Baling, Kedah

Baling, Kedah (21 April, 2005)


Baling (GPS: 5.67748, 100.92144) is a town in Kedah. It is located on the northern part of the state, close to the border with Thailand. The Thai town of Betong is just one hour away by road.

The name Baling comes from the Malay word that means "to toss". The name refers to the story of the fanged king, or Raja Bersiong, from Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa. In the story, the king who had a penchant for human blood was being pursued by his subjects. He twisted off his fangs and tossed them far, far away. The act of tossing his fangs gave the town its name.

Baling was also the site for the meeting between the leaders of the Malay Race Liberation Army with the leaders of the newly formed Malayan government and the British in 1955. The talks collapsed over the refusal of the Malayan government and the British to accept the MRLA as a legal entity that could contest in the elections.

Map of Baling, Kedah

Places of Interest in Baling

Categories of sights in Baling

Baling is on the Map of Kedah

Baling on Google Maps Street View

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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