Taxi touts getting smarter at KLIA

Published in New Sunday Times
12 October 2006

Taxi touts getting smarter at the KLIA
By Max Koh and David Yeow

KUALA LUMPUR: With the prospect of stiffer fines being imposed, taxi touts at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) are now more discreet but no less determined in their operations.

Dressed smartly in ties and jackets, they approach passengers who step out of the arrival hall.

They speak in hushed tones and look like relatives waiting for passengers to disembark.

However, as soon as they offer their services, it is clear they are taxi touts.

The New Sunday Times found yesterday that the touts acted as agents for illegal taxis waiting in the parking lot.

When customers accept an offer, the touts would contact the drivers or lead them to the vehicles themselves.

The taxis are often Proton Wiras, and the fares are negotiable, starting from RM80 for a trip to Kuala Lumpur.

The touts claim it is cheaper than the KLIA taxis, which is untrue as a KLIA budget taxi to Kuala Lumpur costs only RM52.50.

The new tactics are in light of the new Road Transport (Amendment) Act 2006.

The Act imposes a maximum fine of RM50,000 and a jail sentence of up to five years for those convicted of touting.

This year, 14 touts were arrested in raids conducted by the police and Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad (MAHB).

Eight of them pleaded guilty and were fined RM5,000 each and sentenced to up to one month’s jail.

Keith Hewitt from Britain wrote to the NST recently saying that he was approached by at least eight taxi touts upon arrival at the KLIA.

Hewitt wrote that he was bombarded by a mix of questions including: "Which hotel are you staying at?" "Do you need any help?" and "Taxi, sir?"

MAHB general manager Datuk Azmi Murad said the MAHB and police were taking steps to nab the touts.

"We are monitoring the touts’ movements with CCTVs and patrolling the airport. The patrol involves a team of two security personnel in uniforms or plainclothes," he said.

"We are also working with the Ministry of Tourism to terminate the contracts of booths at KLIA that assist taxi touts."

At the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT), the situation is no different with the touts accosting passengers openly.

A legal taxi operator at the LCCT claimed that the terminal lacked enforcement against touts.

Sonic Ecstacy

First published in Sunday People, New Sunday Times
19 May 2007

Sonic Ecstasy




What happens when hip-hop meets the thumping drum-and-bass sound of an underground London club? MAX KOH finds out

SOME things just don’t gel. Like a menthol sweet and a fizzy drink. But sometimes, the unexpected does offer a nice surprise. Like Elvis resurrected from the dead to sing a duet with Celine Dion on American Idol.


Or hip-hop meeting British drum-and-bass rhythms at Kuala Lumpur’s Upstairs @ The Loft on Asian Heritage Row.

That Hennessy Artistry event showed radical harmonies can complement each other – and well.

American hip-hop singer Jennifer Johns and the British-based Drum & Bass duo Lady Free and Paul T rocked the house.

From head-bobbing soulful bass grooves to hip-gyrating D&B numbers, the crowd was on its feet all night long.

A vivacious Johns got the party started with Ghetto International.

Backed by a competent crew – co-vocalist Solas B. Lalagee, emcee Sokrates The Virgo, and DJ/emcee Edaboss – the California-born singer wowed with her powerful and expressive voice.

The crew provided a strong backing of electronica-hip-hop-soul fusion.

Ghetto International, which is about unity and healing the world, showcased Johns’ talents at effortlessly switching from singing to spitting out rap verses.

The intimate setting also allowed Johns to get the crowd to sing along to The Truth, Painting On Wax and Never Give Up.

The songs were from Johns’ EPs heavyelectromagneticsoularpoeticjunglehop and the upcoming Painting On Wax which she produced independently under her own label, Nayo Movement Music.

Earlier, Johns said she started singing in church when she was only three.

As a teenager, she listened to a diverse range of music from Earth, Wind, and Fire to Sade to songs from the West Indies.

But it was hip-hop that she eventually fell in love with. “Just I am music, I am hip-hop.”

At 17, John became serious about singing and starting performing.

Three years later, she moved to Los Angeles where she quickly built a name for herself.

Johns has performed alongside heavyweights Mary J. Blidge, Chaka Khan and Missy Elliot. She is recognised as a “true talent who is immune to musical boundaries” by the Rolling Stones magazine.

On that Loft night, she lived up to the praise in her hour-long gig.

So how did Hennessy Artistry keep the mood going? That’s when those dirty DnB beats kicked in.

East End London’s Paul T and Lady Free almost immediately took over the stage and got the crowd moving again to Mark Knight’s I Like That.

The duo also performed covers of other notable Drum & Bass tracks like Francois Dubois’s Blood, Claud Van Stroke’s Who’s Afraid of Detroit and Scope’s Strung Out and Last Call, before closing their set with their own single Don’t.

The duo learnt their trade at the heart of the drum and bass revolution. A keen piano player and self taught bassist, DJ Paul T has traversed the breadth of London’s rave scene.

Johns returned to the stage for some impromptu musical fusion with Lady Free and Paul T.

A night of hip-hop and D&B. You had to be there to get it.

For more information about Hennessy Artistry, visit www.hennessyartistry.com.my

Jaclyn Victor Duets with Vince

First published in gua.com.my

Jaclyn Victor Duets with Vince
Find out how the two feel about singing the soundtrack for the popular High School Musical 2

By Max Koh



Sept 9. It was an especially quiet Sunday evening. Pasar malams, often a hive of activity, seemed unusually deserted. Everyone appeared to be staying home. Was there something interesting on TV? Apparently so.

By 7.30pm, families were gathered in front of their TV sets. Children and even their parents looked as if they could hardly contain their excitement. For the next two hours, they were tapping their feet and singing along, especially on You Are the Music in Me and What Time Is It. The songs had been playing on the Disney Channel for a couple of months now.

It was the premiere of High School Musical 2, a sequel to last year's unprecedented phenomenon. High School Musical attracted millions of viewers with its regular telecasts on the Disney Channel, spawned a best-selling franchise and produced a soundtrack that went on to become the best-selling album of 2006. It also won an Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programme while stars like Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron became household names.

Kids, tweens and adults sing along to the music while the recent 'My School Rocks' competition saw schools in Malaysia signing up in droves to participate in the dance contest.

Not bad, eh, for a humble made-for-TV movie?

With its overwhelming popularity with Malaysians, Disney roped in two of the top Malaysian singers Jaclyn Victor and Vince Chong to record a cover of You Are The Music In Me from High School Musical 2.

While the original number brims with youthful vigor, the two artistes' rendition gave it a more mature vibe.

Victor spoke to the media during a recent press conference.
"I'm thrilled for the opportunity to sing You Are The Music In Me. I'm especially thrilled to sing on the soundtrack of a movie that embodies believing in yourself and following your dreams because these are familiar themes in my life and career," gushed the first-ever Malaysian Idol.

Chong leapt at the opportunity when he found out that he will be singing with Victor.

"I had so much fun last year being part of the Asian version of Breaking Free from High School Musical. When I found out that I'll be singing with Jaclyn for High School Musical 2, I just had to be part of it," he said.

The Akademi Fantasia 2003 winner loves how the show is having a positive influence on the kids.

"The wonderful reception that High School Musical has received is great because it shows that Malaysian kids are not passive. The show instills positive values because it teaches kids confidence and how to express themselves."

When High School Musical 2 premiered on Sunday in South East Asia, it dominated the youth demographic, becoming the highest-rated telecast ever among kids 6-14 years old in Malaysia. Viewership among Malay kids saw a 35% increase compared to the premiere of the first movie, as the show was made available in both English and Bahasa Malaysia.

Apart from singing the Malaysian version of You Are The Music In Me, Jaclyn and Vince also cut a Bahasa Malaysia version entitled Kau Muzik Di Hatiku that is available on the High School Musical 2 soundtrack.

The album contains songs like What Time Is It, Fabulous and Humuhumunukunukukuapua'a, which are featured on the show and looks set to go platinum in Malaysia.

Catch Victor and Vince's You Are The Music In Me on the Disney Channel.

True Blue Heroes

Published in Sunday People, New Sunday Times
9 August 2009



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