Tag - Tourism

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah's Australian connection is bound to get more meaningful now that Scott Morrison has become its new Prime Minister. He is the only Australian PM to have personally retraced a major part of the route that some of the 2,500-odd Allied troops comprising Australian and British, among others, were forced to take by their Japanese captors and which resulted in the deaths of all but six of them in the closing stages of World War Two in what has been called the Death March. Some of the survivors were murdered and it is said that for every 15 PoWs that died, the Japanese also lost 10 of their own. It is one of the war's most horrific stories and was slated to be a major Hollywood movie starring Hugh Jackson, but for some reason is not in the Malaysian history books. There were actually three marches in all with troops broken into batches. Some of their remains were recovered after the war and buried in Labuan. To have an idea of the hell that the Prisoners of War went through, Scott decided to complete the track all the way from Telupid to Ranau, covering some 100km of leech-infested jungle and crossing waist-deep rivers. "I feel very proud and honoured that a humble and friendly person has suddenly become the Prime Minister of Australia," said Tham Yau Kong who personally guided Morrison and two fellow politicians, then Defence Minister Jason Clare and Independent Rob Oakeshott in the six-day walk from Telupid to the Last Camp Site in Ranau together with Lynette Silver, husband Neil Silver and a group of 20 Australian students, in April 2011. Oakeshott's grandfather was executed two weeks after Japan's surrender. "At that time, Morrison's Liberal Party was in the Opposition and Labor was in power,' Tham said. Morrison, Clare and Oakeshott did everything to re-enact the Death March experience of their fallen Australian PoWs, specifically the infamous rice-carrying party. "They asked for five 10kg bags of rice and carried that in turn from Nabutan to Nalapak and to Muruk about 20km apart and distributed the rice to some poor locals afterwards," Tham recalled. "I remember calling him 'Sir' and he stopped me, saying 'Don't call me Sir, just call my name'. I was shocked because forgetting to call someone a Datuk in Sabah can sometimes invite trouble," said Tham. Morrison and friends bought a 12-day package which started in Sandakan and ended in Labuan, said Tham who said he heard the breaking news (Scott becoming PM) in Telupid during a morning briefing on Thursday from a lady named Malemie Stone, who is part of a four-member group doing a similar Death March trek at the moment. Asked how would this help in telling the Death March story to the world, Tham said: "We hope the Malaysian authorities and especially the Sabah State Government would recognise this tragic episode in World War 2 history. "Don't forget this because it is not only an Australian and British history but part of Sabah's history. "If every tourism Minister focus on their own constituencies, I am very afraid the Death March tracks which we spent years of effort to relocate and eventually marked would soon be forgotten and lost to the jungle," Tham said. Matta (Malaysian Tourism Association) President Tan Kok Liang acknowledged that there has been an increasing interest lately by foreign tourists in experiencing Sabah's Death March route, which has been overlooked. "At the moment only very experienced guides are handling this but it will become a hit should the authorities get into the act by marking the route, complete with facilities for tourists who wish to take their time to relive it while enjoying the jungle fauna and flora. "It has all the potential of becoming a major tourism product with locals living along the route also benefitting through homestays," he said. - Kan Yaw Chong Source: Daily Express

Kota Kinabalu: Blending jazz with a local Sabahan song, Original Sabahan by Atmosfera, made audience forget the heat and start dancing when it was performed by the III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) Band. Making their appearance for the first time in Sabah, the third MEF Band is the sole musical representative of the United States Marine Corps in the East Asia and Pacific Region with nine members. The Band's Leader Sergeant Colin Deeter said each member had been playing their respective instrument for two to 26 years and have enjoyed performing across the region despite their hectic schedule. It has only been a week since their stayed in Sabah and the band has mastered to combine their usual Jazz touch with the local Sabahan element which they have performed artistically. "We only practised the song (Original Sabahan) last week for one hour and performed in a school the following day. And we have played the song for 10 times in different places. "We have heard the lyrics and I know the first few words and that is it. The music was really enjoyable," Deeter said. The band comprised Lance Corporal Alex Ilgenfritz, 24, who plays the alto saxophone, Sergeant Jesse Sylvester, 27, with the trombone, Staff Sergeant Matthew Duncan, 31, with the tuba, Corporal Michael Frake, 21, with the percussions, Sergeant Zak Reed, 33, with trumpet, Corporal Danny Talob, 30 as the tenor saxophonist. Sergeant Mark Gulotta, 24, as the band's drummer with Sergeant Dan Miller 31, with the trumpet and Deeter as the trombone player. He also said that they had previously performed in Lumut, Perak before journeying to Sabah to present their musical talent. Meanwhile, United States of America Embassy Environment, Science and Technology Officer West Follmer said the band is in Kota Kinabalu in conjunction with the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (Exercise Carat) which is a series of annual bilateral military exercises conducted by the United States Pacific Fleet with several member nations of Asean. He said the exercise is aimed to enhance regional cooperation, friendship building and to strengthen professional skills and to show appreciation over the US-Malaysia relationship that have lasted for years. Vivien Lee, who is the Political Secretary to Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew, said the performance carried out by the MEF band will surely promote Sabah. Lee hoped that the band will foster and strengthen the good relations between Sabah and the United States. "This is a good platform to forge closer collaboration and cooperation amongst us," she said. Source: Daily Express Online