Bachok District

Bachok District (Jawi: باچوق ) is an administrative division (or jajahan) of Kelantan, Malaysia. It is located approximately 25 km east of Kota Bharu.

For the federal constituency represented in the Dewan Rakyat, see Bachok (federal constituency).

Bachok District
District of Malaysia
Jajahan Bachok
Other transcription(s)
• Jawi	باچوق ‎
• Chinese	万捷县
• Tamil	பாச்சோக்
Flag
Location of Bachok District in Kelantan
Bachok District Location of Bachok District in Malaysia
Coordinates: 6°0′N 102°22′E
Country	Malaysia
State	Kelantan
Seat	Bachok
Local area government(s)	Bachok District Council
Government
• District officer	Nik Mohamed Noor Nik Ishak[1]
Area [2]
• Total	264.64 km^2 (102.18 sq mi)
Population  (2010)[3]
• Total	132,308
• Density	500/km^2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+8 (Not observed)
Postcode	16xxx
Calling code	+6-09
Vehicle registration plates	D

The population is predominantly Malay, with Chinese and Siamese minorities. Bachok Town is the center of administration, business, and transportation of the district. The economy is mostly supported by agriculture, with significant fishing activity as well.

Bachok Town or Bandar Bachok was recently declared an Islamic Tourism Town or Bandar Pelancongan Islam by the incumbent Menteri Besar of Kelantan, Tuan Guru Hj. Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat effective 7 December 2010.[4]

Name origin

The origin of the name "Bachok" has several versions.

One version claims Bachok was named after a person named Tok Bachok, who people believed to be the first settler in the area. Traders from China traveled to Pengkalan Cina of Bachok to trade silk and spices.

The popular version of the name's origin, according to local inhabitants, originates from two Siamese words, Ban and Chak: Ban means village and Chak means nipa (a native mangrove plant). The local Siamese call the place Ban Chak, referring to the more populated and possibly earlier settlement immediately to the south of Bachok Town, the actual Kampung Nipah today. Bachok Town was possibly part of the larger Kampung Nipah then. The pronunciation of Ban Chak was later invariably changed to Bachok to suit the local Malay accent.

Cities and towns

Map of Bachok District

In exercise of the powers conferred by subsection 4 (3) of the Local Government Act 1976, the State Authority in consultation with the Minister of Housing and Local Government and the Secretary of the Election Commission hereby after the boundaries of Bachok District Council as the areas specified in the Schedule.

District	Sub District	Area (km²)	Malay	Chinese	Others	Chieftain
Perupok	Perupok	-	-	-	-	-
Perupok	Kemasin	6	-	-	-	-
Perupok	Nipah	2	-	-	-	-
Perupok	Paya Mengkuang	4	-	-	-	-
Perupok	Bandar Bachok	3	-	-	-	-
Gunong	Bator	19	-	-	-	-
Gunong	Gunong	19	-	-	-	-
Gunong	Kubang Telaga	10	-	-	-	Selli Kodir
Gunong	Tepus	9	-	-	-	-
Gunong	Jelawat	2	-	-	-	-
Tanjong Pauh	Tanjung Pauh	4	-	-	-	-
Tanjong Pauh	Pak Pura	8	-	-	-	-
Tanjong Pauh	Tanjung Jering	4	-	-	-	-
Mahligai	Alor Bakat	8	-	-	-	-
Mahligai	Mak Lipah	4	-	-	-	-
Mahligai	Serdang	7	-	-	-	-
Melawi	Melawi	6	-	-	-	-
Melawi	Repek	15	-	-	-	-
Melawi	Rusa	16	-	-	-	-
Melawi	Kuau	4	-	-	-	-
Tawang	Gajah Mati	6	-	-	-	Zulkifli Awang 'To
Tawang	Pauh Sembilan	12	2,634	-	-	Mohd Noor Awang Lah
Tawang	Senak	10	2,634	-	-	Yusoff Mohamed
Tawang	Telok Mesira	7	2,634	-	-	Mat Jusoh bin Latiff
Tawang	Tanjong	5	2,634	-	-	Abdul Hamid Zakaria
Telong	Telong	36	-	-	-	-
Telong	Lubuk Tembesu	28	-	-	-	Ramli bin Awang
Bekelam	Chap	6	2,634	-	-	Mat Jusoh bin Latiff
Bekelam	Cherang Hangus	3	1,525	190	-	Hj. Nawawi bin hanafi
Bekelam	Kuchelong	7	3,019	-	-	Mohd Yusof bin Awang
Bekelam	Temu Ranggas	5	2,602	-	-	Marjan bin Mohamad Nawi
Bekelam	Tualang Salak	3	1,512	-	-	Manan bin Hamzah

[5]

Economy

Kenaf Plantation

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) is a tropical plant of the mallow family that yields a fibre resembling jute that can be used for the production of cordage and textiles. Kenaf can be harvested after 120 days and its planting cycle is three seasons annually.[6]

According to National Tobacco Board, the pioneer batch of Kenaf-growing farmers in Kelantan have proven that the crop is a good alternative to tobacco that has become less competitive in the plantation industry. It is expected to export 50,000 tonnes of Kenaf annually, valued at RM15 billion. This would make Kenaf the country's major commodity by the year 2010, he said, adding that the Republic of Korea is expected to be the first importing country for Malaysias Kenaf, at 50,000 tonnes a year.

The Kenaf-planting project, that is capable of producing 15,000 tonnes of Kenaf per hectare, provides the tobacco farmers an alternative source of income when the AFTA is enforced. Under the projects initial phase, some 1,000 hectares of land would be planted with Kenaf including 700 hectares in Kelantan. Two Kenaf-processing mills were constructed at Air Tawar in Pasir Puteh and Beris Lalang (Bachok).The mill which is equipped with RM600,000 worth of machinery is able to process 10 tonnes of Kenaf during eight hours of operations daily. The processed Kenaf is exported to Germany and Korea.

Area	Number of Farmers	Area (Km2)
Telaga Ara	8	15
Gelong Badak	23	20
Seneng	15	30
Gong Gajah	5	10
Total Bachok District	51	75

Places of interest

Pantai Irama ( The Beach of Melody)

This beach is facing the South China Sea with wide and long sandy beach. Pantai Irama (Beach of Melody) is popular among the locals and visitors and hence, during the weekends (Friday and Saturday), the beach will be packed with family and children. It is also a common place to hold concerts and events. It is situated along the main road of Bachok, Kota Bahru.

Pantai Kemayang

This beach is facing the South China Sea and is only 14 kilometres from Kota Bharu. It is connected by a good road network and has public toilets, a surau and various eateries. Most of its visitors are families but singles come here as well.[7]

Bukit Marak

Bukit Marak (literally Shining Hill) is a village in Bachok, Kelantan, Malaysia, located about 24 kilometres (15 mi) south of the state capital Kota Bharu. It was the childhood home of Puteri Saadong, and thus has significance in the history of the Sultanate of Kelantan.

The village derives its name from a local hill, one of the last hillocks in the district. The hill has some attractions for tourists, and draws thousands of visitors every weekend both for hiking and for sightseeing. Among these are a pool in which Puteri Saadong was believed to have bathed, and three granite rocks at the peak of the hill resembling Puteri Saadong's favourite musical instrument. However, the hill is being negatively affected by excavation of soil for use in land reclamation; local villagers are said to be selling soil from the hill at RM40 for one lorry-load. Aside from the damage to the historical site, this also may introduce the danger of mudslides and landslides during the monsoon season. The state government has offered to purchase the hill from its owners in accordance with the National Heritage Act 2005, in order to prevent further damage.

Kandis Resource Centre

Founded by the late Rashiddin Nik Nik Hussein and formally established in 2000. KRC many treasures of art-oriented Malay carving art langkasuka tombstone grave, rehal, pulpit, wall decor, architecture mosques and palaces of the east coast of Malaysia and Patani, Thailand is unique with its own motives.

Kampung Balai

Kampung Balai is a village in Bachok located approximately 20 kilometers southeast of Kota Bharu. While ‘’Balai’’ means ‘’hall’’ in Malay, there is no known historical correlation between the village and ‘’hall’’. However, according to local inhabitants, “Balai” is derived from ‘’Ban Malai” or ‘’flower village’’ in Thai language. It is believed that the low-lying area where the rice field was, now planted with tobacco, was once a shallow lake filled with flowering lotus.

The Thais of this village are believed to be originated from central Thailand more than 200 years ago when Kelantan was a tributary of the Kingdom of Siam. Their spoken Thai language is distinctly different from other Thais in Kelantan who generally speak the southern “Tak Bai” Thai language.

The village was most probably opened by these Thais or the Chinese.

The Chinese, mostly from Fujian, China came to the village probably at the same time with the Thais to develop the village. Some of the Chinese are of eighth or ninth generation descendants. Virtually all of them have lost contact with their ancestral roots in China. Demographics

The lingua franca among the villagers is mainly Thai although all the Chinese and most of the Thais could also speak, to some degree of competency, Kelantan Hokkien (Min Nan). All of them are fluent Malay speakers and some, especially the younger generation, could converse in Mandarin as well. They are predominantly Buddhists. The Chinese also observe traditional Chinese practices.

There are three Buddhist temples in the village, i.e. Wat Phathumviharn, Wat Phithikyan Phutthaktham[8][9] and a Kuan Yin temple located at seaside facing the South China Sea.

Wat Phithikyan Phutthaktham

It is better known simply as Wat Balai or Dragon Temple to the locals, on account of the pair of dragons flanking the entrance.

Wat Phothikyan Phutthaktham began as a modest temple some twenty years ago. It became more active when a Thai came over and started various activities, including initiating a building fund for the temple. As a result, it underwent massive expansion in recent years, including the construction of a 100-foot tall statue of a standing Buddha. Other sights at Wat Phothikyan Phutthaktham include the wishing three, where devotees threw their wishes onto its branches, and the seated Buddha image behind a seven-headed naga.

The small towns of Beris Kubor Besar (kg Pak Pura), Perupok, Jelawat and Wakaf Zin have wet markets and competitive grocery prices.

Education

Tertiary Education

• Universiti Malaysia Kelantan[10]
• Islamic College of Science & Technology (Malay: Kolej Islam, Sains dan Teknologi (KIST))
• Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences ('IOES') Bachok Marine Research Station - is established in 2012. Built on a land area of 3 hectares, the station fronts the open sea (South China Sea) and is partially bounded by the narrow Rekang River. It is also an hour away from Perhentian Island, which is ideal for coral reef studies[11]
• Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara Daerah Bachok
• Pusat Giatmara Daerah Bachok
• Pejabat Pelajaran Daerah Bachok

Pondok Institutions

• Pusat Pengajian Pondok Kg Telong, Kandis[12]
• Madrasah Islahiyah, Pondok Kuin Pasir[12]

Secondary Education

• Sek. Men. Keb. Bachok
• Sek. Men. Keb. Badak
• Sek. Men. Keb. Beris Panchor
• Sek. Men. Keb. Dato' Perdana
• Sek. Men. Keb. Jelawat
• Sek. Men. Keb. Kandis
• Sek. Men. Keb. Kubang Telaga
• Sek. Men. Keb. Long Yunus
• Sek. Men. Keb. Pak Badol
• Sek. Men. Keb. Putri Saadong
• Sek. Men. Keb. Sri Gunong
• Sek. Men. Keb. Sri Nipah
• Sek. Men. Keb. Teknik Bachok

Secondary Religious School

• Sek. Men. Keb. Agama Tok Bachok
• Sek. Men. Ugama Amir Indera Putera
• Sek. Men. Ugama Yaakubiah
• Sek. Men. Ugama Muhammadiah
• Sek. Men. Ugama Al Hidayah Islamiah
• Sek. Men. Ugama Beris Lalang

Primary Education

• Sek. Keb Seri Kemudi
• Sek. Keb Tangok
• Sek. Keb Alor Bakat
• Sek. Keb Bachok
• Sek. Keb Badak
• Sek. Keb Bakong
• Sek. Keb Bekelam
• Sek. Keb Beris Kubur Besar
• Sek. Keb Lalang
• Sek. Keb Beris Panchor
• Sek. Keb Bukit Marak
• Sek. Keb Chantum
• Sek. Keb Gunong
• Sek. Keb Jelawat
• Sek. Keb Kampong Chap
• Sek. Keb Kandis
• Sek. Keb Keting
• Sek. Keb Kolam]
• Sek. Keb Kubang Telaga
• Sek. Keb Kucelong
• Sek. Keb Pak Badol
• Sek. Keb Pa' Pura
• Sek. Keb Pantai Senak
• Sek. Keb Pauh Sembilan
• Sek. Keb Pengkalan Chengal
• Sek. Keb Perupok
• Sek. Keb Seneng
• Sek. Keb Sri Kemunting
• Sek. Keb Sungai Dua
• Sek. Keb Tanjong Jenera
• Sek. Keb Tawang
• Sek. Keb Telaga Ara
• Sek. Keb Pa'Pura

Notable people

Actors

• Osman Kering

Government & Politics

• Annuar Musa
• Mustapa Mohamed
• Datuk Dr. Awang Adek Hussin

Writers

• Lim Swee Tin

References

1. User, Super. "Perutusan Ketua Jajahan - Laman Web Rasmi Pejabat Tanah Dan Jajahan Bachok". www.ptjb.kelantan.gov.my. Archived from the original on 2018-10-15. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
2. User, Super. "Profail Jajahan - Laman Web Rasmi Pejabat Tanah Dan Jajahan Bachok". www.ptjb.kelantan.gov.my. Archived from the original on 2018-03-12. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
3. "Population Distribution and Basic Demographic Characteristics, 2010" (PDF). Department of Statistics, Malaysia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-02-25. Retrieved 2014-12-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-06-05. Retrieved 2014-12-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
6. "Lembaga Kenaf & Tembakau Negara - Utama". lktn.gov.my.
7. "Pantai Kemayang". 27 November 2015.
8. "Malaysian National News Agency :: BERNAMA". bernama.com.
9. Star Media Group Berhad. "Archives". thestar.com.my.
10. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-09-09. Retrieved 2014-12-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
11. "IOES - Research Facilities". um.edu.my. Archived from the original on 2015-06-05. Retrieved 2014-12-02.
12. "Pondok Malaysia". Pusat Pembangunan Pondok Berhad.