Five must-visit places in Komodo National Park

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Five must-visit places in Komodo National Park

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Komodo National Park in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. With a total size of 1,817 square kilometers, the place covers three major islands, namely Komodo, Padar and Rinca, in addition to numerous islets.

Established in 1980, the park was initially intended to conserve the endangered Komodo Dragon and its habitat. As its popularity increased, more tourists could be found visiting the site to explore its other attractions as well.

Here are the top five recommended destinations available at the national park according to kompas.com.
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 Loh Buaya

Loh Buaya is the main habitat of Komodo dragons in Rinca Island. It takes two-hour boat ride from Labuan Bajo to reach it.

While in Loh Buaya, tourists will be accompanied by a tour guide, allowing them to learn more about the giant lizards. Other recommended activities in Loh Buaya include trekking and chilling on the beach.

Pink Beach

Pink Beach is among the must-visit places in the Komodo National Park. Its unusual and striking color comes from a microscopic organism called Foraminifera, which produces a red pigment on the coral reefs. According to Wonderful Indonesia's website, this beach is the perfect place for snorkelers and beginner divers as its shallow water allows amateur sea explorers to catch a glimpse of the breathtaking underwater life.

Gili Laba

Gili Laba is a small island in Komodo National Park. Popular for trekking, the small hills allow adventure-seeker to enjoy breathtaking views of the national park. During the dry season, the green hills turn into a yellow savanna.

Kelor Island

A trip to the park is not complete without marveling at its marine life. Home to 206 types of corals and thousands of fishes, Kelor Island makes a suitable snorkeling destination.

Komodo Tourism Village

In Komodo Tourism Village, tourist will be able to witness a day in the life of Komodo natives. Home to 1,700 residents, the place also allows tourists to purchase some unique souvenirs, such as Komodo dragon wooden sculptures.
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Source - TheJakartaPost

Diner Alert: Nine Thai foods you should avoid in summer

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The Department of Disease Control has issued a list of nine Thai dishes that could potentially cause diarrhea during the summer.

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According to the Department, the number of diarrhea patients between Jan. 1 to Mar. 10 totaled 191,515. One patient reportedly died from complications resulting from the condition. The Department warned restaurants across Thailand to pay more attention to hygiene in the kitchen and warned diners to wash their hands before each meal.

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Below is the list of Thai foods that easily go bad in the hot weather, subsequently posing a risk to the health of diners.

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1. Larb/Koi or spicy Isaan meat salad: This dish is a combination of ground meat seasoned with fish sauce, limejuice, chili and herbs. Both dishes are similar except that Koi uses raw meat.

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2. Yum Goong Dten or “spicy shrimp salad”: This dish’s Thai name literally means “Dancing Shrimp Salad,” suggesting that live shrimp are main ingredient to the dish.

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3. Yum Hoy Krang or “spicy cockle salad”: Diners need to make sure that cockles are given a good rinse before eating them.

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4. Fried rice topped with crabmeat

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5. All coconut milk recipes: Phanaeng curry, Massaman curry, chicken green curry, coconut custard, Bualoy, Saku Biak, you name it.

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6. Kanom Jeen or “fermented Thai rice noodle”: Since Kanom Jeen is made from rice that has been fermented for three days, it can rot quickly.

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7. Khao Man Gai or “chicken rice”

8. Som Tam or “spicy green papaya salad”

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9. Green salad

The Department also warns diners of ice and suggests them not to eat food that has been left out overnight.

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Source - Coconuts 

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Thai soap angers family of Myanmar's last king

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The family of Myanmar's last king hit out on Sunday at a Thai soap opera inspired by the palace intrigue of their ancestors, accusing Thailand of double standards in how it treats another country's royals.

Soe Win, the great grandson of Myanmar's last monarch King Thibaw, told AFP his family were angered by "A Lady's Flame", a new hit prime-time soap that recounts a bloody dynastic power struggle.

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The show is set in a fictional kingdom but almost entirely mimics the final years of the Konbaung dynasty in the 19th century in the country formerly known as Burma.

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It portrays the scheming among a key queen and princesses who orchestrated the massacre of nearly a hundred people to ensure Thibaw had no rivals to the throne following his father's death in 1878.

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While the massacre is historical fact, Thibaw's scions are upset with their family's portrayal by a country that shields its own monarchy from any criticism

"We have asked Thais this, would they accept it if one of our companies here did the same thing about their country," Soe Win told AFP.

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"If no action is taken, we will ask for help from their (Thailand's) royalty," he added.

Neighbours Thailand and Myanmar were bitter rivals for centuries and fought a number of bloody wars.

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One of the most momentous battles saw Myanmar forces attack the city of Ayutthaya, second capital of the Siamese kingdom, and raze it to the ground in 1767, forcing the inhabitants to abandon the city.

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In Thai historical soaps and dramas the Burmese are often portrayed as having villainous or treacherous tendencies, something that has previously caused anger in Thailand's western neighbor.

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Soe Win said he was particularly incensed by scenes in "A Lady's Flame" in which royal family members slapped each other.

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"It's quite insulting, as if we are wild," he said.

For many Burmese the fall of its monarchy at the hands of the British just a few years after Thibaw took the throne was a deep psychological scar.

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He died in exile in India though there are plans to return his remains to his homeland.

His family are playing a much more visible role now that the military who suppressed them have given way to a civilian-led government.

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Source - TheNation

Bangkok - Suvarnabhumi International Airport has always given top priority to the safety of customers

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AOT to order stricter ground-handling after complaint

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  SUVARNABHUMI Airport has always given top priority to the safety of customers’ property and strictly monitored the luggage-sorting area and the baggage handling conveyor system in order to prevent thefts, it was confirmed on Friday. 

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Airport director Siroj Duangrat said at a press conference organised by Airports of Thailand (AOT) that more measures would be implemented follow a female passenger’s allegation that the lock of her luggage was cut open and the contents inside ransacked late last month. 

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The woman also claimed that her initial complaint was ignored by airline staff, so she had filed a police complaint at the Suvarnabhumi precinct. Her allegations circulated widely on Thai social media and drew public criticism.

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Siroj said the CCTV footage from the baggage handling conveyor system did not find anything usual and no one had touched the luggage in question. 

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As an airport service provider could not brush off responsibility, he said measures would be implemented to prevent such issues in future. 

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The airport held a meeting with two companies that won concessions to provide ground-handling services – Thai Airways International’s Ground Equipment Services and Worldwide Flight Services Bangkok Air Ground Handling Co Ltd – and told them to strictly supervise officials to ensure work was done in keeping with AOT standards, Siroj said.

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If a concessionaire could not offer services that met AOT’s standards and caused serious damage to its reputation, the AOT would cancel the concession contract, he said. In addition, the airport is considering establishing a subsidiary company to more effectively manage baggage handling and protection of passengers’ belongings, he added.
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Source - TheNation

Vietnam - Star director’s new gig: tourism ambassador

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King-sized: Kong: Skull Island, the mega-budget blockbuster is the biggest Hollywood project filmed in Việt Nam to date. — Photo courtesy of Legendary and Warner Bros.

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Viet Nam News 

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HÀ NỘI — Jordan Vogt-Roberts, director of the new Hollywood blockbuster Kong: Skull Island, was voted Việt Nam’s next tourism ambassador by a 13-member council under the Ministry of Culture and Sport.

The American director is expected to be officially appointed next Monday. In an earlier exchange, Vogt-Roberts said he was happy to represent the country and promote its image to the international art community.

“’Kong: Skull Island’ is a joint US$190 million production between two major film powerhouses: Legendary and Warner Bros. The movie is expected to be a smash hit at the box office, attracting millions of viewers worldwide. Serving as our next tourism ambassador, Jordan Vogt-Roberts will bring about great coverage and improve the image of Việt Nam globally,” the council said.

In numerous videos featuring the making of the US blockbuster, the director and the film cast did not hide their admiration for Việt Nam’s pristine scenery, landscapes and local hospitality.

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“I don’t think most of the world knows how gorgeous Việt Nam looks. You see shapes and landscapes that you didn’t know existed in ages. It’s beautiful,” said Vogt-Roberts in a Youtube video.

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“And you just fall in love with the culture, the people and everything about this country.  And the places there, they are just spectacular,” he said.

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2016 Oscar Best Actress winner Brie Larson plays war photojournalist Mason Weaver. She said that “Việt Nam in particular is very special because it has never been captured on film before in this way.”

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“Promoting the image of a country and its tourism potential through cinema is important. A successful movie can inspire audiences to travel to its filming locations,” said deputy head of General Department of Tourism Ngô Hoài Chung.

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“There was already a similar case in Việt Nam. After the success of Vietnamese box office hit Tôi thấy hoa vàng trên cỏ xanh (Yellow flowers on green grass), central province of Phú Yên, where the movie was filmed, has seen a surge in the number of visitors."

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Chung also said steps have already been taken to preserve Kong: Skull Island filming locations for future plans.
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Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Kong: Skull Island was shot in three provinces of Ninh Bình, Quảng Ninh and Quảng Bình. It is the biggest Hollywood movie ever to be filmed in Việt Nam.

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The movie premiered in Việt Nam on Thursday, a day before it hit international cinemas. — VNS

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Read more at

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Cambodia - BigPhone dials into local market

A man browses Facebook on his smartphone in Phnom Penh.

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 Mobile World Investment Corp (MWG) – one of the largest mobile phone and electronic products distribution chains in Vietnam – will open its first store in Cambodia, operating under the name BigPhone.com, according to Vietnamese state media.

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Construction on the first 150- to 200-square-metre store in Phnom Penh is nearly completed and the branch is expected to open this quarter, Vietnam News Agency reported on Wednesday.

The English-language news outlet quoted MWG director-general Tran Kinh Doanh as saying Cambodia was the first market for the company’s regional expansion, which will also see stores opened in Myanmar and Laos.

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“Cambodia was chosen to be the first country for the group to approach in Indochina,” he said.

Established in Ho Chi Minh City in 2014, MWG is a fast-growing retail chain for mobile phones and digital devices, including mobile phones, tablets and accessories. It operates a network of stores as well as an online channel.

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MWG (Cambodia) Co Ltd registered with Cambodia’s Ministry of Commerce last October. The company’s Vietnamese directors could not be reached for comment yesterday.

A study on cellphone and internet use in Cambodia published last year by the Asia Foundation revealed that the Kingdom’s market was already heavily saturated. Over 94 percent of Cambodians claimed to own their own phone handset, with nearly 40 percent of those surveyed claiming to have at least one smartphone.

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Bung Hor, CEO of T-Shop, a Phnom-Penh based electronics products distributor with eight branches, said yesterday that demand for mobile phones and accessories had grown significantly with deepening smartphone penetration. 

He said the rising demand had driven his company’s expansion, and he was confident there was still room in the market for new retailers of mobile phones and their accessories.

“There are more and more competitors while the demand is also higher,” he said.

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Source - PhnomPenhPost

Cambodia - The Monkey God’s last dance: Bidding a Lakhon Khol master farewell

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After the troupe of young boys had performed the Monkey Dance, and a group of Apsara dancers had left the stage, 67-year-old Royal University of Fine Arts professor Proeung Chhieng stepped up, shoulders hunched, to the microphone to address the several hundred mourners. Behind him, at the top of an elaborate funeral pyre set up in a field at the Secondary School of Fine Arts, was the body of his friend and teacher, Yit Sarin, who passed away at 91 on Saturday night. 

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“Today, at his funeral, I am so sad to lose someone so valuable for the country,” Chhieng told Post Weekend at the funeral on Monday. “However, I am also happy to see his students, for whom he devoted great effort in teaching, at his funeral … We are preparing to carry on his legacy and complete his unfinished mission.”

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Born on July 1, 1925, Sarin is renowned for being the first male dancer in Cambodia’s Royal Ballet and was the last surviving custodian of the knowledge, history and practice of the Khmer masked theatre dance known as Lakhon Khol. With his death, many fear an irreplaceable loss to the Kingdom’s cultural heritage. 

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Practitioners of the masked dance, relatives, and Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phuong Sakonga paid their respects at the funeral service, but the overwhelming majority of those present were students at the Secondary School of Fine Arts, where Yit Sarin’s cremation was held. 

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All recalled Yit Sarin as a uniquely powerful teacher, dedicated to preserving and passing on the knowledge of Lakhon Khol.

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“To be honest, we could not afford such a big funeral, but his students, who adore him, have put together the money to make it happen,” his 62-year-old daughter Kao Amry told Post Weekend. 

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“He was both a family man and a great artist,” said cousin Sith Sothea, 50.

Sothea’s orphaned father was raised by Yit Sarin during the post independence Sangkum period, she said, and after the Pol Pot regime, when Sothea and her brother were orphaned, Yit Sarin took them in as well. “He adored his family and relatives, as much as he adored Lakhon Khol.”

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His only surviving son, 19-year-old Sarin Vathanak, recalled the utter devotion his father had for passing on the knowledge of the art form, even at the end of his life.
“My father had taught Lakhon Khol all his life until he was bedridden in 2015,” he said, weak from emotion. “I am grief-stricken to lose my father, but also proud of him.”
Grandpa White
Born “Keo Sar”, Sarin changed his name during the Khmer Rouge regime, although he later became known simply as Lok Ta Sar (Grandpa White) – a nod to his signature role: the Hindu deity Hanuman, who is represented as a white monkey.
The dramatic pre-Angkorian dance form involves masked characters performing episodes of the Reamker – the Khmer version of the Hindu epic Ramayana – while a director, speaking and singing in three distinct “voices”, narrates the play over music.
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According to Professor Aok Bunthoeun, vice dean of the Faculty of Choreographic Arts at the Royal University of Fine Arts, the theatre was practiced in palaces and pagodas for centuries, but only by one gender. 

“In the Royal Palace, it was said that officials would be jealous if male dancers were next to female dancers, so the male dancers of Lakhon Khol were relegated to pagodas,” he said. 
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 But this all changed in 1940 when Queen Sisowath Kossamak called Yit Sarin and three other boys from the Wat Svay Andet pagoda in Kandal to perform the Monkey Dance for three days at the Royal Palace. Delighted with the performance, she put the four under the tutelage of Royal Ballet master Mam Yan. However, all but Yit Sarin grew homesick and left the palace. 
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From that “revolutionary” moment, Bunthoeun said, the Royal Ballet became the first Lakhon Khol troupe with both men and women on stage, although the roles of men would be limited to monkey characters and “the hermit” in the Reamker. 
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Beyond establishing himself as a master of the art, teaching subsequent generations of dancers, Yit Sarin served as King Norodom Sihanouk’s personal assistant (or his Moha Tlik) during his quest for independence, for which he received several Royal Honours.