#Myanmar (Burma) - Illegal sugar trade continues at Myawaddy border area

Illegal sugar trading continues at the border area of Myawady in Kayin State despite the government suspension of sugar import and re-export, an official of a local sugar trade group said. 

To control the unstable foreign currency exchange rate, the Ministry of Commerce temporarily stopped issuing re-export licenses for sugar and fuel in August. 

Although sugar re-exports are suspended, there are still illegal imports and a large local stockpile of sugar locally, as there are few buyers in China, U Win Htay, vice president of the Myanmar Sugar and Cane Related Products Association, said. 

“There is illegal trading, mostly in Myawady. There is plenty of sugar locally. It is hard to estimate the amount of the sugar in Myanmar, so we should stop the smuggling,” he said. 

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 The sugar season is from December to April. As sugar prices in the global and Myanmar markets are not much different, sugar mills are buying sugarcane for less than the amount paid last season, according to sugarcane farmers, he said.  

  One tonne of sugarcane was priced at K50,000 last year compared to K45000 this year, so farmers are losing K5000 per tonne.

“The sugarcane price goes up or down depending on the price of sugar,” he said.
If there is very low demand for sugar from the mills, then the sugarcane farmers are likely to suffer a bigger loss, he said, so illegal imports of sugar must be stopped, he said.
Imported sugar is exported to China with the re-export license.

Sourse - MMTimes 

Two monks shot dead as violence flares in Thailand's deep south

Gunmen in Thailand's deep south shot dead two Buddhist monks and wounded two others inside a temple, police said Saturday, capping a week of deadly violence as the prime minister vowed to "punish" those responsible.

Black-clad assailants carrying rifles crept into Rattanaupap temple in Narathiwat province near Malaysia's border on Friday evening and started firing, local superintendant Pakdi Preechachon told AFP. 

"The attack took place around 7:30 pm (1230 GMT) when an unknown number of gunmen dressed in black entered the temple through a rear area via a creek," Pakdi said.

"Two monks were shot dead at the temple while two others were wounded."

Since 2004 clashes between ethnic Malay-Muslim rebels and the Buddhist-majority Thai state that annexed the region a century ago have killed nearly 7,000 people, mostly civilians of both faiths.

The death toll in the south dropped to a record low last year as Thailand's junta tightened its security web but violence has boiled over in recent days, raising concerns about soft targets at schools and religious institutions.

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In the past, Buddhist monks have rarely been targeted.

But they have been told to suspend morning alms collection starting from Saturday in three southern provinces and the southern army commander has instructed security officials to step up safeguards of Islamic leaders who could also be at risk.

Junta leader and prime minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha condemned the temple shootings.

"The prime Minister denounced such a brazen attack and instructed officials to investigate and find the assailants to punish them," said government spokesman Buddhipongse Punnakanta.

Human Rights Watch said the "ghastly" assault on civilians in a place of worship amounted to a war crime.

Last week, an imam in the same province was shot dead but it was unclear if the temple attack was related.

Friday's shooting came the same day as four security officials were wounded by two separate roadside bombs and an insurgent was shot dead in a clash near a school that sent students home for the day.

Four civil defence volunteers were also killed in a drive-by shooting outside a school on January 10 in the south's Pattani province, with security forces injuring a boy as they gunned down rebels believed to be responsible.

In a rare public statement dated January 4 the main Malay-Muslim rebel group -- the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) -- which has command and control over most of the insurgent foot soldiers, swore to "keep fighting".

"Siam (Thailand) can't hold out," the BRN wrote, signing off with a warning: "Do not help and support Siam."

Source - TheJakartaPost

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#Cambodia - Unique LGBTQ hotpot debuts in Phnom Penh

Tucked away on the nondescript street 256, behind Preah Kossamak Hospital, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh is a small unsuspecting food outlet.

Its unusual sign – a picture of a woman closely resembling the late English singer and songwriter Amy Winehouse – smiles next to the outlet’s signature dish – ‘LGBTQ Hotpot’.

Owned by actress and model Som Sreyneat, the small outlet located inside a street-side gazebo has enticed people to this lesser trodden section of the capital with its unusual and colourfully named soup made from a family recipe.

She opened the business with her two brothers last month, with the name a celebration of the hotpot’s uniqueness from many other Cambodian hotpots.

“It’s a bit sour and a bit sweet. Its taste is unique, and that is why we wanted to give it a name that stood out,” Sreyneat said.

The hotpot set comes with a plate of free-range duck meat, beef meatballs, egg, shrimp, pig blood and white sesame. In addition, it has a basket of vegetables, including needle mushrooms, Chinese white cabbage, okra, water spinach, thyme, coriander and Khmer basil.

A full LGBTQ hotpot set is 25,000 riel ($6.28) and can feed 2 to 3 people. Because of its affordable price point, many of her customers are students.

Source - TheNation

Classical piano soothes old elephants at Thai sanctuary

Lam Duan, a 65-year-old, blind Thai elephant is enjoying her lunch, listening to "Silent Night" being played on a piano.

For eight years, pachyderms like Lam Duan - old, overworked and sometimes disabled - have been rehabilitated with music at Elephants World, a retirement sanctuary for the animals in the western Thai province of Kanchanaburi.

Almost 80 percent of about 3,000 elephants at tourist venues in Thailand, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal and Sri Lanka, endure poor living conditions and diets and are overworked, according to the animal welfare group World Animal Protection.

The animals at Elephants World get good food and treatment for their physical ailments, but the music is an extra, special treat they appear to love.

Several times a week, British classical pianist Paul Barton, 57, sets up a piano against a backdrop of forested slopes and plays for his four-legged friends.

"Maybe some of these blind elephants get a little bit of comfort from hearing pieces of soothing classical music occasionally," says Barton, who studied at London's Royal Academy of Arts.

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Lam Duan approached Barton as he began to play and she appeared to calm down and focus on the music.

At another music session, several elephants seemed to move their heads and move about in front of the piano as the notes flowed.

The owner of the sanctuary, Samart Prasithpol, 44, said the music seemed to provide the elephants with some special comfort.

"We work here to rehabilitate the elephants physically," Smart told Reuters.

"The use of music has been useful in rehabilitating their soul," he said.

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Malaysia's free bus service not for foreigners

Foreigners have failed in their attempt to get free rides on the city’s complimentary bus service, which is provided for the locals.

Melaka's Transport, Works and Public Amenities Committee chairman Mohd Sofi Abdul Wahab said the foreigners were sniffed out by staff members of the bus company, Panorama Melaka Sdn Bhd, and were then requested to pay the normal fares.

The complimentary bus service managed by the state-owned concessionaire hit the road on Aug 20.

Mohd Sofi said a total of 450 passengers had taken rides on the bus service plying three routes.
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 “We have collected RM650 from the sale of tickets to non-locals,” he said after checking the operation of the free bus service at Melaka Sentral bus terminal here.

Mohd Sofi said his team would continue promoting the free bus service among locals.
“I guess foreigners grabbed the opportunity to take the free rides when there are not that many locals making use of the service,” he said.

The free bus service launched by Chief Minister Adly Zahari is expected to benefit 290,000 commuters in the state.

The operation of the free bus service costs an estimated RM1.4mil, and is being absorbed by several government agencies and private companies through the newly-established Melaka State Government Public Transport Fund.

The free bus service covers three main routes, namely Melaka Sentral bus terminal to Mydin Hypermart at Ayer Keroh; Melaka Sentral to Mydin via Melaka Hospital and Melaka Sentral to Bachang Transit Wet Market.

The buses run from 6.30am to 8pm on a daily basis.

The service is aimed at rejuvenating the state’s ailing public transport system with a focus on stage bus service.

The state government has reportedly said it would take into consideration the people’s wish and might expand the free bus service to other routes, mainly Alor Gajah and Jasin, if there are sufficient funds.

Source - TheNation

 

#Indonesia One fatality as earthquake hit Indonesia’s Mount Rinjani Sunday

The Mount Rinjani National Park management has revealed around 500 people, including 135 foreigners, are to be evacuated from the volcano area, which was hit by a landslide after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck West Nusa Tenggara on Sunday morning.

The 135 foreign tourists were trapped at Segara Anak Lake, a crater lake shaped like a crescent, in the area.

"There was one fatality," head of Region II of Mount Rinjani National Park Benediktus Rio Wibawanto said on Sunday night as reported by kompas.com, adding the victim, identified as Muhammad Ainul Taksin, 25, from Makassar, South Sulawesi, suffered head injuries.

(Read also: At least 14 killed in Lombok earthquake)

An evacuation team was sent out on Monday morning. The team comprises people from the Mount Rinjani National Park Agency, the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the National Police, the Indonesian Military (TNI), the nature lovers community of the University of Mataram (Mapala Unram), and medics.

Source - TheNation

Thousands flee as dam breaks in #Laos

THOUSANDS OF people have been displaced from their homes and an unknown number killed in Laos’ southern Attapeu province following the collapse of part of a hydroelectric dam under construction following heavy rains.

The disaster came hours after an official of the construction firm warned of imminent danger.One of five saddle dams supporting the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy Dam collapsed at 8pm on Monday, releasing 5 billion cubic metres of water. The news of the tragedy only reached Bangkok yesterday morning.

Houses in Attapeu’s southern Sanamxay district were swept away, claiming lives, and several hundred people were missing, according to the state-run Lao News Agency.

 Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith suspended his monthly cabinet meeting and led senior government officials to Sanamxay to monitor rescue and relief efforts.

 Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith suspended his monthly cabinet meeting and led senior government officials to Sanamxay to monitor rescue and relief efforts.

The collapse of the support dam caused flash flooding in six Sanamxay villages – Yai Thae, Hinlad, Mai, Thasengchan, Tha Hin and Samong. Hinlad and Mai were particularly hard hit.

Pictures and videos shown on state-run and social media showed the chaotic evacuation of people from inundated areas. Many people were seen clinging to the roofs of their houses, surrounded by water. 

There were claims on social media of many people dead and missing, but no official report from local authorities as of press time.

Authorities in Attapeu pleaded for agencies to provide emergency aid for the victims, including clothing, food, drinking water and medicine.

Attapeu Planning and Investment Department Director Soulichanh Phonkeo told the Vientiane Times newspaper that some victims were washed away in the torrent, but many managed to grab tree branches and wait for rescue.

“We need a large number of boats to rescue them from the danger area,” he said.

An official of Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy Power Co (PNPC) had on Monday issued a warning of danger at the dam. In a letter, the company’s head of resettlement, Lee Kan Yeol, told colleagues in Champasak and Attapeu provinces that, “Saddle Dam D is not safe and is in very dangerous condition” due to heavy rainfall.

He advised that the saddle dam’s failure would unleash five billion tonnes of water into the Xe Pian River basin. Lee said people living along the river downstream should be moved to higher ground to avoid an “unfortunate accident” if the heavy rain caused one.

The 410-megawatt Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy Dam is expected to generate 1,860 gigawatt-hours of power when completed. The project is budgeted for US$1.2 (Bt40 billion).

PNPC is a joint venture formed in March 2012 by SK Engineering and Construction (which has a 24-per-cent stake), Lao Holding State Enterprise (26 per cent) and Korea Western Power and Thailand’s Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding (RATCH), which together hold the balance of shares.

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 RATCH director Kijja Sripatthangkura said Saddle Dam D was one of five sections surrounding the main dam and its collapse would not affect power production from the project. 

But he noted that 600 million cubic metres of water had flooded seven villages and affected more than 6,000 people in 1,700 households. His company was coordinating with officials at the site about repairing the damage, he said, but the work could not begin until more water can be released from the main dam.

Pianporn Deetes of the conservation group International Rivers said there were major risks with dams that are not designed to cope with extreme weather conditions such as very heavy rain. And unpredictable extreme weather events are becoming more frequent in the region due to climate change, she said. 

“This disaster also shows the inadequacy of warning systems for the dam construction and operations,” said Pianporn, who has long monitored dams in the Mekong River basin. 

“The warning appears to have to come very late and was ineffective in giving people advance notice to ensure their families’ safety.”

Source - TheNation 

#Thailand - Talkfest about ensuring better marine safety in Phuket

A meeting was held on Tuesday morning at Chalong Pier, led by Navy chief of staff Admiral Pichet Tannaset, who said he was determined to follow through with measures that would ensure marine safety – better controlling tour boats in Phuket in order to prevent marine accidents.

He said: “We don’t have direct power to enforce the law, but we have seen many problems emerge from this boat tragedy [when dozens of Chinese tourists died earlier this month].

“We want to see vastly improved passenger management at all ports as soon as possible. Also, the checking of boats and boat safety equipment. A draft tour boat management enforcement procedure is currently being prepared.”

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 The director-general of the Marine Department, Jiru Wisanjit, said: “We are highly focused on ports and boat safety. We are checking on boats that carry more than 100 passengers for their safety and correct registration. Some boat licences were found to be expired. Those boats are currently banned from leaving port.

“After we set the new, stricter safety parameters, tour boats will only be permitted to depart from ports that have been registered for tour boat operations. Tourists might be affected by this due to having to travel further for a departure point, but we have to do this to ensure better marine safety.”

Source - TheNation 

 

Thailand - China to send rescue experts, equipment to cave

China is preparing to send a team of six rescue experts to Chiang Rai to help find the still-missing 12 young footballers and their coach, according to a press statement from that country’s embassy in Bangkok. 

The team is expected to arrive at Chiang Mai International Airport at about 3pm on Friday before travelling to Chiang Rai.

They will be bringing high technology equipment, including an underwater robot and a three-dimension spectrometer.

The team has experience in rescuing people trapped from caves in Myanmar and Nepal.

Source - TheNation

Indonesian woman swallowed by giant python

An Indonesian woman has been found in the belly of a giant python after the swollen snake was captured near where she vanished while tending her vegetable garden, police said Saturday.

The body of 54-year-old Wa Tiba was found Friday when villagers cut open the seven-metre (23-foot) python which was found bloated in the village of Persiapan Lawela on the island of Muna, offshore of Sulawesi.

"Residents were suspicious the snake swallowed the victim, so they killed it, then carried it out of the garden," said local police chief Hamka, who like many Indonesians has only one name.

"The snake's belly was cut open and the body of the victim was found inside."

Some 100 residents, including worried relatives, launched a search for the woman after she failed to return from her garden Thursday night.

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Hamka said villagers found the giant serpent lying about 30 metres from Tiba's sandals and machete, adding she was swallowed head first and her body was found intact.

The garden in which she disappeared was at the base of a rocky cliff, pockmarked by caves, and known to be home to snakes, Hamka added.

 

Giant pythons, which regularly top six metres, are commonly found in Indonesia and the Philippines.

While the serpents have been known to attack small animals, attempts to eat people are rare.

In March last year, a farmer was killed by a python in the village of Salubiro on Sulawesi island.

Source - TheNation

A summit of hope for peace

Experts believe the Trump Kim meeting in Singapore tomorrow may see some commitment on denuclearizing Korean peninsula.

A HISTORIC summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was expected to be a success, according to experts, as Kim was likely to offer a vague promise on denuclearisation when they meet in Singapore tomorrow, leaving tough negotiations over implementation for later.

“Kim’s most urgent need is to alleviate the threat of a US preventive military strike and to get at least some of the economic sanctions lifted,” Hawaii-based East West Centre’s senior fellow of research programme Denney Roy told The Nation in an interview via e-mail.

North Korea’s nuclear programme and missile tests over the past few years have brought the secretive communist regime to the brink of a nuclear state, which has given it strong bargaining powers with Washington.

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A summit with the US president is critical for the Pyongyang leader to make his regime secure.

“He also wants to gain international prestige, establish a normal relationship with the US where he is treated as an equal, and make progress towards weakening the US-South Korea security cooperation,” Roy said.

Kim likely wants to get North Korea into a position where both Beijing and Washington are competing with each other to gain influence in Pyongyang by granting favours, he said.

While denuclearisation is the ultimate goal to stabilise the Korean Peninsula, President Trump is likely to hold his cards close to his chest.

“I think that very quickly I’ll know whether or not something good is going to happen,” Trump told reporters in Quebec over the weekend.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has met Kim Jong-un twice, said earlier that the reclusive North Korean leader had indicated the regime was prepared to denuclearise. The top US diplomat refrained from talking about the plan, saying the two leaders would discuss the issue during their summit.

An expert on Korean affairs, Roy said the summit could be called a success if there were any commitment on denuclearisation, with the hard bargaining over implementation left for later negotiations.

However the key to the success of the summit also depends on the diplomatic style and negotiating skills of the two leaders. While Trump is unpredictable, Kim is virtually unknown. His first appearance in the diplomatic world was only when he was on camera with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in at Panmunjom in late April.

“At that time, he managed to not look like a monster, which is not very difficult. We don’t know how he might perform one-on-one with Trump. I would expect he will be well-prepared and wily,” Roy said.

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Thailand becoming ‘garbage bin of world’

Waste policies encourage wrong choices; reducing, reusing and recycling should come first, say environmentalists.

EXPERTS on waste management and environmental protection are warning that Thailand could become the garbage bin of the world, as the government’s policies to promote the waste-to-energy industry have already resulted in plastic waste imports to the Kingdom.

Ecological Alert and Recovery Thailand director Penchom Saetang said the country’s recent waste management trends run counter to correct waste management methods. 

The government’s current path will prevent a proper solution to waste management problems and unintentionally lead to waste from other countries being dumped in Thailand, she said.

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Penchom singled out for criticism the promotion of private investment in small waste-to-energy projects across the country.

“Waste-to-energy is one of the most polluting methods for both waste management and power generation, because not only will burning garbage emit toxic pollutants, but the leftover ashes are also very hazardous and require very careful disposal in a secured landfill. And so building many small waste-to-energy plants is a very bad decision,” Penchom said. “I do not contest the advantages of waste-to-energy, as it is one of the acceptable measures to deal with unrecyclable waste, but we should have only a few big waste-to-energy plants that are properly equipped with all pollution control measures.”

Highlighting her concern over the small size of the waste-to-energy projects now being promoted by the government, Penchom said it was not cost-effective for the investors to install expensive pollution-control systems. 

They are forced to reduce the money spent on environmental protection in order to keep their investment profitable.

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According to the five-year waste management masterplan, local administrative organisations are required to manage waste. However, the private sector is also encouraged to invest in waste disposal plants, based on the assumption that they are more able and ready to properly oversee waste disposal.

Forty-four provinces meet the criteria, allowing them to initiate private-sector investment in waste-to-energy plants. Those criteria include the availability of a feed-in powerline, ability to ensure a feedstock of at least 300 tonnes of garbage. In contrast, a total 102 areas in 49 provinces have the capacities for investment in refuse-derived fuel (RDF) processing plants. 

For the less populated areas that have below 50 tonnes of waste generated per day, the authorities and residents are advised to locally process their waste into fertiliser and bury the leftover garbage in a local sanitary landfill.

Read continue -

#Thailand - Hua Hin beach under watch after shark attack admitted

Authorities were on Wednesday keeping a close watch on popular Hua Hin Beach in Prachuap Khiri Khan after it was confirmed that a Norwegian tourist was attacked by a shark there on Sunday.

Officials had initially tried to pass off the man’s severe leg injury as being a gash from sharp rocks, but Jatuporn Buruphat, deputy director general of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department, acknowledged at a press conference at Bangkok Hua Hin Hospital on Wednesday morning that the wound was caused by a shark, most likely a bull shark.

The story changed after the abbot of Wat Tham Khao Tao released video showing four sharks swimming off the beach near his temple. The abbot warned that if no action was taken, someone could be killed.

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 Jatuporn said a marine veterinarian had visited the hospital to inspect the tourist’s injury along with Dr Thassapol Krachangmala, a shark expert from his department.

The hospital’s deputy director, Dr Pongsak Boonleephan, told them the wound was caused by a toothed marine creature. Photos indicated the animal was a shark, most likely a bull shark.
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Prachuap Khiri Khan’s deputy governor promptly dispatched officials to watch over the beach and erect signs warning people not to swim out further than 20 metres.

Officials also spoke to the abbot who recorded the video of lurking sharks.

Jatuporn said camera drones operated from an Army base in Hua Hin spotted two sharks, each 1.5 metres long, swimming near the same beach.

Source - TheNation 

Thai woman gets a nasty surprise in her fishing net

This is the terrifying moment a fisherwoman hauled in her net and found a giant KING COBRA inside – which had killed a monitor lizard.

Mai Prisorn, 28, pulled the handmade trap to the banks of the lake near her home when she screamed after seeing the killer serpent inside.

The cobra – with its hood menacingly spread – had already killed a large water lizard which had found itself trapped next to the reptile.

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 Mai called over her relatives who helped to to carefully release the snake back into the wild away from their homes in Suphanburi, Thailand. 

 She said: ‘’I was spooked out by the cobra. It looked very angry.

‘’Normally we put the fish traps into the water to catch and sell them at the market. This time we went out in the morning to see them and there was a cobra inside.

‘’The snake had bitten the lizard and killed it. But it didn’t have a chance to eat it. We took the snake and released it back into nature.’’
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Source - Pattayaone.news

#Thailand - 113 houses damaged by thunderstorms in Mahasarakham

Two districts in Mahasarakham were hit by thunderstorms late Wednesday night, damaging 113 houses, officials said.

Apichai Jampanil, chief of the Mahasarakham Disaster Mitigation Office, said 53 houses in Chuen Chom district and 60 houses in Kosum Phisai district had been damaged.

In Kosum Phisai, Tambon Khuan Administrative Organisation dispatched officials to help remove fallen tree branches in the compound of Ban Khuan Temple.

Sermsak Phuphanna, head of Ban Khuan village, said several vehicles had been damaged by falling trees.

Source - TheNation

Air Pollution in #Bangkok PM2.5 levels worse than in North

AIR POLLUTION in Bangkok was worse than in any northern province yesterday, as the level of particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) in the capital and nearby provinces rebounded to a harmful level.

Data from Pollution Control Department (PCD) monitoring stations in Bangkok showed that air quality in the city was very unhealthy yesterday morning. PM2.5 levels increased to more than 100 micrograms per cubic metre of air at all of the capital’s monitoring stations.

The highest record of hourly PM2.5 level in Bangkok was in Thon Buri district at 6am of 120.92mg, while the country’s highest PM2.5 level of the day was measured at Samut Sakhon at its peak of 175.17 mg at 9am.

The levels of pollution in Bangkok were considered to be very harmful, as the measurement at every station was far higher than the country’s PM2.5 daily average safe limit at 50 micrograms.

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 According to PM2.5 daily average level from the PCD, air quality at Thon Buri district was the poorest in Bangkok at 103.49 micrograms, following by Pathumwan District (88.08 micrograms), Wang Thonglang District (85.23 micrograms), and Bang Na District (84.99 micrograms).

However, it was noticed that the PM2.5 daily average in Bangkok as reported on the PCD’s official Facebook page was lower than the real-time air quality data from PCD website at aqmthai.com/public_report.php, because the PM2.5 level as of 8am at every air-monitoring station was in the range of 64 to 79 micrograms.

The PCD informed that the higher levels of air pollution in Bangkok were the result of calm winds and high moisture in the air, which caused an accumulation of particulate matter to the dangerous level. Vulnerable people, including patients with respiratory diseases, old people and children, were advised to avoid going outside during this period.

Meanwhile, the smog problem in the Northern region has lessened, even though the PM2.5 level of many Northern provinces was still higher than the recommended safe standard.

The highest PM2.5 daily average record in the North was at Lampang’s Mae Mo district at 72.64 micrograms, following by Tak’s Mae Sot district at 64.29 micrograms, and Chiang Mai at 55.15 micrograms.

The PM2.5 daily average in Samut Sakhon (116.98 micrograms), Samut Prakan (94.23 micrograms), Ratchaburi (86.67 micrograms), Kanchanaburi (65.03 micrograms), and Prachinburi (64.4 micrograms) were also found to have broken the safe limit.

Source - TheNation 

 

#Laos May Get Free Public WiFi System

Business Korea Magazine reported that the South Korean Ministry of Science and ICT has announced on the 6th of February that the latter’s information and communications technology (ICT) including free public WiFi system construction constitutes this year’s special contribution project of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) and collaboration projects will be launched with Laos, Vietnam and Nepal in that framework.

The ministry plans to launch a free public WiFi system construction project in Laos, an augmented reality (AR) tourism content development project in Vietnam, and a digital disaster communication system construction project in Nepal.

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The duration of the special contribution project is from March this year to February or August 2019. The budgets required for the subprojects range from US$30,000 to US$55,000.

Established in 1979, the APT is an international council for telecommunications development in the Asia-Pacific region. The purposes, among others, of the special project include technology transfer to APT member countries and the overseas expansion of South Korean business interests. The project will be based on the ministry’s fund specially allocated for the APT.

Source - Laotian Times

#Cambodian football on the right track: FIFA chief Infantino

FIFA president Gianni Infantino speaks at the world governing body’s Executive Football Summit at Phnom Penh’s Sofitel Hotel today as FFC acting general-secretary May Tola looks on. In Sopheng.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino today told the world governing body’s Executive Football Summit in Phnom Penh that the Football Federation of Cambodia’s academy development programme is on track to achieve its goals in nurturing the Kingdom’s young talent.

After the meeting at the capital’s Sofitel Hotel, the FIFA president told reporters: “The Cambodian Football Federation is doing very well in its development of youth academies across the country in 25 provinces and cities.” 

The FIFA summit was held in the Kingdom for the first time and attended by the presidents of member associations from three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe. 

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FFC vice president Kiev Sameth told The Post: “It was an honour to host the summit, and I want to say thank you to the FIFA president for his faith in Cambodia. This will further strengthen the friendship between us, the FIFA president and member associations from Africa and Europe.” 

According to Sameth, FIFA has increased its support budget from $250,000 to $1,250,000 per year to help develop the FFC’s youth programmes and academies. 

Infantino also backed a possible joint ASEAN 2034 World Cup bid, calling it “a good idea” and recommending that a youth World Cup be held in the region before then so that experience could be gained in hosting such a huge tournament.

Source - PhnomPenhPost

#Cambodia - Deal for yuan trade with China in works

China’s currency, the renminbi, or yuan, being counted in stacks next to US dollars. 

Officials in Cambodia and China’s Guangdong province are cooperating to establish trade using yuan instead of US dollars, part of the two countries’ increasingly close economic relationship. 

The suggestion to use yuan directly, instead of using US dollars as an intermediary currency, was made by deputy-director of Guangdong province Ouyang Weimin during a visit to the province by Cambodian Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak on Friday.

Seang Thay, a spokesman at the Ministry of Commerce, said yesterday that as trade between the two countries continued to grow, Chinese currency should also increasinglly be used in bilateral trade.

“The fluctuation of exchange rate is risky for businesses, because sometimes the US dollar could be appreciate or depreciate compare with the Chinese yuan,” he said.

“We are trading with China more and more, so accepting Chinese yuan for trade deals is also good for businesses.” 

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While the two countries appear in-sync on promoting trade in yuan, there is not yet an official agreement to establish such a system in Guangdong, according to Thay.

Last September, the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) and the People’s Bank of China in the autonomous Guangxi region in southern China launched an official yuan-riel exchange rate, which allowed banks in Guangxi to exchange the two currencies directly. That marked the first time riel could be exchanged in China and eliminated the need to use US dollars as an intermediary currency.

According to NBC data, there were 17 banks in Cambodia that could handle yuan transactions last year, up from 11 in 2014. Only four – ICBC, the Bank of China, Canadia Bank and First Commercial Bank – allow deposits to be made in yuan.

 In 2016, cross-border trade in yuan amounted to about $377 million, accounting for about seven percent of the two countries’ total trade and investment, according to the NBC. The remaining 93 percent was done using US dollars.

Source - PhnomPenhPost

#Vietnam - 2018 rice export to hit 6m tonnes

HÀNỘI — Việtnam’s rice export volume in 2018 is expected to increase by 400,000 tonnes from 2017 to reach 6 million tonnes, due to increased demand from Southeast Asia, especially from the Philippines, with China expected to be the country’s largest rice market.

The Vietnam Food Association (VFA), in a report earlier in January, said countries in Southeast Asia will import a large amount of rice from Việt Nam, helping boost the country’s turnover this year.

The VFA said Indonesia will import rice from Việt Nam and Thailand again in 2018 to increase reserves, as Indonesia’s rice price has been rising, almost double the floor price.

Similarly, the National Food Board of the Philippines approved of up to 250,000 tonnes of imported rice to offset declining inventories, due to unfavourable weather in 2017.

These developments are encouraging for Việt Nam’s rice export market, said the VFA’s report, with export price of 5 per cent broken rice rising to US$400 per tonne from $390.

Domestic rice price also increased, with the average price between to $267 to $293 per tonne as of January’s end, having increased by $13 to $15 per tonne from December 2017’s price.

According to the VFA’s data, throughout 2017, the country exported 5.7 million tonnes of rice worth $2.54 billion.

As mentioned by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s 2018 world rice production forecast, issued late 2017, the main factor behind this year’s rice trade expansion is increased output from Việt Nam, Pakistan and Myanmar, three of the world’s top six rice exporting countries.

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The USDA’s report stated that though 2017 global rice output fell by 20 per cent from 2016’s number, as a result of weak outlook for grain products, long, heavy rainfall and spring floods and other unfavourable weather, meaning there should be positive signals from traditional rice importing markets in Southeast Asia in early 2018.

In Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, whose rice crops were heavily influenced by harsh weather, demand for rice imports will also increase in 2018. Rising import demand is supported by increased purchasing power in Africa and the Middle East, while China continues to be a leading importer of rice from neighbouring regions.

As such, Việt Nam will witness an increase in revenue from rice exports to several large consumer markets.

According to the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in early January 2018, the Mekong Delta’s rice producers harvested 860,000 hectares of rice, with an average yield of 5.3 tonnes per hectare.

Nonetheless, problems remain for national rice production, the majority of which stem from farmers’ ignorance.

Talking to Vietnam News Agency during a late 2017 agricultural conference in the Mekong Delta, Võ Tòng Xuân, former vice rector of Cần Thơ University and rice expert, emphasised growing competition in global rice markets.

Xuân warned that Việt Nam needs to find ways to make its rice exports stand out if it wants to achieve export targets.

Regarding export rice quality, he was convinced that since rice merchants often mix different batches from different farmers into one large batch, there is virtually no way to completely track the origin of any batch.

Without clear origin, there are no certain product quality controls, and no major national rice brand for Việt Nam, Xuân added.

He suggested issuing contracts between rice farmers and processing plants for sustainable production, via agricultural co-operatives instead of relying on middlemen.

Xuân also said that there remain regulations acting as barriers to small and medium enterprises from entering the rice market. Exporting low quality rice and fragrant rice without a brand name is becoming increasingly difficult for Việt Nam, especially in finding niche markets to sell several thousand tonnes. 

 

Source - Vietnam News