Bandar Seri Begawan - Ten contestants, including officers from the Brunei Darussalam Kite Association (BDKA), will take part in the Borneo International Kite Festival 2007 next month in Bintulu, Sarawak.
BDKA President Hj Maidin Hj Ahmad said other participants will come from host country Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, France, Italy, Germany, Holland, England and the USA.
The, festival, to be held from August 18 to 26, will be jointly organised by the Bintulu Development Authority, Bintulu Resident Office, Sarawak Economic Development Board, Sarawak Kite Association, Malaysia Kites Council and Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, its Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, as well as the Sarawak State Ministry of Urbanisation and Tourism.
The event is to promote Bintulu as part of the Visit Malaysia Year 2007 and to turn the town into a global arena for international kite-making and kite-flying competitions. It will feature 13 different categories of contest with cash prizes worth RM20,000 in total up for grabs. There will also be demonstrations of giant and stunt kites by some of the international participants. The nine-day kite extravaganza will be held at the site of the old - Bintulu Airport, right in the heart of town.
The area is as big as three football fields combined, near major hotels and motels. This year`s kite festival is expected to be the grandest ever and, if successful, would feature as the town`s main tourism draw every year.
For the national event, participants from all over Malaysia have been invited, including renowned kite flyers from the east coast states and Malacca.
There will be kite-making contests for kids and members of the public, as well as kite-stunt performances and colouring contests, among others. Some cultural and traditional shows are also planned.
Source: www.brudirect.com (5 Juli 2007)
