List of restaurants that can charge 5% service tax in Penang

After the Malaysian government raised the sales threshold to RM3mil on 1st July 2008, only 20 restaurants in Penang are eligible to impose the 5% service tax.
They are…

Astaka Daya (Belisa Row)
Astaka Daya Sdn Bhd
Astaka Daya Sdn Bhd
Astaka Daya Sdn Bhd
Astaka Daya Sdn Bhd
Astaka Daya Sdn Bhd (Secret Recipe)
Catalyst Venture Sdn Bhd
Eclat Inspiration Sdn Bhd (Old [...]

Dirty no more

THE Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) has cleaned up the benches that were covered with bird droppings at Jalan Phee Choon, George Town after the matter was highlighted in the press.
MPPP public relations assistant director Riduan Merican said it took the council workers two days to clean up the benches and prune tree branches at the [...]

Jump of courage

EAGER necks craned skywards to catch a glimpse of local and foreign BASE jumpers leaping one after another from the soaring 65-storey Komtar tower amidst a clear blue sky.
BASE jumping is a sport which uses a parachute to jump from fixed objects. ‘BASE’ is an acronym that stands from the four categories of the objects [...]

Planning for ‘city of Asian culture’

THE state government plans to transform George Town into an Asia Cultural City in conjunction with its listing as a Unesco World Heritage site.
Penang Tourism Development, Culture, Arts and Heritage Com-mittee chairman Danny Law Heng Kiang said the state would invite Asian countries to promote their culture to Penang.

Law (right) checking out the stalls at [...]

Penang charms Australian MPs

An Australian trade delegation comprising seven MPs and a business manager were impressed with Penang’s food and hospitality during their weekend stay here.
Besides being taken on a sightseeing tour, the visitors were also hosted to dinner by the Penang Turf Club.
The delegation, led by Minister of Emergency Services Neil Roberts, had earlier visited Kuala Lumpur.
The [...]

Bridge ban on heavy vehicles starts today

THE Penang Bridge ban on heavy vehicles during peak hours takes effect today.
They are restricted from using the bridge between 6.30am and 8.30am as well as between 5pm and 7pm.
Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd (PBSB) said the heavy vehicles comprised Class 4 lorries with two axles as well as those with five or six wheels, Class [...]

Some love it, some hate it

“THE durian is very smelly but it tastes so good,” said Park Chuel Soo, a tourist from Cheon-An, a city in South Korea.
Park, a teacher, made the remark while accompanying about 20 South Korean students from the Cheon Song Middle School to the Great Durian Festival 2008 in Bukit Gantang, Perak, last Saturday.
Park’s remark however [...]

A dialect that is easy to learn

LANGUAGE teacher Lee Siew Har firmly believes that Penang Hokkien dialect is easy to learn.
The former IT trainer and consultant who has been teaching the dialect for more than three years, said what was important was a “keen interest”.
“I have developed a proper syllabus content for my basic and level 1 to 5 students who [...]

Hokkien a blend of local tongues

WHILE Penang Hokkien proponents warn that the dialect is in danger of dying out, expatriates and the non-Chinese community are embracing this unique lingo.
Gemstone dealer Ronni Pinsler, 58, considers himself a local, having been “in and out” of Penang since 1971.
“I am able to communicate but not to the extent of discussing Jungian theories,” Pinsler [...]

Unesco boost for George Town

TOURISTS and Penangites have given the thumbs up to Tuesday’s announcement of George Town obtaining the World Heritage Status from United Nations Educations, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).
Australian tourists Kate Beckett, 30, and her boyfriend Jamie Wallis, 36, said it was important to preserve the cultural sights in Penang.

The heritage buildings in Georgetown.
They had visited [...]