The happy French connection

Senior Pastor William Vun of the Glory Christian Centre is on the big screen of his state-of-the-art auditorium of his new 14m-ringgit ($4.2m) five-storey church building at Taman Seputeh off Jalan Damai in Kota Kinabalu. The auditorium, the biggest in Sabah, accomodates his 2,000-strong congregation.

For overcoming her shyness, Rostinitah Jinkong gets a certificate from Finas director general Mahyidin Mustakim for her part in a 5-day acting workshop for Sabah's native Kadazandusuns and Muruts. Twenty-two of them have learnt from Hasnul Rahmat (left) what it is like to act on stage and in movies. Jeoffrey Ekol (centre) is adviser to the Indigenous Heritage Association of Sabah which organised the training from March 22-26 at the Penampang Cultural Centre in Kota Kinabalu. -- Picture by Joseph Jupiol/Insight Sabah

There's a French village at the naval base in Sepanggar, about 20 km from Kota Kinabalu. About 30 French technicians are living there with their families, says Marc Barety, the French ambassador to Malaysia, during a courtesy call on Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman on March 31. They are, of course, there to maintain the submarine. "They are happy in Sabah," Mr Barety tells Mr Musa. "The families are enjoying themselves because you have the sea, mountain and jungle." He notes that Novotel, the French hotel chain, is doing very well and hints that there might be more collaboration between the French and Sabahans in tourism. -- Picture courtesy of the Sabah Chief Minister's Department

March is special to Sabah chief minister Musa Aman as he cuts a giant cake to mark his 59th birthday on March 30. It also marks his seventh year as chief minister of the resource-rich east Malaysian state. The celebration is well deserved: he has steered his state to prosperity amid a global recession. The North Borneo island state is booming. It is cash-rich with 2 billion ringgit ($606m) in reserves. State secretary Sukarti Wakiman (right) and executives of Sutera Harbour share his joy at a luncheon with staff of the chief minister's department.

-- Picture courtesy of the Sabah Chief Minister's Department

Sabah's agricultural and marine products got a good show at the Malaysian Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism (MAHA) exhibition at the Padang Merdeka in Kota Kinabalu on March 27. Chief minister Musa Aman (right) launched the show, the first in Sabah. Nor Omar (left), the federal minister of agriculture and agro-based industry, says this year's international event will be held at the Malaysian Malaysia Agro Exposition Park (MAEP) at Serdang in August. In between Mr Musa and Mr Noh is Yahya Hussin, Sabah minister of agriculture and food industry.

-- Picture by Henry Matakim/Insight Sabah