Samster Gathering JB

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The STAR dated Friday 30 December 2005 :-

Bigfoot ‘can boost eco-tourism’

IF BIGFOOT really exists in Johor, the find may turn out to be a major crowd puller for the country’s eco-tourism sector.

Johor National Parks Corporation (JNPC) director Hashim Yusof in an interview with a Malay daily said any physical and scientific evidence of Bigfoot’s existence would turn the state’s forest into an attraction for researchers and tourists alike.

However, Hashim said that JNPC was unable to track down Bigfoot due to a shortage of manpower to comb the national park.

“But we are willing to work together with relevant authorities conducting researches on Bigfoot,” he said.

Johor Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) adviser Vincent Chow was earlier quoted as saying that three Bigfoots were sighted last month by workers in Kampung Mawai, Kota Tinggi.

They were believed to be between 2.4m and 3m tall.

The daily also quoted Kota Tinggi Historical Association committee member Zakaria Abdul Hadi, who had proposed that independent researchers be brought in to conduct a study.

“Without a proper study, Bigfoot remains a myth. There have been many tales about it.

“According to the tales, Bigfoot was sighted in Kampung Mawai Lama back in the 1940s,” he said.

But one man who claimed to have seen the elusive creature is Bentong deputy OCPD Deputy Supt Mohd Fakri Che Sulaiman, who told Utusan Malaysia about his encounter with Bigfoot.

“It was like a big gorilla about four storeys tall standing about 10m away.

“Although it was foggy, we could see it was staring at us with its hands on its hips,” said DSP Fakri, adding that it shouted after 10 minutes while pounding its chest.

He said although the incident happened 26 years ago at the Malaysia-Thailand border, he could remember it clearly.

DSP Fakri said he was then with the Forest Police Force in Pengakalan Chepa, Kelantan, now called the General Operations Force.

“It was about 8.30pm when 10 of us from Platoon 15 heard loud footsteps in the forest.

“We were ready to fire at it but were advised otherwise as we were worried it might become violent,” he said, adding that Bigfoot walked off soon after.

The next day, DSP Fakri said they found two left footprints measuring 0.9m long.

“Many trees were broken and uprooted as Bigfoot had trampled on them,” he said.

Bigfoot Field Research Organisation, a group which conducts scientific research to ascertain Bigfoot’s existence, claimed that Bigfoot could be found in most continents including the Americas and Asia.

It was claimed that Bigfoot had been sighted in 49 states in the United States with California recording the most with 326 sightings.

[6" boy]

Big foot kah, big dick kah and no matter who you are or where you are from...

SELAMAT HARI RAYA 2006

6"

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The New Sunday Times dated Sunday 1 January 2006 :-

Rangers on the trail of Bigfoot
Even as more people claim to have seen the Johor "Bigfoot", a senior Johor National Parks Corporation official remains sceptical.

KLUANG, Dec 31: "I still believe the creature is nothing but a myth," corporation director Hashim Yusoff said.

"However, it is not in the nature of the Orang Asli to tell lies or spin tales," he said in reference to two new accounts of the creature’s sighting.

An Orang Asli, Hamid Mohd Ali, said he came face to face with what he believed was "Bigfoot" in August.

The 31-year-old frog catcher of Kampung Punjut off Jalan Mersing here said he had gone to catch frogs at the Sungai Cemerlang, a tributary of Sungai Madek, when he stumbled upon the three-metre tall hairy creature.

"The creature was looking at me and I could see its teeth but I did not wait to find out if it was smiling at me or whether it saw me as its meal for the day," Hamid said.

However, Hamid said he believed the creature was good as he would not have lived to tell the story if it had wanted to harm him.

He said he was about 10 metres from the creature.

"An ancient myth has it that one can only see the creature, known as ‘Siamang’ to the local folk. only once in a lifetime.

"In this year alone, four villagers have claimed to have seen it and we think this is because of the shrinking jungle," he added.

Hamid said since the encounter, he had not ventured into the forest again, and had turned to fishing for a living.

Another Orang Asli, 21-year-old Herman Deraman, claimed he saw Bigfoot about three months ago while he was in the jungle collecting rattan.

"I was with four others and we saw the creature standing about 30 metres away. We only saw its back, and we fled," he said.

Herman said the creature was covered with long reddish-brown hair and it appeared to be scratching itself against a tree.

Sightings of hairy creatures said to be about three metres tall have trickled in over the years, especially from along the forest spine connecting Endau Rompin, Kota Tinggi and Tanjung Piai.

Hashim said his corporation needed physical evidence such as footprints of Bigfoot "before we can believe in its existence". Closed-circuit cameras to capture Bigfoot would only be installed when the research team turns up scientific evidence.

Hashim said this after leading a day-long expedition of park rangers and newsmen yesterday to find physical evidence to support claims of the sightings.

He said the corporation would also work with 11 Orang Asli villages near the wildlife corridor to collect an inventory of all sightings of the creature.

[boinker]

Originally Posted by KatoeyLover69

Report from The New Sunday Times dated Sunday 1 January 2006 :-

Rangers on the trail of Bigfoot

Kota Tingg got bigfoot aka gigi jarang
bukit tinggi got big boobies orang asli

the above statement i guess all tinggi place got big big things.

I wonder are they related all tinggi tinggi place sure got "san sin".

HAPPY NEW YEAR

May your new year boink bring new feeling

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Sunday STAR dated 1 January 2006 :-

Villagers’ close encounter with Bigfoot

Story and pic by Farik Zolkepli

KLUANG: It looks human but has fur the shades of dark red and black covering its face and body, stands about 4m tall and lets out a loud roar.

That is how the orang asli villagers from Batu 25, Kampung Punjat Sungai Nadik, in Kahang, about 190km from Johor Baru, described a creature known as siamang or better known as Bigfoot.

One of the villagers supposedly even had a 15-minute standoff with the creature and has stopped going into the jungle alone.

Recalling his horrifying experience four months ago, Amir Md Ali said he was catching frogs in the Gunung Panti jungles to sell when he stumbled upon the creature.

“I was heading to my favourite spot when I suddenly saw this tall creature about 30m away.

“I was trembling with fear as the creature stared at me,” he said, adding that he did not move for about 15 minutes.

Amir, who initially thought the creature would leave, decided to run when the creature continued to stare at him.

“I did not look back and continued running until I reached my village,” he said, showing a clearing in the jungle where the standoff occurred to some 50 people who took part in an expedition to gather information on the Bigfoot sightings in the state.

The one-day expedition, led by Johor National Parks director Hashim Yusof, comprised park officials and press members.

Another villager, Herman Deraman, 21, or better known as Along, had a closer encounter with the creature in the woods.

“I was resting one night in a wooden hut on stilts after a long day of collecting bamboo strips.

“Suddenly, the hut started shaking violently,” he said, adding that soon after that, he heard a loud roar that sounded like that of a wild beast.

That incident kept him awake the whole night.

The next day, he encountered the creature again but this time at the place he usually gathered bamboo.

“I thought I saw a tree shaking but after a while, I realised there was a huge creature sitting down and rubbing itself against the tree.

“Luckily, the creature did not see me as its back was facing me,” he said.

Kampung Punjat Sungai Nadik is home to about 30 orang asli families who earn a living by gathering and selling produce collected from the jungle.

Hashim said the expedition was aimed at ascertaining the truth on the existence of the Bigfoot.

“We want to uncover the truth about this creature and also quash any rumour that can scare away visitors to the national park,” he said, adding that some 124,000 people visited the parks annually.

Hashim said they were also compiling a database on Bigfoot or orang mawas sightings at various spots.

[KatoeyLover69]

One of the many reasons why Singaporeans come to JB :-

Report from The STAR dated Monday 2 January 2006

Johor Baru auto accessory shops drawing Singaporeans

JOHOR BARU: On long weekends, Singaporeans stream across the Causeway to here for their grocery shopping but many car owners are also making a beeline to auto accessory shops.

One such motorist was 28-year-old Hazlie Mohammad, who was spotted waiting patiently at Moffiz Motorsport in Xtra Hypermaket at 9am – an hour before the shop opened.

“I came early to avoid the crowd and (because) the prices here are cheap.

“A lot of us Singaporeans come here to have our cars modified and I myself was recommended to come here by a friend,” said Hazlie, adding that he had visited the car accessory shop every six months for the past two years.

Another Singaporean motorist, 28-year-old horticulture executive Lim Ban Ly, had been to the shop more than 10 times in the past six months to modify his Hyundai Getz.

“The prices here are reasonable and they have the latest products, which sometimes cannot be found elsewhere,” said Lim, who also came to the shop early – despite being out partying until 3am to welcome the New Year.

Shop owner Ben Yeoh, 30, said some Singaporeans came as early as 6.30am to reserve a place, adding that on weekends the shop handled more than 100 cars a day, with more than 90% of the cars being Singapore-registered ones.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The STAR dated Monday 2 January 2006 :-

10 couples held for khalwat in Johor Bahru

JOHOR BARU: Officers from the Johor Religious Department “gate-crashed” the New Year celebrations of 10 couples suspected of committing khalwat.

One of the couples turned out to be mutes and the officers had a tough time trying to get them to open the room door during the 11pm raid in Taman Maju Jaya.

The woman was covered with a blanket while the man was wearing shorts.

The couple, aged 19 and 20 respectively, failed to produce a marriage certificate.

The others detained included a Singaporean man and five Indonesians. They were aged between 19 and 54.

In other crime-prevention raids, police detained two people for unruly behaviour at Danga Bay and Jalan Abdullah Tahir.

Two others were picked up for drink-driving.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The New Straits Times (Malaysia) dated Tuesday 3 January 2006 :-

Group to woo back Singaporeans to Johor

JOHOR BARU, Jan 2:
-------------------
Concerns over crime in Johor kept a million Singaporeans at home last year.

This represented a potential loss of RM225 million that they would have spent here.

A high-level Johor delegation comprising heads of state security agencies and tourism-related organisations will be in the republic next Monday to woo Singaporean tourists back.

They want to assure Singaporeans, among others, that:

• Johor is safe for tourists;

• Singapore cars are not targeted by Johor Baru City Council enforcement units;

• Malaysian Customs and Immigration authorities were not "singling out" Singaporeans for harsh treatment.

The Johor team, including the State Police Chief, Immigration and Customs Directors and the Johor Baru Mayor, will meet nearly 150 representatives of the Singapore tourism industry at a dialogue.

State executive councillor Freddy Long said convincing the Singapore tourism industry was the first step.

"We want to thrash out issues, including fears among Singaporeans about the security situation in the State," he said.

Singapore tour agents have scaled back organised tours to Johor because of fears about the safety of visitors following media reports in the republic about crime in the State.

The Singapore media regularly play up reports of Singaporeans targeted by snatch thieves, robbers and kidnappers across the Causeway.

The reports have apparently put fear in the hearts of many Singaporeans, as evident in the 14 per cent drop in visitor arrivals (one million tourists) last year.

Besides business travellers, there has also been a marked drop in student excursions and visits by senior citizens organised by Singapore’s community development councils.

The problem has been compounded by stringent Immigration checks at the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, which have generally put off Singaporeans from making their drive to Johor.

The dialogue at the Hotel Peninsular Excelsior is part of what is being seen as a "Johor Mini Travel Mart", with hard selling by no fewer than 50 tourism product owners here.

Long, who heads the tourism portfolio in Johor, said the travel mart was a pro-active action by the State Government to alleviate the fears of Singaporeans and assure them it is safe to visit Johor.

He said while it was Singapore’s prerogative to step up immigration checks despite the consequence of traffic tailbacks on the Causeway, Johor was concerned about the implications being made about the State by negative media reports on crime here.

He said the travel mart would give Johor a chance to set the record straight and correct such misconceptions.

Some 23,500 Singaporeans visit Johor every day, with the Causeway being the main entry point. These visitors spend some RM5.3 million daily or an average of about S$100 (RM225) per visitor.

During the first 10 months of last year, a total of 7.6 million visitors from Singapore entered Malaysia through Johor.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The New Straits Times dated Wednesday 4 January 2006 :-

"Bigfoot story" drawing international attention


JOHOR BARU, Wed:
------------------

IT may be the biggest spoof of the year but not everybody is scoffing at reported sightings of “Bigfoot’’ in the dense jungles of Kota Tinggi.

Television stations and journalists from around the world are expected to make a landing in Johor over the next few weeks to track the elusive creature.

It is learnt that BBC London has already made preliminary enquiries, while several international magazines have also contacted tour agents here and in Singapore to cover the story.

Journalists from around the world have also inundated the Johor National Parks Corporation (JNPC) with calls.

"Telephone calls and e-mails from media organisations have been pouring in ever since news of Big Foot was published," said JNPC director Mohamed Hashim Yusoff.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The New Straits Times dated Wednesday 4 January 2006 :-

Bigfoot fever offers food for thought

By Zainul Arifin

Jan 4:
_____


WHAT do we do if we ever find the Johor Bigfoot? Now that is as much a practical question as it is a philosophical one.

Do we catch it and put it in a cage, or let it roam free in the jungles of Kota Tinggi? Or if there are a few of them, do we take one and put it up for display at Zoo Negara, provided we can first show proof that it falls into the animal category?

Now we have witnesses coming forward with tales of these creatures — dark, big and hairy — being spotted here and there. They included a sighting of a family of three. Witnesses said they were neither man nor ape, so could they be the missing link that will fill the gap in Darwin’s theory of evolution?

But if we can prove their existence, there is no way we can let them be, is there? Do we then lock up the kids and build fences around the jungles of Kota Tinggi — perhaps more for the protection of Bigfoot?

Now there is no reason to doubt the earnestness of the witnesses, as apparently many sightings had been made over the years before the media got wind of the story. It is unfortunate however that recent sightings came close on the heels of the extensive promotion of Peter Jackson’s King Kong, which could lead some to conclude that they were due to over-active powers of suggestion.

Our man in Johor said previous sightings had always stayed within the domain of the Orang Asli community, who believe the creatures are mystical, spirit-like, and would appear only to some but not to everyone. They have always had stories of large hairy creatures roaming the jungles, but such stories have not gone out because outsiders can be so unbelieving.

But now some people have found physical evidence, in the form of large footprints that fit neither man nor any known tropical animal. The prints suggest a creature of great size, which some put at about three metres tall. Now we are getting warmer.

A couple of foreign TV stations are said to be interested in reporting the sightings. The Wildlife Department is also planning to catch Bigfoot on film, and may install cameras, with motion sensors and infrared, I suppose, in the jungles after taking into account witnesses’ testimonies. Serious stuff, this Bigfoot.

All this while we have only seen grainy pictures, which seem to have been taken in the 1960s, of Bigfoot running away from something in some television documentaries.

I think that if we were to believe the witnesses, we should launch an expedition to prove Bigfoot’s existence. It is important for us to do so if only to spare our fellow citizens ridicule from a sceptical public.

But for all we know, Bigfoot could be an overly large hairy man who was so fed up with the ribbing he had to endure from village folk about his hairy self that he decided to retreat into the jungle. After all, the jungle is very forgiving, unless of course someone decides to cut it down, which has been the case many times before. Then the guy, or Bigfoot, will have to move again.

With multimedia mobile phones available everywhere, perhaps we should equip the Orang Asli with a few of them so that they can take some pictures whenever they spot one, and transmit them to the world. Multimedia phone technology has after all managed to unearth never before seen, but often talked about, scenes in detention centres.

Now someone is suggesting that Bigfoot could be good to attract ecotourists, especially Bigfoot researchers. Cryptozoology is apparently a branch of zoology that looks into strange sightings like Bigfoot, its North American cousin Sasquatch, the yeti, mermaid or Loch Ness monster. Cryptozoologists are everywhere, and would quickly come to Malaysia in search of the fabled creature.

I am not sure if cryptozoology is a true branch of science, but I do hope to find out more about the social lives of these cryptozoologists.

Now even if we found Bigfoot, I am not sure of its impact on tourism unless we can get Bigfoot to co-operate and make appearances by the hour. But as is often the case, no one really cares about what Bigfoot feels, especially about being roped in for ecotourism. I suppose we need to find it first and then ask it nicely if it is keen to be gawked at, or pose for a photograph or two, or be made ambassador of Malaysia Truly Asia.

But there is nothing to stop us from getting some overgrown actor to don a hairy costume and prance around in the jungle, growl a bit here and there, and mug it for the cameras. Maybe we can get more people to come and visit Kota Tinggi.

I am certain residents around Loch Ness in Scotland are the greatest promoters of their fabled lake-dwelling monster, whether or not they believe it exists, if only for the economic rewards.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The STAR (Malaysia) dated Wednesday 2006 :-

JB DVD pirates go big online

By Nelson Benjamin and Teh Eng Hock

JOHOR BARU: Johor has become the hotbed of pirated and pornographic DVD online operations, a multi-million ringgit industry that serves customers across the Causeway in Singapore.

Illegal disc syndicates have set up websites that offer pirated DVDs as well as X-box video games and Playstation2 games.

Customers use passwords to access the websites, which contain search functions for them to look up the latest titles available.

For orders of 10 discs and above, DVD movies are sold at S$7 (RM15.50) each, R-rated movies at S$5.50 (RM12.20) and porn at S$10 (RM22.20), while X-box video games cost S$6 (RM13.30) per title and Playstation2 games S$5.50 (RM12.20).

For bulk purchases of between 20 and 100 discs, customers get a discount of 20% to 50% with free delivery in Johor and Singapore.

The syndicates operate out of lots in shopping complexes and hypermarkets, mostly in Taman Century, Taman Sentosa, Jalan Wong Ah Fook and Taman Suria.

They have installed closed- circuit TV cameras, set up “secret rooms”, and the pirates tune in to radio frequencies used by the authorities to monitor the movements of raiding parties.

State Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Datuk K. S. Balakrishnan said enforcement officers had literally come up against a wall in their efforts to bust the pirated disc operations.

“Once they pull down the shutters, my officers do not have the power to break into the premises,” he said yesterday.

In Penang, Bernard See reports that pirates have been keeping up with new releases in the cinemas by downloading movies via online peer-to-peer (P2P) services such as Morpheus or Kazaa.

“The pirates will then burn the movies on discs, from which they make countless copies,” said State Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs enforcement unit director Fahmi Kasim yesterday.

“Sneak previews of blockbuster movies are the norm in the United States, and the pirates could have sneaked in a video camera to film the movie,” he added.

He said the pirates also duplicate from “Oscar screeners” – movies sent to judges to be considered for Academy Award nominations.

“Certain movies have opening titles in a foreign language, so we conclude that the copyright infringement was committed elsewhere and not locally,” he added.

Fahmi also said more than a million copies of pirated DVDs, VCDs and CDs worth more than RM8.3mil were seized in 3,096 raids conducted statewide last year.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The New Straits Times dated Thursday 5 January 2006 :-

Closing in on Bigfoot, foreign media set to descend on Johor

By Chuah Bee Kim


JOHOR BARU, Wed.
------------------

It could be the biggest spoof of the year, but not everyone is scoffing at reported sightings of "Bigfoot" in the dense jungles of Kota Tinggi.

Television stations and journalists from around the world are expected to descend on Johor over the next few weeks to track the elusive creature.

It is learnt that BBC London has made preliminary enquiries, while several international magazines have also contacted tour agents here and in Singapore to cover the story.

The Johor National Parks Corporation (JNPC) has also been inundated with calls by journalists from around the world.

"Telephone calls and emails from media organisations have been pouring in ever since news of Bigfoot was published," said JNPC director Mohamed Hashim Yusoff.

A Singapore-based paranormal activity group had contacted JNPC to help track down the creature.

Researchers and trackers are also excited about the latest alleged sightings.

"They all want to know if Bigfoot is for real," said Hashim, adding that the TV crews and reporters were keen to venture into the forests of Johor to interview the Orang Asli who had reported seeing the ape-like animal.

As some of the sightings were in gazetted national parks, the State Government will scrutinise all applications before media teams are allowed to enter the protected areas.

"The Government will have the final say on whether to allow foreigners into our forests," Hashim said.

He said the JNPC was compiling a detailed report on information gathered to date for the scrutiny of the state executive council next month.

"Essentially, the report will establish the reliability and integrity of the sightings. We want to establish if the creature exists," he said, conceding that there were at present only the oral accounts of sightings by the Orang Asli.

Sightings of a hairy creature, reported to be about three metres tall, have trickled in over the years, especially from areas near the forest spine connecting Endau Rompin, Kota Tinggi and Tanjung Piai.

Hashim recently led a day-long expedition of park rangers and local newsmen to find physical evidence to support the claims of Bigfoot sightings.

But again, apart from the personal testimonies of the Orang Asli, nothing was found to substantiate the claims.

Still, the Johor tourism industry is eager to cash in on the Bigfoot craze.

Said Johor Tourist Guides Association chairman Jimmy Leong: "This is a boon for Johor. The news has put the State on the international tourism radar. We must maximise benefits from the publicity generated."

The sentiment was shared by Johor Tourism Action Council general manager Abdul Jabar Md Tahir, who said Bigfoot could give the tourism sector a boost.

"This will be a major draw for Johor. We are excited about the impact this could have on tourism here."

Johor Malaysian Nature Society adviser Vincent Chow said the State should cash in on the Bigfoot craze just as Scotland had on the Loch Ness monster — whose probable non-existence had never diminished its status as a tourist attraction.

[jbguy]

Bro KTL,
this thread already become NEWS thread liao.....

[Malaysian Datuk]

Originally Posted by jbguy

Bro KTL,
this thread already become NEWS thread liao.....

No news is bad news...so any news is welcum Check ur pm bro

[KatoeyLover69]

Originally Posted by jbguy

Bro KTL,
this thread already become NEWS thread liao.....

Bro JBGuy,

If I don't post on this thread, looks like NOBODY else is posting............ In time to come this thread will be relegated to page 3, 4 or 5 and become forgotten.

So, I had decided to turn this thread into "ANYTHING & EVERYTHING ON JOHOR" to keep it 'active' and 'alive'