APPRECIATE HISTORY FOR SIGNIFICANCE IN SHAPING CIVILISATIONS, SAYS M'SIAN

MELAKA (Malaysia), April 4 (Bernama) -- The people must appreciate history for
its significance in having shaped civilisations instead of merely committing
facts to memory, Information Communication and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim
said here.

History should also be studied to learn how to improve civilisations as well as
to extract valuable lessons, he said.

"For example, one must learn about the occurrence of wars, trade and changing
civilisations," he told reporters after officially opening the Middleburg
Bastion and handing it over to the state government, in Bandar Hilir, here
Saturday night.

Middleburg Bastion was a fort built in the 1660s by the Dutch at the mouth of
the Melaka River to secure their military and commercial interests.

In 2006, the site of the fort was discovered by the Department of National
Heritage which had undertaken archeological research on the structure of Melaka
City, and the fort was restored at a cost of RM4.4 million (US$1.29 million) in
2008.

Dr Rais said many people took history for granted without realising that it
could instill greater patriotism in the people.

He also said that the department had acquired the HSBC building adjacent to the
Middleburg Bastion at a cost of RM2 million (about US$588,000) and added that it
could exhibit artefacts from of Melaka.

The state of Melaka is located in the southern region of Malaysia and is dubbed
the "Historical State." The historical city centre has been listed as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site since July 7, 2008.

At the function, Dr Rais also launched a book, "Alam dan Budaya Puisi Dunia
Niah", an anthology of poems by poets from Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, the
United Kingdom, Russia, China and South Korea on the history and heritage of the
Niah Caves in the east Malaysian state of Sarawak.
-- BERNAMA