' he said. 

'So I think this is the best way to resolve the situation and I am now waiting for the minister to write formally so that we can begin.' 

Last week Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said his government was in a bind as the state could not afford to face legal action over cancelling the buildings which exceed Unesco's 15-metre maximum height limit. 

He said three of the buildings were approved by a previous state government, and the fourth was approved before heritage status was granted in July. 

A member of the former state government has said the guidelines on the height policy had been amended to allow the buildings, and Mr Gijzen said that claim would have to be investigated. 

'All countries have to go strictly by the guidelines which are rarely amended. If it violates the guidelines then it cannot be done,' he said. 

The Unesco boss said the determining factor would be the exact location of the buildings. 

'There is a matter of which zone these buildings are located in as the rules are very strict for the inner zone, less so for the immediate zone and there is some flexibility for the outer zone,' he said. 

'If the development is outside the outer zone, it could be higher than 15 metres.' 

The New Straits Times reported on Monday that two of the four hotels would be located in the inner zone while the other two would be in the outer zone. 

Penang's capital, George Town, along with the port city of Malacca, were awarded heritage status after years of waiting for recognition. Penang's capital was honoured for its colonial-era pre-World War II buildings. 

Malaysia had hoped the heritage listing would boost tourism, which is a key foreign exchange earner. -- AFP


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## nazrey (Sep 12, 2003)

*New Hotels Will Not Affect Georgetown's Status As World Heritage Site*
November 22, 2008 19:08 PM

PENANG, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- The building of Rice Miller Boutique Hotel, Boustead Royale Bintang Hotel and expansion of E&O Hotel near the heritage site will not affect Georgetown's status as a Unesco world heritage site.

Former state executive councillor for tourism development and environment Teng Chang Yeow said Unesco was informed of the three new buildings when the Penang Barisan Nasional (BN) government applied for the status last year.

He said the Preparatory Committee for the Unesco World Heritage Listing of Georgetown chaired by him had briefed Unesco representative Prof David Lung on the three hotel projects when he came to evaluate the city in Aug last year.

"As such, Unesco knew of the three hotel projects when Georgetown was approved as a world heritage site on July 7. The question that they will hurt the city's status does not arise."

Teng said Rice Miller Hotel and Boustead Royal Bintang Hotel were approved by the state planning committee in early last year while the expansion of E&O Hotel was given much earlier.

He declined to comment on plans by Bintang Holdings of Low Yat Group to build another hotel and that it was approved by the Pakatan Rakyat state government ten days before Georgetown was declared a world heritage site by Unesco in July.

Rice Miller Boutique Hotel and Boustead Royale Bintang Hotel, rising to 51.7 metres would be built at Weld Quay while E&O Hotel at Lebuh Farquhar would rise 17 storeys or 84.47 metres.

The other hotel to be built by Bintang Holdings at Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah would rise 23 storeys or 84.47 metres.

Unesco had decided that buildings to be built in the area should not be more than five storeys or 18 metres high.

Teng said he would be writing to the Unesco adviser for Asia-Pacific Dr Richard Engelhardt to explain the matter with copies to Prof Lung and Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal.

-- BERNAMA


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## nazrey (Sep 12, 2003)

*George Town's heritage status secure'*
Updated: Saturday November 22, 2008 MYT 7:26:03 PM
By ANDREA FILMER

GEORGE TOWN: George Town’s World Heritage Site status is not in jeopardy as the upcoming high-rise hotels in the area were approved under the guidelines sent to Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation).

Former state Tourism Development and Environment committee chairman Teng Chang Yeow said an amendment had been done to guidelines regarding the height control before they were submitted to Unesco in February this year.

“After consultation with several quarters in 1996, the council adopted the policy of putting a maximum height of 18m, the equivalent of about five storeys, on new developments in the heritage zone.

“The guidelines regarding the height controls were then amended by the State Planning Committee in early 2007 to facilitate development and two hotels - the Rice Miller Boutique Hotel and the Boustead Royale Bintang Hotel - were then approved,” Teng said.

He added that the E&O extension, to scale 84.4m upon completion, was an existing approved plan in 1996 and did not fall under the height restriction guidelines.

Teng, who is also the former Preparatory Committee for the Unesco World Heritage Listing of George Town chairman, added, however, that the approval of buildings exceeding 18m in the heritage zone were under “strict conditions” and not a blanket approval on all buildings.

Both the Boustead and Rice Miller hotels are equal in height to the neighbouring Bangunan Syed Putera at 51.7m while a 23-storey hotel project proposed by the Low Yat Group was approved on June 26. Concern over the four high-rise projects was widespread as they were believed to be in violation of the guidelines sent to Unesco.

“Prof David Lung, who had been sent by the World Heritage Committee (WHC) to assess the heritage value of the city was also fully briefed on the three impending projects and raised no objections about them at any time.

“As such, when Unesco approved George Town’s heritage status on July 7, it was with full awareness that the three hotel projects would be implemented in due time meaning that the problem of these projects affecting the city’s status as a World Heritage Site should not arise at all,” he said.

Teng also hit back at the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association (Rehda) Penang for stating that no public participation, input or consultation as to the consequences of a successful listing was ever conducted before the application.

“In a series of listing exercises in the middle of last year, which I chaired, stakeholders and state bodies had been consulted on the Unesco application including Rehda,” Teng said. 
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## nazrey (Sep 12, 2003)

*Unesco 'knew about hotel projects' *
2008/11/23 NST Online » Local News
By : Audrey Dermawan 

GEORGE TOWN: The former chairman of the preparatory committee for the listing of George Town as a Unesco World Heritage Site has weighed in on the controversy over the high-rise development in and near the heritage enclave. 
Teng Chang Yeow (picture) said the green light for three projects given by the previous administration would not affect the listing because the United Nations' World Heritage Committee was aware that the three hotel projects would be implemented.

Two of the hotels -- the Boustead Holdings Sdn Bhd project in Weld Quay and Hotel Rice Miller, a project undertaken by Asia Global Business -- are located within the heritage core zone. The other, the E&O Hotel, is in the buffer zone.

Teng, a former state executive councillor, said Unesco official Prof David Lung was in Penang in August last year to assess the heritage values of George Town.

"During that visit, the preparatory committee gave him a briefing on the three projects. As such, when Unesco approved the World Heritage Listing for George Town in July, it was with the full awareness that the three hotels would be implemented. 

"This means the problem of the projects affecting the future status of George Town as a Unesco World Heritage Site should not arise at all," he told a news conference at the state Gerakan headquarters yesterday.

The Gerakan secretary-general said he would write to Dr Richard Engelhardt, the Unesco regional adviser for the Asia-Pacific, to explain the issue. Copies will be sent to Lung and Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal.

Teng said as far as he could remember, Lung had raised no reservations or objections during or after the briefing.

Lung is the professor of architecture and founding director of the architectural conservation programme at University of Hong Kong. He is vice-president of the China chapter of International Council of Monuments and Sites. 

Lung also served as a member of the Unesco Asian Heritage award judging panel, and headed research teams in drafting applications for World Heritage Inscriptions for Macau and Kaiping, China.

Teng said to accommodate the construction of the two hotels within the heritage core zone, the state planning committee early last year endorsed an amendment to a clause in the heritage guideline formulated in 1996 on the height control policy in the core zone, but with strict conditions.

"We submitted the amendment as a supplementary document to Unesco. The dossier was submitted a year before." 

He declined to comment on another project in the buffer zone by Bintang Holdings Sdn Bhd, which was approved by the state government 10 days before George Town's listing.


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