Status quandary

Global profile: Being on the World Heritage list has brought higher international fame to Melaka, as seen here in 2008, with Unesco saying the resulting prestige often helps raise awareness among citizens and governments about heritage preservation. — AFP

IT is the weekend, and Melaka is packed with tourists.

Visitors from all over the world swarm the city centre; pedestrians bustle about the streets, taking photographs of the colonial architecture and sampling local cuisine while those with vehicles fill up the main roads of the city.