United Buddy Bears World Tour To Kicc Off Thursday At Pavillion

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 (Bernama) -- A Malaysian bear painted by local cartoonist Imuda, is among the 142 United Buddy Bears, that will take part in the United Buddy Bears World Tour to be officially launched this Thursday. The United Buddy Bears, which aimed to pass the message of tolerance and international understanding in the name of world peace and also to raise fund for children in need worldwide, was first launched in Berlin, Germany in 2002. Since then, it has travelled to more than 15 countries, and Malaysia is the first Southeast Asian country to be chosen for its tour, said a statement issued here Monday. It said the tour, under the patronage of the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Shah, would put up 142 bears, which represented the cultures and heritage of the different countries, at the foyer of the shopping mall, Pavillion until Feb 15, next year. With the theme "The Art of Tolerance", the United Buddy Bears World Tour hoped to raise fund with the auctioning of the bears measuring two metres tall, it said. The fund collected would be channeled to the various children aid in Malaysia, it said. -- BERNAMA