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I Wouldn’t Go In There – Malaysia: Haunted Museum premieres exclusively on National Geographic Channel (Astro Ch 553) on 4 October 2013 at 11.00pm
Kuala Lumpur, 18 September 2013 – Malaysian fans of paranormal are in for a treat on 4th October as the National Geographic Channel’s hit series I Wouldn’t Go In There will showcase one of Malaysia’s haunted places in the show – the Penang War Museum.
This sure-to-be-thrilling episode titled I Wouldn’t Go In There – Malaysia: Haunted Museum features host Robert Joe (R.J) and guest personality Nazrudin Rahman (Naz) to track down the true stories hidden behind this notorious museum. Having gained a reputation for being scary, find out how the stories come about. Is it well and truly haunted? Have there been ghost sightings? Or is it all just in the mind?
The Penang War museum located on Penang Hill is a site that brings fear to a lot of Malaysians, having been lost in the jungle for 60 years. It was turned into a private war museum after being rediscovered recently and exorcised of what many believe to be evil spirits. The story among the locals is that it was a fort that was built by the British, which was taken over by the Japanese and used as a POW camp and execution site, hence leaving it filled with vengeful spirits.
UNCOVERING THE TRUTH BEHIND THE PENANG WAR MUSEUM
Frightful and creepy as it may all sound, R.J, an American-Korean urban explorer and blogger believes that places with such a dark standing aren’t haunted by ghosts, but by history. In the upcoming episode, both R.J and Naz ask tough questions about what really happened there. Do these “hauntings” have any basis in reality? Or, are they inspired by real events and tragedies long forgotten?
“Being Malaysian, I’ve heard many stories about the Penang War Museum. I was really glad to have been able to join R.J in this excursion as it gave me valuable insight as to why things are perceived the way they are,” said Naz.
“Generally, we zone in on the scary elements – ghosts, apparitions, death, murder and don’t really take the time to ask the more important questions. What are the memories associated to the place? What did the place stand for? ” he added.
Similarly, R.J believes that it’s not a complete coincidence that where you find a large concentration of ghost sightings and reported hauntings, there is often an even more traumatic history to be uncovered.
“In working on I Wouldn’t Go In There, I’ve often found some kind of connection between the events in ghost stories and reality. My quest is not to find out if ghosts are real, but what these stories can tell us about our past after the layers are peeled back,” added RJ.
[pullquote align=”right”]I Wouldn’t Go In There – Malaysia: Haunted Museum premieres exclusively on National Geographic Channel (Astro Ch 553) on 4 October 2013 at 11.00pm[/pullquote]
Follow RJ and Naz’s investigation at the fort as it uncovers the dark story of the Japanese occupation of Penang Island. Sites all over the island reveal a trail of hidden stories of torture and executions, leading back to the legendary executioner Suzuki, who beheaded hundreds at the fort.
Playing the role dogged investigators, R.J. and Naz trace the evolution of the haunting of the museum, check up on scary urban legends via eyewitnesses, survivors, and experts, ultimately finding the truth to why people warn: I wouldn’t go in there. What they discover is stranger and more disturbing than fiction.
Don’t miss out on new series I Wouldn’t Go In There – Malaysia: Haunted Museum premiering on 4 October 2013 at 11.00pm exclusively on National Geographic Channel (Astro Ch 553) with new episodes every Friday at the same time.
Episode Descriptions:
I Wouldn’t Go In There – Ep7 Malaysia: Haunted Museum (4 Oct 2013, 11.00pm)
A tour guide at a World War II museum on the island of Penang, Malaysia claims to have seen the legendary ghost of a Japanese Colonel named Suzuki who was alleged to have drunk the blood of his victims with whiskey. Blogger and Urban Explorer Robert Joe (R.J.) pursues the truth behind the ghastly claim. Was there such a colonel at the museum when it was a fort during the Second World War? And if so, did he actually commit such atrocious acts of violence? As RJ pursues the truth about Suzuki, his investigation leads him into a shocking world of massacres and mass burials.
I Wouldn’t Go In There – Ep8 Thailand: Cursed Treasure (11 Oct 2013, 11.00pm)
Six-hundred-year-old Ayutthaya, Thailand was once a powerful city of a million people. But now its temples are in ruins and it has a reputation for being one of Thailand’s most haunted places. What’s more, a curse of death is said to befall those who dig and take buried treasure. Blogger and urban explorer Robert Joe (RJ) sets out to uncover the real hidden history behind ghosts said to be guarding hidden treasure and those rumored to die from a curse after finding it.
I Wouldn’t Go In There – Ep9 Vietnam: Devil’s Island (18 Oct 2013, 11.00pm)
Blogger and urban explorer Robert Joe (RJ) heads to Vietnam’s Con Dao Island to investigate a series of hauntings: the first on a mysterious bridge and the second near the island’s infamous prisons. RJ’s out to uncover what lurks behind these tales of the supernatural. Though he doesn’t believe in ghosts or the paranormal, he finds that wherever there’s a concentration of spirit sightings or encounters there also hovers a true and dark history the locals would just as soon forget.
I Wouldn’t Go In There – Ep10 India: Port Of No Return (25 Oct 2013, 11.00pm)
The western Indian Island of Diu is home to dozens of ghost stories and haunted buildings. Diu was once a thriving Portuguese trading town but today is a sleepy backwater rarely visited by outsiders. While he himself doesn’t believe in ghosts, blogger and urban explorer Robert Joe (RJ) does believe that supernatural stories hide true histories that are all too real. Something terrible must have happened here. The further he explores the more, RJ uncovers the Island’s dark secrets.
About National Geographic Channels International
National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) inspires viewers through its smart, innovative programming that questions what we know, how we view the world and what drives us forward. A business enterprise owned by National Geographic Ventures and FOX Entertainment Group, NGCI contributes to the National Geographic Society’s commitment to exploration, conservation and education through its six channels: National Geographic Channel, National Geographic Channel HD, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Wild HD, Nat Geo Adventure and Nat Geo Music.
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For more information, please visit www.natgeotv.com.
FOX International Channels
FOX International Channels (FIC) is News Corporation’s international multi-media business. We develop, produce and distribute 200+ wholly- and majority-owned entertainment, factual, sports and movie channels across Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa, in 37 languages. These networks and their related mobile, non-linear and high-definition extensions, reach over 1 billion cumulative subscribing households worldwide.
In Asia, FIC operates 27 channel brands including the National Geographic, FOX and STAR brands in 75 channel feeds across 14 markets, reaching more than 550 million cumulative subscribers in Asia Pacific and Middle East. The leading pay-TV network has offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Australia, Middle East and India. For more information, please visit: www.foxinternationalchannels.com
In Malaysia, FOX International Channels operates, National Geographic Channel, National Geographic Channel HD, National Geographic Wild, National Geographic Adventure, National Geographic Music, FOX Sports, FOX Sports Plus HD, STAR Sports, FOX Sports News, FOX Football Channel, Sky News HD, STAR World, STAR World HD, FOX Movies Premium, FOX Movies Premium HD, FOX, FOX Crime HD, FX HD, BabyTV, tvN HD, Channel [V] Taiwan, STAR Chinese Channel and STAR Chinese
Movies 2.
Astro Malaysia Holdings
Astro Malaysia Holdings Sdn Bhd is Malaysia’s leading integrated cross-media group with operations in 4 key businesses: Pay TV, Radio, Content and Digital. Launched in 1996, Astro today has a 50% penetration of TV homes in Malaysia or 3 million customers, making it a key pay TV operator in Southeast Asia. Astro broadcasts over 153 channels, of which 16 are in HD, is a leading edge innovator with its introduction of HD, 3D and PVR – a first in Malaysia, and also Video On Demand and IPTV service. It is the leading aggregator, creator and distributor of original multi-language content of various genres across multi-channels. Its radio network both terrestrial and digital covers all key languages cumulatively reaching 11.5 million listeners a week and ranked among the top 10 stations in the country. Its digital arm involved in digital publishing, applications and platforms as well as publication of entertainment and lifestyle magazines locally. For more details, log on to www.astro.com.my
