Asia's comic cultural museum opens in Penang

Asia's comic cultural museum opens in Penang

A comic-themed museum, said to be Asia's first, was opened at ICT Mall, Komtar here, today.

The Asia Comic Cultural Museum showcases work of cartoonists from nine countries in Asia, namely Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Korea.

Penang Youth Development Corporation chief executive officer, Teng Kok Liang said the opening of the museum was to give comic and cartoon illustrators the opportunity to show off their talent.

"The museum also serves to conserve and promote historical and cultural heritage as well as recognise comic as an important form of entertainment in generating innovation and cultural industries," he said when met after the museum opening by State Tourism and Cultural Development executive councillor Danny Law Heng.

The museum to be opened to the public from 11am to 6pm daily will display comics from the pre-world war two years to the present, 3D cartoon illustrations and popular comic characters such as Monkey King, Ultraman and Masked Rider.

In fulfilling the 1Malaysia concept, notices of all displays at the exhibition area were in the four languages : Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil, he added.

~News courtesy of Bernama~

Upset over long walk ...

Upset over long walk ...



Commuters at Penang Sentral are upset over what they described as poor accessibility at the public transport hub here.

The most frequent complaint theSun heard when talking to them was the distance from the ferry terminal to the bus station and vice-versa.

Complaints also included concerns over accessibility for the elderly as well as the mobility impaired.

Polytechnic student S. Charand, 19, said the stairs were steep which made the walk difficult if he was carrying books or groceries.

He also voiced his worries for older commuters, handicapped persons and pregnant women who had to walk the steep flight of stairs.

"The management should do their part by raising awareness of the shuttle service which is scheduled every 15 minutes," he added when asked about improvements he liked to see.

Clerk Aishah Yaakob, 25, meanwhile was unhappy over how far she had to walk to get to the buses from the ferry and the other way around.

Although the shaded path is about 500m, she expressed her hope the management can address the issue to make the walk more bearable adding that more lighting during evenings can help matters.

Her sister, customer service agent Amira Yaakob, 19, expressed similar sentiments and claimed the van used for the shuttle service was not handicap friendly.

A tourist, G. Julien, 38, said he was fine with the stairs but agreed that those who were not so mobile or who were carrying luggage will find the going difficult.

A Rela official told theSun they were deployed to assist commuters who were experiencing difficulties.

"We work in shifts, two Rela officers are on standby 24 hours a day to help people," he said.

The integrated transport and logistic hubs which will integrate rail, ferry and land transport on a 9.7ha site in Butterworth is currently in its first phase of construction and expected to be completed in 2017.

When contacted, Seberang Prai Municipal Council councillor Dr. Tiun Ling Ta urged for patience and said facilities for the handicapped and elderly will be in place when the hub is ready.

"We have to be patient, I think all the necessary features for easy accessibility will be available when the hub is completed," he added.

~News courtesy of The Sun~