Some items from the press relating to caves Contents :
Gua Tempurung age
Proto Malays
Thaipusam 2012 and Batu Caves cable car
Lenggong Valley as World Heritage Site
Gua Bewah skeleton, Kenyir
Dato Adii Taha death
Gua Tempurung
Jan 18 2012 the New Straits Times reported that Gua Tempurung is much older than first thought. There has always been confusion over the age, as many tourist reports write that "the cave has been in existence since 8000 BC" and there is no mention of the age of the rock. Many reporters don't know the difference between the age of the rock forming the hill and the age of the cave. Geologists generally say the rock is around 200 million years old and the cave no older than about 5Ma. But this NST report now says it is 1500 million years old. However on the 18 Jan the SinChew papar wrote 150 myo, which is more credible. No one can tell the age of rock simply by looking at it.
A CHINESE geologist's findings has revealed that Gua Tempurung is more than 1,500 million years ago.
The findings by Zhou Shunbin, head of geology department of the Guangzhou Province's Education Association, has prompted the Perak state government to conduct further studies on the cave which is a popular tourist destination.
Previous studies by the state authorities had shown that the cave was only 400 million years.
Zhou led a delegation of 93 students from Guangzhou to visit the cave recently.
The visit was arranged by the Global Institute of Tourism and Tourism Perak.
Zhou said one of the rocks known as "meat rock" spotted by in Gua Tempurung would have taken at least 1,500 million years to form. He said a similar rock was exhibited in a museum in Taiwan but it was not in its natural form.
"The rock designs and formation in Gua Tempurung are beautiful and they are unpolished," he said.
"We are also attracted by the biodiversity of the area."
The cave has one of the most majestic white marble and limestone towers in Malaysia.
Concealed within the cave is an intricate system of smaller caves.
There are breathtaking natural formations of stalagmites and stalactites found only in this part of the world. Tunnels meander under the limestone hill that run for nearly 2km.
Earlier, the delegation, including 14 teachers and education department officials, were welcomed by Perak Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Hamidah Osman.
They were then taken on a tour of the cave. Hamidah said: "Based on the age of the rock formation revealed by the delegation, we will ask the authorities to conduct a detailed study of the age of the cave.
"We will also liaise with Zhou for more information on his findings."
In China, such formations are preserved.
Hamidah also hoped the students would become ambassadors after their visit to promote the state back home.
"This will be a boost to the state in view of the Visit Perak Year 2012."
Meanwhile Chen Shu, 12, from Guanzhou Second Middle School, said: "I was excited about the visit. This is the first time I have seen such beautiful rock formations.
"I will definitely come back."
Another student, Huang Jia Qing, 14, from Guanzhou Experimental School, said: "This is a new experience for me. I learned how the rocks were formed.
"I will share my knowledge with my classmates back home."
The delegation was on a three-day visit. They also went jungle-trekking in Ulu Geroh, Gopeng -- where they saw a Rafflesia flower -- before going to the seaside in Pangkor.
----
A few days later The Star 23 Jan jumped on the bandwagon and published a similiar report. Seems that Perak is trying to get visitors for the Visit Perak Year 2012.
Chinese students enjoy unforgettable nature trip
Guangdong Province Education Association geology department head Prof Zhou SinBun, who led the group, said the trip was very rewarding.
“Among the highlights was the discovery of a rare limestone formation that resembled layers of meat at Gua Tempurung.
“I have only seen museum exhibits of such formations but never in real life. I hope the state government will add this to its list of tourism products,” he said.
Prof Zhou said a similar formation resembling a piece of meat was at the Taiwan National Palace Museum.
“It is actually banded jasper, a stone that accumulates layers over hundreds of years and various impurities add on to the colours, making it look like layers of fat and meat,” he said.
Prof Zhou estimated that the particular rock, which he saw in Gua Tempurung, was estimated to be 1m in length and had taken up to 1.5 billion years to form.
“It is much larger compared with the one that was being exhibited in Taiwan,” he said, adding that it was first time he had seen it in its natural surrounding.
The group was welcomed by state Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Hamidah Osman at Gua Tempurung.
Their trip was organised in conjunction with Visit Perak Year 2012.
----
Jasper is not found in limestone. The cave 'meat' is probably calcite.
[Note the spellings of the geologist's name : NST calls him Zhou Shunbin, Star calls him Zhou SinBun.
----
This also made the international Caving News.
---------------------------
Proto Malays
Unfortunately in Malaysia, there are certain people who are determined to prove that one race is older than the others. These people tend to come out with crazy ideas and comments. The first such crazy piece for 2012 is this one, on the claims that the human race came from the proto Malays. It was published in the Malaysian Insider on Jan 20. See SEA Arch blog for more comments.
Study claims human race came from Proto-Malays
By Lisa J. Ariffin, January 20, 2012
Archaeological and genetic research suggests that ancient Proto-Malays who lived in the Sunda Shelf were the ancestors of the human race.
In a video presentation at the conference on the origin of the Malay race here, conference deputy chairwoman Zaharah Sulaiman explained how inhabitants on the Sunda Shelf survived the Toba super-volcanic eruption 75,000 years ago.
She added that the group, having left Africa, was forced to migrate to other parts of the world 25,000 years ago due to global warming, which she said caused floods that divided the Sunda Shelf into islands.
Supporting this theory was University Sains Malaysia scientist Zafarina Zainuddin, whose DNA-based study claims to trace “pure Malay lineage” for at least three generations.
Financed by a RM1.4 million grant from the Higher Education Ministry, Zafarina’s research ostensibly shows that Malays are the oldest community in South-East Asia.
“They can be traced back to 60,000 years,” Zafarina said.
She added that by finding “Malays have genetics which originate from Malay land”, this would reignite the “Malay spirit” so people will be proud to be Malays.
The conference was officially launched by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhiddin Yassin, who expressed hoped the convention will contribute positively to the development of Malays as well as other races and religion in the country.
------------------
THAIPUSAM 2012
Thaipusam falls on 7 Feb 2012. An estimated 1.5 million are expected to go to Batu Caves for the event.
Temple ready for 1.5m visitors
By VEENA BABULAL , New Straits Times, 21 Jan 2012
A CROWD of 1.5 million are expected to throng the cave temple complex at Batu Caves come Thaipusam on Feb 7.
Datuk R. Nadarajah says the Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam temple committee has spent RM500,000 on preparations for Thaipusam.
The sum was used to install utilities, erect tents for stalls and shelter, hire cleaners, engage contractors to collect rubbish around the 6.67ha grounds, repainting, and pay commission to staff.
Temple committee chairman Datuk R. Nadarajah said the amount included the replacement of four water pumps.
"We replaced all three pumps used to channel milk offerings from the hilltop Sri Subramania Swamy temple to the ground some 100m below. A water pump at the toilet was also replaced," he said.
Digital television screens, airing programmes of the event, will also be placed on the temple grounds.
A Streets visit to the temple showed work to be well under way.
The re-painting of its iconic 272 steps and its 42.7m-tall statue of Lord Muruga with gold paint that has been mixed with chemical compounds to repel birds began this week.
Nadarajah said this year, visitors would be re-directed from the usual route up the hilltop temple.
"Bearers of kavadi and milk pots will no longer be allowed to use the centre lane on the stairs.
"They will use the left lane and leave the centre and right lanes to others ," he said.
On the allocation of stalls, he said 250 stalls would be available for booking on Tuesday.
He denied that there were middlemen who booked the stalls to re-sell at higher prices.
"That used to happen three, four years ago, when we allowed people to pre-book stalls without payment. However, it is now first-come first-served. They also have to make the full payment.
"Committee members will make checks to ensure that the person who booked the stall is actually trading there," he said, adding that the committee charges between RM500 and RM1,000 per stall, depending on its size.
-----------
There was a call to ban the sale of alcohol on Feb 7 around areas where Thaipusam was celebrated.
-----------
Once again the cable car project was mentioned, in NST on 6 Feb 2012. It was previously mentioned in 2011.
Cable car for Thaipusam 2013
A COMPANY from India has been granted the development order for a cable car system in Batu Caves. The project, a joint venture between Damodar Ropeways, a Calcutta-based company, and the Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam temple committee, will take off in a month or two.
The service caters for the elderly and the disabled, who cannot climb the 272 steps leading to the hilltop Sri Subramania Swamy temple.
Temple committee chairman Datuk R. Nadarajah said the RM10 million project was fully sponsored by Damodar Ropeways and would be completed in time for Thaipusam next year.
The cars would run from the cave temple complex car park on a 150m cable. However, the number of cars was still undecided.
"There are several technical conditions and guidelines to meet. But initial soil testing, geological surveys and other technical aspects have been covered. We have ongoing meetings with the company to discuss project updates," he said.
Meanwhile, for many of the elderly and disabled in the Hindu community, the cable car service was the answer to their prayers.
"I am getting older and can no longer take the crowd. There is a lot of pushing and shoving on the walk up the stairs during Thaipusam. The heat also makes it unbearable," said G. Sivanes, a 55-year-old diabetic patient who also suffers from hypertension.
"The cable car would also help the disabled folk and people like my 70-year-old mother, who are too weak to climb the stairs. She will be happy to be able to go up again after 15 years.
Photography enthusiast Joseph Jeremiah, 22, also welcomed the move. He said shutterbugs would be able to take pictures from new angles.
"It also gives me a better view of what is going on so I get better ideas for my pictures," he said, adding the cave temple complex was a great setting for pictures."
---------------------------
|
Lenggong Valley as World Heritage Site
In Dec 2009 it was announced there were plans to nominate Lenggong Valley to Unesco as a world archaeological heritage site. On 24 Jan 2012 Bernama announced that they are confident this will happen.
Perak confident Lenggong Valley will be listed as World Heritage Site
The Perak government is confident that the Lenggong
Valley will soon be listed as a World Heritage Site by the Unites Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
State Industry, Investment, Entrepreneur Development, ICT, Tourism and Women
Affairs Committee chairman Datuk Hamidah Osman said the listing would add value
to the ongoing Visit Perak Year 2012 promotional campaign.
"We are confident that the proposal, the discovery of artifacts and the research
conducted in the Lenggong Valley will be given fair considerations by the UNESCO
in accepting Malaysia's nomination, she told reporters here.
Malaysia submitted the nomination for Lenggong Valley on Jan 31 last year and
the results is expected to be known after the UNESCO convention in Africa.
January 31, 2012 Bernama report :
Darul Ridzuan Museum to be upgraded into Perak Archaeological Museum
The Perak government has allocated RM100,000 to upgrade Muzium Darul Ridzuan here into the Perak Archaeological Museum in preparation for the Lenggong Valley to be declared a Unesco World Heritage Site.
State Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Hamidah Osman said the allocation was for
improving the infrastructure at the museum, including providing more display
racks for the archaeological artefacts and upgrading the lighting.
"This project is expected to start in February and the state government has
obtained the cooperation of Universiti Sains Malaysia which agreed to hand over
the archaeological items found in the Lenggong Valley for free to be exhibited
at the museum," she told reporters, here, today.
Hamidah said the archaeological museum would be a new tourism product offered by
the state's capital city of Ipoh.
She said more museums and galleries would be established, especially Ipoh, to
encourage tourists to stay longer in the state.
"I hope the archaeological museum will be able to also operate on Sundays and
public holidays so that more people will be able to visit and gain knowledge
from it," she said.
It was reported that the nomination document and rehabilitation management plan
for the Lenggong Valley had been sent by the National Heritage Department to the
World Heritage Centre at Unesco on Jan 31 last year, and the state is awaiting
the decision on the listing of the area as a World Heritage Site.
Further news on the application. This appeared in NST, 14 February
2012 :
Unesco to show Lenggong Valley artefacts
The uniqueness of Malaysia's heritage, including Perak's Lenggong
Valley artefacts, will be displayed at the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) headquarters in Paris,
beginning today. The five-day exhibition, organised by the Department
of National Heritage, will be officiated by Information, Communication
and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.
In a statement yesterday, the ministry said the exhibition portrayed
the depth of Malaysian heritage which went as far back as 1.8 million
years, in the Lenggong Valley.
The valley was occupied for a very long period, making it one of the
longest culture sequences in the world.
The exhibition also includes recent archaeological evidence indicating
that the beginning of civilisation in Southeast Asia was found in the
Bujang Valley, as early as 3,000 years ago, predating the evidence in
neighbouring countries.
----------------------
Gua Bewah skeleton, new find
On 14 Feb 2012 Bernama reported that a new skeleton had been found in Gua Bewah at Tasik Kenyir. This was also published in The Star and NST. This is the Bernama report,although it is not clear if the skeleton was found in Gua Bewah or in a new cave :
Found: Remains Of Prehistoric Skeleton, Cave
The Terengganu Museum Board has discovered another prehistoric skeleton and cave at Gua Bewah located in the Tasik Kenyir area, following a recent excavation.
This is the second prehistoric skeleton and cave discovered in the
vicinity since 2010.
Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said said studies were being
conducted on the latest discovery, adding that the new cave would be
equipped with moving ladder using solar energy, and costing between
RM16 to RM18 million to facilitate visitors.
See more on archives 2011.
----------------------
The passing of Dato Adi Taha
Dato Adi Taha died on 4 Feb 2012. He was a well known archaeologist and
had done a lot of work on cave sites such as Gua Cha and other cave
sites in Kelantan. He was also the Director-General of Museums and
Antiquities in Muzium Negara (National Museum), Kuala Lumpur.
See this message from Peter Bellwood on SEAArch.
|
