PANG CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE 35TH STC INTERPORT BALUT COMPETITION

Monday December 07.2015

PICTURE SHOW……Pang (middle) with a group of the winners during the prize presentation ceremony

BY AZMIE AZMAN

SANDAKAN: The Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry is always supportive of efforts and will work hand in hand with the industry players to promote, develop, improve and encourage tourism, tourist trades and all other means and ways of attracting tourists, travelers and others to Sabah.

“We appreciate initiatives taken by industry players, participating NGOs and bodies like the Sandakan Yacht Club in helping to boost the State tourism sector and tourist arrivals in Sabah,” State Tourism, Culture and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Pang Yuk Ming said in his address at the closing of the 35^th STC Interport Balut Competition at Sandakan Yacht Club here.

Sabah has so much more to offer in term of tourism. She is blessed with the abundance of nature's wonders like the second highest mountain in South East Asia, Mount Kinabalu, the reknown diving spot, Sipadan and in Sandakan we have the world famous Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre at Sepilok, Pang said.

“Tourism has become a major revenue earner for the Sabah State Government, therefore it has focused a lot of attention to this industry.  Efforts are being made to ensure all our visitors will have an enjoyable and memorable trip,” Pang added.

Meanwhile Pang congratulated Sandakan Yacht Club which was hosting this prestigious event for the first time, for having done an excellent job to make this competition a success after having successfully staged another major State level event, the Sandakan Regatta/ Sandakan River Race/Sabah Closed 2015.

Pang was representing Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun at the event. A total of 104 participants that took part in the 35th STC Interport Balut Competition and 92 were of them were from other districts in Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore.

Also present at the closing ceremony were Karamunting State Assemblyman Charles O Pang,  Sandakan Navy Base commander First Admiral Dato Ahmad Abdullah and representatives from Sabah Tourism Board.

Balut is a game of dice created by an American soldier stationed in the Philippines and is a popular pastime of Danish businessmen overseas.

There is also a different version of Balut played in Members’ Clubs in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines which follow a set of rules established in 1978 at Singapore Town Club (STC).

The winners of the 35^th STC Interport Balut Competition 2015 are 

Team

1) Bernadette Low, Esther Leong, Jocelyn Mongunjin, Alice Chua (Kinabalu Yacht Club) 3262 points,

2) Christine Lo, Stephen Wong, Lai Siew Moi, Carol Cheng (Sabah Golf and Country Club) 3,223 points,

3) Jag Gill, Bhupinder Singh, Prekash Singh, Ernest Ayathuray (Singapore Indian Association) 3,132 points,

3) Subash Balan, Stephen Goh, Jaswinder Singh, How Guan Chai (The Eagle Club) 3,132 points. 

Single Highest Scores

1)Maria Chia (Sandakan Yacht Club) 157 points

Double Scores (Partners)

1) Christine Lo, Stephen Wong (SGCC) 1,665 points,

2) Jocelyn Mongunjin, Alice Chua (KYC) 1,641 points,

3) HJ Max, Ronald Cooke (KYC) 1,639 points

 Individual

1) Rasanathan (The National University of Singapore Society) 888 points,

2) Esther Leong (KYC) 868 points,

3) Alice Chua (KYC) 861 points