Thailand to slowly restart tourism with flight from China

 

Thailand will receive its first foreign vacationers when a flight from China arrives next week, marking the gradual restart of a vital tourism sector battered by corona-virus travel curbs, a senior official said on Tuesday.

The first flight will have about 120 tourists from Guangzhou, flying directly to the resort island of Phuket, Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn told Reuters.

Thailand has kept coronavirus infections low with just 3,559 cases and 59 deaths, but its economy has taken a hit from a ban on foreign visitors since April and is expected to contract 8.5% this year.

Government spokeswoman Traisulee Traisoranakul expects 1,200 tourists in the first month, generating about 1 billion baht ($31.55 million) in revenue and 12.4 billion baht over one year, drawing in 14,400 tourists.

Nationalities permitted to enter will be from countries deemed low risk by the government, which will keep tabs on them.

"We are not opening the country, we are limiting the number of entries and will manage with wrist bands, apps to follow them," Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters.

The government predicts just 6.7 million foreign visitors this year after a record 39.8 million in 2019, whose spending made up about 11.4 percent of GDP, or 1.93 trillion baht.

Thailand in January was the first country outside of China to detect the coronavirus, in a visitor from Wuhan.

"Tourists will be on a long stay visa, starting Oct. 8 and will stay in alternative state quarantine for 14 days," Yuthasak said.

Visitors need health insurance and a negative coronavirus test 72 hours before traveling and will be tested twice in quarantine.

"Thailand's protection system can prevent a second wave," government spokeswoman Traisulee said.

"We have prevented local transmission for 100 days before," she said, adding that had made Thailand attractive for visitors wanting to avoid infections.

Source - TheJakartaPost

Resumption of tourism between China and Thailand 'not happening any time soon'

  

 Resumption of tourism between China and Thailand 'not happening any time soon'

A senior official of the Chinese embassy in Bangkok has ruled out early reopening of tourism between China and Thailand, as the two countries are not ready to open the sector.

China has been recently reopening for domestic tourism, but has not yet welcomed foreign tourists, or urged Chinese people to travel abroad, said Yang Xin, minister counsellor and deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to Thailand.

Even Chinese tourists want to visit Thailand, but Thailand is unlikely to open for foreign tourists, he said in an exclusive interview to Nation Multimedia Group.

The Thai government has not yet reopened the tourism sector, as it was still worried about potential import of new COVID-19 cases. The government only plans to allow first 200 long-stay tourists to enter the country next month. About 10 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand annually in recent years out of some 40 million every year.

Yang said that China was currently reopening travel for business persons who could apply for fast lane clearance when they enter China for doing business. Foreign business persons are not subject to 14-day quarantine but they can visit only limited places essential for their business activities.

He said the Chinese government has managed to control the COVID-19 outbreak and now schools nationwide have been reopened after they were closed for eight months.

China this year has not set a target for economic growth but would focus on job creation and people's living standards, he said.

The government has implemented many stimulus packages to support people and businesses especially small and medium-sized enterprises, said Yang.

Regarding Hong Kong, Yang said that the special administrative region had returned to stability following the enforcing of the security law. He reiterated that China wants to maintain the one country, two systems principle,  but foreign interference was trying to create a two-country system.

As for the Thai government’s decision to defer the purchase of two more China-made submarines, Yang said the ties between the two countries has deepened and widened to many areas. He added that officials from both sides are working closely together on the submarine deal and will continue doing so.

Source - TheJakartaPost

Laos and China Push Ahead with Sixth Mekong River Dam Project

“China has funded numerous hydropower projects inside Laos, and it has built 11 dams on the upper reaches of the Mekong River”

Laos in partnership with China has submitted plans to to the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to build yet another new hydropower dam on the Mekong River. Construction is expected to start later this year, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) said on Monday.

The Sanakham dam hydropower plant, with an estimated cost of US$2.073 billion, will be developed by Datang Sanakham Hydropower company, a subsidiary of China’s state owned Datang International Power Generation Co, MRC said.

Hydropower development is central to the Laos government’s plan to export around 20,000 megawatts of electricity to its neighbours by 2030. This latest project will be the sixth proposal of nine planned mainstream Mekong dams inside Laos.

Sanakham dam will be the sixth of nine dams in Laos on the Mekong River

.

.

Laos has already completed two dams on the Mekong River. The 1,285-megawatt Xayaburi Dam and the 260-megawatt Don Sahong Dam last year. The dams were built despite objections by environmental groups worldwide.

Objectors said the dams threaten a river system whose fisheries, sediment and seasonal flooding for agriculture support some 60 million people.

Sanakham’s proposed site is located 155 kilometres north of Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Its projected to produce 684 megawatts of electricity once it start operating in 2028.

China has funded numerous hydropower projects inside Laos on the Mekong

The Sanakham dam is the sixth project that has been put forward to the prior consultation process with the MRC. The MRC intergovernmental agency that works with regional governments.

China has funded numerous hydropower projects inside Laos, and it has built 11 dams on the upper reaches of the Mekong River inside Chinese territory that have come under scrutiny for allegedly altering the river’s natural flow.

The Sanakham project will now have to go through an MRC prior consultation process, which normally lasts for six months, where other MRC members including Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam can review the project and assess any cross-border impacts. While they can suggest changes, the MRC consultation process cannot veto any project.

Source - Chiang Rai Times / Reuters

Empty Asian beaches

Sun, sea, sand and space as coronavirus empties Asia's beaches

Just weeks ago, some visitors were complaining that Bali's famous sand and surf spot of Kuta Beach was way too busy.

Now it is deserted, with access banned as part of measures to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, which has killed nearly 100,000 people around the world and infected more than 1.5 million.

The picture in Bali is similar at other top Asia Pacific destinations such as Sydney's Bondi Beach and Thailand's Phuket.

"To stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, all the beaches in Kuta area closed for public," reads a sign in Bali, Indonesia, the country with the highest coronavirus death toll in Asia after China, where the virus emerged.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus, which emerged in central China late last year.

The virus has killed 306 people in Indonesia out of 3,512 cases, but more limited testing than in neighboring countries means the figures are widely believed to be higher.

The long Easter weekend would normally be a busy time in Bali, but not this year.

"Business is down almost 95 percent," said souvenir shop owner Ruju, who like many Indonesians uses only one name. "I have to borrow money just to buy food."

Not everyone agreed with the restrictions on the beaches.

Among them was Australian Daniel Baker, who said it would be better to just enforce social distancing of up to two meters to prevent the virus spreading.

"I should be able to swim or surf, it's important for mental health and exercise to stay healthy to fight COVID."

Bondi shut

Bans on public gatherings larger than two also forced Sydney's Bondi Beach to close over the Easter holiday. On Manly Beach, people were allowed to exercise but not swim.

Australians have been told to stay home or face dire consequences in the crackdown against the coronavirus, even as its spread slows. Australia had 6,152 infections by Friday with 53 virus-related deaths.

The co-owner of Bondi Surf Seafoods, George Dimitrios said 2020 was the worst year in his family's 47-year-old business and Good Friday sales had been disastrous.

"We've had the bushfires, we've had the rain and now we've got this," he said.

Bondi made headlines in March when thousands of people were seen ignoring social distancing rules at its world-famous beach. Authorities have since opened up a pop-up clinic.

On the Thai resort island of Phuket, coronavirus has largely eliminated the tourist industry on which it has survived. It is now on a partial lockdown to curb the spread of the virus, which has killed 33 people in Thailand and infected at least 2,473.

The usually busy Walking Street in the Old Phuket Town was almost empty.

"The impact is so severe because most of our customers are tourists," said Ittipat Klomkliang, owner of the Roast Coffee Cafe.

"From China and now Europe, a lot of the tourists have gone to zero."

Source - TheJakartaPost

Great Wall of #China partly reopens to visitors

The famous Badaling section of the Great Wall in Beijing has partly opened, after being closed for almost two months due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The scenic area will be open between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., and the daily number of visitors will be capped at 19,500. As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, a total of 892 tickets had been reserved.

Visitors must book tickets on the official website or through WeChat in advance and register with their personal information to get a health code, while their temperatures will be taken upon entry.

A one-way circular tour route has been designed to prevent the gathering of crowds. The cableway, the China Great Wall Museum, the ancient Great Wall and some other sections remain closed.

The Badaling Great Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in Beijing's Yanqing District, about 60 km northwest of the city center. It was the earliest section to open and is the most popular segment of the Great Wall among tourists. The scenic area received more than 9.9 million visitors in 2018.

Source - TheJakartaPost

Over 30 percent of tourist sites reopened in #China

A total of 3,714 tourist sites in 28 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities on the Chinese mainland had reopened as of Monday, accounting for over 30 percent of the total, said an official Wednesday.

This came as part of the efforts to resume work and operation in the cultural and tourism sector as the situation concerning the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is improving in the country, according to Gao Zheng, head of the industrial development department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The reopened sites mainly include outdoor sites such as mountains, hills and parks, and no cases of COVID-19 had been reported in these spots, he said.

Moreover, over 180 museums had reopened as of Sunday, and construction of a number of museums also restarted, he said.

Epidemic prevention and control measures such as online real-name reservations to control the number of visitors were taken by the museums based on the instructions of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, according to Gao.

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Shanghai Disney shuts to prevent spread of virus

Walt Disney Co's Shanghai Disney Resort will be closed until further notice to help China stop the spread of a flu-like virus, costing the theme park operator revenue during the country's biggest holiday season.

China is on a seven-day Lunar New Year holiday, a period when the Shanghai Disney park would be usually packed with tourists. Last year Shanghai Disney had to stop selling tickets to visitors as the park got overcrowded.

"In response to the prevention and control of the disease outbreak and in order to ensure the health and safety of our guests and Cast, Shanghai Disney Resort is temporarily closing Shanghai Disneyland, Disneytown ... starting Jan. 25," the company said on its website.

"We will continue to carefully monitor the situation and ... announce the reopening date upon confirmation."

Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, and neighbouring Huanggang, a city of about 7 million people, were in virtual lockdown, with restrictions in place elsewhere. A new coronavirus which broke out in Wuhan, central China, late last year has killed 25 people and infected more than 800.

Many businesses including retailers, airlines, travel agencies and hotel operators are on high alert, as health authorities fear the infection rate could accelerate over the Lunar New Year, when hundreds of millions of Chinese travel at home and abroad.

The outbreak has already prompted seven Chinese films that were set to premiere during the holiday to postpone screenings, forgoing what is usually the best week of the year at the Chinese box office.

.

.

Disney said it would refund tickets for admission to Shanghai Disneyland, on China's east coast, more than 800 km from Wuhan, or other services at the park as well as hotel bookings.

The estimated financial impact on the U.S. company's first theme park in mainland China, which opened in mid-2016 in its largest overseas investment at $5.5 billion, was not immediately clear.

The company was not immediately available to comment.

Shanghai Disney carried out a resort-wide makeover this month for a four-week event through Feb. 9 to celebrate the Year of the Rat with its characters including Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse and target China's middle class and booming domestic tourism.

Walt Disney Co owns a 43 percent stake in Shanghai Disney Resort which has Shanghai Disneyland theme park and two hotels with a total of 1,220 rooms.

The impact on businesses is set to increase as China discourages locals from gathering in crowded places. It has already stepped up measures to contain the virus, with public transport suspensions in 10 cities, the shutting of temples and closing the Forbidden City, Beijing's most famous tourist attraction.

Japan's Fast Retailing Co Ltd said on Friday it has temporarily closed 17 Uniqlo stores in Wuhan. China is a key growth market for the company which faces a saturated market and weak consumer spending in Japan. 

Source - TheJakartaPost

Over 3m tourists visit #Cambodia in H1

Cambodia welcomed 3.3 million holidaymakers during the first half of the year, an 11.2 percent hike, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Tourism.

The number of Chinese tourists, in particular, experienced strong growth from January to June. 1.2 million Chinese nationals visited the country during H1, a 38 percent increase.

China remains Cambodia’s largest tourism market, accounting for 38.7 percent of all tourists.

It is followed by Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, ranking second, third and fourth, respectively.

Tourists from South Korea, on the other hand, declined by 20.2 percent, while those from the United States decreased by 1.1 percent, the Ministry said.

Ministry spokesman Top Sopheak said the sector is experiencing healthy growth.

“In our view, the tourism sector is developing positively. The number of foreign tourists visiting the country continues to grow.

“Tourists from certain countries have indeed decreased but this is a normal market trend that should not worry us because, overall, the number of tourists has increased,” Mr Sopheak said.

According to the Ministry, Siem Reap province, home of the famed Angkor Archaeological Park, the country’s top tourist sight, saw a declined in visitors from January to June. Just 1.2 million foreign tourists visited the site, an 8 percent decrease.

By contrast, Phnom Penh and coastal areas saw strong growth in tourist arrivals, with the capital welcoming more than 2 million people and the coast nearly 600,000, a 27 percent hike in both cases.

Mr Sopheak noted that the rising number of Chinese visitors to the Kingdom is part of a wider trend, with more and more Chinese nationals travelling for leisure outside their country.

“The number of Chinese tourists is rising everywhere, not just Cambodia. But in the case of Cambodia, the close diplomatic ties with the Chinese government and the increase in investment coming from that country is certainly helping attract more tourists,” Mr Sopheak said.

He said the decline in the number of tourists in Siem Reap province is the result of tourists choosing to visit alternative destinations within the Kingdom.

“Instead of Siem Reap, more and more tourists are choosing to visit the coast and the Northeast,” Mr Sopheak said.

Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, told Khmer Times that more needs to be done to encourage tourists to stay in the Kingdom longer.

“It is good that more and more foreign tourists are visiting Cambodia. However, it is also important that the government and the private sector work together to create new tourism products that encourage people to stay here longer,” Ms Sivlin said.

During the first half of the year, the Kingdom’s three major airports handled a combined 2.3 million foreign tourists.

Last year, 6.2 million foreign holidaymakers visited the Kingdom, a 10.7 percent increase year-on-year. Cambodia is expected to attract 7 million foreign tourists a year by 2020, generating $4.3 billion for the industry. About 2 million of those visitors will come from China.

Source - Khmer Times

#Indonesia second in global ranking of digital travelers

United Kingdom-based travel commerce platform Travelport released the results of its Global Digital Traveler Research 2018 recently. The online surveys analyzed different digital traveler habits, with 16,200 respondents participating from 25 countries. 

Indonesia ranks second on the list, a spot higher than last year, as reported by kompas.com.

India tops the list for the second consecutive year, while Brazil, China and Nigeria ranked in third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

.

.

Most of the respondents in the surveys said gadgets were considered vital for tourists. In fact, almost half of the respondents said they booked and paid for travel expenses using apps.

Features such as electronic payments, audio search and electronic hotel room were also considered helpful in planning the trips.

Travelport is a travel commerce platform belonging to Travelport Worldwide Ltd. It provides technology, distribution, payment and other solutions for the travel and tourism industry.

 

Source - The JakartaPost

.

 

#Cambodia - ‘Xi pushing further Preah Sihanouk investment’

As China continues to invest in Preah Sihanouk province, despite fears raised by residents over the recent influx of its nationals, an official from the Asian giant on Monday said President Xi Jinping is pushing for further investment in the coastal area.

“Cambodia and China are good friends and good neighbours. Jiangsu is a Chinese province [and] we are pushing for more cooperation with Cambodia,” Huang Xiqiang, the deputy director-general of the Foreign Affairs Office of Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government, told visiting Cambodian journalists to the southern Chinese province on Monday.

“President Xi Jinping regards [Preah Sihanouk province] as a role model of cooperation between China and Cambodia.”

Preah Sihanouk has seen huge growth in the manufacturing, tourism and gambling sectors, and a local real estate agency director said further investment in manufacturing would “help transform Cambodia from an agricultural to an industrialised nation”.

Bilateral trade between Jiangsu and Preah Sihanouk, which have just signed an agreement to become sister provinces, was valued at $1.2 billion last year. This is equal to one-fifth of China’s total trade with Cambodia and is expected to increase 30 per cent this year, Huang said.

.

.

 Jiangsu province accounts for 10.38 per cent of China’s total economy, with its GDP hitting $1.2 trillion last year. 

 Preah Sihanouk province has increasingly become a hotbed for Chinese investment in the Kingdom, and its geography has proven strategic in pushing Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative in Southeast Asia.

“We encourage enterprises to invest in Cambodian production, from resources and labour to technology,” Huang said. “In the past, [investment] was more focused on garment manufacturing. In the future, we will cooperate in technology. This is a win-win strategy.”

Huang said the Preah Sihanouk Special Economic Zone has 125 enterprises and has created 21,000 jobs with $500 million in investments. He said the zone plans to create between 80,000 to 100,000 jobs.

Emerging Markets Consulting senior consultant Ngeth Chou said he welcomed an increase in investment in Preah Sihanouk province’s manufacturing, which he said would largely benefit the Kingdom.

He added that investment in the sector would help Cambodians acquire new skills and stable incomes, as opposed to growth in the gaming industry, which has been blamed for causing social problems.

“Casinos do not offer as many economic benefits as the manufacturing sector, because investment in factories could help Cambodia benefit greatly, from the use of local raw materials to [the creation of] a skilled workforce, as well as reduce migration.”
.

.

 However, Chou suggested that for sustainable development, the Cambodian government must also create mechanisms to control the nature of investment, such as insisting on the use of local human resources and raw materials.

Key Real Estate director Sorn Seap said that while the influx of Chinese has raised property prices in Preah Sihanouk, more investment in manufacturing would help create new jobs and technology for the future development of Cambodia.

“It will help transform Cambodia from an agricultural to an industrialised nation, and promote the Kingdom’s image on the international stage,” Seap said.

Preah Sihanouk provincial governor Yun Min, who visited Jiangsu province last week to strengthen city-level relations, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Jiangsu provincial statistics showed that 200,000 of its residents visited Cambodia in 2016.
The increase of tourists led to direct flights between Jiangsu and Cambodia’s international airports, Huang said.

Source - TheNation

 

#China - Beijing inches closer to becoming the world's busiest airport

China is forecast to overtake the U.S. as the world’s biggest air-travel market as soon as 2022.

Beijing inched one step closer to taking the crown for the world’s busiest airport.

As the ranks of the Chinese middle class swell and more people take to the skies, passenger traffic at Beijing’s international airport rose to a new record of 95.8 million last year.

This increase at the world’s second-busiest air hub -- at least the fifth straight year of gains -- has allowed Beijing Capital International Airport to narrow the gap with top placed Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, whose passenger numbers fell in 2017.

.

.

 China is forecast to overtake the U.S. as the world’s biggest air-travel market as soon as 2022. To cope with the surge in fliers, Beijing is building a $12.9 billion mega airport in a southern suburb that’s scheduled to open next year. It would accommodate as many as 100 million passengers annually, with the existing and new airports likely sharing 170 million travelers a year by 2025, according to official estimates. 

 The new airport has been designated by authorities as the hub for members of the SkyTeam alliance, a global group of airlines that includes China Eastern Airlines Corp. and China Southern Airlines Co. The two state-owned Chinese carriers will each be allowed to capture 40 percent of the airport’s passengers, gaining coveted time slots to Europe and the U.S. in flag carrier Air China Ltd.’s backyard.

Beijing will also be joining a select list of major cities with two or even three international airports, including London, New York, Tokyo and Paris. Unlike in Beijing, though, those airports usually take complementary roles, such as one serving international or intercontinental routes and the other focusing on domestic or regional flights.

Source - TheJakartaPost

 

Crossing Siberia, from Moscow to Mongolia

In 1891, Nicholas II made a grand voyage across what was then the Russian Empire on what was called The Tsar’s Train. The potentate ventured from the imperial capital of Saint Petersburg to Vladivostok, on the frozen rim of Siberia, more than 9,000 kilometers away.

The same route, now known as the Trans-Siberia Railroad, exists today, with branch lines that allow journeys to destinations as far as China and Mongolia.

All aboard

Unlike Tsar Nicholas II, I would begin by voyage in Moscow, where I landed at Domodedovo Airport in October. First pro tip: Dress warmly: the temperature was about -3 degrees! Used to tropical weather, I was chilled, wearing only a thin jacket, winter hat and hand-knit gloves.

Two months before leaving for Russia, I had purchased my tickets, spending US$285 for an 87-hour passage from Moscow to Irkutsk on the Trans-Siberia Railway and $200 for the 22-hour journey from Irkutsk to Ulaanbaatar, the Mongolian capital. Purchase can also be made in Moscow, or via websites such as russianrail.com or expresstorussia.com, which will deliver tickets to your hotel.

Before departing, I stopped at a supermarket. Three days on a train traveling second class meant I had to lay in a supply of food and sundries, such as instant noodles, flip flops for the shower and five cans of beer. (Second pro tip: Russian Rail officers say that you can’t bring more than five cans on the train.

 

 

 I was at Moscow Yaroslavskaya Station, which forms a rail terminus shared with Kazansky and Leningradsky Stations, about three hours before departure, as suggested. Each car of my train had from six to nine (quite clean) passenger compartments, a toilet/shower room and an officer space. 

 In my second-class compartment, towels, blankets, mattresses and pillows were neatly stacked. There was ample space for four to sleep, two on upper berths, which folded away during the daytime, and two on lower berths. We left Moscow just before midnight, starting my Siberian adventure.

READ CONTINUE


 

Indonesia eyes China's Macao, Hong Kong markets to boost tourism

Indonesia has planned to hold events to sell tour packages in China's Macao and Hong Kong on Dec 12 and Dec 14 respectively, aimed at further tapping significant potentialities from the two markets, a senior official of the country's Tourism Ministry said.

Deputy Minister for International Marketing Development at the ministry Gde Pitana said the ministry would send 11 sellers from Bali, Surabaya, Lombok, Jakarta, Sabang, North Sulawesi, Papua and Riau Isles in the two events.

Most of Indonesian sellers would highlight marine and undersea tours with several tour packages in Indonesia's prominent diving and snorkeling spots.

Besides Bali, tour packages to be offered for potential tourists in Macao and Hong Kong among others were Bunaken, Raja Amat, Mansuar Island, Mike's Point and Manta's point, would be offered in the two events.

"Indonesia has plenty of beautiful undersea spots for diving and snorkeling. Indonesia had just earned The Best Dive Destination award in the recent World Travel Market event in London last month," Pitana said recently.

He said the upcoming sales mission events held in Macao's Royal Hotel and Hong Kong's Kimberly Hotel were highly expected to successfully tap the momentum prior to year-end vacation this year.

Indonesia's upcoming tour package sales events were particularly expected to attract more tourists from the Chinese mainland to visit Indonesia via Hong Kong.

Source - China Daily

#Myanmar (Burma) - China to restore Thatbyinnyu Pagoda.

State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will sign an agreement for the restoration of quake-hit Thatbyinnyu Pagoda in Bagan during her visit to China.

.

Thatbyinnyu Pagoda which is internally damaged is going to be renovated by China. Maung Zaw / The Myanmar Times The Union Minister for Religious Affairs and Culture Thura U Aung Ko made this announcement on May 6 at a press conference on the Bagan cultural heritage conservation held at the Bagan Archaeological Museum.

“Currently the State Counsellor is on a visit to European countries. After coming back, she will visit China. Among the various issues to be discussed is the signing of a bilateral agreement on the Thatbyinnyu Pagoda restoration. After that, China will start renovation works,” said Thura U Aung Ko.

Severely-hit Thatbyinnyu Pagoda was one of the over 400 Bagan pagodas damaged by an earthquake with its epicenter in Chauk township in August last year.

“During a renovation meeting held last February, we made a request to the Chinese Ambassador. China is best at restoration,” Thura U Aung Ko said.

China agreed to Myanmar’s request and all the costs of restoration will be borne by China, it has been learnt.

Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library (Bagan branch) director U Aung Kyaw Kyaw said that the damage was severe.

”Thatbyinnyu Pagoda is not externally but internally damaged. Even echoes can no longer be heard if you make a sound inside the pagoda,” said U Aung Kyaw Kyaw.

According to data from the Department of Archaeology, the pyramidal spire and base pillars of the Thatbyinnyu Pagoda were severely damaged by last year’s earthquake. At present, emergency maintenance works for the Thatbyinnyu Pagoda are being carried out by UNESCO experts and Myanmar engineers.

In addition to Thatbyinnyu, China also donated US$100,000 for restoration works on other quake-hit pagodas in Bagan; at present, offers to help in pagoda renovation have also been received from countries like France and Italy, according to Thura U Aung Ko.

“Conserving cultural heritage is important. If we cannot repair it ourselves, we should accept assistance from other countries. Not China alone. Where it is appropriate, we should get assistance from other countries,” U Soe Win, a Nyaung-U resident, said.

Thatbyinnyu Pagoda was built in AD 1144 by King Alaung Sithu. It is a four-storey cave pagoda with a spire and it is 210 feet high. It is reputed to be the tallest pagoda in Bagan.

 

Beijing and Phnom Penh think about becoming sister cities

Infra

.

Phnom Penh and Beijing are in talks to become “sister cities”, chief of the Chinese Embassy’s political section Wang De Xin confirmed yesterday.

.

According to Wang, representatives from the Beijing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, led by committee chairman Ji Lin, met with Phnom Penh Governor Pa Socheatvong on Monday to discuss the partnership.

.

Reached by phone yesterday, the capital’s deputy governor, Khoung Sreng, said the objective of the meeting was for both countries to better understand each other.

.

“The main purpose of being sister cities with Beijing would be to support each other . . . to cooperate economically and to promote cultural exchange,” he said.

.

He added that one of the most important aspects of the partnership would be requesting Beijing’s assistance in areas such as infrastructure, training and the management and restoration of public spaces.

.

Sreng noted that the focus of the partnership was not to attract foreign investment, but to work with Beijing in selecting local poor communities for targeted help, such as the building of homes.

.

  FOR THE BEST GLOBAL HOTEL & FLIGHT BOOKINGS

.

Source - PhnomPenhPost

Hong Kong has been a much-loved tourist destination

In search of good fortune

.

 

Hong Kong has been a much-loved tourist destination for decades and this year it is celebrates the 20th anniversary of the handover to China by introducing a new list of fortune spots matched with Chinese Zodiac signs by Feng Shui experts.

The Peak is symbolic of the Rooster and will ease the sense of dominance by rising to Hong Kong Island’s highest vantage point and broadening horizons with the view of the Kowloon and Hong Kong Island skyline to help you overcome any challenges in the new year.

.

 

.

 Those born in the Year of the Dog should head Northeast to alleviate the negative energy at the Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail, Fanling. This scenic journey takes you to the history of the Tang Clan, one of the five largest clans in the New Territories, where a dragon could once be seen leaping in the mountains. The wisdom of Hong Kong’s ancestors is discovered in the stunning architecture that demonstrates how they unwound in these serene surroundings. 

.

 FOR THE BEST GLOBAL HOTEL & FLIGHT BOOKINGS

.

 .

Those born in the Year of the Pig would do well to head to the Big Buddha and Wisdom Path and appreciate the zen of the large woodcut Heart Sutra scriptures. A trip will help you change the speed and maximise the energy of movement in the year to come.

.

Find out more at DiscoverHongKong.com

 

Turning away from shark fin soup

Shark fin shop in China
.

Manila - A former fan of shark fin soup shares why he has stopped patronizing the popular delicacy. 

I admit it, I used to enjoy shark fin soup. Not anymore.
My wife and I stopped consuming shark fin soup after learning what sharks had to go through before a bowl of shark fin soup is served to humans.
Reasons why we should say no to shark fin soup:

First, shark fins have low nutritional value.
Second, shark fins have no taste. They get their taste from the other ingredients.
Third, shark fins are expensive.
Fourth, shark fins have no proven medicinal value. In fact, they contain high levels of mercury (made more concentrated by the treating and drying process), plus hydrogen peroxide, which is used to make the color more appealing.
Fifth, many shark species are on the brink of extinction.
Sixth, humans do not need shark fin soup to live but sharks need their fins to survive.
Finally, shark fins are harvested through a barbaric process known as shark finning.
Barbaric process
How are shark fins gathered?
First, sharks are caught.
Second, the fins are removed while the sharks are still alive. And because sharks have as many as six big and small fins, they agonize six times over.
Third, they are dumped back into the ocean and are left to die an excruciating death. Without their fins, they cannot swim properly, they cannot catch prey for food, they cannot defend themselves, and they cannot get oxygen, as water needs to be forced through their gills as they swim.|
Why are sharks dumped back into the ocean after finning?
1. Space - The shark’s body is huge and takes a lot of space in the boat
2. Price - The fins are worth much more than the rest of the shark’s body.
3. Spoilage - Ammonia produced by a decomposing shark body may contaminate other catch.
Why people eat shark fin soup
In many countries, including China and Hong Kong, the consumption of shark fins has declined after government interference, like banning the dish in state banquets.
However, since there is no law (yet) banning shark fin soup/dishes in the Philippines, some people still have the appetite to order them because of one or all of the following reasons:
1. Culture or habit - Some people still believe shark fin is delicious, a delicacy, an aphrodisiac, has medicinal or nutritional value.
2. Show of affluence - A bowl of shark fin soup costs a lot of money and being seen ordering or serving shark fin soup in a wedding or banquet sends a signal that the host is successful and has money.
3. Ignorance - Most consumers do not realize the barbaric process involved in removing the fins.
4. Indifference - They do not care about marine conservation or the fate of the sharks.
Why restaurants still serve shark fin soup
In the Philippines, many big, multinational hotels like Shangri-La and Peninsula have stopped serving shark fin soup since 2011 because they understand the bigger picture.
Their business continued to be brisk without shark fin soup.
Others, unfortunately, are still serving them because of one or all of the reasons below:
1. Brand association - Dishes with shark fins are core products.
2. Marketing - Customers ordering them have money, which means they can cross sell other expensive items as well.
3. Fear of losing to competition - Some feel that if they stop, business will go to the competition.
4. Apathy - They have no idea about shark finning or do not care to know anything about it.
5. No social implication - They have not been pressured enough to stop.
6. Law of foolish fellowship - If others are serving it, why should they stop? They failed to look into the possibility that stopping and publicising their reason for doing so can reposition them as a caring restaurant and a leader in seafood sustainability.
Citizen action requests
Now that you have read up to this point, I have three requests.
1. Please share this information with others.
2. Stop consuming shark fin soup or shark fin dishes. When you are served shark fin soup during weddings, banquets or meals, do not consume it.
3. Write to restaurants serving shark fin soup to ask them to stop.
If there is no demand, then hopefully the cruel practice will stop. When restaurants know we are vigilant, they will likely stop serving shark fin soup.
Action requests
To restaurants - Please stop buying shark fins and phase out this dish. Do not wait for people to hold placards or boycott your restaurant before you remove this dish from your menu. Offer alternatives.
To party hosts - Please refrain from including dishes with shark fin in your banquet order.
To guests and consumers - Again, please stop ordering and consuming dishes with shark fin.
. Source - TheNation

2016 - Year of the Monkey

Chinese New Year....
Year of the Monkey (2016-02-08—2017-01-27)

 

 016 is year of the Red Monkey . The Chinese name of 2016 in the Chinese Horoscope calendar is . Chinese apply Five Elements (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth) into the Chinese calendar. is in the Fire group. The color of Fire is connected to Red. is the calendar character corresponding to Monkey. Therefore, 2016 is the Red Fire Monkey year.

 2016 is the 4713th Chinese Year. According to Chinese Horoscope calendar, the first day of Red Monkey is on February 4, 2016. This day is not the Chinese New Year Day. Most of Internet Chinese horoscope sites use Chinese New Year Day to determine the Chinese zodiac sign, which is wrong. Chinese New Year Day of Red Monkey Year is on February 8, 2016. This is the reason that some people confuse their Chinese zodiac signs.

The first day of the Chinese astrological year is the first day of the Tiger Month (Start of Spring). The Tiger Month begins around February 4, each year. If you were born before February 4, then you should check Your Chinese Zodiac Sign first before reading your 2016 Chinese zodiac forecast.

Monkey is the 9th animal in 12 zodiac signs. Monkey is after 8th  Sheep and before 10th  Chicken. Monkey is the animal in the first of Metal Cycle. Monkey, Chicken and Dog are in the cycle of Metal. Our Chinese horoscope prediction combines the theory of Five Elements, the relationships betweens animal signs and the image meaning of I-Ching hexagram.

The prediction for 2016 Year of Monkey is based on your birth year, the Chinese zodiac signs. We have different forecasting method for 2016 using your entire Chinese astrology birth chart, which is required your birthday and birth time. You can find the hyperlink in the end of the prediction.

According to Chinese Five Elements Horoscopes, Monkey contains Metal and Water. Metal is connected to gold. Water is connected to wisdom and danger. Therefore, we will deal with more financial events in the year of the Monkey. Monkey is a smart, naughty, wily and vigilant animal. If you want to have good return for your money investment, then you need to outsmart the Monkey.

Metal is also connected to the Wind. That implies the status of events will be changing very quickly. Think twice before you leap when making changes for your finance, career, business relationship and people relationship.

*****

IMF approves China's yuan as elite reserve currency

Chinese Yuan

The International Monetary Fund welcomed China's yuan into its elite reserve currency basket Monday, recognizing the ascendance of the Asian power in the global economy.

 The yuan, also known as the renminbi, will join the US dollar, euro, Japanese yen and British pound next year in the basket of currencies the IMF uses as an international reserve asset.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde called the decision "an important milestone in the integration of the Chinese economy into the global financial system."

"It is also a recognition of the progress that the Chinese authorities have made in the past years in reforming China’s monetary and financial systems," she added.

The decision by the IMF executive board solidifies China’s ambition to see the government-controlled yuan achieve global status as one of the world’s top currencies alongside the United States, Europe and Japan.

China, the world’s second-largest economy, asked last year for the yuan to be added to the Fund’s Special Drawing Rights basket.

But, while already meeting the SDR criteria for being widely used, as recently as August the Fund considered the currency too tightly controlled to qualify.

However, IMF staff experts in early November said that Beijing had taken the steps necessary for the yuan to be called "freely usable", opening the way for Monday’s decision.

 Lagarde said the yuan’s inclusion in the basket was expected to help China open up further to the world economy.

"The continuation and deepening of these efforts will bring about a more robust international monetary and financial system, which in turn will support the growth and stability of China and the global economy," she said.

The unexpected devaluation of the yuan last August received good marks from the IMF as it expanded the currency’s movements based on market forces.

In addition, Beijing announced last week that an initial group of foreign central banks has been allowed to enter the Chinese currency market, which likely will promote further internationalization of the yuan in global trading.

IMF members can use the Special Drawing Rights basket to obtain currencies to meet balance-of-payments needs. The Fund also issues its crisis loans -- crucial to struggling economies like Greece -- valued in SDRs.

The yuan’s entry into the basket takes effect on October 1, 2016.

- Chinese challenges -

======================

China’s central bank welcomed the decision.

"The joining of RMB in the SDR basket also means the international community has greater expectations on China to play an active role in the world economic and financial arena," it said in a statement carried by the official Xinhua news agency.

It puts the Bank of China under pressure to provide more transparency in line with its peers, such as the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank.

"If part of their policy is to gradually liberalize the capital account and the financial sector, this is setting in motion a process of opening up that cannot be reversed," Angel Udibe, a financial markets expert at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told AFP.

"It really make the case at home that they need to continue with the process of liberalization."

The composition and weightings of the SDRs basket are reviewed every five years. The last time the currencies in the basket were changed was in 2000, when the euro replaced the German deutsche mark and the French franc.

The value of the SDR is based on a weighted average of the currencies in the basket. With the inclusion of the yuan, the dollar’s weight in the new basket will be little changed from its current 41.7 percent. The euro will be 30.9 percent, the yuan 10.9 percent, the yen 8.3 percent, and the pound 8.1 percent.

The inclusion of the yuan came with the support of the United States, the IMF’s largest shareholder.

Until recently Washington accused China of keeping the yuan artificially low to gain a trade advantage. But in October the US Treasury Department softened its tone, saying that after Beijing’s moves to loosen controls, the yuan "remains below its appropriate medium-term valuation."

Still, the IMF decision risks angering some lawmakers in the US Congress amid fierce maneuvering for the 2016 presidential election.

"With this decision, the IMF is choosing to reward China’s currency manipulation instead of combating it," said Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat and longtime China critic.

"This decision is an affront to the millions of US workers who have lost their jobs at the hands of China’s rapacious trading practices, and sends a terrible signal to the rest of the world that currency manipulation is acceptable behavior in the eyes of the IMF."

Source: The Nation

*****

For the Best ‪#‎Hotels and ‪#‎Resorts
We help you with your ‪#‎Bookings 
BOOK NOW SIMPLE CLICK ON THIS LINK ON OR THE BANNER
ASIAN-BESTHOTELS   
EUROPEAN-BESTHOTELS   
VIP-BESTHOTELS 
HOLLAND-BESTHOTELS
PLANET-ASIAN   
GERRIT-TIENKAMP   
TRIPADVISOR

.

 

.