Rifle Range, Penang Explained

Official Name:Rifle Range
Settlement Type:Neighbourhood of George Town
Translit Lang1:Other
Pushpin Map:Malaysia Penang George Town city centre
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within George Town in Penang
Coordinates:5.4106°N 100.2906°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Malaysia
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:City
Subdivision Name2: George Town
Leader Title1:Local government
Leader Name1:Penang Island City Council
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:11400, 11500
Leader Title2:Mayor of Penang Island
Leader Name2:Rajendran P. Anthony
Leader Title3:Kebun Bunga State Assemblyman
Leader Name3:Lee Boon Heng (PKR)
Leader Title4:Bukit Bendera Member of Parliament
Leader Name4:Syerleena Abdul Rashid (DAP)
Timezone:MST
Utc Offset:+8
Timezone Dst:Not observed
Translit Lang1 Type1:Malay
Translit Lang1 Info1:Malay: Padang Tembak
Translit Lang1 Type2:Mandarin
Translit Lang1 Info2:Chinese: 打枪埔
Chinese: 打槍埔
Dǎ qiāng bù
Translit Lang1 Type3:Hokkien
Translit Lang1 Info3:Phah-tshèng-pōo
Established Title:Founded
Established Date:1969

Rifle Range is a residential neighbourhood within the city of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located 4.4km (02.7miles) west of the city centre, the area was once home to a shooting range used by the British Army. The Malaysian federal government constructed nine blocks of low-cost public housing at the area in 1969, making them the first residential high-rises in Penang.

Etymology

Rifle Range was so named as the area was once used as a shooting range by the British Army and local police.[1] [2]

History

Rifle Range, which was used by the military and the police as a shooting range during the British colonial era, was also the site where victims of the Imperial Japanese Army's Sook Ching massacres were buried.[3] [4] During World War II, when Penang was under Japanese occupation, thousands of ethnic Chinese were brutally executed by the Japanese authorities and were buried in mass graves throughout Penang, including at Rifle Range. The remains of the victims would only be uncovered in the 1960s when the construction of the Rifle Range flats was underway.

In 1964, the Malaysian federal government approved a pilot project to construct prefabricated high-rise housing at Rifle Range.[5] Six blocks of 17-storey flats and three blocks of 18-storey flats, which cumulatively contain 3,699 residential units and 66 shop lots, were to be assembled on-site using prefabricated concrete blocks. The nine blocks were constructed by the Housing Trust Federation and were complete by 1969.[6] [7] [8] The Rifle Range flats were acquired by the Penang state government from the federal government in 1972.

Transportation

The major thoroughfares within the neighbourhood are Boundary Road and Rifle Range Road.[9] In addition, Rapid Penang bus routes 201, 202 and 204 include stops within Rifle Range.[10] [11]

Education

The neighbourhood is served by a single primary school.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The first low-cost high-rise flats built in the country were in Penang - Community The Star Online . 2018-01-21 . www.thestar.com.my.
  2. News: 2016-10-24 . Rifle Range Market . 2018-01-21 . Penang Trails . English.
  3. Web site: Malaysia's quiet remembrance - Asia Weekly - China Daily Asia. www.chinadailyasia.com. 2018-01-21.
  4. News: Old Penang: The Sook Ching massacres of World War II - anilnetto.com. 2013-10-06. anilnetto.com. 2018-01-21. English.
  5. Web site: Home on the range . 2018-01-21 . Home on the range.
  6. Web site: At Penang’s oldest high-rise flats, tales of falling bottles, soiled diapers and corpses . 2024-04-05 . TODAY . en.
  7. Web site: Overview of Malaysia’s Public Housing History . 5 Apr 2024 . Think City.
  8. 1974 . Official report: Third Legislative Assembly Penang Second Session Second Meeting . . 2 . 2.
  9. Web site: Rifle Range – Penang's colourful time capsule - Views The Star Online. www.thestar.com.my. 2018-01-21.
  10. http://www.rapidpg.com.my/journey-planner/route-maps/details/201.gif Route map
  11. http://www.rapidpg.com.my/journey-planner/route-maps/details/202.gif Route map
  12. Web site: SK PADANG TEMBAK - PULAU PINANG - Carian Sekolah Malaysia. www.sekolahmy.com. ms-MY. 2018-01-21.