Good News : Sipadan Remains Open

The Sabah Culture Environment Tourism Minister, Datuk Chong Kah Kiat announced that the world-famous diving spot - Sipadan Island is open to visitors until the relevant authorities meet and decide on the next course of action to take regarding the running of the island.
As a precaution, please double confirm with your tour operator before flying in. You will never know, the stands of our officers here are as changable as the local weather!
And please, please obtain a permit for visiting the Sipadan island. This is actually the responbility of your tour operator, but be aware that this is the most important prequisition for your visit.

Sipadan Island Closed Indefinitely

The Sipadan Island will be closed to all visitors indefinitely due to extensive damages to the eco-system caused by an unauthorised barge carrying heavy building materials meant for construction works on the island. Read more....... (View Sipadan Island)

Sabah Fest 2006

Sabah Fest 2006 has begun. It was officiated by Head Of State Of Sabah, TYT Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah in the presence of the Chief Minister of Sabah Datuk Musa Aman and Deputy CM cum Minister of Tourism Datuk Chong Kah Kiat. It will run from May 6 until May 14. Cultural shows including traditional dances, songs and handicrafts by the 30+ ethnic groups in Sabah will be performed at the various shopping complexes/malls around Sabah. Visitors (foreign and local) are welcomed to sample the various traditional cookings available at the stores which will be put up by the organising body at each of the venue where such shows are held. The month May, is a month of celebrations in Sabah because Kaamatan, the most important festival for the largest ethnic group in Sabah - the Kadazandusun, will be celebrated at 30th & 31st of May every year. Starting at early of the month almost every town with Kadazandusun residents will take turns to hold Tamu (open air gatherings), where people of all races in Sabah will come out to watch dance performance, beauty contests, take part in rice wine drinking, consuming traditional home cookings. And on the actual days of Kaamatan (30th & 31st) the Tamu Besar (Grand Gathering) will be held. The role of playing host to the Tamu Besar will be rotated between the major towns each year. The Kaamatan (Harvest Festival) is to give thanks to the Rice Goddess after a boundiful harvest in May when the harvest season is just over for the year. But, please do not confuse the Sabah Fest with the Kaamatan (Harvest Festival), some ethnic groups in Sabah do not celebrate the Kaamatan. The Sabah Fest is held in May because the air is full of joy this particular month.

Cures For Cancer,AIDS And Malaria Found in Borneo Rainforest

Site Category : Rainforests It is reported in the Sabah local papers that certain trees found in the rainforest on the Borneo island may provide the keys to produce cures for the most deadly human diseases - Cancer, Aids and Malaria. The new WWF report was compiled by associate professor with Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Dr Menno Schilthuizen. He said in his report that an Australian pharmaceutical company has identified a promising anti-cancer substance in a shrub in Sarawak. A compound present in the plant Aglaia leptantha has been found to effectively kill 20 kinds of human cancer cells in laboratory tests, including those that cause brain and breast cancer, and melanoma. Scientists also found a unique chemical in latex produced by the Bintangor tree. The compound, Calanolide A, that appears to be effective against the repication of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), as well as the tuberculosis bacterium, which affects many AIDS patients. The discovery is particularly important as, to date, no single drug has been able to treat both HIV and TB. If clinically proven, Calanolide A, could be a major development for the health of many millions worldwide. The report further said that researchers found a powerful and previously unknown anti-malarial agent in the bark of a local tree, Lansium domesticum, traditionally used by the Kenyah people of Kalimantan to treat malaria. The substance, a triterpenoid - apparently kills the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum in laboratory tests. However,the Chief Executive Director of WWF-Malaysia, Dr Mikaail Kavanagh, fears that these new discoveries will disappear together with the rainforest from the heart of Borneo if they are not protected. He reiterated that he hoped the 3 Borneoan countries namely Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei will sign the " Heart Of Borneo Declaration" which aims to preserve approximately 220,000 sq km of equatorial forests and numerous wildlife species.