Photographs of Merotai, Tawau,

Students and residents in Kampung Merotai Besar can access information from the outside world through the Internet, with the inception of a Rural Info Centre (MID) since 2004. Students could gain additional knowledge to improve their preparations for their PMR, SPM or STMP studies and examinations.

The RM400,000 project under the Federal Ministry of Entrepreneur Development is one of 13 established throughout Malaysia, including another one at Kampung Bayangan, in Keningau.

The facility served as an opportunity for the local residents to learn more about information technology, other than enriching their knowledge on various aspects of development.

The Kampung Merotai Besar Rural Info Centre has 21 units of computer, a printer and a scanner, with direct access to the Internet, apart from playing its role as a reference centre, he added.

The facilities available at the MID building include a prayer room, toilets, a meeting room and an administrative room. In addition, there are several racks of reference books related to computer illiteracy, acquired through the efforts of Universiti Malaya, UPM, UUM and UTM.

Aquaculture To Spearhead Sabah's Agriculture Development

TAWAU 2005 -- Aquaculture farming will be intensively developed in efforts to boost Sabah's agriculture sector, said Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Food Industry Datuk Patawari Patawe.

He said the state government was supportive of a joint effort between a local firm and a company from China to aggressively develop the state's aquaculture industry.

"Aquaculture plays a major role in the state's efforts to boost its food production," he told reporters after releasing jellyfish fry into Sungai Merotai Besar here Sunday.

The function was held to mark the aquaculture joint-venture between local firm M-Square Sdn Bhd and China's Dalian Glory Technology Ltd.

Dalian, which has 15 years experience in aquaculture ventures, has wide international networking which spans Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines, Australia and West Asia.

On the jellyfish project, Patawari said it involved three phases -- construction of a hatchery, jellyfish breeding and construction of a processing mill.

M-Square, in collaboration with the Sabah Agriculture Department, has set up a hatchery in Tuaran near Kota Kinabalu.

The Tuaran jellyfish hatchery, together with the one here, are expected to produce jellyfish fry for export to China, Japan and Korea.

Some 100,000 jellyfish fry were released into Sungai Merotai Besar at the function.

Source or related URL: http://www.bernama.com

PD Kg. Merotai Besar, Tawau
http://www.ssl.sabah.gov.my
Address :

PD Kg. Merotai Besar,
D/A Tawau Regional Library,
P. O. Box 775
91008 TAWAU

Kg. Merotai Besar Village Library is located about 30km from Tawau town. It was officiated in 28 July 2005 by YB Datuk Yahya Hussin, Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Community Development & Consumer Affairs. Apart from books and magazines, ICT facilities like computer, printer, scanner and internet are also available in this village library.

SELAMAT DATANG KE GDW

BANGSA BERDAYA NEGARA JAYA

Gerakan Daya Wawasan

KG. MEROTAI BESAR

SELAMAT DATANG

KAMPUNG MEROTAI BESAR

TAWAU, SABAH

KHIDMAT SISWA (K-SISWA) 2005

UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SABAH

Merotai wildlife centre Tawau:

June 2008 : Merotai Assemblyman Pang Yuk Ming disclosed that plans are afoot to set up the Merotai Wildlife Centre, in the Kalabakan parliamentary constituency, to house Borneo pygmy elephants, reputed to the world's small elephants, in the near future. Such proposal inease tourist influx, particularly wildlife lovers.

The Merotai Wildlife Centre project would be sited at the Desa Subur area, near the Tawau Hill Park, which has attractive natural surroundings, including a river.

YB Pang Yuk Ming expressed optimism that the proposal would likely to be approved by Sabah Parks, Borneo Conservation Trust and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The project would be successful in a similar fashion as the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary in Sandakan.

The centre would serve as a rehabilitation centre and sanctuary for rescued Borneo pygmy elephants, which had been gaining worldwife attention as their number had dwindled to about 1,000 in Sabah.

a) Encik Mohamad Bin Fakir – Native Chief, Merotai

b) Encik Ariffin Mohd Noor – Vice Native Chief, Merotai

c) Sergeant Major Basir Bin Ahmad – Head of Bombalai Police Station

d) Constable Mohd Aswira – PPK Merotai

e) Haji Saleh Eyam – Village Head, Tanah Merah

f) Encik Mohd Yusof Bin Fakir – Merotai Mini Bus Association Chairman

g) Encik Harris Bin Hamzah – JKKK, Kg Simpang 3

h) Encik Harry Kashuri – JKKK, Pekan Merotai

i) Encik Arsad Bin Mohd – JKKK Chairman, Kg Kijang

j) Encik Kaling Ak Jarau – JKKK, Kg Iban

k) Hj Mahmud Bin Baco – Village Head, Merotai Besar

Merotai aquaculture centre next growth area

13 July, 2006

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah has proposed to the Federal Government to set up a National Marine Aquaculture Centre on some 3,000 acres in Merotai, Tawau.

A technical committee was formed chaired by the Permanent Secretary of Agriculture and Food Industry Ministry to work on a conceptual paper for this centre during a meeting at Wisma Pertanian, Wednesday.

An official proposal would be submitted to the Federal Government within three months and it is hoped that the centre would become a reality within two years.

Agriculture and Food Industry Minister, Datuk Abdul Rahim Ismail, who chaired the meeting, said they received positive signs that the Federal Government is seriously considering setting up such a centre in Sabah.

The meeting attended by marine aquaculture experts and various agencies had identified some components of the proposed centre. These include that the centre would become a place for producing aquaculture products using up-to-date technology and methods as well as good and sustainable environmental and natural resource management systems.

"In the proposed centre there will be aquaculture lots allocated for investors. It is expected to become a new growth area with same status as KKIP, POIC and SAIP and will be developed using the same approach for permanent food production parks (TKPM)," said Abdul Rahim.

The other components would be that the centre would become a place for research and development (R&D) as well as bio-technology in terms of aquaculture research; a place for processing of value-added aquaculture products; a national aquaculture training centre and a lab to provide analysis services for the breeders.

Abdul Rahim said the special focus of this proposed centre is to assist shoreline fishermen to venture into commercial activity so that they can climb out from the clutches of poverty, which would be in line with the Prime Minister's aspiration as well as agricultural policies.

He said presently there are about 25,000 shoreline fishermen registered in Sabah, with about 10,000-15,000 still in poverty.

"So with the setting up of the National Marine Aquaculture Centre, we will be able to assist them, we will also use the proposed centre as a hub for marketing and exporting aquaculture produce," said Abdul Rahim.

Earlier, Abdul Rahim said since 2001 the aquaculture sector in Sabah has been showing a rapid growth especially with the involvement of commercial-status companies.

Saying the State's aquaculture sector presently has the capability of producing some 20,000 metric tones per annum and hoped it could triple its production by 2010.

"But in order to encourage further growth of the aquaculture industry, the Government needs to provide support and various incentives to convince the potential investors," he said.

THE site for the setting up of the proposed National Marine Aquaculture Centre in Merotai is among more than 30,000 hectares gazette by the State government as Aquaculture Industrial Zone (ZIA).

The rest are in Tambisan (Sandakan), Klias (Beaufort), Menumbok and Pitas, which have already managed to lure some investors to carry out aquaculture activities involving tiger prawns, in-cage fish and seaweed among others.

"The Fisheries Department is also currently in the process of identifying other areas as well as applying for some areas to be gazette under ZIA," said Abdul Rahim.

It is also hoped that the centre will become a national centre for producing fries.

"Presently, Sabah is in short supply of fish fries. This has been a major problem as Sabah alone needs about 40 million fish fries today, we only can produce least than 20 million fish fries for the aquaculture sector."

"It is our hope about 55 per cent from the targeted fish production in Sabah will come from marine aquaculture by 2010," he added.

To a question, Abdul Rahim said if all goes smoothly they would start looking for investors.

"When we discuss the agriculture sector in Sabah, it is a sector filled with risk. So we want the private sector to come in," he said, adding the proposed centre would be using a Public Funding Initiative (PFI).

INDEX : Photos of Tawau 22-9-2008 April 18, 2011 12:20:07 AM