Gunung Kanthan monastery petition video

 Gunung Kanthan's Last Defence : Save the Monastery, Save Gunung Kanthan (For Petition).

The video has been reloaded on youtube and can be seen here.

Kanthan Sakyamuni Caves Monastery & other cave temples protection

Some months after the change.org petition to save the Sakyamuni Caves Monastery at Gunung Kanthan, there is finally some good news. This applies not only to the Kanthan monastery, but also to other cave temples and religious sites in general.

On 27 January 2024, change.org issued an update "A Commitment to Protecting Sacred Sites: Prime Minister's Pledge to Safeguard Religious Monasteries".

There is a link to this Facebook page -

And this leads to the next link -

It is encouraging news. Let's see what happens as a result.

There was a further update on 21 Feb in FMT "Century-old monastery seeks to nullify company’s land lease extension". This was also shown on change.org on 22 Feb "LATEST FMT NEWS : Century-old monastery seeks to nullify company’s land lease extension". 

The Edge 28 Feb "Old Perak monastery fails to set aside APMC's eviction notice".

Change.org update 28 Feb "Sakyamuni Caves Monastery Gunung Kanthan" . Latest news : The Edge.

Meanwhile The Star 28 Feb had this article about cave temples in Perak - "Limestone cave temples to stay, says Perak exco".

Chinaraj Cave monastery aka Thai Monk Cave, Gng Lanno

Thai Monk Cave at Gunung Lanno is now known as Chinaraj Cave monastery. It is located at ground level on the southwest side of Gunung Lanno in Perak, not far from Kong Fook Ngam temple. 

I first visited in May 1996. At that time it had a concrete path leading up to it and inside the cave. But about 10 m in there was a locked gate and we could see the cave continuing. There was a store room. To the right was a series of cement tanks/gours and a passage to another entrance. The cave is by a bend in the Sungai Raia. 

My next visit was May 1999. The cave had been developed since my first visit. Half a dozen cars were parked inside the first chamber of the cave. A concrete walkway with electric lights goes through to a wang, with a pond. A new "temple" has been established - more of a meditation place for the monk.

Next visit was July 2001, on a recce for the 2001 Gunung Lanno expedition. The gate was locked but a man was inside and let us in when we spoke to him. The place is only open on Sundays when people come to the monk, although people look after him during the week. He lives alone, from Thailand. We went through to the house and pond. Lots of catfish and they aerate the pond. It is a long distance to the opposite side of the wang. There is a pond and swamp outside the front of the cave. After this visit I named the cave as Thai Monk and gave it the register number of Prk 18/07.

The Gunung Lanno expedition took place in November 2001. We were unable to survey the cave as we couldn't get access. However a nearby cave was surveyed, Gua Kera Mati aka Dead Monkey Cave, Prk 18/32, and this was found to connect into Thai Monk Cave.

During the expedition, we were able to hire a 4-seater plane and fly around Gunung Lanno. From the plane we could clearly see the flooded wang of Thai Monk Cave. 

2001 views -

Sg Raia outside the cave

My next visit was in May 2014. A building had been constructed inside the cliff and the swamp is part of the garden. There is an ornate metal fence outside. 

The Sungai Raia

The track that leads further around the hill was closed off by a large gate by the temple -

Now (2024) the cave is known as Chinaraj Cave monastery - a Buddhist temple, Tokong Siam. I don't know when this was established. In Feb 2022 The Star referred to it as Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Chinaraj. It was one of 19 caves in the Kinta Valley to receive an eviction notice, to vacate in 30 days. However a few days later the notices were revoked. 

According to Google Maps, the temple is open mornings and evenings. There are hundreds of photos on the page. 

Cave location 4°31'8.12" N 101° 8'18.01"E.

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See my Cave Register .

Gunung Kanthan cave monastery in danger from destruction 2023

It looks like the Dhamma Sakyamuni Caves Monastery at Gunung Kanthan, Perak is in danger again. The Court of Appeal’s recent decision means the likely forced eviction of the occupants of the monastery. The Court has made a unanimous decision in favour of Associated Pan Malayan Cement (APMC), a subsidiary of YTL, in a land dispute case under Order 89, against the Malaysia Dhamma Sakyamuni Monastery. APMC won its appeal after the company sought a High Court order in Ipoh in January 2022.

Once again there could be imminent destruction of the century-old monastery and also the Gunung Kanthan unique distinctive karst landscape, as well as the endemic flora and fauna.

On 13 Sept 2023, Badan Warisan issued a media statement about their concern on the Court of Appeal’s decision involving the forced eviction of the occupants of Dhamma Sakyamuni Monastery at Gunung Kanthan, north of Ipoh in Perak. See the statement.

There is also a petition "Save Sakyamuni Caves Monastery, Save Gunung Kanthan ", which needs as many signatures as possible.

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Media reports :

FMT 8 Sept Cement company wins appeal to evict century-old Perak monastery

NST 9 Sept 100-year-old Buddhist monastery in Perak faces eviction after losing court battle

NST 12 Sept Preserved by a century old monastery, five-million-year-old limestone hill may now make way for cement factory

NST 12 Sept Abbot of century-old Buddhist monastery expresses disappointment over court eviction 

NST 15 Sept Abbot of century-old Perak Buddhist monastery not moving out, will continue fight

NST 16 Sept SAM disappointed over court decision to evict Buddhist monastery in Gunung Kanthan

FMT 17 Sept Perak govt sets up panel to study eviction of century-old monastery

NST 17 Sept Special committee to study Gunung Kanthan monastery issue

Star 17 Sept Committee formed to look into Dhamma Sakyamuni Caves Monastery, says Perak MB

Astro Awani video on youtube 18 Sept Consider This: Gunung Kanthan — Perak’s Quarrying Dilemma

Star 18 Sept Kanthan land dispute case to be mediated by state govt

FMT 26 Sept We’re not budging from cave monastery, says abbot

SUN 1 Nov Research work on tropical limestone karst landscapes to protect Malaysia’s unique heritage

Star 1 Nov Research on tropical limestone karst aims to protect Malaysia's unique heritage

Gunung Kanthan media updates 2021

 This is an ongoing list of media reports about the quarrying of Gunung Kanthan in Perak, Malaysia. The earlier blogs are 2013 ,  2014 , 2015 , and 2016-2020.

Gunung Kanthan is being quarried by Lafarge Msia, who changed its name to Malayan Cement in 2019. And YTL acquired Lafarge Msia stake. But YTL still calls Kanthan the Associated Pan Malaysia Cement (APMC) Kanthan Quarry.

Reports from 2021 :

Ipoh Echo , 12 Jan 
Appeal to Preserve Monastery in Gunung Kanthan [this was removed by the 14th]

Perak China Press , 13 Jan
Hundred-year "Sakyamuni Sacred Rock" hopes that the government approves it to stay in the original site

Perak China Press , 14 Jan
There is a potential risk of falling rocks in the Gongqiaoshan [Arch Bridge Mountain]
This included a media statement from Pan Malaysia Cement in English entitled “A tragedy waiting to happen – monastery built on volatile structure prone to limestone fall”.

Flora & Fauna International , 25 Jan
Mention of Kanthan trapdoor spider.

Sinar Harian , 5 Feb
Wartakan kawasan hutan batu kapur (Gazette the limestone forest area)
Gua Khantan, Chemor, has a spider habitat, namely Liphistius khantan, which is placed on the red list when the species is not found anywhere in the world.

Several videos on Youtube , 25 Apr
Published by the  Sakyamuni Caves Monastery :

Gunung Kanthan: Saving Sacred Gunung Kanthan, Beauty with Treasure
Gunung Kanthan expedition
Gunung Kanthan: 100 Years History of Sakyamuni Caves Monastery
Gunung Kanthan: Save 100-Year Sakyamuni Caves Monastery

YTL/APMC took the Sakyamuni Caves Monastery to court on 1 Apr but as the monks didn't have a lawyer, they were granted an extension until 17 May. It seems that area C will be blasted, leaving just area D, where Gua Kanthan is -

Bernama , 26 May 2021

Perak state authorities urged to conserve two Kinta geosites

The Star , 27 May 2021

"NGOs urge Perak govt to fully commit towards preservation of two geoparks in Kinta Valley"

The Sun . 27 May 2021

"Perak state authorities urged to conserve two Kinta Geosites"

The Vibes , 31 May 2021

Century-old Sakyamuni Cave Monastery faces eviction.

This is a particularly good article as it details court orders and some history of past eviction notices etc.

The Vibes , 1 June 2021

"Money over heritage: Sakyamuni eviction threatens natural treasure, says preservationist!

The Vibes , 2 June 2021

"Sakyamuni reveals one-of-a-kind golden Buddha statue as it faces eviction"

Malaysiakini , 5 June 2021

Kuari Gunung Kanthan: Tiada syarikat dapat kontrak baru - Exco Perak (Gunung Kanthan Quarry: No company gets new contract - Perak Exco)

The Star , 5 June 2021

More tourism activities planned for geoparks in Perak, says state govt

The Vibes , 5 June 2021

Perak exco rubbishes claim on new Gunung Kanthan quarrying contracts

The Vibes , 5 June 2021

YTL subsidiary assures Gua Kanthan protection, says awarded lease in 1960

Bernama , 5 June 2021

No new contract for quarry activities at Gunung Kanthan - Perak Exco 

The Sun , 5 June 2021

"More tourism activities planned for geoparks in Perak, says state govt"

The Sun , 6 June 2021

"Move to boost tourism at geoparks in Kinta district"

Bernama , 6 June 2021

Perak planning various tourism programmes for Kinta Valley Geopark

The Vibes , 8 June 2021

More quarrying will wipe out Gunung Kanthan’s endangered species, cry green groups

The Vibes , 14 June 2021

Quarrying fears at Gunung Kanthan geopark fuel anxiety at yet another cultural site

Getaran , 14 June 2021

Gunung Kanthan, Kenapa Sambung Kontrak Sebelum Dapatkan Ulasan Teknikal? - Gunung Kanthan, why continue the contract before getting technical reviews?

change.org

Save Sakyamuni Caves Monastery, Save Gunung Kanthan

An online petition to save the monastery

The Vibes , 22 June 2021

For or against temples on limestone hills? It’s delicate environmental issue, say experts.

Sin Chew , 28 June 2021

Oriental Daily , 28 June 2021
The government is urged to intervene in the forced relocation of the Sakyamuni Buddha Temple in Gunung Kanthan

Mongabay , 30 June 2021

Monks and wildlife come under pressure from Malaysian cement company

The Star , 5 July 2021

Cave monastery near Chemor fears eviction

The Malaysian Insight , 6 July 2021

Perak’s Gunung Kanthan in danger of being reduced to rubble

Malay Mail , 14 July 2021

Perak MB promises to look into calls to preserve century-old cave temple , monastery on Gunung Kanthan 

The Star , 14 July 2021

Make cave monastery a heritage site, authorities told

The Star , 16 July 2021

MB wants to settle Kanthan cave monastery matter amicably

The Vibes , 19 July 2021

Gunung Kanthan monastery eviction case slowed by NRP restrictions.

The Vibes , 12 Aug 2021

Gunung Kanthan needs govt protection to prevent its exploitation: CAP.

The Star , 13 Aug 2021

Good reasons to preserve Gunung Kanthan (letter)

Malay Mail , 15 Aug 2021

In Kinta Valley National Geopark, century-old cave monastery fighting for its survival as quarrying activities encroach

Sinar Harian , 4 Sept 2021

'Teliti semula kelulusan kegiatan kuari di Perak' (Review the approval of quarry activities in Perak) 

The Star , 4 Sept 2021

Environmental activists want Perak govt not to extend land leases for quarries, mining sites in geoparks

Descent , June/July 2021, 280:19.

Peninsular Malaysia. Quarrying away Gunung Kanthan. 

[Descent is a caving magazine published in the UK]

China Press , 6 Sept 2021

The Neolithic murals in Gua Kanthan are estimated to be 2500 to 4000 years old

Harian Metro , 6 Sept 2021

Lukisan dipercayai beribu tahun ditemukan di Gua Kanthan (Paintings believed to be thousands of years old found in Gua Kanthan)

Berita Harian , 7 Sept 2021

Lukisan gua dianggar berusia 4,000 tahun ditemui

Oriental Daily , 7 Sept 2021

Ancient rock paintings discovered in Gua Kanthan, but most of them are destroyed by modern graffiti

Sin Chew , 7 Sept 2021

Cave paintings - Gua Kanthan, thousand year old beautiful paintings, about 2500 to 4000 years of history

archive.org , Sept 2021

Gunung Kanthan 2500 years to 4000 years Rock Art Found - Sept 2021

The Star , 15 Sept 2021

Studies needed on Gua Kanthan drawings to determine origin

The Star , 10 Nov 2021

Ipoh High Court suggests cement company, cave temple settle eviction out of court

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I will add to this blog as new reports are published.

Gunung Kanthan Sakyamuni monastery cave

An article in the Perak China Press about the ongoing attempts to save the Gua Dhamma Sakyamuni monastery at Gunung Kanthan, Perak. Gunung Kanthan is being quarried and the monastery has little protection. I was invited to visit the monastery and its caves in June 2013 and have been following the progress since. Cave register number Prk 47/09.

The article was published 13 Jan 2021. It is in Chinese, this is the online English translation :

Hundred-year "Sakyamuni Sacred Rock" hopes that the government approves it to stay in the original site

In order to ensure that the "Sacred Rock of Sakyamuni" in Kanthan Mountain's century-old Buddhist temple can be kept on the original site forever, the temple hopes that the government will assist and approve the temple on the premise of maintaining the country's multi-religious, cultural and ethnic harmony. Continue to stay at the original location.

Master Fashan, a representative of the "Sacred Rock of Sakyamuni", said that since the temple has been built for a century and has been supported by many believers at home and abroad, and Kanthan Mountain has a variety of rare species, it is necessary to retain it.

Venerable Fa Shan held a press conference today with the assistance of the director of the Perstate Public Service and Complaints Center of Barisan Nasional Rawai to seek assistance from the Perstate Government.

Master Fa Shan said that as early as 2013 to 2015, someone asked the temple to be relocated, but it was approved by the then state government to keep it on the original site. Unexpectedly, the same thing happened again in December 2020. Therefore, he hopes that the state government can extend its hand. But he declined to give more details.

He said that the temple called on the government to help solve the survival crisis of the temple based on five main reasons. That is, the temple is a centuries-old cave Buddhist holy site, a spiritual sanctuary for thousands of Buddhist monks and believers, and is built in a cave. The Buddha statues are the sacred symbol of Buddhism, the world's unparalleled meditation temple, and the rare animal and plant species that exist in Kanthan Mountain are priceless treasures of the country.

Rawai later pointed out at a press conference that he would assist the "Sakyamuni Rock of Sakyamuni" to reflect its appeal to the Minister of State of Perak, Datuk Sharani, and seek assistance from the state government to keep the temple on its original site.

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There is also a video with the article. 

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Additional articles :

And an article in Ipoh Echo on 12 Jan, "Appeal to preserve monastery in Gunung Kanthan".

Sin Chew 12 Jan "Temple appeals / Sakyamuni sacred rock is facing crisis and hopes the government will keep this holy place forever".

Oriental Daily 12 Jan (in Chinese)

Suaraperak 12 Jan "Pengurusan kuil mohon gua Gunung Kanthan sebagai tempat ibadat penganut Buddha (The management of the temple requests the Gunung Kanthan cave as a place of worship for Buddhists) :
Malaysian management Dhamma Sakyakumi Caves Monastery hopes the cave area on Mount Kanthan, Chemor is recognized as a place of worship for Buddhists.
His representative, Dr. Chiong Sai Tin said, his party has sent an application to the state government and hopes it will be considered.
He said the cave area existed more than 100 years ago and became a place of meditation for thousands of Buddhists.
“In this cave there is a temple that is home to 15 monks.
"This is the second time we have applied to the state government after the first application in 2014," he told reporters here today.
Meanwhile, Perak Barisan Nasional Service and Complaints Center chief Mohd Ravi Abdullah said he would meet with Menteri Besar Datuk Saarani Mohamad this week to discuss the issue.

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Pan Malaysia Cement began their attack on 14 Jan. They issued a media statement in English entitled “A tragedy waiting to happen – monastery built on volatile structure prone to limestone fall”. This was published in Perak Chinapress on 14 Jan, in an article "There is a potential risk of falling rocks in the Gongqiaoshan [Arch Bridge Mountain]. 

Jeff's Cellar aka Tambun Hot Springs Cave, Perak

I don't seem to have blogged about Jeff's Cellar at Tambun, Perak. When I first knew about it, it was still a bit hush hush, but now it is openly publicised.

On my website under Uses of Caves, I have written "A cave in Tambun, Perak was taken over as a private wine cellar. Prior to conversion the resident bats were all killed and the natural entrances blocked and large air conditioners installed, so I would imagine the atmosphere inside has changed considerably. On 24 Jan 2010 The Star did a feature on one of the Tambun caves being used for relaxation and meditation as part of a luxury spa complex. This has since been well published in the media. The wine cellar cave became part of this complex. The wine cellar has since been expanded into a fine dining restaurant.

I first went to the cave in May 2003. I wrote in my diary "the cave is opposite the hot springs, on the corner of the hill. Duck under an arch then steps up to 2 chambers with bats. Nice stal in the larger chamber and a passage leading off. The entrance of the cave was covered with a bat net and had many dead bats in it." I collected a few of the bat skulls and they were identified as Eonycteris spelaea. I called it Tambun Hot Springs Cave, register No. Prk 38/04.

I went back in Aug 2003 and "the entrance steps had been cleared, and lighting installed inside with a switch box at the entrance. The net had gone. The bat chamber was completely empty of bats. The main chamber is roughly 200' long and one whole wall is stal, but dirty and black. Few bats at the end and I collected some collembola from he guano in the gour pools. The cave would be really nice if the stals were clean. I wonder if the net was there to trap the bats to get rid of them".

My next visit was Nov 2003, there had been no progress. A couple of bats in the bat chamber and fruit bats at the end.

I didn't return until Jan 2006. The site was gated and the cave called Jeff's Wine Cellar.

In Feb 2008 I was able to have an unofficial look inside the cave but could only take 1 photo. It was being used as a private wine cellar, Jeff is Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah, head of Sunway.

"Steps lead up to the wooden doors, there are toilets on the left and a pantry on the right and the Japanese torture chamber. There is a wood floor throughout and the place has air con. There is a karaoke room in the lower chamber. The passage turns right into the main chamber and is quite stunning as all the stal is gently lit and looked great. Several seating areas, a couch with mirror, and more seats directly over the hidden wine cellar. Some material "sails" covering the ceiling. Lots of empty wine bottles throughout, some concrete covering the walls and air con units hidden. 14 seater dining table. Main passage has the stal dividing the passage going out. Main bar here. This entrance, where the bat net was, is totally covered by glass,restricting the area. Balcony looks out. Went back and the stairs by the portraits led up to the main bar. A wishing well outside". I wondered if the air flow would be badly restricted.

I haven't been back since. The bar has been turned into a fine dining restaurant and there have been various press reports.. The Malay Mail 28 July 2018 “Fancy dining in a cave? Head on over to Tambun” is a detailed article with lots of photos. The Star 23 Jan 2019 "Silver state’s impressive tourism finds".

Chinese and Japanese writing in Perak caves

The Star on 27 April 2019 had an article "Japanese, Chinese writing dating back to 1913 found in Tambun's Gunung Datok cave".

The article, by Manjit Kaur, says writing believed dating back to 1913 has been found inside Gunung Datok in Tambun. This would pre-date WW1 and is from the Japanese Taisho period.

I first visited Gua Datuk in 1991 but don't have any photos of the graffiti.

Other caves in the Kinta Valley have a mix of Chinese and Japanese writing, which I was told by a Japanese friend Menju, that the writing is Kanji. Kanji means Chinese characters in Japanese. In the Japanese writing system, the characters are adopted from Chinese ones. Caves on the west side of Gunung Lanno show these characters. Although much of the graffiti there dates between 1930-50.

Gua Pulau (Prk 18/16) and Gua Batu Nesan (Prk 18/17) and Gua Selari (Prk 18/15) all have graffiti. My friend Law Siak Hong translated some Chinese characters as "continue to fight the battle" and "may our comrades continue to strive [for the cause]". There are also lot of names - Chinese, Malay and Sikh, also police.

There is also what we guess to be war graffiti, of a soldier shooting a man

See my more detailed blog about these caves, "Lanno revisited" in 2013.

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

--
This is the majority of the Star article :
"Japanese and Chinese writing believed dating back to 1913 has been found inside Gunung Datok in
Tambun near here.
State Tourism, Arts and Culture Committee chairman Tan Kar Hing said the inscriptions that were written in charcoal mentioned the year 1913 and the Taisho period.
"1913 is even before World War 1. We believe soldiers were at the cave probably as intelligence troops.
However, we need more experts to come down and have a look, especially the Japanese embassy," he said.
He said the cave is located within the Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat.
"However, we will be writing to the embassy, and we will get experts to tell us what the writing is
about," he added.
The Taisho period in Japanese history dates from 1912 to 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Emperor Taisho."

Gua Naga Mas must be preserved

The Star on 1 Oct had an article "Rare tiger fossil in cave at Gopeng, Perak, must be preserved". This is something I have been saying for years, but nothing has been done. And I am mentioned in the article about this!

I was also interested to see that a painting of a tiger has now been placed on the wall near the fossil. The fossil is being worshipped in the temple at the base of the hill. See my 2015 blog on the
Erawan Shrine Cave.

See full article with the photos on the Star www.

After this, several more articles appeared in the press. See more on my cave site.

• 
  

Metro News
1 Oct 2018
by Allison Lai

THE PERAK state government is keen to preserve Gua Naga Mas in Gopeng because of a unique complete fossil of a mammal embedded in the limestone cave wall.

State Tourism, Arts and Culture Committee chairman Tan Kar Hing said researchers believe the fossil is unique.

“When a group of researchers made the discovery, they compiled a report with officials, confirming it was a carnivore fossil.

“The thing is, during my recent visit to the site and also meetings with several agencies, we did not have much scientific report on it.

For now, Tan noted that the cave, located in a Siamese temple, was still open to the public .

“The fossil was actually being worshipped in the temple. A tiger painting can be seen next to it with joss sticks and prayer items.

“There was even words in Chinese labelling it a ‘tiger fossil’,” he said, adding that it was important to engage with the local community on the state’s plans to preserve the site and prevent its deterioration.

Stressing that it was important to get more details on the fossil, Tan said he had also received positive feedback from researchers, after he shared about his visit to the site on his Facebook page.

“So far I have sought help from the Museums Department for archaeological assistance.

“I will also call for a meeting in the near future involving all relevant departments, agencies, and researchers to discuss what we can do with this fossil,” he added.

In was reported in 2009 that an animal fossil found in Gua Naga Mas was that of a tiger, during a visit to the site by Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) members in 1992.

The opinion that the fossil is a tiger came from expert conservationist Dr Geoffrey Davison, and further confirmed by Dr Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, the fifth Earl of Cranbrook with a team of researchers from Universiti Malaysia (UM).

Lord Cranbrook, as he is popularly known, was a senior lecturer in zoology between 1961 and 1970 at UM and the author of several books on wildlife in South East Asia.

Vertebrate palaeontologist Lim Tze Tshen, who was part of the UM research team looking at the fossil with Lord Cranbrook back in 2009, said that he had never seen a fossil as complete as the one in Gua Naga Mas.

“I have been doing fossil hunting and research in peninsular Malaysia since 2004 and I have never seen a fossil as complete as this, except for archaeological human skeletons.

“The Naga Mas fossil is about 80% complete. It is very rare that such a complete carnivore fossil can be found in South-East Asia, and it is definitely the one and only in the country,” he said in an interview.

Lim, who is a former research associate with UM’s Museum of Zoology said that Dr Davison did a very detailed examination of the fossil and came to the conclusion that it was a tiger.

“Unfortunately, his conclusion did not reach a much wider audience, and much confusion arose even to this day with people claiming it was a bear, dog, leopard or serow.

“In 2009, a team of researchers together with the Earl of Cranbrook decided to re-investigate the fossil and we reassessed the preservation condition of the fossil,” he said, adding that their research confirmed Dr Davison’s identification that the fossil was indeed of a small-sized tiger.

Lim, who is now doing his post-graduate study in the University of Cambridge and will be taking a research fellowship in Sarawak Museum in the subject of zoo archaeology, also noted that certain sections of the fossil showed signs of deterioration.

“I got in touch with Dr Davison following the confirmation of the research and we compared pictures of the fossil taken in 1992 and 2009.

“I do not know exactly what caused such deterioration, it could be natural, artificial, or both.

“In fact, a veteran caving expert in Malaysia, Liz Price, raised serious and valid concerns about the sad condition of the fossil and the surrounding areas several years ago,” he said.

“In a sense, Malaysia is unique – we have living tigers in the peninsular; the majestic animals are featured in our national coat of arms; and now we have a complete fossil of a tiger in Gopeng. But are we doing enough to protect it?

“Who knows that one day the hill site together with the fossil might be gone owing to the mining activities, without the knowledge of how important the fossil is to Malaysia and the people, scientifically, educationally, and, perhaps, culturally?” he added.

When asked, Lim said that it was important for the state government to find out which government agencies were responsible for the protection of the fossil and site, as well as the legal protection status of the fossil now.

“It is also necessary to organise an on site reinvestigation of the current status of the fossil, with inputs from all relevant stakeholders, including the temple manager, nature lovers and scientists,” he added.

Meanwhile, Perak’s Malaysian Nature Society chairman Ooi Beng Yean has called for the cave to be gazetted following the fossil discovery by MNS’ Perak caving group more than 20 years ago.

“It is the only place in Perak where this complete animal fossil has been found.

“With its rarity and uniqueness, it should be protected for historical preservation and also controlled eco-tourism to prevent further deterioration in the future,” he said.

• **

Visiting Lenggong caves - update 2018

In 2015 I found most of the archaeological caves were fenced off. Apparently you had to get the key from the museum. Gua Kajang -

Needless to say visitors have been complaining about this lack of access, especially as the caves are part of the World Heritage Site.

In 2016 the BBC travel website featured an article by Marco Ferrarese who managed to get permission to visit by emailing the Lenggong gallery's director.

The latest access requirements, 2018, are that one has to submit a letter to the Department Director, stating the number of visitors and preferred date.

The Department of Heritage, at Kota Tampan, says they are "in phase one of construction and maintenance. The archaeological sites are being repaired to reach world-class standards."

However due to financial reasons, only some sites are being chosen for repair.

Gua Tambun closed again

Gua Tambun is closed again. Once again, the reason is lack of maintenance. The site was closed in July 2018.

Ever since the rock art at Gua Tambun was discovered in 1959, the site has not been looked after. Over the years the Perak state government and / or Ipoh town council have made attempts, which are more verbal than practical.

I've written about the lack of protection in 2009. The steps are often overgrown -

Ipoh City Council is supposed to be doing the latest clean up, let's see what  happens............

See more on SEAArch 17 July 2018.

Study on snails in Perak

Lafarge Malaysia, who are quarrying Gunung Kanthan (see labels), provided a grant to scientists from Rimba and Universiti Malaysia Sabah to study land snails on 12 limestone hills in Perak. See Rimba for more on this.

The results were published in ZooKeys 682 on 4 July 2017, Diversity and biogeography of land snails (Mollusca, Gastropoda) in the limestone hills of Perak, Peninsular Malaysia, by Junn Kitt Foon, Gopalasamy Reuben Clements, Thor-Seng Liew. The results are very interesting, on 12 hills -
"We found 122 species of land snails, of which 34 species were unique to one of the surveyed hills. We identified 30 species that are potentially new to science. The number of land snail species recorded at each hill ranged between 39 and 63 species.".

This is quite exciting, lots of potentially new species.

The study also reveals that "Charopa lafargei which previously presumed as endemic to Gunung Kanthan (Vermeulen and Marzuki 2014), is shown in our study to also occur on the limestone hills at the north of Kinta Valley".

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Over the years I have collected a few snails from limestone areas. This one is common all over Peninsula Malaysia -

Amphidromus atricallosus perakensis (Fulton, 1901)

See more on my blog Some snail shells from Pahang and Perak limestone.

__

Iron Hill at Gunung Rapat, Perak

Iron Hill is an area of Gunung Rapat that presumably was mined for iron. A trail leads up the hill through 3 wangs. First time I visited in Feb 2010 access to the trail was behind the Poh Yeh Ngam temple (aka Porok Giam in 2015). The path led past a series of shrines built against the cliff, Wat Putabatwanapuparam, Deep Jungle Mountain Buddhist Feet, aka Tokong Siam.

The start of the trail -

On my next visit in Aug 2015 I discovered that the trail has now been incorporated into part of the
Qing Xin Ling complex and there is an entry fee - the above photo is the back lake at Qing Xin Ling.

The first part through a small gorge is lined with displays of old shops and artifacts

 In the first wang are some dinosaurs! -

From here concrete steps lead on up the hill but there is no further developments. You come to the second level as indicated by the red writing

The flora is interesting. There are lots of monophyllaea

 this one I call the jelly plant as the stem is very soft, I don't know its real name -

After climbing up and up you reach this point with a view

Unfortunately the heavens opened and we were unable to go on up to the triangulation point, instead we made a hasty but careful descent as the trail was really slippery.
Old cables left by the miners

We sheltered below one of the old huts used by the miners and watched the rain

Back to the tourist part -

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission