thai.gr
International Section => General in English => Μήνυμα ξεκίνησε από: turmeric2u στις Αύγουστος 10, 2013, 03:37:04 πμ
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The Thai government is building a USD16 million Wat in the Massachusetts suburb of Raynham.
Wat Nawamintararachutis, or NMR Center, will celebrate the life of Thailand’s current monarch, His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who was born in a Cambridge, Massachusetts hospital in 1927.
The 109,000-square-foot complex will have a four-story museum and temple building, sleeping quarters, and a large conference center, all clustered around a spacious courtyard filled with lotus-shaped fountains and fountains with lotuses. It will be the largest such meditation center outside Thailand.
The Raynham temple will also boast such typical Thai elements as a 180-foot spire, cast in bronze and covered in golf leaf. The spire will be made in Thailand and shipped to the United States.
The temple’s design was done by both Thai and American architects who worked to create a meditation center that would contain distinctly Thai Buddhist elements as well as some New England style.
The only other Thai Buddhist temple in Massachusetts is the Boston Buddha Vararam Temple in Bedford, a small center situated on about 2 acres. There are about 4,000 Thais in the state, according to the US Census Bureau, the Boston Globe reported.
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VIETNAM - GREECE
Vietnam Says Greece Denies Tourist Visas
(http://s23.postimg.org/c2odka5nv/DESTINATION_GREECE.jpg) (http://postimage.org/)
A presentation on Greece and Argo Travel Group was organized for the second time on Aug. 7 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest city, by Travel Media Applications, in collaboration with the Vietnam Society of Travel Agents (VISTA).
The first presentation took place last month in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, which was attended by 48 tour operators of outbound tourism, but there were complaints that the Greek government rejects two-thirds of the visa requests for tourists.
Attendees emphasized the difficulty of obtaining visas for customers.
The Greek Embassy based in Hanoi often requires a personal interview for prospective travelers even if they are based in Ho Chi Minh City which is around an hour flight from Hanoi.
Phan Quoc-Dai, Deputy director of outbound corporate sales department Saigontourist Travel Service Co. Ltd., reported that lately the Greek Embassy has repeatedly rejected customers’ requests and statistically only one in three applications is accepted.
At the second presentation, a number of 75 outbound tourist offices based in Ho Chi Minh City responded, which showed particular interest in Greek tourism product.
VISTA President Vu The Binh, who flew from Hanoi especially for the event, stressed that “Greece is for us a very popular destination.
We want to learn even more about Greece and suggest new places to Vietnamese tourists.
Our partnership with the TMA has very strong foundations for the development of outbound tourism from Vietnam.
The TMA has taken on international sales of VITM, Vietnam’s exhibition for outbound tourism, held every April in Hanoi where we hope that Greece will participate.”
In the presentation, Stratis Voursoukis, Director of Asia-Pacific Travel Media Applications and Argo Travel Group, said that, “There is a great interest for outbound travel to Greece.
However, Vietnamese travel agents need to be updated about the tourism product of the country.
We as TMA and Argo Travel make great effort to promote our country in Southeast Asia in response to the growing demand for trips.”
Theodore Koumelis, founder of Travel Media Applications, said that, “The Southeast Asia region has great economic development and growth of outbound tourism which Greece should take into consideration.
The Argo Travel with longtime experience in incoming tourism listens to the needs of the Asian market and offers the appropriate tourism product.”
By Margarita Papantoniou on August 13, 2013 in Asia, Events, News, Tourism
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Tourism Malaysia/
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Aug 20, 2013
PHUKET, Thailand - Tourism Malaysia announced today that it will close its Phuket office and all other offices outside of Bangkok by the end of this month.
“There will only be one office in Thailand, and that will be in Bangkok,” Deputy Director General of Tourism Malaysia Chong Yoke Har said.
Mrs Chong made the announcement at an appreciation dinner for Phuket’s media and tour operators from six southern provinces at the Blue Elephant Restaurant this evening.
“Closing the Phuket office doesn't mean we will forget about the southern region,” she said.
“Our staff will pay visits to the southern provinces to continue our cooperation,” she added.
Mrs Chong said more staff would be concentrated in the Bangkok office to improve operations there.
The Phuket office has been open for 13 years.
Source: phuketgazette.net
EAST ASIA
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Greece ranks 17th in wine exports to China.
China has one of the most dynamic wine markets and now ranks among the five largest worldwide. It is expected that the Chinese market will eventually be established as the largest wine market in the world. It is also obvious that Greek wine can improve its place in the Chinese market, both in absolute numbers and market share.
The above estimates have been indicated in a market research on wine in China, conducted by the Office of Economic and Commercial Affairs of the Greek Embassy in Beijing.
According to the survey, more than 70 countries are currently making wine exports to China. However, only a few countries enjoy a market share of more than 2%, with France (53%) taking the lead, then followed by Australia, Chile, Spain, Italy, the USA, New Zealand and South Africa. Greece occupies the 17th place with wine exports of 491,946 liters, valued at $ 2,224,536.
Moreover, in comparison to 2011, a significant decrease has been recorded in Greek wines’ sales (-22%), which has been therefore balanced by a 29% rise in the average price.
China wine market, Greece, Greek Embassy in Beijing, wine exports
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Thailand and China main source of Yangon's tourism.
YANGON, Myanmar - Thailand and China are the main source of Yangon's tourism market, according to a recently released report from the Jones Lang LaSalle's Hotels & Hospitality Group.
"Yangon's two largest and mature source markets for the past few years have been neighbouring Thailand and China given their close proximity and long-standing economic co-operation. In 2012, visitors from Thailand and China comprised of 15.9% and 11.9% of total visitor arrivals, respectively. Growth from these markets, particularly from China has been lower in 2012 as they are staring out from much larger bases and some other source markets have grown more strongly," said Jones Lang LaSalle's Hotels & Hospitality Group in its Myanmar Hotel and Tourism Report: Spotlight on Yangon publication.
"China has long established economic links with Myanmar along its border with road infrastructure connecting to mineral deposits and other natural resources. Due to their existing foothold in Myanmar, it is arguable corporations from China have less need to visit Yangon frequently to form business relations or to research the market relative to other, newer entrant countries," noted the report.
Yangon International Airport has received over 235,000 Asian visitors from January to July this year, compared to only 165,000 visitors around the same time last year.
Source: elevenmyanmar.com
EAST ASIA
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Tourism investments in China - Zhanjiang.
Aug 21, 2013
Zhanjiang is welcoming tourism investment from Hong Kong into its promising tourism industry, which is expected to boom around 2016 after the city's transport facilities have improved, a top city official said.
"The seaport in the west of Guangdong province is bestowed with rich marine, ecological, historical and cultural, climate and labor resources," said Zhuang Xiaodong, deputy mayor, summing up Zhanjiang's advantages in developing tourism.
The city's coastline extends 2,023.6 kilometers, and it is home to 122 uninhabited islands, providing tourists with extensive, tranquil sea views.
The flat Leizhou Peninsula, one of the country's three biggest peninsulas, resembles a landscape painting of golden banana plantations and a sea of green sugar cane.
The Mazu culture mingles with the Gaozhou culture in Zhanjiang, and the two offer distinctive cultural attractions, such as carved stone dogs and dragon dances.
Expected tourism boom an opportunity for investment
Lying south of the Tropic of Capricorn, the city enjoys a warm climate and abundant sunshine, the basics it needs to become a tourist destination for winter vacation.
"Many people in Northeast China and Russia will escape the winter chill in Hainan on holiday. These people are also our potential customers," said Zhuang.
"Zhanjiang is not just an island and is thus able to offer more diverse forms of leisure to tourists than Hainan can."
With a population of nearly 8 million, the city has sufficient human resources to develop the labor-intensive tourism industry, Zhuang said.
In despite of its rich tourism resources, Zhanjiang still draws few visitors, especially from overseas.
Overseas tourists that visited Zhanjiang last year numbered 90,000, while 13.1 million tourists came overall. The ratio of Chinese tourists to foreign ones is 146-to-1 in Zhanjiang but averages about 30-to-1 in most of the city's major tourist cities.
"The main problem is with transportation. We are a leader in freight transport thanks to the harbor and the rails, but we are lagging behind in terms of passenger traffic," Zhuang said.
"We don't have high-speed rails, nor do we have many international airways."
In July, Hu Chunhua, Party chief of Guangdong province, announced at a conference that the provincial government will invest 672 billion yuan ($110 billion) into constructing the province's underdeveloped western, eastern and northern areas, presenting a golden opportunity for the city.
"The western area, with Zhanjiang as the major city, will focus on improving its transportation infrastructure," said Zhuang.
A high-speed rail linking cities in the west of Guangdong with the Pearl River Delta will be completed and put into use by 2016.
A journey from Zhanjiang to Guangzhou or Shenzhen will be shortened from a car ride of at least five hours to only two hours by train. Experts are considering the relocation of Zhanjiang's airport to enlarge its capacity, paving the way to establish more international airways.
EAST ASIA
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Bangkok airways becomes first foreign carrier to Nay Pyi Taw.
Aug 22, 2013
BANGKOK, Thailand – “It has long been our plan to cover the three key cities of Myanmar by the end of this September,” says Mr. Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, Bangkok Airways’ President.
Bangkok Airways, has recently announced its latest expansion to Myanmar by offering non-stop flights from Bangkok to Nay Pyi Taw, the capital city of The Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Commencing on 30 September 2013, the airline will be the first scheduled foreign air carrier to service this route and the only Thai airline that serves all three main cities of Myanmar.
Mr. Prasarttong-Osoth continued, “The first city was Yangon where Bangkok Airways has been offering 3 daily flights from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport) and soon to be 4 flights per day starting from 27 October 2013. Secondly, Mandalay service will commence on 15 September 2013 offering 4 non-stop flights per week. Lastly, the capital city of Myanmar – Nay Pyi Taw, from 30 September 2013 with 3 non-stop flights per week.”
Mr. Puttipong continues, “We consider this to be a major milestone for us as not only will this make Bangkok Airways the first scheduled foreign airline to fly to Nay Pyi Taw, but it also makes us the only Thai airline that serves all three main cities of Myanmar. We anticipate that the majority of our passengers on the direct Bangkok – Nay Pyi Taw flights will be businessmen and government officials. The other two routes will most likely be mainly tourists. We are confident that with our strong reputation of offering a boutique flying experience for our passengers, Bangkok Airways will become a leading player in this market."
Bangkok Airways will offer 3 non-stop flights per week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) – Nay Pyi Taw with 70-seater ATR72 aircraft.
The outbound flight PG721 will depart Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) at 17.00hrs and arrive Nay Pyi Taw Airport at 19.00hrs. The inbound flight PG722 will depart Nay Pyi Taw Airport at 19.30hrs and arrive Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) at 22.30hrs. All of Bangkok (The local time in Myanmar is 30 minutes behind Thailand).
Moreover, all Bangkok Airways flights offer a convenient and smooth transit at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport for passengers from Korea, Japan and Europe to connect to Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay.
All passengers of Bangkok Airways can enjoy a boutique lounge at Suvarnabhumi where passengers can treat themselves to a multitude of free snacks and various choices of hot or cold drinks, free Wi-Fi Internet access. There’s also a kid’s corner located within the lounge area that will satisfy the needs of young children. For Bangkok Airways’ business class - the Blue Ribbon Club or for any passengers with FlyerBonus Premier Membership can enjoy extra treats at the Blue Ribbon Club Lounge that offers more services such as hot meals, a personal shower room, a massage parlor, as well as a nice and quiet personal library room, which can also be used as a personal meeting room.
Source: Bangkok Airways
EAST ASIA
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Macworld iWorld Asia 2013 opens in Beijing (2013-08-22)
The Macworld iWorld Asia 2013, a grand event for iFans, opened in Beijing on August 22. Macworld iWorld Asia, the third of its kind, is known as the biggest exhibition of the Apple industry chain in Asia. A carnival for Apple products and their peripherals, it showcases the latest products and technologies in the consumer electronics industry. The exhibition, held at the Beijing International Convention Center, will run for four days until August 25. More than 500 exhibitors from around the world are expected to display their latest gadgets and innovations, over a total exhibition area of about 46,000 square meters. A highlight of the event is that American actor Ashton Kutcher, who plays Steve Jobs in the Apple co-founders biopic Jobs, will meet Apple fans. Kutcher, 35, will appear as Jobs to reproduce the scenes of the tech icon delivering his legendary speeches at Macworld iWorld trade shows in the U.S., according to the Macworld iWorld Asia organizing committee. The event was launched by the Beijing Investment Promotion Bureau and International Data Group (IDG) in 2011. Macworld iWorld was initiated by IDG in 1985 in San Francisco, and the four-day event has continued to run for the last 27 years in the second week of January at San Franciscos Moscone Center.
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Tourism as an export for Thailand.
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For many regions like Hawaii, Seychelles, Grenada tourism is the most important export earner. So is tourism for the Kingdom of Thailand.
A leading Thai academic has proposed that Thailand's tourism play important roles in place of exports and tourist destinations be developed before the formation of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) by 2015, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.
Ath Phisanwanit, Director of the Center for International Trade Studies of Bangkok-based University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, aired the proposal on Tuesday.
Ath referred to an updated study showing that the most popular tourist destination in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (A) last year was Malaysia with over 25 million international visitors, followed by Thailand with more than 22 million international visitors, who spent over 980 billion baht, and Singapore with 14 million international visitors.
Ath assessed that Malaysia should remain the top destination in Asean after 2015 due to more favourable factors, projecting that the number of international visitors to Thailand should increase to 27 million by 2015, earning the country more than 1.22 trillion baht of tourism-related revenues then.
According to Ath, the number of international visitors to Thailand is also anticipated to increase to 34.5 million by 2020 and Thailand's tourism-related revenues should exceed 1.65 trillion baht then, with Chinese visitors to form the lion's share of the international visitors to the country.
The senior academic also predicted that the growth rate of international visitors to Myanmar should be the fastest in Asean, by 38.3 per cent, by 2015 and 57.8 per cent by 2020.
The senior academic suggested that Thailand effectively manage tourism resources, promote safety, introduce public high-speed internet services, improve public transit systems, especially high-speed trains, and warmly welcome Chinese tourists whose arrivals have grown fastest, as the Thai tourism has earned the Kingdom significantly, in place of exports, over the past few years.
East Asia
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Thai food to the world through ten cool infographics.
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Aug 28, 2013
The TAT has prepared a state-of-the-art series of infographics to show the world the variety, abundance, and different types of Thai food available throughout the Kingdom. The series of artistically rendered graphics does an amazing job of demystifying the mind-bogglingly complex -- at least to foreigners -- Thai food scene with in all its diversity.
Thais instinctively know where to go to get the type of food they want; they also know what kinds of food are available at different venues, be it food courts, floating markets, or street stalls. Foreigners have been pretty much left to their own devices, ordering what they see in a catch-as-catch-can or hit-and-miss manner.
The options are indeed staggering for newcomers to Thailand, and it can take years even for foreigners living in Thailand to master the Thai food scene in all its incarnations and manifestations. Most tourists must depend on limited Thai-English menus, which unfortunately only show a small part of the picture.
Now, through these infographics, tourists can not only learn about all the different types of food at different places, but also gain important knowledge about the health aspects of Thai food, the different regional cuisines, and the critical art of dining etiquette that is unique to Thailand.
In addition to old hands and periodic visitors to the Kingdom, newcomers to Thailand will benefit greatly from this introduction to Thai foods in general, the most popular dishes, where to find them, how to enjoy them, and how to eat in the local manner without drawing attention to yourself or making any accidental cultural missteps.
Specifically, the ten infographics cover the following subjects:
1. Tom Yam Koong (Hot & Spicy Shrimp Soup)
2. Top 10 street foods
3. Thai foods at a floating market
4. Thai foods from the 4 regions of Thailand
5. Most popular Thai dishes
6. Most popular Thai noodle dishes
7. Thai fruits
8. Thai Dining Do's & Don'ts
9. Thai herbal drinks
10. Thai desserts
Thais are blessed with one of the best cuisines in the world, and they certainly appreciate and take advantage of this blessing wherever they go. Now, armed with these infographics, a new world of culinary delight is opened up to visitors.
Henceforth, they will know: what type of foods are available on the street; what is that Thai noodle dish they love called, and where can they find it; how many different herbal drinks are available for sampling; where can they find that amazing Thai dessert again; and what foods can they expect to find as they travel to the four corners of the Kingdom?
This is a part of the Amazing Thai Food project, now being promoted by the TAT at www.theamazingthaifood.com. In addition to the infographics mentioned above, visitors can also read and download many interesting articles, content, e-brochures & videos on this website.
The Amazing Thai Food project will undoubtedly be one of the TAT's most popular, useful, and practical campaigns, one which is sure to have many grateful, appreciative, and satisfied fans.
EAST ASIA
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Macedonian traces found in China.
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In antiquity when the Ancient Greeks and Romans referred to the Chinese they used to call them by the Latin name Sinae, which the Chinese have kept until today (China). The greatest proof is the fact that the most important monument of China is known worldwide as the Great Sinic Wall.
Throughout the years, among other archaeological findings discovered in China, there is the Sampul tapestry, a woolen wall-hanging which depicts a soldier, probably Greek, and a Centaur. Moreover, there are also statues of Greek soldiers of the 3rd century B.C. Several statuettes and representations of Greek soldiers have been found north of Tien Shan. The above are both displayed in the Xinjiang Museum, Urumqi, China.
Moving on, today we know that the Chinese pyramids are in fact tombs-mausoleums, internationally known as tumulus mounds. But only ancient Macedonians used to build tombs for their kings. The existence of such sacred monuments in the “forbidden zone”, means that the local emperors of the time actually followed the sacred “road” chosen or suggested by the Macedonians, apparently soldiers of Alexander the Great, who did not wish to go their way back.They even adopted the same magnificent Macedonian way for burying their kings.
So far there have been at least 12 ancient Greek cities unearthed in China. That is the real reason why the Chinese government, dissatisfied, decided to put an end to all these archaeological missions.
However, since 1980 the ongoing archaeological interest around China once again pushed a group of both Chinese and Japanese researchers to begin searching for the rumored lost Kashgar Old city.
But it was in 1993, when an archaeological discovery really shook the historic waters. An ancient Greek civilization was revealed in the Chinese city of Niya in Taklamakan. Within the ruins, archaeologists found iron axes and sickles, wooden clubs, pottery urns and jars in the homes, coins bronze mirrors, rings and other possessions that were all of Greek origin.
Furthermore, all eight mummies and skeletons that were found had blonde and brown hair (European characteristics and not Chinese) along with other Greek features.
So, from all the above the following question is now raised: Since Alexander the Great officially reached the Ganges River, how on earth were Greek cities discovered beyond it in China?
Just some food for thought as it probably seems that history should be rewritten…
Alexander the Great, China, Great Sinic Wall., Sampul tapestry, Xinjiang Museum
(http://s24.postimg.org/9e0dg4jb9/334525235252352424_40.jpg) (http://postimage.org/)
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Σε αρχαια Ελληνικα κειμενα αναφερονται αναλυτικα οι εμπορικες σχεσεις με τους Σινους η Σινες, οπως χαρακτηριστικα ονομαζονταν οι κατοικοι της σημερινης Κινας απο τους προγονους μας.
Απο κει προκυπτουν και οι νεωτερες ονομασιες "Σινικο Τειχος", "Σινικη μεταξη" κ.τ.λ.
Οι Βρεττανοι πηραν τη συγκεκριμενη λεξη, την εγκολπωσαν στο λεξιλογιο τους και την διεδωσαν σε ολο τον κοσμο με την πασιγνωστη πια ονομασια CHINA.
Ο Marco Polo αναφερει χαρακτηριστικα στο βιβλιο του οτι οι Κινεζοι ηγεμονες του εκαναν λογο για τις εμπορικες σχεσεις που ειχαν οι προκατοχοι τους με τους απογονους του Μεγαλου Αλεξανδρου.
Ο μεγαλος γεωγραφος της αρχαιοτητας Στραβων μιλαει και με λεπτομερειες γι αυτες τις σχεσεις.
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Thailand's top ten street markets.
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TripAdvisor has revealed what its users from around the world believe are the top ten street markets in Thailand.
Topping the list is Chiang Mai’s Sunday Night Market which is located near Tha Pae Gate and extends for approximately 1 kilometer down the full length of Ratchadamnoen Road.
As recommended by a TripAdvisor traveller, “Great shopping with amazing bargains. You can graze your way through the walking streets with every kind of appetizer, main course, sweet on offer.”
Bangkok’s most famous Chatuchak Weekend Market also features in the list, as well as the unique Maeklong Railway Market and Amphawa Floating Market.
According to TripAdvisor, the top 10 street markets in Thailand are:
1. Sunday Night Market Walking Street– Tha Pae Gate, Chiang Mai
2. Maeklong Railway Market (Talad Rom Hub), Samut Songkhram
3. Saturday Night Market Walking Street – Wua Lai Road, Chiang Mai
4. Pak Khlong Talat (Flower Market) – Bangkok
5. Chatuchak Weekend Market – Bangkok
6. Phuket Town Night Market – Phuket Town, Phuket
7. Amphawa Floating Market – Amphawa, Samut Songkhram
8. Siam Square – Bangkok
9. Hua Hin Night Bazaar – Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan
10. Night Bazaar – Chiang Mai
“Street markets are an integral part of Thai culture and are popular with both locals and foreigners alike,” said Jean Ow-Yeong, TripAdvisor spokesperson.
“For that authentic and unique Thai shopping experience, TripAdvisor’s global community of travellers have uncovered the best street markets in the nation.”
EAST ASIA
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Myanmar ups security for foreign visitors.
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Myanmar has tightened security measures to prevent terrorists attacks on foreign tourists visiting the country, especially in popular sites, according to police.
Rumours of possible terrorist attacks and recent riots have required Myanmar's police force to beef up security measures for foreign visitors.
"Our force still doesn't cover the whole country, but effective security measures have been taken in areas where most tourists visit. The Tourist Police Department are now working together with local police forces in implementing these measures. As our force is still young, we have requirements to get better in our services. So we're trying hard to improve," said Police Colonel Myo Min Oo of the Tourist Police Department.
Local police departments across the country are also leading activities such as engaging in public talks to ensure tourist security.
"Many tourists visit our area. So our police force patrols the area every day. We have also taken necessary preventive measures in the area. A day before, we had persuaded a foreign couple to get to a nearby hotel as they said they would stay by the roadside for the night. We give help as much as we can," said a senior police officer from Nyaung Shwe Township Police Department in Shan State.
Source: stuff.co.nz
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North Korea is building on International tourism.
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Aug 29, 2013
KCNA, the state news agency of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK, reported Wednesday that the reclusive nation would direct “big efforts” to build tourism into one of its major industries in the coming years.
Tourism in North Korea is organized by one of several state-owned tourism bureaus, including Korea International Travel Company (KITC), Korean International Sports Travel Company (KISTC) and Korean International Youth Travel Company (KIYTC). Tourism in North Korea is highly controlled by the government, which is one of the reasons it is not a frequently visited destination — between 3,000 to 4,000 Western tourists visit North Korea each year, along with thousands of Asians.
Tourists must go on guided tours and must have their tour guides with them at all times. As of June 2011, the northern border to China has been opened and Chinese citizens are free to drive their own vehicles to Luo, a small North Korean northeast border region where they are free to explore, mingle and photograph. This is seen as a first step towards expanded tourism and development in that region.
Photography and interaction with local people has historically been tightly controlled, however, from photos seen around the internet and evidence from travelers to the DPRK, those restrictions seem to have been relaxed a bit in the past few years. In fact, as of January 2013, foreigners are allowed to buy SIM cards at the Pyongyang airport, giving them access to international calling.
“The country has a bright future to develop tourism,” Jo Song Gyu, director of the International Travel Company of the DPRK, told KCNA, adding that North Korea was “abundant in tourism resources.”
Gyu said the country planned to open up regular air routes between Pyongyang, Lake Samji and Wonsan for local and foreign tourists in the near future. The country also hopes to expand air routes to China from Beijing to cities like Shanghai and Yanji.
“Air services will also be available for people in Southeast Asia and Europe to come to DPRK for sightseeing,” Gyu boasted. “Wonsan and Mts. Maeku and Chilbo areas are likely to be linked with other countries and regions by air services.”
The director’s ambitious plans do not stop there. He said economic development zones to be built in each province would serve as tourism destination, while hotels in Pyongyang would be renovated “at the world’s level.” Plans are also in the works for fitness centers, service complexes and souvenir and duty-free shops for tourists.
“The government will allow foreigners to launch independent business or joint venture in the country to invest in tourist resorts and economic development zones and construct and manage hotels, shops and other tourist facilities,” Gyo said, adding that North Korea would render preferential treatment to foreign businesses that come to the DPRK sooner rather than later “so that they can begin making profits as early as possible.” The DPRK is particularly interested in inviting experts for development of tourist resorts and the operation of hotels and restaurants.
While a North Korean official has rarely been so direct in his plans for the nation’s nascent tourism sector, the country has made several steps toward buoying its industry in recent years. Most, however, have ended it complete failure.
German luxury hotelier Kempinski made the shocking announcement last November that it would open at least 100 rooms by the end of 2013 at the long-abandoned Ryugyong Hotel, North Korea’s tallest building. Amid growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula this April, it made the less shocking revelation that it had pulled out of the project.
Michael Henssler, regional president of Kempinski China, boasted to International Business Times in December that the Kempinski-branded five-star hotel would “absolutely meet international standards,” including five revolving restaurants, a spa, business center, ballroom, shops and even an artistic center at the base with a theater and cinema. It remains unclear whether the so-called “Hotel of Doom” is indeed doomed, or if Pyongyang will open it without an international partner.
Beyond the troubles at Ryugyong Hotel, North Korea’s resume of failed tourist projects is a long one. One of the first leaps into luxury travel was a proposed cruise ship from the rundown northeastern port of Rason to the scenic resort of Mount Kumgang, launched in September 2011. In reality, the ship was an aging ferry banned from traveling to Japan under U.N. sanctions, and after inviting the global media for a ride, the ferry-cum-cruise made just two more voyages, according to Tad Farrel of NK News.
More recently, KCNA documented leader Kim Jong-un’s plan to construct a “world class” ski resort to rival the facilities under construction in South Korea for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. The hope was that the hills well beyond the eastern edge of Pyongyang would look remarkably similar to those surrounding Pyeongchang, the 2018 Olympic host city. Yet, attempts to purchase ski equipment, including lifts, have all but failed under U.N. sanctions on luxury goods.
While North Korea makes its bombastic claims about the potential for tourism, the figures speak another story. Last year, just 4,000 Westerners and 20,000 Chinese visited the nation. Chinese predominantly arrived for trips 48 hours or less, while most Westerners came in with specialist groups like Young Pioneer Tours or Koryo Tours (each of which are met by government minders who restrict interactions with ordinary citizens).
Yet, numbers are rising. Chris White, travel director of Young Pioneer Tours, told IBTimes last month that tensions on the Korean Peninsula earlier this year only increased interest in North Korean travel, with customer bookings double what they were in 2012. Nick Bonner of Koryo Tours, which ushers in about half of all Westerners, said his numbers were also up for the second half of 2013.
“More people now know it is possible to visit the DPRK and are interested in seeing it,” White explained. “We estimate that as North Korea continues to open up to foreign tourists, our tours will continue to grow in popularity with record numbers."
Bonner, too, said “it seems tourists still see North Korea as a safe destination and one to tick off on their world travels.” But he cautioned that, even looking at the record numbers of visitors over this past month’s Mass Games, “by world standards, this is still ‘low season’ with under 2,000 Westerners visiting at this time.”
Gangnam Style saw some 11.1 million international visitors horse-hopping to South Korea last year. Comparatively, North Korea might as well be on the moon.
EAST ASIA
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Jakarta targets 8-10% growth in 2013 tourist arrivals.
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Aug 30, 2013
Despite the global economic slowdown, the Province of Jakarta is optimistic that the capital city will be able to reach a growth of between 8% - 10% in international tourist arrivals and an increase of 17% - 20% in domestic visitors this year, said Arie Budiman, Head of the Tourist and Culture Office of Jakarta.
In the past 5 years, tourism to Jakarta grew by a yearly average of 8.05%, while domestic tourists grew at a yearly average of 16.77%. Last year 2012, Jakarta welcomed 2.12 million international visitors and 28.1 million domestic tourists.
Tourism contributes Rp 2.6 trillion to Jakarta’s provincial GDP, however, receives only an approximate 3% of this amount for tourism promotion. Nonetheless, Arie Budiman is convinced that increased arrivals from Asia and the Middle East as well as more domestic tourists will continue to be drawn to Jakarta which offers more shopping facilities and more events and concerts with international stars, reports Kompas daily.
On the program for development in Jakarta is an amphitheater by the Rio Ria dam, improvements to the Setu Babakan village of Jakarta’s indigenous Betawi ethnic group, and better organized regular city tours.
Meanwhile to improve the old city of Batavia, a Destination Management Organization for Old Batavia (or DMO Kota Tua) has been established with active participation from stakeholders, so that, among others, cleanliness and orderliness of the Fatahillah Square and surroundings have been greatly improved, with vendors more neatly organized.
Statistics issued by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy showed that in the first Semester of 2013, Jakarta received 1,081,536 international visitors, up 8.8% compared to the previous year when the capital received 993,898 tourists.
Highest number of visitors to Jakarta came from Malaysia, followed by China, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, USA and Australia.
While foreign tourist arrivals through all entry ports in Indonesia from January through June 2013, totaled 4,154,478 visitors, a growth of 7.18% compared to the same period in 2012.
Source: indonesia.travel
EAST ASIA
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Top Japanese developer investing in three Asean countries
Tokyo August 30, 2013 1:00 am
Mitsui Fudosan, Ananda join forces for Bt6.5 bn condo on Rama IV
Mitsui Fudosan Residential Company is confident in the continued growth of the ASEAN economies and is expanding into Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia this year after first investing in Singapore 40 years ago.
"We are confident that ASEAN countries' economies will still grow, especially the Asean-5 countries - Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines - by the targeted 5 per cent next year. Although they are facing low growth in the second half of this year, it is a short-term situation," group chairman and chief executive officer Kiyotaka Fujibayashi said.
The group early this year invested more than Bt10 billion in residential and retail projects in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.
In Thailand, Mitsui Fudosan set up a joint-venture firm with Ananda Development, Ananda MF Asia, with registered capital of Bt900 million. The Japanese company holds a 49-per-cent stake in the JV, 49 per cent is held by Ananda Development, and the rest by minor shareholders.
Ananda MF Asia has set aside an investment budget of Bt1.8 billion, half from the company's capital and the rest borrowed from the major shareholders, to develop Ideo Q Rama 4, a condominium project worth Bt6.5 billion near the Sam Yan MRT station.
The project will open to presales in the fourth quarter, and plans to be complete and transferred to customer in 2016 at a starting price of Bt2.89 million per unit.
A project loan from Bangkok Bank has already been approved.
"We also plan to develop an average of two residential projects worth Bt10 billion a year by way of our joint-venture firm," Fujibayashi said.
Ananda MF Asia is also interested in developing office and retail projects in the future.
In Malaysia and Indonesia, the group is also investing through joint ventures with local partners to develop the both residential and retail projects, Fujibayashi said.
Mitsui Fudosan Residential is a leader in the Japanese property market. The group recorded total sales this fiscal year (April 2012-March 2013) worth Bt466 billion. It develops and transfers to customers 5,000-6,000 residential units a year.
Ananda Development president and CEO Chanond Ruangkritya said the JV firm would focus on large residential projects worth more than Bt5 billion, while Ananda Development itself would continue to develop condominium projects worth up to Bt3 billion.
"To expand our investment into larger projects, we needed a partner to reduce our business risk for the long term," he said.
Ananda Development plans to launch nine new condominium projects worth Bt10 billion in the current second half, two of which opened last week worth Bt3.2 billion.
It will deliver Bt10.2 billion worth of homes to its customers this half, including Bt1.02 billion worth in the current quarter. The remaining Bt9.2 billion worth will be booked as revenue in the fourth quarter. This will result in a net profit for the full year, he said.
Ananda Development recorded revenue of Bt1.9 billion and a net loss of Bt91.3 million in the first half.
The Nation
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Thai tourism launches Fabulous 40+photo contest.
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BANGKOK, Thailand - As part of its international "Find Your Fabulous" wellness and medical tourism campaign, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is unveiling a friendly global competition intended to salute ladies who are still fit and fabulous after their 40th birthdays.
The Fabulous 40+ Photo Contest invites women from around the world to submit images showing off their fabulous form, and the contestant showing the most youthful, age-defying appearance will be rewarded with an exclusive 3-day Find Your Fabulous trip to Bangkok.
For 40+ foxes fixing to put their likenesses proudly on display, the excitement begins on Facebook. Candidates become fans of ThailandMedTourism and the Find Your Fabulous campaign; then, they submit their most fabulous photos – with their name, age range (40+, 45+, 50+), current location, and a photo description. Submissions should show the fresh face and figure, confidence, poise, and charisma that defines the modern, fabulous woman today in her 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond.
The winners of the Fabulous 40+ Photo Contest will be determined by the number of "votes." The one with the most votes will be the winner, followed by the first and second runners-up respectively. The winner will receive a 3-day/2-night exclusive health and beauty package for herself and one friend.
In addition to a full medical checkup, dermatology treatments, and a spa package, the grand prize also includes two roundtrip air tickets and a deluxe 2-night stay at the stylish 5-star Sofitel So Bangkok, with daily breakfast. The first runner-up will receive the health & wellness packages for two as well as accommodation, while the second runner-up will receive the health and wellness packages for herself and a friend. All the awards – 3 awards for 2 persons each - bring the total value of the prizes to over USD $30,000.
The contest runs between now and the 30th of September, 2013, with the winners' announcement via Facebook scheduled for the 3rd of October. Awards are redeemable between the 15th of October and the 15th of December, 2013.
The TAT hopes that the Fabulous 40+ Photo Contest will further illuminate Thailand's thriving medical and wellness industry and the wealth of top-quality, convenient, and affordable aesthetic treatments on offer for international tourists of all shapes and sizes.
For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/thailandmedtourismfanpage
EAST ASIA
Τρέξτε να προλάβετε, ευκαιρία !
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2013 Asian Exposition Seafood opens today.
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HONG KONG - The fourth edition of the Asian Seafood Exposition welcomes thousands of fish and seafood buyers and suppliers from around the world when it opens its doors today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Organized by Diversified Business Communications, the exhibition which runs daily from September 3-5, is one of the industry's most prominent trade shows focusing on luxury premium seafood and the supply chain in Asia.
Located in Hall 5BC, visitors have the opportunity to directly source new products from quality premium seafood suppliers from around the region, as well as international markets including the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Bahrain, Ecuador, Estonia amongst other countries.
Featuring over 165 exhibitors, chefs, buyers and traders from the food service, retail, hospitality and import and export industries have access to a wide range of premium fish and seafood products such as lobster, crab, prawns, scallops, oysters, mussels, sea cucumbers, urchins, salmon, tuna, abalone and caviar.
In addition, a diverse group of fisheries and aquaculture specialists will be on hand to showcase the latest innovations in the processing, storing, carving, packaging and transportation of goods. This includes a particular emphasis on state-of-the-art technologies now being adopted by the sector to meet increasing demand in the region for higher quality and more luxurious seafood.
Speaking at the event, Ms. Mary Larkin, Vice President of Seafood Expositions at Diversified Business Communications expresses that despite the economic turbulence of the last few years, seafood production is expected to increase against steady demand particularly for higher value products.
"A recent report published by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations indicates that world fisheries and aquaculture production is likely to reach 181 million tonnes by 2022, which equates to an 18% increase when compared to the 2010-12 period. Most production gains are likely to come from aquaculture which is expected to grow by 35% over this period," remarks Ms. Larkin.
With regard to the seafood-friendly Asia Pacific, recent reports suggest that consumption in the region is expected to be twice that of Europe and North America at almost USD 35 billion by 2030. Equally significant, China will continue to have a major impact on international aquaculture markets with fish consumption per capita expected to expand over the next decade to 42.6 kg in 2022 which represents a growth rate of 1.5% per annum.
"There is no doubt that China's trade patterns and consumer tastes are evolving," continues Ms. Larkin. "Demand for higher value fish and luxury seafood products is flourishing in the mainland driven by a combination of increasing income levels, rising living standards, population growth, as well as dietary changes linked to rapid urbanization."
Ms. Larkin comments that this year's Asian Seafood Exposition serves as a powerful platform for seafood farmers and suppliers to acquaint themselves with marketplace trends both across China and the entire Asian region. She notes that for international companies this presents a unique opportunity to capture a share of or increase their presence in the regional market.
Aside from the exhibition itself, interactive culinary demonstrations and master classes will run alongside the exposition. "The goal is to encourage smart purchasing and preparation of seafood including knowing where the product comes from, what to look for, cooking techniques, and sustainability," points out Ms. Larkin.
The show's agenda also includes conferences and workshops covering the supply chain and investment in the region with key programme highlights including the following:
Date Time Presentation Title
3 September 12:30 - 13:10 Culinary Demonstration
-- Australian Wild Abalone
Sponsored by Tasmanian Seafoods
Pty Ltd
3 September 14:00 - 14:40 Culinary Demonstration -- Premium
Iranian Beluga Caviar
Sponsored by Persia Caviar
4 September 12:30 - 13:10 Oyster Master Class
Presented by Jacques Cocollos of
Speciales-Donegal Bay
4 September 14:15 - 15:00 Abalone & Sea Cucumber Master
Class
Presented by Bev Amos of Tasmanian
Seafoods Pty Ltd and
Richard Stevens of Western
Australian Fishing Industry
Council Inc. (WAFIC)
4 September 15:30 - 16:30 Lobster Master Class
Presented by Dave Thompson of
Indian Ocean Rock Lobster,
Edris Kitao of Kingdom Service
& Trade GmbH, and
John Norton of Cozy Harbor
5 September 10:30 - 12:00 Sustainability Panel: Updates on
Asia
EAST ASIA
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Is Thailand's position of a leader in medical tourism threatened by China?
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Sep 04, 2013
For the time being at least, Thailand's position as Asia's pre-eminent medical tourism destination is safe, but what about China?
As reported by concerned Thai news media the words "Chinese" and "medical tourism" in the same sentence might look strange, but major efforts are underway to secure China a significant and growing share of this lucrative market.
Globally, medical tourism is booming. An estimated 6 million people travel internationally each year to seek medical treatment, with the sector estimated to be worth around US$100 billion in 2012, growing at an annual rate of 20-30 percent.
Many medical professionals believe that China can be competitive globally, given its advantageous healthcare prices. Heart surgeries cost around one tenth of US prices while hip or knee replacements in Shanghai are more than 70 percent cheaper than in the US.
Shanghai was among the first places in China to get serious about medical tourism. In June 2010, the Shanghai Medical Tourism Products and Promotion Platform was established with the support of local government agencies including health and tourism bureaus. The platform was soon able to bring together over 20 participating hospitals in the metropolis, handling patient inquiries online, helping contact hospitals that can offer the right treatment, and even arranging the entire trip. While it's unclear how successful the initiative has been, the company that runs the platform cites around 100 inquiries a month, and says many patients from Argentina, for example, have been treated for cancer.
Shanghai East Hospital, located in the city's financial center, is one of the platform's initiators. It treats about 50,000 foreign patients a year, although it's uncertain how many of these have travelled to China for treatment. The platform's websites list a dozen of wide-ranging treatments on offer, from cancer treatment to cosmetic surgery to fertility treatment.
Following Shanghai, Hainan Province in April this year published a plan to build a special zone for medical tourism, the first in the country. Some have also suggested that China promote its traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to draw in medical tourists.
For example, Sanya TCM Hospital in Sanya, Hainan Province, has been promoting TCM therapies such as acupuncture, massage and cupping therapy to attract tourists. Since 2002, the hospital has received over 25,000 overseas patients, mainly from Russia and Central Asia. The program has proven so popular that the hospital last year set up a travel agency to help expand its medical tourism business.
But it would be misleading to imply China is ready for primetime medical tourism. Experts say the country still has a long way to go before it can challenge the industry's established leaders - particularly Thailand, India, South Korea and Singapore - which attract the bulk of the more than 60,000 Chinese who travel abroad for medical treatment each year. They caution that Chinese hospitals don't quite measure up to "world class" standard yet, on aspects such as international patient communication and management, patient safety and security, partnerships and value of service. Another concern is that China is undergoing healthcare reform and one of its primary goals is to strengthen the non-profit status of public hospitals. Medical tourism, as a relatively high-end form of healthcare, might take away resources needed for the basic healthcare of the Chinese population.
Promoters of medical tourism, however, point to government regulations that allow public hospitals to set aside 10 percent of their medical resources to VIP services. Some of these VIP service resources, as well as private and foreign investments, could be introduced to develop medical tourism.
Clearly, much depends on the Chinese government's resolve and commitment to developing medical tourism, since building the industry to be truly internationally competitive would involve cooperation between a number of government agencies including health, tourism and immigration.
EAST ASIA
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Greek National Tourism Organization Pavilions Awarded in China.
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GNTO’s presence in the Guangdong International Tourism Industry EXPO, which was held on August 30 and lasted until September 1, 2013, in Guangzhou, China, was unexpectedly successful.
In Guangzhou, GNTO won the best booth design award as well as the best organizing team award.
The Greek National Tourism Organization consisting of five Greek co-exhibitors, took part in the exhibition with a 72 m2 pavilion, in the framework of the presence of Greece in the international tourism exhibitions of China.
GNTO’s participation in this exhibition aimed at boosting Greece’s promotion in the tourism market of China, especially in Southern China, where there is special financial activity and extroversion.
GNTO, Guangdong International Tourism Industry EXPO
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Visitors to 8 Asian Capitals get more with 'one Asia pass"
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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Visitors to eight Asian cities, including Kuala Lumpur, can expect to enjoy a variety of privileges such as discounts, free gifts and other benefits with the 'One Asia Pass' program launched on Wednesday.
The eight cities are members of the Council for Promotion of Tourism in Asia (CPTA). Besides Kuala Lumpur, the other CPTA member cities are Seoul, Tokyo, Hanoi, Bangkok, Jakarta, Taipei and New Delhi.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) director-general Datuk Salleh Yusup said that with this special pass, tourists who visited the cities would enjoy a variety of special promotional offers from a wide range of tourism product and service providers.
"These benefits will include discounts for tourist attractions, shopping and dining as well as some freebies when making purchases," he told reporters after launching the initiative here.
He said it was part of the 'Welcome to Asia' campaign that aimed to cross-sell and encourage longer visits to more member cities.
Salleh said this effort would hopefully lure more Westerners to visit this part of the world as well as encourage more travel among Asians themselves.
He said the programme had the potential to increase the number of tourist arrivals from outside Asia to Malaysia, generating economic growth through the tourism sector.
To enjoy the benefits of One Asia Pass, visit www.welcometoasia.jp and sign up for the programme online. A flight code is needed because touring the cities is a requirement for application.
Source: bernama.com.my
EAST ASIA
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Asia Pacific travel and tourism at critical point.
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Sep 10, 2013
BANGKOK, Thailand – “The Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry is at a critical point, growing at such a rapid rate compared to the rest of the world, that we must pay careful attention to how we are developing our businesses and the impact our practices have on our environment and culture,” said Martin Craigs, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Chief Executive Officer.
PATA, in collaboration with the ASEAN-China Centre and the Jiuzhaigou National Park Administration, will organize the 3rd China Responsible Tourism Forum (CRTF) on September 12, 2013 at the Sheraton Hotel, Jiuzhaigou Sichuan, China.
Building on the success of the first two forums, this year's event brings together respected industry leaders to fully examine the impact of tourism development on cultural and natural environments. Under the theme “Beautiful China – A Responsible Visitor Economy,” the Forum is aptly being held in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Jiuzhaigou Valley.
Surrounded by spectacular landscapes that are home to many endangered species, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability experts from the visitor economy will provide provocative presentations of innovative ideas and concepts to engage participants in stimulating discussions that examine how as an industry we can engineer social change for the long-term preservation of our environment, while stimulating economic development through tourism and ecotourism.
Craigs said, “PATA is committed to facilitating an on-going dialogue and exchange of good practices to ensure that those in the industry remain focused on adopting socially responsible and sustainable practices that help protect and preserve the heritage and culture of China and neighbouring regions, while increasing the positive socio-economic impacts within our region.”
This year marks the first time that the concepts of “Beautiful China” and the promotion of responsible tourism development have been addressed during the quinquennial Communist Party of China's National Congress and keynote report.
PATA aims to leverage the CRTF as a platform for discussion and knowledge exchange between Chinese counterparts and the international industry. Delegates from all parts of the visitor economy in China and other ASEAN countries will have an opportunity to hear and debate critical new research and policies, emerging issues, challenges and opportunities influencing the industry and its future development and sustainability.
Mr. MA Mingqiang, Secretary-General of ASEAN- China Centre said, “Travel and tourism industry plays a key role in economic development, job creation and people-to-people communications. Statistics from China National Tourism Administration shows, in 2012 mainland Chinese travelers made altogether 9.7 million visitations to ASEAN Member States, while 5.89 million visitations from ASEAN Member States to China.”
He further stated, “In such a huge market, the travelers' behavior will unavoidably have an impact on the destination. As an inter-governmental organization, ASEAN-China Centre advocates that all industry insiders, including governments and private sectors from both ASEAN and China, should operate and develop tourism in a more responsible manner.”
National and international keynote speakers hail from all parts of the economy including government, education, the conservation sector, industry associations, tour operators and sustainability product providers and services. Representatives from leading CSR organizations such as EC3 Global and the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) will provide keynote presentations. Educational institutions such as Capilano University and Intercultural Education will provide examples of good practices and new ideas on stimulating discussion through education.
“Jiuzhaigou National Park has always taken conservation as the priority over tourism development,” said Zhang Xiaoping, Deputy President of CPPCC Aba Prefectural Committee, Director of Jiuzhaigou National Park. “With management and technology introducing and innovating, the park has made great achievements in environment and local culture protection as well as environmental education. We will continue working on the sustainable development to insure that we are responsible for the environment, the local community and also the future generations.”
For more information visit www.pata.org/events .
Source: pata.org
EAST ASIA
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Malaysia expects to receive 700,000 medical tourists this year.
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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia hopes to earn RM630 million from medical tourism this year from the rising number of patients flying in for healthcare, with 11 more hospitals being built to get a larger slice of the regional market.
Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) chief executive Dr Mary Wong has said the number of medical tourists jumped from 392,000 in 2010 to 671,000 in 2012.
The council expects to receive 700,000 medical visitors this year.
"This is the way forward. It is a very sustainable economic industry.
"Whether there is recession or no recession, in an up or down economy, when you're not well, you need to see a doctor," Dr Wong told a press conference in Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya Thursday.
She said the government was confident that it can attract more medical tourists, citing the country's relatively lower medical bills as a factor that would woo visitors.
Data from the council has shown the market growing in revenue from RM511 million in 2011 to RM594 million last year.
The global medical tourism market is worth from US$40 billion or RM130.2 billion to US$60 billion or RM195.3 billion with an estimated 7 million people flying annually to make such trips.
The agency's lower expectation with its forecast this year stems from the gloomy economic conditions, with medical tourism viewed as a form of luxury for the affluent.
Analysts said it was not surprising for patients to delay non-emergency treatment during an economic downturn, as seen in neighbouring Thailand when its medical tourism industry earnings fell in 2008 after the global financial crisis hit.
In Malaysia, despite tough economic times the government is still pushing for the industry's growth as one of the routes to generate income for the economy.
Source: QNA
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Greek films show in Malaysia festival.
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In the framework of the 14th European Union Film Festival (EUFF) that will take place in Malaysia in November and December, two Greek films will be projected for the first time.
After a proposition by the Greek community in Kuala Lumpur, the Greek films A touch of spice (Politiki kouzina) by Tassos Boulmetis and The Grocer (O Manavis) by Dimitris Koutsabasiakos will be projected during the festival.
The 14th EUFF will be held in three cities of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur on November 6-17, Penang on November 20-27 and Kota Kinabalu on December 4-11.
EUFF is an annual event that showcases a collection of films which draw on the creative and outstanding talents of European filmmakers. The Festival aims to share Europe’s diverse culture, history and identity with audiences of all walks of life, according to the EUFF official website.
14th European Union Film Festival, Dimitris Koutsabasiakos, EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EUMCCI), Greece, Greek, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, O Manavis, Penang, Politiki Kouzina, Tassos Boulmetis
source: greekreporter
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Demonstrations in Cambodia require Travelers' attention.
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In light of recent events surrounding Cambodia's election results, Focus Asia is advising all of its clients to increase awareness of their surroundings while visiting Phnom Penh. They advise travelers to avoid large assemblies of people.
Focus Asia is constantly paying close attention to daily activities, working closely with local tour guides in Phnom Penh who are using their utmost discretion in assessing the situation between protesters and demonstrators during this time.
In regards to other areas of Cambodia, especially in Siem Reap, there have been no signs of demonstration or intended rallying. Daily life continues without interruption.
A sightseeing tour in Siem Reap or any other region in Cambodia is possible at the moment. In Phnom Penh, however, travelers should pay special attention to their whereabouts at all times.
Cambodia’s ruling party and the opposition met for five hours today and agreed to a series of steps to defuse the country’s tense post-election atmosphere. After the election results were revealed, a riot broke out in Phnom Penh late Sunday night with one man shot dead and many injured. Protestors began throwing stones and riot police answered back with tear gas.
The opposition, headed by Sam Rainsy and his deputy, Kem Sokha, contends that there were flaws that cost their party the election mainly that the National Election Committee (NEC) that oversees elections and the voter list contains more than one million ghost voters and duplicate names.
source: Focus Asia
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Greek inscription on Hirosima peace bell.
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Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, in the center of Hiroshima, Japan, is a park dedicated to the legacy of Hiroshima as the first city in the world to suffer a nuclear attack, and to the memories of the bomb’s direct and indirect victims ( of whom there may have been as many as 140,000).
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park has three bells. One of the three, called the Peace Bell, was built out in the open on September 20, 1964. The surface of the bell is a map of the world, and the “sweet spot” is an atomic symbol, designed by Masahiko Katori.
But why should a Bell in Japan be interesting to Greeks?
Because if you ever visit the Peace Park, you will be glad enough to realize that you can actually read one of the three inscriptions written on the surface of the Peace Bell.
An ancient Greek quote is written there along with its translations in Japanese, and in Sanskrit.
The inscription says ΓΝΩΘΙ ΣΑΥΤΟΝ which means “Know thyself”.
The Greek embassy donated the bell to the Peace Park and picked out the most appropriate ancient Greek philosophical quote of Socrates. The Sanskrit was translated by the Indian ambassador, and the Japanese by a university lecturer.
greece news, greek news, Hiroshima, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Japan, Know Thyself, Masahiko Katori, Peace Bell, ΓΝΩΘΙ ΣΑΥΤΟΝ
source: greekreporter.
(http://s9.postimg.org/m1vg0i0pr/Kabana.jpg) (http://postimage.org/)
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Singapore Monday announced tighter rules on the hiring of foreign professional workers, saying companies will from next year have to show proof they first tried to recruit local citizens.
The change, taking effect in August 2014, follows protests and online complaints about the large number of foreigners in the affluent city-state.
The Ministry of Manpower said companies that discriminate against citizens "will be subject to additional scrutiny" when they apply for employment passes for foreign professionals.
"Even as we remain open to foreign manpower to complement our local workforce, all firms must make an effort to consider Singaporeans fairly," Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan Jin said in a statement.
"What we are doing is to put in place measures to nudge employers to give Singaporeans - especially our professionals, managers and executives - a fair chance at both job and development opportunities."
About 37 per cent of Singapore's total workforce of 3.36 million in 2012 were non-resident.
The ministry said companies must first advertise for Singaporeans to fill job vacancies in a national jobs bank administered by the government's workforce development agency.
Foreigners can be hired if no citizens are qualified.
Firms which have a "disproportionately low concentration" of Singaporean employees at professional level, and companies where foreign managers are accused of favouring their own compatriots in hiring, will also be put under tighter scrutiny, the ministry said.
Firms with 25 or fewer staff, or those recruiting for jobs paying SG$12,000 (about 300,000 baht) and above a month, will be exempted from the advertising rule.
Authorities have been phasing in measures to tighten foreign worker inflows after facing criticism from Singaporeans, who accuse foreigners of competing with them for jobs, housing, schools and space on public transport.
Singaporeans have also complained that the rapid influx in previous years is eroding their national identity.
The discontent spilled into general elections in 2011 when the ruling party garnered its lowest-ever vote count after more than 50 years in power.
Two rallies against the government's immigration policy were held earlier this year garnering crowds of more than 3,000, making them the country's biggest protests in decades.
bangkok post
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Chinese Top 20 Outbound Destinations.
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In conjunction with the booming Chinese travel market, TripAdvisor(, the today released a list of the top 20 most popular outbound destinations for mainland Chinese travellers. In 2012, China exceeded the US and Germany to become the world's largest source market for outbound tourism by expenditure.
Capturing a share of this growing market has become a top priority for tourism boards and travel suppliers alike. According to the China Tourism Academy(2), the Chinese outbound travel market is estimated to reach 94 million trips in 2013, up 15% year-on-year. These travellers are estimated to spend USD 117.6 billion (SGD 147.1 billion) on their trips, up 20% year-on-year.
TripAdvisor operates a highly customised version of TripAdvisor, designed specifically for Chinese travellers under the brand daodao.com. In July and August 2013, millions of unique visitors came to daodao.com to research outbound destinations, representing an increase of over 250% compared to the same time last year.
Lily Cheng, Managing Director, TripAdvisor China, said, "While Hong Kong and Macau continue to draw tens of millions of mainland tourists a year given their unique roles as duty-free shopping havens supported by easy transport links, family-friendly attractions and onward air routes to other international destinations, we are definitely seeing a shift in the market and mainland travellers have started to look further afield into destinations like Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea and beyond."
Lily Cheng continues, "This new generation of Chinese outbound travellers is making their own decisions about where to go, where to stay and what to do by doing their own research online, going beyond the old stereotype of big buses of group tourists. These travellers are savvy, sophisticated and do make an effort to understand and respect the local culture by doing a lot of online research before their trip. As they explore outside of mainland China, they are deliberately seeking out websites that have an established international presence to find more deals and more content."
Based on unique visitors recorded in July and August 2013 on daodao.com, the top 20 most popular destinations are as follows (comparing year-on-year growth for July and August 2012 versus July and August 2013):
-- Hong Kong, China (50%)
-- Phuket, Thailand (250%)
-- Taiwan (350%)
-- Bangkok, Thailand (270%)
-- Paris, France (360%)
-- Dubai, UAE (210%)
-- Macau, China (50%)
-- Seoul, South Korea (180%)
-- Singapore (170%)
-- Bali, Indonesia (310%)
-- Rome, Italy (180%)
-- Chiang Mai, Thailand (180%)
-- New York, United States (280%)
-- London, United Kingdom (120%)
-- Jeju Island, South Korea (570%)
-- Boracay, Philippines (360%)
-- Kyoto, Japan (580%)
-- Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia (550%)
-- Hanoi, Vietnam (510%)
-- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (190%)
Within the Top 20 destinations, Kyoto (Japan), Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia), Hanoi (Vietnam) and Jeju Island (South Korea) exhibited the highest year-on-year growth at high triple digits. Outside of the Top 20, destinations on the rise with over 4 times year-on-year growth from DaoDao users include Siem Reap (Cambodia), Pattaya (Thailand), Sabah (Malaysia) and Berlin (Germany).
To facilitate the tourism industry's understanding and preparation for this new wave of Chinese travellers, TripAdvisor will be releasing more insights about Chinese travellers in the coming months.
source: eturbonews.
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Health problems to elderly linked to lifestyle.
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More than half of China's elderly have health problems and their lifestyles are believed to be a leading contributor, officials and medical experts said on Thursday.
China's population is rapidly aging and the number of citizens older than 60 is expected to reach 202 million by the end of 2013, including 23 million older than 80, said Wu Yushao, vice-president of the China National Committee on Aging.
By then, 37.5 million elderly Chinese, or 19 percent of the senior population, will require daily care because of disabilities.
Only about 40 percent of Chinese people over 60 are considered healthy, compared with 60 percent in developed economies, Wu said, citing 2008 statistics from the World Health Organization.
Tao Guoshu, a retired doctor from the Chinese PLA General Hospital who specialized in geriatrics in Beijing, said cardiovascular disease, cancer and cerebrovascular disease are common among elderly Chinese patients, and about 60 percent of health issues were triggered by unhealthy lifestyles.
High blood pressure, a common complaint among elderly Chinese, is closely related to the dietary habit of eating too much salt, he said.
"People in China lack common sense about health," he said. "There is an urgent need to popularize basic health knowledge and encourage people to improve their way of life in order to further increase the life expectancy in China."
On Thursday, the China National Committee on Aging and the National Health and Family Planning Commission released an instruction book for seniors on how to live healthily.
Wu said the brochure includes 36 suggestions for diet, sports, mental health, health management and social interaction.
Regarding nutrition, the book advises the elderly to eat more fresh food and dairy products and avoid eating leftovers.
Copies of the book will be provided for free in community activity centers for the elderly, universities dedicated for the aged and elderly associations, he said.
He Zhaohua, deputy head of the National Health and Family Planning Commission's family development department, said his ministry has been taking measures to improve the health of the elderly, including providing free health checks since last year for nationals over 65.
"The aging population has imposed huge challenges on the public health services," he said, adding that enabling more seniors to live a healthy lifestyle can prevent disease and enhance their quality of life.
source: Chinadaily
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Tokyo by surprise.
================
Japan is currently on a high from winning the bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. This was evident from the mood at last month’s Japan Association of Travel Agents’ TABIHAKU Travel Showcase, which took place in Tokyo from September 12 to 15. Since I was invited to TABIHAKU Travel Showcase as media and speaker, there was no time to be idle even when I was supposed to have been asleep. This is not a complaint, by any means. I know that this is the nature of the job. It entails the perpetual sense of always being on the go.
So, when the opportunity to take a pause came as happenstance on my last day at TABIHAKU Travel Showcase, I took it as a much-needed down time. Consequently, it produced my only chance at a destination piece for this trip to Tokyo since I missed the familiarization trip that I was scheduled to be on in order to prepare for my presentation as a member of the media panel discussion.
Tokyo is undoubtedly one of busiest cities in the world. People come to Tokyo for the allure and mystery of partaking in an organized chaos. People come to enjoy the crowd and the busy streets. Judging by the movement of the large crowd that exited Tokyo BigSight, the venue of JATA’s travel show, on that early evening of September 14, 2013, they were all headed towards the same place--the nearest train station. I surmise this is true for all of the city during the so-called rush hour. Having been on a multi-city journey covering three continents in the last four weeks, playing squeeze-me-in-a-train-during-rush-hour was not something I was keen on partaking, thanks to the brilliance of one Adrian Mangiboyat, who was the liaison between JATA and the invited foreign journalists, I got acquainted with “Tokyo by Surprise.”
A few steps away from Tokyo BigSight is a ferry dock. Adrian decided to go back to our host hotel, Prince Hotel in the Shinagawa area, through what he simply described as a “more scenic route.” I am ever so glad he had such foresight because the experience was the exact opposite of how it would have been had we gotten on the train. This was not an instantaneous realization, however. It unfolded rather slowly, albeit the journey commencing with a musical treat of loud singing and banging drums. I enjoyed the musical treat performed by Japanese “pirates” in Samurai outfits, but I ended up wandering about the ship. As a result, I found myself gazing at a city that look unfamiliar at first but soon revealed itself as a city I have been to before. In my solitude for most of the hour-long ride, I was introduced to a version of Tokyo that seemed like an enchanted land with specks of colorful dusts hovering all over it. Literally.
The ship I shall refer to as “Tokyo by Surprise” was the calm before the storm (of commencing a two-day air travel), the culmination of a trip that can only be described as fitting both under the billings “wonderful” and “tumultuous.” It was the chance encounter that a worn out traveler desperately needs after a long journey. “Tokyo by Surprise” literally took me by surprise. It took me out to sea, then twisted and turned in perfect timing allowing me to revel on the beauty of Tokyo’s skyline at night. It was a romantic voyage made even more whimsical by the Olympic Games colors, illuminated all over the city, to commemorate the city’s winning bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games. The seemingly an optical illusion effect was most dramatic on high-rise buildings and structures, as you can imagine it would be from the vantage point of a passing ship. Every moment warranted a picture. So, I took them. The result? I have a collection of a few pictures that are alike but, in truth, aren’t as they were taken at different times. I snapped as many pictures as I could and simultaneously took moments of doing nothing but admire the sight that was beckoning my eyes. I had a moment, a much-needed one.
Click here to view the raw pictures I took on “Tokyo by Surprise.” Notice the progression from the obligatory picture-taking in the beginning to the manic camera-clicking towards the end.
JATA’s event attracted its biggest audience yet--131,058 visitors to Tokyo BigSight, topping the previous record of 125,989 set in 2012. It also set a new high of 1,353 booths representing 730 businesses and organizations (new record) from 154 countries and regions.
2020 OLYMPICS EAST ASIA JAPAN JATA ORGANIZED CHAOS TABIHAKU TOKYO
source: eturbonews.
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This Is the New Sex Tourism Destination
It took a bit of time for Mark, a 65-year-old retiree from London, to understand why so many middle-aged white men were hanging out alone in the sad-looking bar of his hotel in Vientiane, Laos, when he visited in 2013.
Then he saw all the local young women loitering nearby.
And that’s when Mark realized that, unlike him, those dudes hadn’t come to Laos for its stunning 16th-century temples or spectacular waterfalls.
Tourism is taking a turn for the torrid in Laos — and the once isolated country has a host of rivals that stretches all the way to Myanmar and Bangladesh.
While none of these countries are exactly contending for the dubious mantle of sex tourism capital, they’re all finding opportunity, of sorts, as Thailand’s government cracks down on its own world-famous sex industry.
Lured by tourism’s economic promise but lacking the wherewithal to prevent sex trafficking and other abuses, many of these countries are in a difficult spot, experts say.
Myanmar, for instance, recently denied entry to several known transnational child sex offenders, but scores of others get through easily.
“For some sex offenders, finding new destinations and unsuspecting locals is part of the appeal,” says Karen Flanagan, manager of the child-protection unit at Save the Children.
Indeed, one need spend only a few minutes in the seedier quarters of the Internet to see that the industry is charting new territory.
“Burma is the new flavor of the month,” writes a man who calls himself Alejandro. “It seems everyone is wanting a slice of the [new] cake,” agrees Pak2F. “I think Lao women are so fine!” says Sam.
Even when it’s not on the books, sex work can become a vital part of the economy.
The backdrop to this is tourism’s rapid growth in these countries. If part of the sex tourism thrill is “finding new destinations,” these Southeast Asian countries, once closed to the world, fit the bill.
Only a few years ago, hardly anyone could get a tourist visa to Myanmar; this year, the country expects to welcome more than 3 million tourists.
In Communist Laos, foreign visitors already generate 12 percent of the gross domestic product, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, and though Bangladesh has never been as isolated as either of those countries, it is nowadays investing heavily in tourism: Its contribution to the economy has quadrupled since 2012.
And make no mistake: Even when it’s not on the books, sex work can become a vital part of the economy.
In the mid-1990s, well before its peak, sex tourism contributed as much as $27 billion to Thailand’s GDP, according to the International Labor Organization.
Not all of that went to the prostitutes, of course; it also benefited hotels, corrupt cops, restaurants, tourist agencies, beer gardens, saunas, cabarets and, of course, health clinics. (In Bangkok, some 19 percent of freelance sex workers had HIV in 2007.)
Today, some of the new sex tourists are well aware of their role in the economy. One young American, who visited the Philippines and spent about $50 a night to be with a girl, made himself sound like an agent of social good, since “the sex is consensual and there is no abuse, human trafficking or drugs involved.”
But in many of the new destinations, human trafficking, drugs and abuse are often involved — as are child exploitation and sexually transmitted diseases.
Thailand’s crackdown began mostly out of concern for public health, after all, and only when STDs reached epic proportions. Tourism today presents new challenges.
Even supposedly do-gooder ventures, like voluntourism and orphanage tourism, “present a new risk of sexual exploitation for vulnerable children,” says Dorine van der Keur, an expert on child sex abuse and tourism at the nonprofit ECPAT International. Meanwhile, the Internet is making it easier to bypass the police.
On a site filled with pictures of supposed Bangladeshi prostitutes, “Jono” asks, “How much for street pros in Dhaka 2015?” and an entrepreneurial local under the name “Playboy Dark spider” promptly offers to arrange an escort for $60.
The governments of these developing countries have little ability to track down men like Jono.
Tourism ministries did not respond to requests for comment, but experts say enforcing laws against prostitution has been difficult enough; busting up trafficking networks would be a dream.
So how can these up-and-coming destinations reap tourism’s benefits without suffering the costs, human and otherwise, of exploitation?
Some believe the best option would not be a Thai-style crackdown but to legalize the sex trade and then strictly monitor it, as do Amsterdam and Singapore. Keeping the sex trade in the dark allows it to flourish, according to Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division.
And with the sex trade in the dark, “governments in the region are only ensuring that it becomes more difficult for sex workers to assert their rights,” he adds.
Yet even legalization doesn’t tackle the root of the problem: demand. That’s why many charities insist prevention is the only long-term solution.
And in the eyes of Flanagan and Save the Children, salvation will come only by teaching men respect for women around the world. “Otherwise, the problem will just keep jumping from country to country,” Flanagan says.
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27th ASEAN SUMMIT
Friday 20 November 2015
(http://s27.postimg.org/44ursie0z/MALAYSIAN_POLICE.jpg) (http://postimage.org/)
Members of the military and police patrol outside the venue for the 27th ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur. Security has been stepped up follow attacks by Islamic State in Paris.
Malaysian police report warns of suicide bombers ahead of Asean summit
Police chief says threats unverified following leaked memo warning Islamic State and regional ally Abu Sayyaf have 10 suicide bombers in Kuala Lumpur
A leaked Malaysian police report warns there are 10 suicide bombers in Kuala Lumpur, where the country will host the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit this weekend.
Malaysia’s police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said the memo was authentic but warned the intelligence was not verified.
“There have been reports of imminent terrorist threats in Malaysia,” he said in a statement.
“At this point, I would like to underline that they have yet to be confirmed.”
World leaders, including US President Barack Obama and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, are arriving in Kuala Lumpur this weekend, and at least 2,000 army personnel are being deployed around the capital, Malaysian military forces said.
Police chief Khalid said attacks in France, Egypt, Lebanon, and the Philippines merited increased security for the two-day summit for 18 world leaders.
“The Royal Malaysian Police have intensified the existing comprehensive security arrangement for the Asean and related summits in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.
“Security checks at all entry and exit pointed to Malaysia have been stepped up.”
Local news website Malaysiakini reported on the circular, which detailed a meeting on Sunday between Islamic State and Philippines insurgent groups Abu Sayyaf and the Moro National Liberation Front.
The police memo said the meeting, held in southern Philippines, was attended by “14 leaders from the three outfits and 50 members of Abu Sayyaf armed with M16 rifles, pistols and bombs.”
It said that Islamic State and Abu Sayyaf have eight suicide bomber in Sabah, Malaysia’s western state, and 10 in Kuala Lumpur.
“These suicide bombers underwent military training in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as prepared to receive orders from their leaders to launch attacks/bombings,” Malaysiakini quoted the circular as saying.
Federal Police Special Branch Director Fuzi Harun said the internal directive was to alert his staff.
“It is an information that we received but we don’t have a clearer information ... It may be true or false, but action is still taken,” he told Malaysia’s state-news agency Bernama.
“We will pass on this information to our ground units for any action,” he said.
The Asean meeting follows the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in neighbouring Philippines, where China’s territorial disputes over the South China Sea was a key issue.
Obama, who opposes Beijing’s claims to coral reefs and islands in the stretch of water, said that a US “pivot” to Asia remains a core policy.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei all have overlapping claims with China in the South China Sea, where more than $4.5 trillion in sea trade passes each year.
In talks with Philippine President Benigno Aquino, Obama demanded China end its land reclamation work, turning reefs in the South China Sea into islands using dredged sand from the sea floor.
the quardian
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There have been news about artificial eggs coming from China, and now we have news of fake rice which showed on the social media platforms and it is believed that the rice reached Singapore.
This product is sold in the Chinese markets and found its way in some Asian countries like India, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
According to consumers, this plastic rice can be found in many well-known brands and many consumers actually have reported that plastic rice causes gastritis and different stomach related diseases after its consummation.
It is being mixed with normal rice and for that reason it cannot be detected.
This resin coated rice can lead to serious damage on the digestive system.
It is made of a mixture that consists of sweet potatoes, synthetic resin, and regular potatoes.
The bad news is that it looks just like a natural rice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT3JTUCaB_4
This has been denied by the Agro-based Industry ministry and Malaysian Agriculture.
Nevertheless, if the fake rice found its way in Malaysia, then it is most probably bought in small shops rather than in large supermarkets as the hoax has been circulating on Taiyuan Shaanxi’s markets.
But how can we avoid buying such rice? Its appearance is hardly noticeable when uncooked as it is identical to the natural rice, but once it is cooked, the fake rice remains in hard form.
So if you use it to make a soup, it will form a noticeable plastic sheath which if you set it on fire, it will burn as it was plain plastic.
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"ASEAN's most wanted drug lord" taken down at Bangkok airport
(http://preview.ibb.co/fLhkTv/DRUG_LORD_ARRESTED.jpg) (http://ibb.co/hsHKov)
BANGKOK: Friday, 20 January 2017
A Laotian man that Thai police say is the region's most wanted drug lord was arrested at Suvarabhumi airport yesterday.
Chaichana Kaewphimpha, 41, was apprehended by a force of 100 drugs suppression officers and police as he attempted to leave the departure lounge after returning from a trip to Phuket.
Also arrested were a male friend and two females in his party.
Sommai Kongwisaisuk of the drugs suppression division said it had taken five years for the cops to get their hands on the kingpin who is the most wanted drugs dealer in ASEAN.
Sommai said that he is the figure behind 50 other arrests of drug mules in cases totally the importation into Thailand of 5 million Ya Ba tablets.
He is in the same league as Thai muslim drug lord Usaman operating in the southern border provinces and Laotam Saenlee who was arrested in the far north along with many family members last year.
Sommai said that no one had managed to get near the suspect before and that he was a master at avoiding detection and capture.
The suspect has no known convictions for drugs.
He is believed to have entered Thailand in a border crossing in the north east before taking a holiday in Phuket.
There is expected to be a press conference about the capture in which more details will be given.
http://www.dailynews.co.th/regional/550124
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Senior immigration officers named in Xaysana case
07 Feb. 2017
(http://image.ibb.co/hjmG1F/IMMIGRATION_BKK.jpg) (http://imgbb.com/)
Two senior immigration police officers have been transferred to inactive posts pending an investigation for suspected involvement in the drug network of Lao drug kingpin Xaysana Keopimpha.
They are Pol Lt Walaisak Intarak, deputy chief of Loei immigration office, and Pol Capt Patarapol Thuaythong, deputy chief of the immigration office at Suvarnabhumi airport.
Pol Lt Walaisak was one of the three police officers who appeared in a picture with Mr Xaysana. The picture had been posted in the Lao social media.
Pol Maj Gen Patiphan Suban Na Ayutthaya, commander of the Immigration Police Division 4, said Pol Lt Walaisak had initially explained to him that the picture was taken about two years ago and was taken during a cross-border car rally.
The crossing point on the Thai side was Loei province.
Pol Lt Walaisak said he did not know Mr Xaysana was a drug dealer.
Pol Lt Walaisak has been transferred to the operations center of Immigration Police Division 4, pending the result of an investigation.
The other officer, Pol Capt Patarapol, has been similarly transferred to temporary duty at the operations center of the Immigration Police Bureau.
Pol Capt Patarapol is suspected of having contacted a member of the Xaysana drug network on the telephone to arrange for some of the drug gang's vehicles to be kept in a Suvarnabhumi airport car park building.
Pol Lt Gen Natthaporn Prohsunthorn, the Immigration Police commissioner, on Tuesday went to see Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda, the police chief, at the Royal Thai Police head office to discuss this matter.
He said he had ordered the chiefs of Immigration Police Divisions 2 and 4 to set up committees to investigate the two officers.
If found guilty as suspected, they would face both disciplinary and criminal action, he added.
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China fingerprints all foreign visitors as security step
Thursday, 9 Feb 2017
BEIJING:
China is to begin taking fingerprints of all foreign visitors as it steps up security on its borders, the Ministry of Public Security said on Thursday.
Fingerprinting of foreigners will be introduced at Shenzhen airport in the south from Friday, and it will then be gradually rolled out at other entry points around the country, the ministry said in a statement.
All foreign passport holders aged 14-70 will have to give their fingerprints, it said, without saying if other bio metric data would also be collected.
The ministry said the regulation would strengthen immigration controls and increase efficiency.
The United States, Japan, Taiwan and Cambodia, among others, have similar requirements.
While Chinese border posts do not generally have overly onerous entry formalities, most visitors need a visa, though many cities have visa-free deals for visits of a few days as part of efforts to boost tourism.
Bangkok Post
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Tracing the path of terror home
Sunday, 26 February 2017
Suspicious border activity and a pile of passport forgery cases could be linked to far-reaching militant networks
(http://image.ibb.co/jXHkfa/THAI_BORDERS.jpg) (http://imgbb.com/)
rock the boat: Traveling by boat can help bypass some Thai border authorities. The lax regulation at such borders has been cited as a factor in making Thailand an easy place for criminals to congregate.
The government has made clear its intention to make Thailand a Southeast Asian hub. Whether that means building a high-tech industry base or adopting leadership in aviation design, the idea of becoming a regional hub has been marketed with mass appeal.
However, the idea of the country as a "hub" does not necessarily denote a good thing.
Recent security reports have raised concerns about Thailand becoming a hub of another kind.
Reports obtained by the Bangkok Post reveal that several criminal suspects in Thailand have potential links to fighters belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) and Al-Qaeda, the multinational militant organization founded by Osama bin Laden.
The fear that follows is that Thailand could become a new hub -- a meeting point -- for terror groups transiting in the region.
A further security agency says that Thailand is also being used as a base for producing counterfeit passports.
These passports can be used to more easily carry out a range of transnational crimes, from terrorism to human trafficking, as well as arms smuggling.
Suspicion about a "secret training base" near the border of Tak province's Mae Sot district also lingers.
A foreign intelligence agency found several illegal activities to be taking place in the area, including bomb making.
The findings prompted a security team to travel to Mae Sot to investigate.
There, in an area between Myanmar town Myawaddy and Mae Sot district, investigators found a space being used as an ostensible training ground.
The source did not elaborate on what led them to this impression, but it did lead the military to release a statement that it plans to launch a mission to "weed out" any militant activities seen as a threat to Thailand.
Bangkok post
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U.S. army Pacific chief in Bangkok amid regional security concerns
(http://image.ibb.co/bzoeAv/2017_06_05_T085807_Z_1_LYNXMPED540_L2_RTROPTP_2_USA_ASIA_THAILAND_JPG_cf.jpg) (http://imgbb.com/)
Monday, 05 June 2017
BANGKOK (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Army Pacific met his Thai counterpart in Bangkok on Monday, a rare top-level meeting between the old allies' militaries since the United States criticized a Thai military coup in 2014.
The visit to Thailand by General Robert B. Brown, who is also director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency in Seoul, comes as the United States looks to reassure allies about its commitment to the region.
Brown met General Chalermchai Sitthisart, commander of the Royal Thai Army, at the army's headquarters in Bangkok.
"The United States and Thailand have had a relationship since 1833 ... We have exchanged ideas, cooperated militarily," the Thai army said in a statement.
Neither of the two generals spoke to media following a military parade to welcome Brown.
Thailand is Washington's oldest ally in the region, but ties were strained by the 2014 military coup led by then-army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha that ousted an elected civilian government.
The United States scaled back some military exchanges with Thailand and Thailand responded by forging closer ties with Asian giant China.
But the United States and Thailand have continued to hold joint military exercises including the annual Cobra Gold exercises, Asia's largest multinational drill.
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told a regional security conference in Singapore on the weekend that United States remained committed to its Asia-Pacific allies
U.S. President Donald Trump's "America First" rhetoric and expectations that he would concentrate on a domestic agenda has stoked fears of a retreat from a traditional U.S. security role that has underpinned the region for decades.
Now the United States was reacting to China's growing ties with countries like Thailand and its neighbor, Cambodia, an analyst said.
"The Trump administration would like to re-balance military power in Asia, which has increasingly moved toward China, in an effort to reassert Washington's security influence," Paul Chambers from the College of ASEAN Community Studies at Naresuan University told Reuters.
Last month, Trump invited former army chief Prayuth, who now heads the military government as prime minister, to visit Washington.
(Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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2021 OSCE ASIAN CONFERENCE
WHEN: 20 September 2021, 09:30 - 21 September 2021, 12:00
WHERE: Vienna and online (via Zoom)
ORGANIZED BY: The Kingdom of Thailand and the Republic of Albania as the 2021 Chair of the OSCE Asian Partners for Co-operation Group, with the support of the OSCE External Co-operation Section/OSCE Secretariat
The 2021 OSCE Asian Conference will focus on “Common responses to emerging challenges in advancing comprehensive security”.
The Kingdom of Thailand and the Republic of Albania will co-host the 2021 OSCE Asian Conference.
Held in a blended format, online via Zoom and in Hofburg/Vienna, the conference will focus on: “Common responses to emerging challenges in advancing comprehensive security”.
Participants will have the opportunity to discuss coordinated approaches for the strengthening of comprehensive security with a particular focus on the fight against transnational organized crime, sustainable development, and the nexus between human rights and public health.
The OSCE Asian Conferences constitute an annual forum for the 57 OSCE participating States and the Asian Partners for Co-operation (Afghanistan, Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea, and Thailand) to discuss and deliberate on security issues relevant to their long-standing partnership.
This year’s OSCE Asian Conference would be the 5th co-hosted by Thailand.
https://www.osce.org