end game for swiftlet farmers in Georgetown

This is going to be tough. All eyes will be on this one. A potentially explosive situation that needs cool heads.



the swiftlets birdhouse were already there before Penang was awarded its World Heritage status. It is suppose to benefit the people there but in this case would it become a curse for the birdhouse farmers? Is UNESCO asking for the birdhouse to be removed for George Town to retain its heritage status?



The birdhouse owners feels that they have helped maintain the old vacant and idled buildings and stopped them from falling apart by putting the money in to renovate them into birdhouse. Now they are told that they are a nuisance by the councils.

If they are asked to move out then the repercussion would be that other councils around the country would use that as a precedent and ask the birdhouse owners in their area to move out of town. It will affect some 100,000 birdhouse owners and their families. This is going to be a real political mine field.



Jackie Chow


Saturday September 4, 2010
Swiftlet farms to shift out of city

GEORGE TOWN: The state government will hold a meeting after Hari Raya to work out a mechanism to implement the three-year grace period for swiftlet farms to move out of the heritage enclave here.

State Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said that the meeting would involve the Association of Swiftlet Nests Industry (ASNI), Penang Heritage Trust and related organisations.

“We will work out a mechanism to implement the decision by the council. It is also up to us to decide when to begin the grace period,” he said.

It was reported yesterday that the National Council for Local Government came up with the grace period after it decided to prohibit swiftlet farming in Penang and Malacca heritage enclaves.

Asked about possible legal action by ASNI against the state for enforcing the eviction, he said it could take whatever action it wanted.

“The farms will be moved to agricultural areas but we will discuss this first at the meeting,” he said.