By Mariam Mokhtar Last October, Ipoh Echo published a story entitled, “Amy’s Farmstay Puts Lenggong On The Wo...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar Kee Thuan Chye is a writer, playwright, and political commentator whose latest book, "The People's Vict...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar On October 24, the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, urged mosque committee members and religious sp...read more
By now, you will doubtless have heard about the eviction of Amy Tan, her husband, Vladislav Kuta, and three young children, from t...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar Do you know what your children are watching on their mobile phones or computers? Are you concerned abou...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar If there is a will, there is a way; but it appears that there is no political will to transform limesto...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar Stories about dogs being tortured, maimed and killed appear to be on the rise. Dogs have been poisoned ...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar They do things differently in other parts of the world. Many foreign developers lack our expertise and ...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar The Orang Asli (OA) of Peninsular Malaysia and the indigenous people Sabah and Sarawak are the forgotte...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar Sand! Who would have thought that something as innocuous as sand, could be both a source of wealth and ...read more
Why should Malaysia, and in particular Ipoh, be a dumping ground for the First World’s waste for us to deal with?
By Mariam Mokhtar Penang’s project, the Penang South Reclamation project (PSR) will have serious consequences, in...read more
How would you feel, if a group of people barged into your garden, trashed it, wrecked your house and damaged the plumbing? Would y...read more
The Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, may have rated his cabinet “five out of 10”, almost a year after the Pakatan ...read more
The Perak Menteri Besar, Ahmad Faizal Azumu, announced on April 24, that Ipoh will have a new mayor by the end of the month, and t...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar The Movie Animations Park Studios (MAPS), is a bit like durian. You either love it, or you don’...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar After the environmental disaster in Johor, when irresponsible people dumped at least one truckload of...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar Most mothers will tell their children that if they are asked to do something, then it is better to do i...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar Multatuli, who comes from a village in Perak, wants to know what the business community and the capta...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar Fake news. Fake food. Fake degrees. What more do we need? Some politicians should be careful of the pa...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar Psst.....here’s my secret....How to pick up a bargain and dress like a princess! So, you want to...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar It is a sad end to the Year of the Dog... Ipohites have had their fair share of their pet dogs being a...read more
It’s that time of year again. Christmas! So, what do you get today’s teenager? The latest iPad?Personalised sneakers? ...read more
The story of the refugee is one which does not sell papers in Malaysia. We are so consumed with our lives and making money, or providing for our own families, that we ignore the pl...read more
In the battle for the hearts and minds of the electorate, the Perak Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration appears to want to compete...read more
Instead of being a trendsetter and true reformer, the Perak Menteri Besar, Ahmad Faizal Azumu, would rather emulate his pr...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar As soon as you enter "90's Classic", a sign on the wall greets you with, "Happiness is not a destinatio...read more
Malaysians are not very good at making official complaints. They may make the initial protestations, but their follow thro...read more
On one Sunday morning, the playground was quiet. One would normally expect children to be squealing with delight, as they played w...read more
For the past ten years I have done nothing, but write, to expose the wrongdoings of Umno-Baru, and to try and persuade peo...read more
The Pakatan Harapan government, in Putrajaya, is trying to cut costs, but the new Perak Menteri Besar, Ahmad Faizal Azumu, is doing the opposite.
Perak has always had a history of terror attacks. In September 1945, the British Military Administration (BMA) urged the ...read more
In tropical ecosystems, the termite is considered an important ecosystem engineer, whose habitat can affect the survival of other ...read more
The success of the Movie Animation Park Studios (MAPS), is a hotly contested topic. If you approached the management, eve...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar At one time, an Ipohite could rely on workers from the Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh (MBI) to spruce up his res...read more
With a new government, in Putrajaya, and a new Pakatan Harapan administration in Perak, will the MB of Perak and his exco members,...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar Many major cities, in Perak, suffer from a lack of green lungs in their urban and town centres. The tho...read more
We can confirm two things, which excite and unite Malaysians, not just those in Malaysia but also those residing and worki...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar In February 2018, Rupa Shanmugam, received the Women In Leadership Award from the Buffalo Niagara Chapter of Ne...read more
Ipoh lecturer has been selected to join a 5-woman Malaysian expedition to the South Pole The names of the four Malaysian female a...read more
We celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8 and one woman who deserves special recognition is kindergarten teacher M....read more
Twenty-one-year-old Indonesian, Adelina Lisao, who was allegedly abused by her employers, died in the Bukit Mertajam Hospital on Sunday, February 11.
On January 24, a 14-year-old girl in Nibong Tebal tried to hang herself, after she had been accused of stealing her teacher's iPhone.
In early January, an article in The Star, about Nam Heong Kopitiam at Ipoh Soho, caused a frisson of excitement amongst Malaysians.
Over the years, the Ipoh Echo has visited some tourist sites, including the Perak Tourism Information Centre, to highlight various...read more
Why does the cross evoke such high emotions and passion in many Malaysians? The cross is a symbol of Christianity, but why should ...read more
Many industries, including the hospitality industry are suffering in these strained economic times, but the Hotel Seri Malaysia (H...read more
Charles, the Prince of Wales and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were on a seven-day tour of Malaysia, in November. Their itiner...read more
You are at a party and your hosts are serving crudites and dips as well as crisps and hummus. Someone dips his carrot into the salsa and takes a bite of the vegetable, before he di...read more
Last month, when Perak MB, Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, was spotted driving a dustcart in the Malim Nawar area, he denied reports that h...read more
Some European friends, who came to stay with a Malaysian family were alarmed when the household retired for the night, and the hos...read more
When tin was king, Perak was one of the richest, if not the richest state in the Malayan peninsula. It had a large number of mansi...read more
The breadfruit from Auntie Foo's tree came wrapped in a newspaper. It was the size of a football and was surplus to our neighbour's needs.
Who has not heard of Chan Sam Lock (CSL), Malaysia's biggest wedding and photography studio? It was the place to go, to have one's photo taken and developed.
At some point in our lives, we have all been stopped by officers from the Road Transport Department (RTD), or policemen manning a ...read more
The shocking case of an elderly couple, in their 70s, being trapped in an elevator in the Mydin Meru Shopping Mall in Ipoh, is not...read more
The quiet enclave of Parit received a nasty jolt when, on May 6, six students in Form Two of the Parit MARA Junior Science College...read more
People who drive into Ipoh, around 7am on the last Sunday of each month may be in for a rude shock. If they want to drive into Jal...read more
The Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) procurement general manager and acting president, Mohd Hider Yusoff, claimed in an article...read more
If a picture paints a thousand words, then a friend's photos have revealed huge variations in rubbish collection in and around Ipo...read more
On April 17, two workers died inside a manhole in front of the Angsana Mall Shopping Centre, in Jalan Hospital, Ipoh. It is allege...read more
On March 24, a 16-year-old girl from Kuala Nerang in Kedah, took her father's car for a spin, invited a friend to accompany her an...read more
n response to Ipoh Echo’s article, “Why can’t Malaysians appreciate their local heritage?” in Issue 254, t...read more
Why can Malaysians commit to redevelopment projects and preserve both historical and cultural heritage, thousands of miles away, w...read more
It's 9pm. Your younger children are already in bed, and the teenagers are watching TV in their bedrooms. A few hours later, do you...read more
When you saw the headline and photographs of the Perak Menteri Besar, Dato’ Seri DiRaja Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and mayor, Dato&...read more
Come on, MBI, you have the potential to improve and make a success of Visit Perak Year (VPY) 2017!
Who says that our young men and women lack creativity? Earlier this month, three women and five men climbed the 20m high "IPOH" si...read more
For the past seven years, mother M. Indira Gandhi, has been subject to untold suffering, as a result of her husband’s action...read more
In the last week of October, a Sarawak firm was thrilled to cook the largest bowl of Sarawak laksa. The organisers used around 100...read more
On October 12, the state government was alarmed by the report of 615 cases of teenage students becoming pregnant in 2015. The Stat...read more
In a typical road-side scene, in Malaysia, school children gather at a bus stop to cross the road to school. A man, presumably in ...read more
When one retiree and her daughter, both living near Ipoh's Jalan Kampar, was asked what worried them most, both of them said the r...read more
Malaysians are widely travelled. You could be in a casino in Monte Carlo, or an Indonesian restaurant in Amsterdam, or waiting in ...read more
Syabas and congratulations to all the Malaysian sportsmen who competed at the Olympic Games, in Rio de Janeiro in August. You are an inspiration to us and to our youth.
In 2015, the exposé of a Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) corruption scandal, involving the procurement of goods from the Depot B...read more
Working mothers are often frustrated by the lack of support, when taking care of their children. A number of mothers are forced to...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar Not all Africans are bad, as many Malaysians will attest, although you occasionally hear disturbing stories about the activities of Africans studying at private ...read more
Should we be rejoicing that Perak has another university? Some of you might ask, "Do we really need another university or should w...read more
In early February this year, the Director-General of the Department of Occupational Health and Safety (DOSH), Ir. Mohtar Musri, told "The SunDaily", that between 2011 and May 2015,...read more
Organising a child's birthday party used to be simple. The party was held at home and the mother had as much fun planning the part...read more
A few years ago, when an opportunity to work in England arose, Ipohite Yau Mei Leng, the Principal IT Consultant in a multinationa...read more
There are different types of homes, around the world. You’ve heard about living on the water, in a houseboat, or barge; or l...read more
The recent debate on the Child (Amendment) Bill 2015, in parliament, sparked a furious row amongst some MPs. The debate also highl...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar After a year-long wait, the 51 school cleaners from Ipoh, whose plight was highlighted last September by the Pa...read more
The teenager, S. Durga Devi, was only seventeen when she died, at the hands of her violent 27-year-old boyfriend. Her lifeless bod...read more
By Mariam Mokhtar Few people realise that wild animals, whose hunting grounds have been encroached upon by human activity, are fi...read more
If you are concerned about the environment and you dislike using chemicals, or perhaps, you, or a family member is allergic to som...read more
A neighbourly dispute can be a living nightmare. It does not matter if you live in a small village, or a big city. What do you do,...read more
The Perak State Library set a new Guinness World Record for the largest pyramid of paperbacks and hardback books. It was three met...read more
Just before Merdeka, and major festivals, like Chinese New Year, Deepavali or Hari Raya, all Malaysians used to look forward to a Yasmin Ahmad commercial.
Somewhere, on the ground floor of the Perak Tourist Board in Ipoh, is a grainy black and white photo of the Great Ipoh Flood. If memory serves me right, the photo was taken around 1924.
Far from understanding the woes and suffering of the ordinary rakyat, one minister has asked citizens who refuse to pay the toll, ...read more
She is headstrong, opinionated and makes heads turn, but Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud is just another Ipohite, a familiar face, for the Malaysian expats, in London.
On September 18, family members, former colleagues, schoolmates and friends of the murdered Deputy Public Prosecutor, Kevin Morais...read more
Thinking Allowed By Mariam Mokhtar On 1 December 2012, Penang became the first Malaysian state to ban the use of styrofoam packa...read more
Thinking Allowed By Mariam Mokhtar Do you feel guilty when you cheat at cooking? Of course not! You're a working mother and time is precious. With GST and increasing prices, you ...read more
Thinking Allowed By Mariam Mokhtar Anger is an emotion which we all feel from time to time. The person who drives into your parking spot, just as you are carefully reversing your...read more
Contrary to popular opinion, the cost of hosting the ‘Open House’ is not borne by the politician, but is paid for by t...read more
In May, the Ipoh Echo article ‘Dress Code Confusing’ sparked debate among Ipoh netizens, when they read about the mann...read more
Screaming children and toddlers who run around, knocking into other people, do not contribute to a quiet shopping experience. Few ...read more
In early June, the intervention of concerned Malaysians, on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, managed to halt the cont...read more
The International Business Times reported that, in November 2014, a young man from Malim Nawar, near Kampar had been caught in a M...read more
These are the remarks made by both locals and expatriates who live, or who used to live, in Ipoh. Do they sound familiar?
he word Iversen is a household name again, just as it was in the 1950s and 60s, but for completely different reasons.
Former International Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz, who served in the Cabinet from 1987 to 2008, has expressed confusio...read more
The tranquillity of the Lumut naval base was shattered when the chattering classes in the naval community were horrified to learn ...read more
In 1961, it was reported, in the Straits Times, that the number of reported crimes had doubled from the previous year. It made 196...read more
Thinking Allowed By Mariam Mokhtar In 2009, Ruth Iversen Rollitt, the daughter of one of Malaya’s most distinguished architects, Berthel Michael Iversen, was in Ipoh attend...read more
Nursyuhada Johari, a 20-year-old student at the UiTM Permatang Pauh campus died after her throat was slashed by a 25-year-old cook...read more
It is very hard to convince people that children are more likely to suffer sexual abuse from the people whom they trust, such as r...read more
The floods are an annual occurrence, so if we are taken unawares, we need only blame ourselves for lacking preparation. Some peopl...read more
Many women think that events which highlight violence against women, are poorly attended by men. Someone who is experienced in women’s rights issues said, “At talks and...read more
From time to time, stories about child marriages will emerge and the details will doubtless shock you. A few months ago, a rapist ...read more
Perakians are familiar with the seaside town of Kuala Sepetang (Port Weld), in Larut Matang. The area is renowned for its tourism ...read more
Although Catherine Chin Wan Ping Coombes, an avid viewer of the MasterChef television show, likes cooking and experimenting with d...read more
You are the parents of small children and, like other people, you believe in fresh air and exercise. You often take your children ...read more
The integrity of our education system is as stake. If we are to continue having the best education system in the world, the systemic leakage of examination papers must be stopped. ...read more
Thinking Allowed By Mariam Mokhtar You are a keen gardener but the soil in your garden is of poor quality. Fertiliser cannot work wonders and you can’t afford to keep buyin...read more
Thinking Allowed By Mariam Mokhtar Nurul Hana Jamaludin pinched herself as she gazed at the Eiffel Tower, lit like a Christmas tree, against the night sky and said, “When I...read more
Thinking Allowed By Mariam Mokhtar Few Malaysians visit museums even if one is near their home. To put it bluntly, many Malaysia...read more
Thinking Allowed By Mariam Mokhtar Malaysians were shocked to read about 15-year-old Muhammad Firdaus Dullah, who has cerebral p...read more
Thinking Allowed By Mariam Mokhtar Do you get on with your neighbour and regularly exchange pleasantries? Do you have one of tho...read more
Thinking Allowed By Mariam Mokhtar The litter we see on our streets, and in our drains, plus the great piles of uncollected rubb...read more
Thinking Allowed By Mariam Mokhtar When the results of the Teluk Intan by-election were announced, the residents of Teluk Inta...read more
Behind every strong and determined woman is another woman: her mother. When two women were thrown into the headlines recently, their most striking remarks were to attribute their s...read more
Picture the scene: A 7-week-old baby is tightly swaddled and cradled in his mother’s arms. He is thin, but so is she. She is pale and wan, and looks much older than her 23-years
Thinking Allowed By Mariam Mokhtar Karpal Singh, who died with his aide, in an horrific car crash near Gua Tempurung in the ea...read more
Muhammad Fakhruddin Hj Safian Shuri, who is in his early twenties, is a final year student reading Environmental Science at Nottingham University.
As any keen birdwatcher will tell you, the Kuala Gula Bird Sanctuary, which was established by the Wildlife and National Parks in ...read more
Not many people are aware that water, can be more expensive than petrol. Just ask the people in some parts of Selangor, or the peo...read more
Perak needs more women in public life, and it is encouraging to see more women taking an active role in the development of the physical and mental health of our youth.
There are difficult times ahead especially when increases in household incomes have not kept up with outgoings. As Malaysians gear up for more price hikes and families struggle to ...read more
For 49-year-old Khairul, who is affectionately dubbed ‘The Guardian of the Fireflies of Kuala Sepetang’, Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014 could not have come at a better ...read more
Kuala Kangsar, affectionately called KK is home to around 40,000 people. It is sometimes difficult to appreciate your hometown esp...read more
Do Malaysians really care about dirty restaurants or are they more interested in the taste of the food? We complain about dirty re...read more
Last March, Ipoh Mayor Dato’ Roshidi Hashim, said that the Ipoh City Council (MBI) was hoping to achieve an 80 per cent level of cleanliness in the city by August. It is now November...
Mohd Amar Mohd Aziz, a ten-year-old primary schoolboy from Sekolah Kebangsaan Belanga, in Parit had a lucky escape after being shot by a police sergeant on Monday October 14.
Malaysians are aware that the use of CCTVs has taken off in Malaysia. The idea is to reduce our dependency on security guards, because of problems in finding suitable and responsible workers.
Thinking Allowed By Mariam Mokhtar At the first, post-General Election 13, state assembly sitting last month, Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri DiRaja Zambry Abd Kadir, announced th...read more