#Vietnam - Southeast Asia's longest cross-sea bridge to open shortly

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The 5.4-km long bridge in Hai Phong to undergo tests on May 14. 

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 The Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Bridge, the longest cross-sea bridge in Southeast Asia, will undergo a test run to check loading capacity on May 14, according to a report from local media.
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The 5.4-km long bridge is part of the Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Highway project, which connects developing areas in the east of the northern port city of Hai Phong with Lach Huyen Port in the island district of Cat Hai and the Hanoi - Hai Phong Highway.
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A source from the management board was quoted by the Vietnam News Agency as saying that 99.8 per cent of the work has been completed on the bridge section built by Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co. and Vietnam’s Civil Engineering Construction Corporation No.4 (Cienco 4). 

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Once the bridge is operational, traveling from Hai Phong city to Cat Hai Island will take about five minutes, compared to hours on ferries.
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The Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Highway project has total investment of almost VND11.85 trillion ($525.3 million), the majority of which comes from Japanese official development assistance. Construction began in May 2014 and was scheduled to be completed this month.
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The project is expected to form a complete transport network facilitating transportation to Lach Huyen International Port, thereby attracting investment to Hai Phong. 

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Source - http://vneconomictimes.com/

#Thailand - Automated postal machines set up at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

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Thailand Post has introduced Automated Postal Machine (APM) service at Suvarnabhumi Airport to enable air travellers to dispatch by post any items prohibited from being carried on board. 

Thailand Post president Smorn Terdthumpiboon said on Friday that the introduction of the new service by Thailand Post would allow travellers to send items to addresses in Thailand and to other countries by post. 

She said the service would help air travellers barred by airlines from carrying with them any items or those who want to mail things in rush hour and do not want to wait in a long line at post offices.

The APMs have been installed at the airport's departure hall on the fourth floor before departure for international flights in the east zone and at the end of check-in counters row D, M, T, and B. The service is available all 24 hours.

Travellers can send items weighing up to 500 grams per package, select the delivery destination, and pay for the service at the machine. 

Users must enter their citizen ID number or passport number into the machine to identify themselves. 

However, prohibited items such as sharp items with or without protection, explosives, live animals, pressurised items, and inflammable items cannot be sent using this facility. 

The delivery fee to domestic destinations is a flat Bt50 per item. Fees for overseas destinations start at Bt400 per item for Asia and Bt450 per item to the Europe, Africa, Oceania and America zones.

Sourse - TheNation

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#Philippines - Duterte seeks drug-free Asean

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Unperturbed by global criticism of his brutal war on drugs, President Duterte on Thursday called for an “integrated, drug-free Asean community” as his Cabinet officials sought to ease fears that the crackdown on narcotics had made the Philippines a dangerous country.

Addressing the World Economic Forum on Asean here, Mr. Duterte, this year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), focused on how the regional bloc could achieve inclusive growth and economic integration.

As in most of his speeches, Mr. Duterte called attention to the “scourge of illegal drugs that threatens our youth and the future of our societies.”

Then he called for commitment to make Southeast Asia a drug-free region.

“We need to take a committed stand to dismantle and destroy the illegal drug trade apparatus,” he said, emphasizing the need to keep the youth away from drugs. “We must reaffirm our commitment to realize a drug-free Asean community.”

Earlier on Thursday, however, Mr. Duterte’s Cabinet officials found themselves answering questions from journalists about the killings of  thousands of people in his war on drugs and whether the crackdown had scared away foreign investments.

The forum came four days after 45 of the 47 member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) demanded an end to extrajudicial killings in Mr. Duterte’s war on drugs during a review of the Philippines’ human rights record in Geneva.

Many of the council members sought an international investigation of the killings.

The Cabinet officials who attended the briefing on Dutertenomics—or the administration’s Build, Build, Build program— were Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, Presidential  Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, incoming Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella and Bases Conversion and Development Authority president Vince Dizon.

War on drugs

After their brief presentation on how the Duterte administration planned to achieve a high middle-income status for the Philippines in the next six years, a German journalist asked them  how the war on drugs “might lead to lesser foreign direct investments.”

Frederic Spohr, a Thailand-based correspondent for the German newspaper Handelsblatt, said German businessmen were worried about the war on drugs and the rule of law in the Philippines.

Spohr later told the Inquirer that he had written a report  about how chambers of commerce in Germany cautioned businessmen about investing in the Philippines because of the perception of instability.

Repeating his remarks in the UNHRC review in Geneva on Monday, Cayetano gave assurance that “the protection of human rights is paramount” for the Philippine government and that “the campaign against drugs is a campaign to protect the human rights” of the Filipinos.

He accused the international media of not showing the full picture in their reports on Mr. Duterte’s war on drugs.

“They only show the rhetoric of the President when he is mad at certain criticisms against the Philippines,” Cayetano said. “They don’t show the statements where he says, ‘Police cannot abuse and that they are worse than criminality.’”

He said only close to 3,000 people had been killed in drug-related police operations and that the higher numbers reported by the media referred to “homicides.”

“For those of you who are hearing that there are 7,000 deaths in the Philippines, that’s not true,” he said.

Come to the Philippines

Cayetano invited the foreign journalists to visit the Philippines to see things for themselves.

Lopez claimed that the crackdown on narcotics had resulted in a sense of safety in Philippine communities.

He also claimed that business and consumer confidence had gone up.

Moderator Adrian Monck asked the Philippine officials about how Mr. Duterte had been “incredibly outspoken” and how such “rhetoric” had drawn support from some investors but also resulted in the “alienation” of others.

Cusi responded, but did not answer the question directly, instead saying that the Philippines was “a nation  in a hurry to improve the lives of Filipinos.”

Lopez said the Duterte administration was not focusing on drugs.

“That’s why we are having Dutertenomics,” he said. “Peace and order has to be the basic foundation.”

Pernia said Dutertenomics was about “building fast, on schedule and getting things done quickly because the President is impatient and so are the ministers.”

$160-B investment needed

The Philippine officials said an investment of $160 billion would enable the Philippines to achieve a high middle income status by the end of Mr. Duterte’s term.

They said the Philippines could eliminate poverty and become one of the 30 largest economies in the world “within a generation.”

The World Bank considers the Philippines a lower middle income country.

“We expect clarity on the part of the international community to banish misconceptions,” Pernia told the Inquirer later.

Asked how the briefing for investors went, he said, “Nothing is perfect and no briefing or examination is perfect.”

Source - TheNation

#Thailand - A land that time forgot

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Surin province in Thailand's lower northeast delights with its high mountains and Khmer ruins

“RICH in castles, aromatic rice and extremely beautiful culture” reads the blurb on the promotional literature describing the province of Surin, encouraging visitors to explore its seven wondrous attractions. 

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Located in the southern Isaan region, the area that now makes up Surin has a history of human settlement that stretches back more than 2,000 years. Straddling Cambodia’s Oddar Meancheay province to its south, it was once part of the Khmer Empire and has largely retained the Khmer culture. 

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It is also famous for its elephants and its people are recognised for their skills in capturing and taming the beasts. The provincial capital underscores that fame with the annual Elephant Round Up and both the festival and Ban Ta Klang Elephant Village draw in tens of thousands of tourists every year. 
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I start my trip by shopping in the Green Market where villagers, local farmers and artisans decorate their stalls with green fabric to show that their products are organic and contain no toxins. 

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Organised in the heart of Surin town since 2008, the market is open every Saturday and offers a wide selection of organic agricultural products and top-class OTOP handicrafts, ranging from riceberry, jasmine rice and vegetables to hand-woven silk, cotton and silverware. Visitors can try some local food and sweet treats, or check out the fresh seasonal ingredients like ant eggs, fresh fish, frogs and field crab.

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#Thailand - ‘Clear evidence’ against ‘Patt’ as second summons issued.

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THE NARCOTICS Suppression Bureau (NSB) has issued a second summons for actress Napapa “Patt” Tantrakul to hear charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The actress must turn herself in by Monday or investigators will seek an arrest warrant, a source at the NSB said on Thursday.

Investigators had evidence that the actress possessed money that her husband, motorbike racing star Akarakit “Benz Racing” Worarojcharoendet, received from a network led by alleged Lao drug kingpin Xaysana Keopimpa, the source said.

Akarakit allegedly received money from Natthapol Nakkham, a suspect connected to Xaysana’s alleged network who has already been arrested, and transferred about Bt1.9 million to Napapa.

Although most of the money was sent to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), the alleged crime had already been committed, prompting investigators to apply for an arrest warrant on Tuesday, the source said. However, a criminal court judge ruled that Napapa had a permanent address and was not a flight risk, so a summons for her to hear the charges was appropriate. The first summons called for her to surrender herself yesterday but she failed to do so, the source said, so investigators secured a second summons that would require her to show up by Monday or an arrest warrant would be issued.

Source - TheNation

#Myanmar (Burma) - No airport extension in Ngapali until trash is slashed

The tourism minister is very keen to “slash the trash” in Ngapali.

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 Minister for Hotels and Tourism U Ohn Maung told a multi-stakeholder workshop on sustainable tourism in Ngapali that as soon as he landed and saw the garbage by the roads he wanted to turn round and go home. He noted that this situation was caused by lack of bins and collection and littering by locals and visitors due to a lack of knowledge and discipline. This was harming both Ngapali’s and the country’s image.
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The workshop was co-hosted by Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business (MCRB) and Myanmar Responsible Tourism Institute (MRTI) from May 8 to May 9. The event was attended by the minister, regional government ministers, parliamentarians, Myanmar Hoteliers Association chair U Aung Myo Min Din, and approximately 80 local stakeholders and tourism professionals, ranging from hotel owners/ managers to local villagers, fishermen and environmental experts.
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“Your destiny is in your hands,” U Ohn Maung told the locals and hoteliers, adding that the Ngapali City Development Committee (NCDC) was working to clean up streams and waterways but greater effort was needed from businesses to arrange proper garbage disposal. Local people also needed to take part and that government departments should work together with them.
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He said that if the new arrangements were working well by next year, he would then take the steps to arrange for the airport to be expanded in order to encourage more tourism.
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Waste management has been identified by the minister as the key challenge to be addressed before Ngapali’s runway can be extended to bring in more visitors and revenue.

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 Workshop participants echoed the minister’s concern for environmental pollution and preservation. They voted on their top concerns for tourism in Ngapali, as they had done last year. Environment remained the top concern, and a growing one too, chosen by 35 percent of participants (up from 29pc in 2016). Lack of local participation in decision-making (16pc) took second place. Among environmental concerns, solid waste management remained the top, selected by 55pc of participants (up from 34.5pc last year), with sand mining in second place..
U Saw Lwin, NCDC chair, noted that last week the municipality had acquired a new 3-acre landfill site for all users as part of the measure to improve waste management..
U Ohn Maung noted that new landfill sites had been acquired, along with bins, and that Myanmar people needed to be taught not to litter, starting in schools..
Foreigners, he observed, put the trash in their pocket to dispose of it properly later. Locals throw it out of the window. He called on people who saw someone littering to challenge them to pick it up and dispose of it in a proper manner..
The minister expressed his hope to come back next year and find Ngapali trash-free..
Vicky Bowman, MCRB director, said that the Steering and Working Committees for Ngapali Beach Sustainability, which were set up by the Rakhine State regional government, will need to collaborate closely with local businesses and residents to achieve a trash-free Ngapali..
“The workshop participants made concrete personal commitments to reduce litter such as hotels cutting back on the use of plastic bags and water bottles, providing bins and education campaigns in schools, and the need for local bye-laws and enforcement,” she said..
“It was good to hear the minister clarify that the 10-metre height limit for buildings close to the beach remains in place, not only in Ngapali but in seven other beach destinations in Myanmar,” Achim Munz, resident representative of the HSF, said..
“We also were pleased to hear him reiterate that there would be a clampdown by the local authorities on sand mining on Ngapali’s beaches,” he added..
Combating sand mining, among other environment issues, was also discussed in the workshop, along with mangrove deforestation, guesthouse licensing, human resources development and destination management. The MRTI briefed stakeholders on their ongoing study of the risks of child sexual exploitation, which was conducted with support from UNICEF, and with the approval of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

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Source = MMTIMES

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#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.

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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.