LENGGONG, June 16 — The pair of panda bears, on loan to Malaysia by China, will be placed at the Wetland Park in Putrajaya because of its location which is in the country’s administrative centre, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said today.

File photo of twin pandas Po and De De at the Madrid Zoo & Aquarium on March 29, 2011. Malaysia would have its own pair of pandas soon. — Reuters picHe said the choice of the Wetland Park was made also because it was easy for the people to go.

“We appreciate the panda bears because they symbolise the close relationship between Malaysia and China.

“The people should have access to the bears and we choose the Wetland Park because the place is easy for the people to go,” he told reporters after the 1 Malaysia community gotong-royong with participants of the National Service Training Programme at Kampung Sauk here.

Mohamed Nazri said this in response to some quarters questioning the decision to place the bears at the Wetland Park.

Yesterday, the Malaysian government signed an agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA), which will pave the way for the loan of the giant pandas to Malaysia.

The two giant pandas, to be lent to Malaysia for a period of 10 years, is a symbol to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations, to be celebrated in 2014

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who witnessed the signing of the agreement, said the two pandas would be placed at the Wetland Park.

He also said the park would be installed with infrastructure similar to the natural habitat of the giant pandas, and that the Yayasan 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) would bear half the cost of constructing the facilities. — Bernama