Found At:
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2011/4/12/north/8462718&sec=North

Tuesday April 12, 2011

Swiftlet farming can turn heritage zone into ‘ghost town’

By KOW KWAN YEE
kowky@thestar.com.my

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang heritage zone would become a ‘ghost town’ if the bird nests farming operators are allowed to continue operating, said state Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow.

“Many residents have begun complaining about noise created in pre-war houses which were renovated to accommodate the swiftlets. Some may eventually move out from the area,” he said.

“The heritage site will not become liveable and if the residents move out, the status of World Heritage will be threatened,” he said after opening a forum on Local Government here.

Chow said heritage is not only about lifeless artefacts, monuments or antique pieces, but it also includes the living people who inherit the heritage and culture here.

“Swiftlet farmers should not expect the state (government) and the people to sacrifice, so that their narrow interests are protected,” he said.

The National Council for Local Government had decided on Sept 2 last year that new swiftlet nest farms would not be allowed at heritage sites in Penang and Malacca while existing ones would have to relocate within three years.

“We are not killing off their lucrative trade, but to allow them to continue the businesses in an appropriate area,” he said, adding that he would meet with some of the farmers today for discussion.

Association for Swiftlet Nests Industry pre-sident Carole Loh (pic) responded by asking Chow to check his facts first, as the Federal Government has previously declared that the operators are not allowed to play music recordings, as part of efforts to attract the birds.

“There is no noise. How can noise be an issue when it was banned in the first place.”

She also stressed that the bird farms were approved earlier than the listing of George Town as a Unesco heritage site.