Cameron Highlands vegetable prices going up adding to the raising prices of many food essential is adding to the woes of people in Malaysia. My mom-in-law is sure going to complain a lot since she does the marketing!

As for me, I have seen the general prices of food increasing in leaps and bounds! Just last weekend my wife went to purchase a can of sweetened condense milk and she said it was so expensive. She recalled buying it for around RM2, but now she paid about RM3 for it. Now that's about 33% increase!

And yet the Government is still spewing out imaginary CPI index of 5%. In their attempt to show that the country living index is stable to woo in foreigners perhaps to take up MM2H, they forget the real tax contributors are the majority that live and work in Malaysia!

Manpower woe in Cameron Highlands partly to blame for rising veggie prices
Tuesday November 8, 2011

IPOH: The rising prices of vegetables in the country is not solely due to the floods in Thailand or current monsoon season, said the Cameron Highlands Vegetable Growers Association's secretary-general Chay Ee Mong. Read more »

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Hey guys, do be careful when using the Simpang Pulai Road to Cameron Highlands. Apparently there is a stretch that is prone to soil movement and thus landslide. Hopefully the Public Works Department will be able to make repairs to avoid any mishap.

So far while travelling, I seldom think about such so much and leave it to God for journey mercies. So far my trips to Cameron Highlands has been incident free, though I do encounter mad drivers speeding down as though they are Tokyo drifters or what.

Anyway do take care and drive safe!
Cheers!

Safety threat: An overall view of the hillslope affected by
massive erosion along a section of the Simpang Pulai-Cameron Highlands
road near the Perak-Pahang border.

PWD to repair Simpang Pulai-Camerons road
By Sylvia Looi
Friday August 26, 2011

IPOH: The state Public Works Department (PWD) will spend RM16mil to carry out repairs on the KM43 to KM47 stretch of the Simpang Pulai-Cameron Highlands road.

Perak PWD director Datuk Dr Safry Kamal said the project would be implemented in three phases, of which RM4mil would be used to repair a barren slope at a part of the stretch.

He added that the remaining amount from the special allocation given by the Works Minister, would be spent next year.

Dr Safry said the department was closely monitoring the slope which had suffered massive erosion.

"Our slope engineering branch will alert us if there is any soil movement in that area," he said.

He added that a patrol team was also stationed there 24 hours daily.

"We will seal the road if it endangers motorists," he added.

He advised motorists to be vigilant when travelling on the stretch of the road, adding that new signage would be placed there to alert motorists. -- The Star News

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Looks like there are some minor landslide along the Simpang Pulai stretch. Whenever it rains, soil erosion occurs and when the ground becomes liquefied, it won't be able to hold the weight of the soil and landslide occurs.

Danger up high
Friday August 12, 2011

A bus passing through a stretch of the Simpang Pulai-
Cameron Highlands road. — Saiful Bahri / The Star

THE Perak Public Works Department is monitoring a stretch of the Simpang Pulai - Cameron Highlands road which has suffered from massive erosion.

Its director Datuk Dr Safry Kamal Ahmad said the department has deployed a team to inspect the stretch from KM23 to KM27.

On Sunday, seven people died in a landslide at an orang asli village in the highlands. -- The Star News

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Cameron Highlands landslide: Seven dead
Published: Monday August 8, 2011 MYT 8:08:00 AM
Updated: Monday August 8, 2011 MYT 1:44:12 PM

CAMERON HIGHLANDS: Seven people, including a family of three, died in Sunday's landslide at Kampung Sungai Ruil, near Brinchang in Cameron Highlands, with two others surviving the incident.

A Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said the last victim was found at 1.21am Monday.

The two injured are being treated at the Ipoh General Hospital.

Following the recovery of all victims, search and rescue operations in the area haved been called off.

Aftermath of the landslide that hit the
Sungai Ruil Orang Asli settlement in Cameron Highlands
on Sunday. - Bernama - 8 August, 2011

The incident caused three houses in the village to be buried while another three were partially submerged.

Villagers gathered at the Sultanah Hajjah Kalsom Hospital mortuary Monday morning to claim the victims' remains.

Cameron Highlands MP Datuk S.K. Devamany, who was at the scene, said this was the first time an incident of such magnitude had hit the village. Read more »

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Arrested in hotel room for wearing Bersih t-shirts

Cameron Highlands police invaded the privacy of four people by arresting them for wearing Bersih t-shirts inside their hotel room.

KUALA LUMPUR: In a blatant invasion of privacy, the police arrested four people on holiday in Cameron Highlands by entering their hotel room at 1am on Sunday. The reason for the arrest: they were wearing Bersih t-shirts inside their hotel room.

Those arrested were Seputeh MP’s Teresa Kok’s aide Teh Hoong Keat, 25; Lan Suet Ling, 23; Chin Kah Wai, 25; and a mutual acquaintance who requested anonymity.

But the baffling part is that while they were held at the police station for three hours, no statements were taken, and their Bersih t-shirts were given back to them and told “to wear it as we please”.

Teh told a press conference today that the police arrested him and the three others when they were in their room at Cool Point Hotel in Cameron Highlands. Read more »

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Here's a resident of Cameron Highlands complaining about the traffic jams and road congestion of this popular Cameron Highlands resort. If it was me, I would be fuming mad at the heavy traffic whenever a peak weekend or peak holiday season attraction thousands of tourist. Since I'm just a tourist having a love for this popular Malaysia highland, taking a break from the rat race of KL only to face another traffic nightmare in the highlands is not to my liking either. I can empathized with this writer.

Uphill battle against traffic chaos
Thursday July 14, 2011

I HAVE lived in the Cameron Highlands for the past 26 years and have seen the many changes to the once serene and peaceful hill station. I can no longer agree and accept happily if someone were to describe the highlands as the ideal getaway. Read more »

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The skilled need to be wooed back
Tuesday June 21, 2011

IT was with interest I read that a man from relatively humble beginnings in Cameron Highlands, Sam Chong, is among Australia’s richest persons with wealth estimated at around A$950mil (RM3.06bil), made from coal mining (“I did it mine-way! M’sian-born Chong among Aussie’s richest” – The Star, June 20).

Like Datuk Jimmy Choo, here is another Malaysian who has brought pride and glory to the country. Only when he was listed in Business Review Weekly (BRW) as among the “Rich 200” did he come into the limelight.

Chong today is regarded as one of Australia’s biggest coal miners. It was the Malaysia Boleh spirit and sheer hard work that enabled him to reach where he is today.

Chong, 68, owns a substantial shareholding in Jellinbah Resources, which operates two coal mines and is in the process of developing a third.

Even at an age when most people would be thinking of taking it easy, Chong is still persevering to reach even greater heights.Read more »

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June, 19. 2011

MELBOURNE: A man from humble beginnings in Cameron Highlands is today Australia's wealthiest Malaysian-born with a fortune of A$950mil (RM3.06bil) made from coal mining.

Sam Chong, 68, has kept a low profile and managed to avoid the limelight until last week when the Business Review Weekly (BRW) named him in its "Rich 200" list.

Publicity-shy Chong, a mining engineer, is rarely mentioned in the Australian media and when Bernama phoned him in Brisbane, where he lives, he was reluctant to talk of his success as one of Australia's biggest coal miners.

He also declined to talk of his dedication and hard work and the many years it had taken him to achieve his ambition.

According to the BRW, Chong's ascent to the ranks of Australia's richest illustrates the rapid rise in the price of coking coal used to produce iron from its ore.

Chong owns a substantial share of Jellinbah Resources, which operates two coal mines and is in the process of developing another.

Production has reached eight million tonnes a year but expansions are expected to boost production to 12 million tonnes a year by 2013.

BRW said Chong also benefited greatly from the quality of the ore in his deposits. Read more »

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A long walk down
Saturday June 4, 2011

I have one more year to retirement.

My working life has been very interesting as I have met so many people with unique characters.

During our company’s recent team building trip to Cameron Highlands, the boss hired a small 25-seater coach for the 21 people on the trip. Among us was a young girl, fresh from school, who was normally quite talkative at work. She didn’t seem timid until one afternoon during the trip when she went into an all-hell-break-loose frenzy. Read more »

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More incinerators needed for waste disposal
Thursday May 26, 2011 MYT 5:26:00 PM

LANGKAWI: More incinerators must be built in the country as landfills can no longer be accepted as the best option for waste disposal in the future, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heong said.

He said on environmental and health-related grounds, incinerators would also be the preferred choice for waste disposal in the long term.

The minister said the five existing and under-construction incinerators in Langkawi, Tioman Island, Cameron Highlands, Pangkor Island and Labuan were capable of meeting the demand for waste disposal services for another 30 to 40 years. Read more »

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Cuti-Cuti road in bad shape
Wednesday April 6, 2011

I AM a frequent traveller from and to Cameron Highlands and most of the time I use the road to Tapah.

This road is in a very bad condition on the Perak side. There are so many potholes and depressions along the road that makes driving very difficult. Read more »

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Volunteers commended for rescuing tourist
Monday March 28, 2011

KUANTAN: It was the cooperation between the public and police that saved Lee Wonk-seok, son of the South Korean Ambassador to Malaysia, after he went missing at Gunung Brinchang, Cameron Highlands.

Businessman Ramakrishnan Ramasamy, 45, said he, along with 12 other volunteers and the police managed to locate Lee, in his 20s, in a 12-hour search-and-rescue operation on Tuesday.

“The trek would be tough for outsiders but we are used to it since we are locals. Furthermore, we are always prepared to help search for lost tourists,” he said. Read more »

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Celebration of culture in Cameron Highlands
By Nik Naizi Husin
Saturday March 26, 2011

THE orang asli women in Kampung Sungai Ruil in Cameron Highlands, Pahang, are a creative lot.

They became the centre of attention during a competition on forest-based decorative products during an event organised by the Information, Commu­ni­cation and Culture Ministry here recently.

The competition was organised by the ministry to popularise the community’s arts and culture among the public.

Ankle strength: The action at the sepak raga competition

While the women took time off to prepare their ornate decorations, the men and children took part in a variety of activities that reflected their daily lives.

They showed off their axemanship skills in chopping wood using the beliung a traditional hatchet, played sepak raga, target shooting with blowpipe as well as singing.

In closing the event, Deputy Minister Senator Datuk Maglin Dennis D’ Cruz said the programme was a long term project by the ministry in its bid to boost creativity and the tourism industry.Read more »

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Malaysia Florist sales to be up

Yep, with Valentine's Day coming and Chap Goh Mei, Malaysia Florist will have higher demand. Strangely got one or two inquiries for flowers from my website! Unfortunately I don't supply flowers.

Cheers!

Rosy month ahead for florists
Monday January 17, 2011

CAMERON HIGHLANDS: The demand for flowers, especially roses, is expected to triple in February due to the Chinese New Year celebrations on Feb 3 and Valentine's Day on Feb 14.

This is a welcome development for flower growers in Cameron Highlands who are geared up to meet the expected increase in demand, especially flowers for Valentine's Day which will pick up a better price.

Tiew Hui Ree, a florist at the Kea Farm here said the price of roses had increased four-fold ahead of Valentine's Day, with local roses being sold at RM15 a dozen compared with the usual RM5.

The price of carnations had doubled compared with recent years, Tiew, 43, added.

Most of the local roses are sold in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor.

"The market has experienced a high demand for roses and other flowers since the beginning of this month," she said, adding that the demand was expected to peak a week before Chinese New Year.

Another florist Vaani Supiah, said she is looking forward to the double celebrations as many would just buy without bargaining for a lower price.

She said sales last February were a bit dull because both Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day fell on the same day.

They are now gearing up to face a busy February not only with the expected increase in demand but also with the arrival of tourists to the highland resort due to the long weekend break for the Chinese New Year. — Bernama

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Bus crash: Six months to come up with findings
15/Jan/2011

SERDANG: The independent inquiry board probing the double-decker bus crash in Cameron Highlands has six months to come out with its findings, which may have a nationwide impact.

Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Radin Umar Radin Sohadi, who is chairing the board, said the first two months would be spent investigating the technical and legal aspects of the Dec 20 crash, which left 28 people dead.

The next four months would be used for coming out with a structured report concerning all public transport and heavy vehicle operations in Malaysia.Read more »

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