Bidor
Encyclopedia
Bidor is a small town in the district of Batang Padang
, Perak
, Malaysia. Chinese name is 美罗.
, north of Sungkai
, east of Changkat Jong and Teluk Intan
and west of the Titiwangsa Mountains
.
Bidor used to be part of the Gangga Negara
kingdom based on the historical artifacts that were discovered. It is believed that the area accepted Hindu
-Buddhism
around 900 years ago. The pioneer of the town was believed to be Syeikh Abdul Ghani who also became the village headman after the founding of the settlements.
Bidor was believed to have existed as a small village by the bank of Bidor River in the late 18th century. Local villagers transported goods using their sampans (boats) to neighbouring villages along the river towards Teluk Intan
in Hilir Perak district.
Following the tin-mining boom in Perak, there was an influx of Chinese
immigrants to Perak as a whole, including Bidor. The Hoklo
(Hokkien
-speaking) Chinese was believed to have originated from Teluk Intan. The influx of the Hakka
and Cantonese
came from Kinta Valley and Hulu Selangor
. They came to Batang Padang to flee the local civil wars and Chinese triad wars.
http://allmalaysia.info/services/printerfriendly.asp?file=/2005/5/8/state/10450504 during the Japanese advancement southwards towards Kuala Lumpur. On 29 December 1941, 501 Battery withdrew to Bidor fleeing Kampar
. The column was again dive-bombed and machine-gunned just south of Dipang. Five men were wounded. The last entry in the 137 Regt War Diary was for 31 December, 1941, Lt Hartley's 30th birthday, when his battery and the other two of 137 Regt were all in the Bikam-Sungkai area.http://www.far-eastern-heroes.org.uk/2nd_Lt_Robert_Hartley/html/slim_river.htm
In 1943, MPAJA's MPAJA 1st Patrol under the 5th Regiment was assigned to protect Col.John Davis who represent the Supreme Allied Commander, Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten
, who had just established the Head Office (HO) of Force 136
http://www.asiawind.com/forums/read.php?f=1&i=10174&t=10174 at Blantan Hill, some seven miles north-east of Bidor township. 1st Patrol was commanded by Huang Song (黃松) and his deputy Cai Dadi (蔡大地).
3rd Battalion General Operations Forces (formally known as Police Field Force) who was stationed locally. This unit is famous with its elite Senoi Praaq
unit; a special unit consists of Orang Asli (indigenous tribe) expert in tracking. The last 'black area' in Bidor, the Gepai Falls was finally opened to public in 1989 after a treaty was signed between Malaysian government and the Malayan Communist Party
.
, oil palm
and rubber
plantations.
An important source of income for the town, though, is (or used to be) from travellers who stop by the town for its well-known local delicacies and agricultural products.
Before the advent of North-South Expressway, travellers had no choice but to pass through this town through the federal trunk road. As this town is (still is) rather famous for its variety of food, travellers frequently choose to stop-by at one of the eateries before continuing their journey.
Kaolinite
(kaolin), a type of clay was widely exploited in Bidor http://www.mymalaysia.net.my/Natural_Environment/p2_articleid/6
At the morning wet market, there is a whole row of stalls, serving breakfast. One of the noodle-type food, chee cheong fun is pretty unique. The wet market is also famous for wanton mee
http://www.nst.com.my/svcs/forums/fcForum/view_html?forum_loc=382595293069&topic_id=415436076004 and fresh roast pork.
Bidor is also famous for its seedless guava
and its durian
. Stink beans Parkia speciosa
or Petai is also sold at a reasonable price at new place of all trader sell directly to customer only 2 kilometres from Bidor town.
The most famous food attraction in Bidor is a coffee shop run by Ah Pu. One must not miss his Kopi Kau Special...which has a distinctive whiskey after taste.
Bidor Curry House which is located not far from Ah Pu Coffee Shop is famous for their nasi kandar. When eating here, one must remember to use their hands to leave the fragrant curry aroma in their fingers, which can be used as an olfactory appetizer for the next few days.
but was later opened to public in 1989 after the Communist Party of Malaya signed a peace treaty with the Malaysian government.
It was rumoured that the largest Botanical Gardens http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/archive.asp?y=2005&dt=0519&pub=utusan_malaysia&sec=muka%5Fhadapan&pg=mh_09.htm&arc=hive will be pioneered in Bidor. The plan was suggested by Raja Nazrin Shah
and were strongly endorsed by the then Perak Chief Minister dato Seri Tajol Rosli b. Ghazali. However, the plan was put on hold when the Orang Asli (aborigines) opposed the plan. The plan was totally called off after the Perak state administration fell to Pakatan Rakyat as soon after the March 2008 general elections. The Orang Asli, who have got solid support from the new government agree to call off the plan totally.
, the home of one of Royal Malaysian Police
(RMP) most elite forces was stationed on Jalan Tapah in Bidor.
Batang Padang
Batang Padang is an administrative district in Perak, Malaysia. This district is administered by two local councils, namely, the Tapah District Council, based in Tapah, and Tanjung Malim District Council, based in Tanjung Malim....
, Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
, Malaysia. Chinese name is 美罗.
Geography
Bidor is located between Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur via the North-South Expressway. It is south of TapahTapah
Tapah is the administrative town of the district Batang Padang, Perak, Malaysia .The name "Tapah" is said to be originated from the name of a fresh water fish, "Ikan Tapah"...
, north of Sungkai
Sungkai
Sungkai is a small town in Perak, Malaysia. This small town is located between Bidor and Terolak. It is via accessible of the North-South Expressway's Sungkai Interchange....
, east of Changkat Jong and Teluk Intan
Teluk Intan
Teluk Intan（安順）is a town located in the state of Perak in Malaysia. It is the largest town in Hilir Perak district and third largest town in the state of Perak with an estimated population of around 120,000, about half of Hilir Perak district's total population...
and west of the Titiwangsa Mountains
Titiwangsa Mountains
The Titiwangsa Mountains are the main mountain range that forms the backbone of the Malay Peninsula.-Geology:...
.
History
Gangga Negara
Gangga Negara is believed to be a lost semi-legendary Hindu kingdom mentioned in the Malay Annals that covered present day Beruas, Dinding and Manjung in the state of Perak, Malaysia with Raja Gangga Shah Johan as one of its kings...
kingdom based on the historical artifacts that were discovered. It is believed that the area accepted Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
-Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
around 900 years ago. The pioneer of the town was believed to be Syeikh Abdul Ghani who also became the village headman after the founding of the settlements.
Bidor was believed to have existed as a small village by the bank of Bidor River in the late 18th century. Local villagers transported goods using their sampans (boats) to neighbouring villages along the river towards Teluk Intan
Teluk Intan
Teluk Intan（安順）is a town located in the state of Perak in Malaysia. It is the largest town in Hilir Perak district and third largest town in the state of Perak with an estimated population of around 120,000, about half of Hilir Perak district's total population...
in Hilir Perak district.
Following the tin-mining boom in Perak, there was an influx of Chinese
Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese is a Malaysian of Chinese origin. Most are descendants of Chinese who arrived between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Within Malaysia, they are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" in all languages. The term Chinese Malaysian is also sometimes used to refer to...
immigrants to Perak as a whole, including Bidor. The Hoklo
Hoklo people
The Hoklo people are Han Chinese people whose traditional Ancestral homes are in southern Fujian of South China...
(Hokkien
Min Nan
The Southern Min languages, or Min Nan , are a family of Chinese languages spoken in southern Fujian, eastern Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, and southern Zhejiang provinces of China, and by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora....
-speaking) Chinese was believed to have originated from Teluk Intan. The influx of the Hakka
Hakka people
The Hakka , sometimes Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and Fujian in China....
and Cantonese
Cantonese people
The Cantonese people are Han people whose ancestral homes are in Guangdong, China. The term "Cantonese people" would then be synonymous with the Bun Dei sub-ethnic group, and is sometimes known as Gwong Fu Jan for this narrower definition...
came from Kinta Valley and Hulu Selangor
Hulu Selangor
Hulu Selangor is a district in Selangor, Malaysia. It is located in the northeastern part of Selangor. It borders the state of Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Sabak Bernam district to the east, Kuala Selangor district to its southwest and Gombak district to the south.The district's...
. They came to Batang Padang to flee the local civil wars and Chinese triad wars.
World War II
Bidor was closely connected to the Battle of KamparBattle of Kampar
The Battle of Kampar was an engagement of the Malayan Campaign during World War II, involving British and Indian troops from the 11th Indian Infantry Division and the Japanese 5th Division....
http://allmalaysia.info/services/printerfriendly.asp?file=/2005/5/8/state/10450504 during the Japanese advancement southwards towards Kuala Lumpur. On 29 December 1941, 501 Battery withdrew to Bidor fleeing Kampar
Kampar, Perak
Kampar Kampar Kampar (Chinese:金宝） is a town in the state of Perak, Malaysia. Founded in 1887, the town lies within the Kinta Valley and located in the newly-created Kampar District, an area rich with tin reserves. It was a tin mining town which boomed during the height of the tin mining industry....
. The column was again dive-bombed and machine-gunned just south of Dipang. Five men were wounded. The last entry in the 137 Regt War Diary was for 31 December, 1941, Lt Hartley's 30th birthday, when his battery and the other two of 137 Regt were all in the Bikam-Sungkai area.http://www.far-eastern-heroes.org.uk/2nd_Lt_Robert_Hartley/html/slim_river.htm
In 1943, MPAJA's MPAJA 1st Patrol under the 5th Regiment was assigned to protect Col.John Davis who represent the Supreme Allied Commander, Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, who had just established the Head Office (HO) of Force 136
Force 136
Force 136 was the general cover name for a branch of the British World War II organization, the Special Operations Executive . The organisation was established to encourage and supply resistance movements in enemy-occupied territory, and occasionally mount clandestine sabotage operations...
http://www.asiawind.com/forums/read.php?f=1&i=10174&t=10174 at Blantan Hill, some seven miles north-east of Bidor township. 1st Patrol was commanded by Huang Song (黃松) and his deputy Cai Dadi (蔡大地).
Communist Insurgency
Captain D.G. Lock http://glosters.tripod.com/malaya.htm was killed while bathing near Bidor on 2 October 1948 (att. K.O.Y.L.I.). Captain A.R. Pickin was killed in action at Bidor on 18 July 1948. Both of them were buried at Batu Gajah Christian Cemetery. GHQ 26th Gurkha Infantry Brigade http://www.britains-smallwars.com/malaya/reg.html and the Royal Artillery's 95 Independent Field Battery (comprising "Charlie Troop" "Dog Troop" and "Command Troop") was stationed in Bidor in the 1950s to quell communist insurgency. After Malaya gained independence, Bidor was under the command of the local Royal Malaysian PoliceRoyal Malaysian Police
The Royal Malaysia Police is a part of the security forces structure in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organization with responsibilities ranging from traffic control to intelligence gathering. Its headquarters is located at Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur. The police force is led by an...
3rd Battalion General Operations Forces (formally known as Police Field Force) who was stationed locally. This unit is famous with its elite Senoi Praaq
Senoi Praaq
The Senoi Praaq is a unit of the Royal Malaysian Police made up almost entirely of the tribal people of Peninsular Malaysia known as the Orang Asli . The name Senoi Praaq means “war people” or “those who fight” in the Semai language...
unit; a special unit consists of Orang Asli (indigenous tribe) expert in tracking. The last 'black area' in Bidor, the Gepai Falls was finally opened to public in 1989 after a treaty was signed between Malaysian government and the Malayan Communist Party
Malayan Communist Party
The Malayan Communist Party , officially known as the Communist Party of Malaya , was founded in 1930 and laid down its arms in 1989. It is most famous for its role in the Malayan Emergency.-Formation:...
.
Economy
Bidor is a mainly industrial area. When one travels north of Bidor, one will see miles and miles of plantation on both side of the trunk road covered with lush greenery, guavaGuava
Guavas are plants in the myrtle family genus Psidium , which contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. They are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America...
, oil palm
Oil palm
The oil palms comprise two species of the Arecaceae, or palm family. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African Oil Palm Elaeis guineensis is native to West Africa, occurring between Angola and Gambia, while the American Oil Palm Elaeis oleifera is native to...
and rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
plantations.
An important source of income for the town, though, is (or used to be) from travellers who stop by the town for its well-known local delicacies and agricultural products.
Before the advent of North-South Expressway, travellers had no choice but to pass through this town through the federal trunk road. As this town is (still is) rather famous for its variety of food, travellers frequently choose to stop-by at one of the eateries before continuing their journey.
Kaolinite
Kaolinite
Kaolinite is a clay mineral, part of the group of industrial minerals, with the chemical composition Al2Si2O54. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral sheet of alumina octahedra...
(kaolin), a type of clay was widely exploited in Bidor http://www.mymalaysia.net.my/Natural_Environment/p2_articleid/6
Food
The most famous food undoubtedly will be the duck-thigh-noodle available at one of the eatery that is the famous Pun Chun. The restaurant is located on the main street. Pun Chun is also famous for its 'Sat Kai Ma' (Chinese:萨奇马)- a type of sweet dessert and also 'Kai Jai Peng' （Chinese：鸡仔饼) which is the chicken biscuit.At the morning wet market, there is a whole row of stalls, serving breakfast. One of the noodle-type food, chee cheong fun is pretty unique. The wet market is also famous for wanton mee
Wanton mee
Wonton noodles【Mandarin: Yun-tun mian; Cantonese: Wan-tan Min】, sometimes called wanton mee is a Cantonese noodle dish which is popular in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia...
http://www.nst.com.my/svcs/forums/fcForum/view_html?forum_loc=382595293069&topic_id=415436076004 and fresh roast pork.
Bidor is also famous for its seedless guava
Guava
Guavas are plants in the myrtle family genus Psidium , which contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. They are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America...
and its durian
Durian
The durian is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio and the Malvaceae family . Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk...
. Stink beans Parkia speciosa
Parkia speciosa
Parkia speciosa is a plant of the genus Parkia in the family Fabaceae...
or Petai is also sold at a reasonable price at new place of all trader sell directly to customer only 2 kilometres from Bidor town.
The most famous food attraction in Bidor is a coffee shop run by Ah Pu. One must not miss his Kopi Kau Special...which has a distinctive whiskey after taste.
Bidor Curry House which is located not far from Ah Pu Coffee Shop is famous for their nasi kandar. When eating here, one must remember to use their hands to leave the fragrant curry aroma in their fingers, which can be used as an olfactory appetizer for the next few days.
Attractions
Gepai Waterfalls is noteworthy for those who prefer swimming, picnicking or photography. Gepai Waterfalls is also known as Lubuk Degong by the locals. It used to be a black area during the communist insurgencyMalayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
but was later opened to public in 1989 after the Communist Party of Malaya signed a peace treaty with the Malaysian government.
It was rumoured that the largest Botanical Gardens http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/archive.asp?y=2005&dt=0519&pub=utusan_malaysia&sec=muka%5Fhadapan&pg=mh_09.htm&arc=hive will be pioneered in Bidor. The plan was suggested by Raja Nazrin Shah
Raja Nazrin Shah
Raja Dr Nazrin Shah ibni Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah is the Raja Muda of Perak. He is the eldest son of the current Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Muhibbudin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Yusuff Izzudin Shah Ghafarullahu-lahu and the Raja Permaisuri of Perak Tuanku Bainun Binti Mohd...
and were strongly endorsed by the then Perak Chief Minister dato Seri Tajol Rosli b. Ghazali. However, the plan was put on hold when the Orang Asli (aborigines) opposed the plan. The plan was totally called off after the Perak state administration fell to Pakatan Rakyat as soon after the March 2008 general elections. The Orang Asli, who have got solid support from the new government agree to call off the plan totally.
Infrastructure
3rd Battalion General Operations Forces Senoi PraaqSenoi Praaq
The Senoi Praaq is a unit of the Royal Malaysian Police made up almost entirely of the tribal people of Peninsular Malaysia known as the Orang Asli . The name Senoi Praaq means “war people” or “those who fight” in the Semai language...
, the home of one of Royal Malaysian Police
Royal Malaysian Police
The Royal Malaysia Police is a part of the security forces structure in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organization with responsibilities ranging from traffic control to intelligence gathering. Its headquarters is located at Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur. The police force is led by an...
(RMP) most elite forces was stationed on Jalan Tapah in Bidor.