Pesta Sungai Melaka 2009
30 May 2009 Until 7 June 2009 
Pesta Sungai Melaka 2009 is back! An eight days festival with over 72 activities will be held along the Melaka River. The event will be launch on 30th May 2009 at Dataran Sungai Melaka. Don’t miss this exciting event!

The Melaka government plans to introduce a ‘water taxi’ service along Sungai Melaka and the coastal areas in the state before the end of the year.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the water taxis would provide service from Melaka Sentral to the Dataran Sungai Melaka and from the Sungai Melaka estuary to the Sungai Linggi Jetty and Sungai Rambai Jetty.

He said this in his speech at the MELAKA RIVER FESTIVAL when launched the ceremony,

Melaka Yang Dipertua Negeri, Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob, launched the festival which included programmes such as cultural and arts performances by the various communities in the state, and a fireworks display.

Mohd Ali said the proposal to introduce the water taxis like the ones used in Britain and New Zealand was to diversify activities along Sungai Melaka, which was once severely polluted but had now become the pride of the state.

He said so far, the Melaka River and Beach Development Corporation provided 25 passenger boats for the ‘Melaka River Cruise’ for people to enjoy the beauty along the 4.5 kilometre stretch between Tanah Rempah Ratus and the river mouth.

Forty events have been drawn up throughout the nine-day ‘Pesta Sungai Melaka 2009′ beginning tonight at four major locations namely Taman Rempah Ratus, Padang Nyiru, Dataran Sungai Melaka and Sungai Melaka Estuary.

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Kerajaan negeri akan mengembalikan semula kegemilangan Sungai Melaka dari gelaran sleepy hollow kepada ‘Venice Of The East’ sebagaimana yang pernah dilalui pada abad ke-15.

Ketua Menteri, Datuk Seri Mohd. Ali Rustam berkata, kerajaan negeri turut menyasarkan untuk menjadikan Sungai Melaka setanding dengan Sungai Antonio di Texas, Amerika Syarikat dari segi fizikal dan pengisian aktivitinya.

“Dulu kita lihat Sungai Melaka mengalir lesu dan kotor tetapi hari ini kita bangga kerana ia telah menjadi sebuah destinasi pelancongan utama di Malaysia.

“Oleh itu, kegemilangan Sungai Melaka perlu dikembalikan semula sebagaimana yang pernah dilalui pada abad ke-15, sesuai dengan pengiktirafan Melaka sebagai Bandaraya Warisan Dunia oleh UNESCO,” katanya.
Antara acara menarik yang telah diatur sepanjang sembilan hari ialah bot berhias, perahu naga, bot kawalan jauh, cabaran badang, pertandingan melukis, fotografi, tangkap itik, pukul bantal hingga ke pertandingan memasak ikan air tawar.