The 5th Ministers' Forum on Infrastucture Development in the Asia-Pacific Region Stamp

In an effort to strategize and further strengthen cooperation in infrastructure development, Japan initiated a high level ministerial meeting attended by Ministers in charge of infrastructure in the Asia Pacific Region from October 26 to 28, 1995. Member countries include Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, United States of America, Thailand and Vietnam.

Since then, this high-level ministerial meeting has been held biennially. The second meeting was held in Chile in 1997 followed by Hong Kong in 1999 and Indonesia in 2002.

Malaysia is the host country for the 5th Ministers' Forum on Infrastructure Development in the Asia-Pacific Region to be held in Kuala Lumpur from 24 to 25 January 2005. As a prelude to the Forum, an Experts' Meeting was held in the resort island of Langkawi, Malaysia from 29 to 30 November 2004.

Objectives

The infrastructure development cooperation to be directed towards improving the standard of living of the people, drive economic growth and to create prosperity in the Asia-Pacific Region.

In consideration of the geographic differences and levels of development in each country, cooperation to be directed to balance the level of infrastructure development by the way of using the appropriate expertise and technology.

Co-operation to be based on the principles of mutual assistance through exchange of information, experts and increasing collaboration between government and private sectors.

The objectives of the 5th Ministers' Forum is to reach a consensus on environmental issues, concrete and practical solutions on infrastructure development as well as the materialization of the bilateral or multilateral cooperation on a realistic scale.

Scope

The scope of cooperation will, among others include the following infrastructures: roads, railways, seaport, airport, irrigation systems, water supplies, sanitation, electricity, telecommunication, housing and cross-border projects.

Dates and Venues

The 5th Ministers' Forum will be held at the Putrajaya International Convention Center, Putrajaya. Preceding the Forum an Experts' meeting was held in Langkawi from 29 to 30 November 2004. The meeting prepares and recommends the materials for discussion in the Senior Officials' Meeting on 24 January 2005 prior to tabling at the Ministers' Forum on 25 January 2005.








Technical Details

Date of Issue : 24-Jan-2005

Stamp Value : 30 Sen; 50 Sen; RM 1.00

Stamp Size : 40 mm x 30 mm

Perforation : 14

Sheet Content : 20 Stamps with gutter

Paper : SPM Watermarked, Phospor Coated

Printing Process : Lithography

Printer : Percetakan Keselamatn Nasional Sdn. Bhd

Stamp Designer : Reign Associates Sdn. Bhd.

First Day Cover Value : 30 Sen

Folder Value : RM 5.00

Rare Flowers Series II Stamp

Rhododendrons

The Rhododendron series of stamps features the rare species of flowering plants that are found on the slopes of Mount Kinabalu, Sabah. There are 35 species of Rhododendrons found in Sabah and 25 or these species can be seen on the slopes of Mount Kinabalu. Some 12 species of Rhododendrons are unique for they can only be found in Sabah.

Rhododendrons belong to the Ericacae family and are characterized by their large leaves, and large terminal flower clusters. The flowers are shaped like bells, with colors ranging from white, pink, purple to red. However, the flowers cannot withstand direct and intense sunlight, which would bleach the color of the flowers. Rhododendrons need sandy soil with partial shade to grow well.

Some Rhododendrons grow as shrubs while others grow as trees up to four meters in height. These flowering plants are popularly used as borders or decorative items as part of the landscape, and also as specimen plants.

Rhododendron lowii

This species has the largest individual flowers of any Bornean Rhododendron. The flowers are rich gold or apricot in color. The enormous broad green leaves distinguish, this species, and it grows in partially shaded moist soul at altitudes between 2700 meters and 3650 meters. At the upper end of the altitude, the size of the plants are much smaller. This species does not thrive as potted plants, and does not produce any flower in cultivation.

Rhododendron nervulosum

The Rhododendron nervulosum has long, narrow and flat leaves with scales. It also has an abundant of small veins. The species grows as shrubs with smooth branches, ending with one or two flowering umbels. It is usually found at altitudes between 2500 meters and 3000 meters.

Rhododendron stenophyllum

Rhododendron stenophyllum has very narrow, dark green leaves with sparse scales. Its flowers range from orange to red and are waxy in appearance. it grows at altitudes from 2700 meters to 2800 meters, and has two different sub-species that cultivates at different altitudes. The species can only be found in Mount Kinabalu, and its flowers throughout the year, especially from February to June.

It can grow from a small shrub into a small tree up to 4 meters high, with branches that are round and covered with scales when young.

Rhododendron rugosum

Rhododendron rugosum is easily distinguished by its pink, hairy flowers and coarsely weaned. Wrinkled leaves with brown scales. It grows in the altitudinal range of 2000 meters to 3500 meters. The species cultivates well but rarely flowers. It grows in shrubs or small trees up to 8 meters. The twigs are covered by dense brown scales that rub off easily.

Rhododendron stapfianum

This species is highly distinctive with its covering of white hair. It produces flowers throughout the year, but the main flowering season is March and April. Rhododendron stapfianum grows in shrubs up to 1 meter height. The twigs are rounded and green in color with white hair and brown scales.


Technical Details

Date of Issue : 11-Jan-2005

Stamp Value : 30 Sen (2 Designs), 50 Sen; RM1.00

Perforation : 14

Sheet Content : 20 Stamps with gutter

Paper : Watermarked,Phosphor Coated

Printing Process : Lithography

Printer : Secura Security Printing Sdn. Bhd.

Stamp Designer : Reign Associates Sdn. Bhd.

First Day Cover Value : 30 Sen

Presentation Pack Value : RM 4.30

Miniature Sheet Value : RM 2.00

Folder Value : RM 5.00

Medicinal Plants Series II Stamp

Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia)

Tongkat Ali inhibits the under storey of lowland forest. It is a small tree or treelet growing to a height of 10 meters. The main stem grows upright with or without only one or two branches. At each end of the stem or branch, the leaves are arranged to form a rosette or umbrella-like canopy. The leaves are odd-pinnate compound, consisting of 20-30 pairs of leaflets with one terminal leaflet. They are dark green and shiny. The flowers are small, dark red, arranged in long panicles which arise from the leaf axils. The fruits are drupe, yellowish brown in color.

Kacip Fatimah (Labisia pumila)

Kicap Fatimah thrives in shady places, normally as undergrowth in the forest. It is a herbaceous shrub with creeping rhizome. The leaves are elliptic-lanceolate in shape, the base is alternate. The petioles are relatively short and slight flattened. The surface of the leaves are shiny, dark green and lighter green at the margin. The stems are erect, dark brown with distinct scars of faller leaves. The nodes of the stem are capable of rooting. The flowers are borne on racemes, about 6cm in length arise from leaf axils. The fruits are berry, globose, red in color.

Kicap Fatimah is one of the most popular and potent ingredient in traditional herbal 'jamu' for afterbirth care. A decoction of the plant is used to expedite labor and as a protective medicines after childbirth. It is also used for treating gonorrhea, dysmenorrheal, rheumatism, dysentery and flatulence.

Buah Keras (Alleurites moluccana)

Buah Keras of candlenut is native to Malaysia but now is distributed throughout the tropics. It is a medium or large sized tree. The leaves are tomentose. They are oval in shape but sometimes with shallow lobes. They have long petiole, 5-15 cm with two glands at the base. The flowers are small, about 1 cm in diameter, white and in large terminal cymes up to 20 cm long. The fruits are 2-5 cm in diameter, green and fleshy, and are 1-2 seeded.

The fruits are dried and used in cooking as seasoning. The pulped kernel enters into poultices for headache, fevers, ulcers and swollen joints. The bark is used for dysentery and the juice mixed with coconut milk is used to cure sprue. The leaves are used for headache and gonorrhea.

Kerdas (Pithecellobium bubalinumbenth)

Kerdas is found in Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra mostly wild in the forest. The tree is of medium size reaching 15 meters in height. The canopy is round, bushy and compact. The leaves are compound consisting of 2-3 pairs of leaflet. The leaflets are lanceolate and asymmetry. The matured leaves are green and glossy while the young shoot is purple.

The panicle is borne either at the terminal shoot or at the leaf axil. The pod is straight and slightly curved, green when young but turning reddish brown at maturity. The young seeds are green and shiny turning reddish brown and then almost black when fully ripe. The seeds are eaten raw as 'ulam' normally with rice and 'sambal'. They are crispy and tasty. The young shoot is also edible and can be eaten raw. The seeds and shoot are known for their diuretic and purgative effects.

Mas Cotek

Mas Cotek is a wild plant which can be found in Kelantan, Pahang and Terengganu. It grows well in the forest near the beach but can also trive in the hilly areas up to 700 meters from sea level.

It is a shrub that grows to a height of 2 meters, but can also grow as epiplyte on other plants. The leaves are thick, deltoid in shape and rounded at the apex but tapering at the base. There are black, rusty or golden spots (therefore 'mas cotek') on the upper and lower sides of the leaves but are more pronounced below. The main vein has three branches and there are distinct spots at the base of the branches on the lower surface of the leaves. Flowers and fruits are borne at the leaf-axils, singly or in pairs.

Mas Cotekis used traditionally to cure lung disease. It is also a well known herb for women after childbirth.



Technical Details

Date of Issue : 11-Dec-2004

Stamp Value : 30 Sen; 50 Sen; RM1 (2 Designs)

Stamp Size : 40mm X 30mm

Perforation : 14

Sheet Content : 20 Stamps

Miniature Sheet Denomination : RM2.00

Miniature Sheet Size : 100mm X 70mm

Stamp Size in Miniature Sheet : 40mm X 30mm

Paper : Watermarked,Phosphor Coated

Printing Process : Lithography

Printer : Secura Security Printing Sdn. Bhd.

Stamp Designer : Warna Ilham

First Day Cover Value : 30 Sen

Presentation Pack Value : RM 4.50

Folder Value : RM 5.00

Marine Life Series VI Stamp

Humpback Whale (Megaptera Novaeangliae)

Its scientific name was given to this species in 1781 by a German naturalist named Borowski. Humpback whales belong in the Balaenidae family and are categorized as baleen whales (baleen are the series of plates used to strain food from seawater). Humpback whales have about 300 baleen plates, which are skater grey. These baleens hang from the upper jaw like a fringed curtain on both sides of the large mouth. Therefore, a humpback whale needs to only take a mighty slurp of "krill soup," close it's mouth, and expel the excess water through the horny comb and its lips. It will swallow the filtered broth of food that remains behind. The back of a Humpback body is black and normally shades to a white belly. The shade of black on the whales varies in different populations, according to locality. Their flippers are rather long and have serrated leading edges that indicate the fingers. Their dorsal fins are relatively large and are placed half down the back. They are followed by a series of hillocks, which end at their tails.

Octopus (Octopus Bimaculatus)

Octopus are invertebrate and mollusc. They can be found worldwide, in warm temperate waters. Sometimes, they are also known as 'devil fish,' even though octopuses are not fishes but are related to oysters and mussels. An octopus has a big round head, a pair of big eyes and eight suckered arms (tentacles). These tentacles are used to push them forward and moved fast in the water. Octopuses have soft body and are squid-like. They feed on small fishes and crabs. When an octopus senses danger, it inks its surrounding waters black to protect itself.

Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus)

They are classified under the Delphinidae family, the largest family of Cetaceans (classifications of the genera and species in this family is constantly changing). Bottlenose dolphins can measure up to 3.9 meter, weighing around 150 kg - 650 kg. They can be identified easily for their sickle-shaped dorsal fin and dorsal fin and distinct short beak. They usually have dark grey body with lighter underside, grading to white. Bottlenose Dolphins 'see' by listening to the echoes bounced off by objects in the water to determine the location and characteristic of an object. The dolphins were made famous by the television show 'Flipper,' they are also popular for being playful and highly sociable.

Thornback Ray (Raja Clavata)

They are characterized by their triangle or rhomboid-shaped body. The tails are slender and whip-like. These rays have a pair of eyes that protrude above the dorsal surface. These eyes have some degree of mobility. The large thorn-like spines on its tail and central position of the wings give this ray its name. Thornback rays are classified as a fish and are usually found in deep sea of about 185 meter in depth, Their teeth show sexual dimorphism, males have pointed teeth and females have flat, rounded teeth, they feed on crustacean and fish such as herring, sprats and flatfish. While swimming, Thornback rays undulates the enlarged pectoral fins, aptly called 'wings' and the tail acts as a rudder.



Technical Details

Date of Issue : 9-Oct-2004

Stamp Value : 30 Sen; 50 sen; RM 1.00

Stamp Size : 40mm X 30mm

Perforation : 14

Sheet Content : 20 Stamps

Miniature Sheet Denomination : RM2.00

Miniature Sheet Size : 100mm X 70mm

Stamp Size in Miniature Sheet : 40mm X 30mm

Paper : Watermarked, Phosphor Coated

Printing Process : Lithography

Printer : Secura Security Printing Sdn. Bhd.

Stamp Designer : Hudacorp Sdn Bhd

First Day Cover Value : 30 Sen

Presentation Pack Value : RM 3.50

Miniature Sheet Value : RM 2.00

Folder Value : RM 5.00

100 Years Matang Mangroves, Perak Stamp

Besides plants, the mangrove habitat also houses a large number of animals, from the most minute (zooplankton) to the largest reptile, i.e. the Estuarine crocodile. One of the most commonly found inhabitants of the mangrove forest is the long-tailed macaque-Macaca fascicularis. These monkeys invade the mangrove forest during the falling tide to feed on crabs and shellfish.

The Gedabu fruit Sonneratia ovata or more commonly known as the Mangrove apple can be eaten by man and it is also a favorite of the Painted Terrapin. The fruit can be made into juice and also used for the treatment of sprains, bleeding and hemorrhoid. Its wood can be used as firewood, poles and in the construction of houses. In addition, insects such as moth can be found throughout the mangrove forest.

There are 28 fishing villages in the vicinity of the Matang Mangroves. Besides fishing in the sea, the fishermen also carry out aquaculture farming, i.e. breeding of fish in cages and cockle farming. The cockles (Anadara granosa) were first commercially farmed by the village headman in Bagan Panchor, Perak, in 1984. Cockles from Matang fetch a good price in neighboring countries such as Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.

The Matang Mangroves environment is a very productive ecosystem. It supports the food chains of various wildlife comprising fish, crustaceans, birds, small mammals and invertebrates. It is the feeding ground for birds such as the Lesser adjutant-Leptoptilos javanicus and Brahminy kite-Haliastur indus. These birds eat various types of food, including plankton, aquatic plants, worms, crustaceans, molluscs and fish.

In addition, migratory birds also make pit stops at the Matang Mangroves to feed before flying on to New Zealand or to stay there for winter. These birds include the Eurasian Duck-Anas penelope, Chinese egretta eulophotes, Common sandpiper-Actitis hypoleucos and many more.

100 Years Matang Mangroves, Perak

If an area that has been worked on contains less than 90% of natural seedlings, replanting will be carried out on the area. Two species that are commonly planted are Bakau minyak-Rhizophora apiculata and Bakau kurap-Rhizophora mucronata at a spacing of 1.2m x 1.2m and 1.8m x 1.8m respectively. Present planting involves the prescription of bare root propagules and potted seedling as planting materials, depending on suitability of the sites and the presence of pests.

Technical Details

Date of Issue : 4-Oct-2004

Stamp Value : 30 Sen (Se-tenant); RM1 (Se-tenant)

Sheet Content :20 Stamps

Stamp Size : 30mm X 40mm

Perforation : 14

Miniature Sheet Denomination : RM2.00

Miniature Sheet Size : 100mm X 70mm

Stamp Size in Miniature Sheet : 30mm X 40mm

Paper : Watermarked, Phosphor Coated

Printing Process : Lithography

Printer : Secura Security Printing Sdn. Bhd.

Designer : Hazel Design

First Day Cover Value : 30 Sen

Presentation Pack Value :RM 4.00

Folder Value :RM 5.00

Traditional Transportation Stamp

In the days before automobiles, there were various modes of transportation that people in Malaysia used, in accordance to the prevalent needs and cultures. People from different races and cultures brought and introduced different kinds of transportation, but all with the same objective of getting from one place to another.

Trishaw

This trishaw originated from Parit Jawa, Muar, Johor. It is painted in green, red, black and yellow, the favorite colors of the era. The hood, made of canvas, can easily be opened or closed when necessary. The seat is made from coconut husk and is complete with a backrest. The trishaw can carry two adult passengers and one or two children.

Rickshaw

The two-wheeled rickshaw was normally used by the rich Babas and Nyonyas in Malacca. It needed a strong man to pull the rickshaw around town, usually with only one passenger, for a leisure ride and to go shopping.

Bullock Cart

The bullock cart was used as a means of transportation since the 1400's, and it is believed to have been introduced by the Indian community in Malacca. Other than for carrying passengers, it was also used to carry goods. A pair of healthy bulls were usually hitched to pull the cart.

Padi Horse

The padi horse is synonymous with the Bajau community in Kota Belud, Sabah. it also serves as a family's status. A famous and influential family would usually own many horses. The padi horse is used as a mode of transport to the padi fields or towns, as well as for the village head to patrol the village. it is also ridden during important social functions or celebrations like weddings and the annual Tamu Besar event.







Technical Details

Date of Issue : 18-Aug-2004

Stamp Value : 30 Sen; 50 sen; RM 1.00

Perforation : 14

Sheet Content : 20 Stamps

Stamp Size : 40mm X 30mm

Miniature Sheet Denomination : RM2.00

Miniature Sheet Size : 100mm X 70mm

Stamp Size in Miniature Sheet : 40mm X 50mm

Paper : Watermarked, Phospor Coated

Printing Process : Lithography

Printer : Percetakan Keselamatan Nasional Sdn. Bhd.

Stamp Designer : Reign Associates

First Day Cover Value : 30 sen

Presentation Pack Value : RM 3.50

Folder Value : RM 5.00