Malaysia March 2013
Lake
Tasik Kenyir on the eastern side of the Highlands is a beautiful man made
stretch of water with kilometres of jungle clad islands, valleys and inlets (probably
an environmental nightmare) producing hydro power and recreation areas. Trouble
is someone misjudged the safe building level or the hydro side didn’t pull the
pin soon enough during the recent heavy wet season.
Literally thousands of hectares of palm oil being grown in place of
tropical forests. While providing a huge labor requirement it’s been at the
expense of the environment and existed on the corrupt issue of logging permits
and land title
As with all parts of the globe the Chinese are heavily involved
Logging
as a prelude to palm oil.
While
millions if not billions have been spent on some very impressive express ways
the maintenance has been almost nonexistent resulting in huge potholes, slips
and subsidence. Here we follow a palm oil truck around some badly broken road
At a police check the officers were more interested in our, “beautiful truck” than anything else
The Cameron Highlands. At 15 to 25degrees a
most welcome relief from the heat of the coast. Tea plantations, vegetables and
flower growing. Most businesses run by the Chinese and Indians while the Malays
provide the labor – typical throughout the country
And
of course the picturesque tea plantations. This one still owned by an English
family
more
tea….
and
more tea…
and
vegetables
Marina picking tea
The
weigh up. Tea is nearly all cut by foreign workers using hand cutters and paid 10cAUD
per kg cut. Interestingly the Indian
union became too strong and expensive so corrupt payments by some plantation owners
gain excessive permits for foreign workers principally from Sri Lanka.
