Asean: Asia's Perfect 10

Komodo Dragon: the majestic lizard of ASEAN

2019-04-12T20:03:00.003+08:00

Imagine yourself wandering in tropical Savanna forest where two sturdy cacao-coloured animals were wrestling to blood for female's approval to mate. This picturesque scene is due to roll from May to August and the female will have a role to lay 30 eggs in the next 9 months. Komodo dragons are the given name to these reptiles residing in the largest lizard island on earth, Komodo.

Riding on the pink oceanic crust, Pulau Komodo (Indonesian) houses the population of 2,000+ and serves as a natural habitat for these dragons to play-fight. The history of this island is said to be discovered by Dutch voyagers in the early 1910s. The dragons were first noted as a creature that ‘breathes fire’ and the report went through Lieutenant Steyn van Hensbroek who took the animal for documentation. Research results came out in 1912. Three years later; laws follow to protect the animal’s significance to the island.

Indulging on carcasses of deers and snakes, Komodo dragons are measured to be 70 kg in size, possessed the ability to stretch itself out to 3.13 meters with the weight of 166 kg. Eating 80% of its own body weight, the great dragon haunts on stealth and power, lurches on its prey at the speed of 16 to 20 kph. The Komodos can distinguish colours through their retina but only under poor vision in low light. Slimy venom in the dragon’s tongue can poise its preys to their deathbed in the next several days. When threatened, the dragon can throw up the contents of its stomach to lessen its weight and flee for safety.

What’s even more fascinating about this resident of Komodo is its powerful gift to new antibiotics discovery. Antimicrobial peptides, infection defense protein, are built in the dragons letting them accomplish an immune wall to the bites of other terrestrial animals. These findings may be also curb everyday problems such acne and pneumonia. Next, we’ll take a look at how reproduction work for the dragons.

Sexing Komodo is a challenge as they themselves still have trouble identifying who is male and female. Female Komodo can reproduce through an asexual process called parthenogenesis meaning no males are participated. The normal mating call would involve in males using their tongue as sensory experience to female's receptivity. After the female is impregnated, Komodo dragons are ready to bond as parents and grow a monogamous relationship.

Komodo younglings spend 7-8 months in shell before breaking into the world through special baby egg-tooth. The dragons then become exhausted and take a rest for a long time to prepare themselves against a treacherous playground where cannibalism is likely to exist! The defense is that these offsprings will have to seek solace in adults or spend a certain pace of their lifetime to camouflage. Komodo reptiles are expected to roam earth for as long as 50 years.

In January 2020, Komodo island is closed to visitors to preserve the animals’ habitat. The announcement to shut down were made by the officials of East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia’s southernmost province after the news of nine men arrested for smuggling 40 komodo dragons under ‘$35,000/each.’.

Komodo dragons are as cool as dogs with their long tongue that can both scares you off or invite you for further observation.

By Chhem Sreynet

Source:

http://www.komodotravellers.com/blog/fighting-mating-egg-laying-and-hatching-season-for-komodo-dragons

https://www.sciencealert.com/the-blood-of-komodo-dragons-could-help-us-to-slay-antibiotic-resistance

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/komodo-island-is-closing-to-tourists-because-people-are-stealing-dragons/ar-BBVvpEJ

Phnom Penh readies for Barcamp ASEAN 2017

2017-10-05T21:47:00.000+08:00

The ICONIC BarCamp is back, better and stronger than ever before.

BarCamp ASEAN 2017 returns with visions to share and inspire people greater than any previous events we have ever hosted. The event will take place at ITC, A.K.A Institute of Technology in Cambodia, for 2 days, the 21st and 22th of October from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. And YES, ever when it is better, IT’S STILL FREE.

BarCamp ASEAN 2017 is not about camping, FYI, it is a community. It is a community that accumulates great talents from all over the country to share their new innovations, ideas, opinions, and so much more. In addition, the participants will have a chance to sit through discussions between big names from various industries and expertise on topics that concern social innovation, technology and entrepreneurship.

One may wonder ‘Why should I participate?’.

Participating in this event would serve you a lot of advantages. Not only can you get to share a lot of topics with people from different walk of life, but you also can be part of the conversation regarding building a better community through technology and social innovation.

One may ask ‘ What kinds of advantages?’

You will have to participate to find out. But let us give you one hint:

“Learning is not just a process from classroom alone, you learn from experiences throughout life, and Barcamp acts as a mediator for you to absorb the experiences from great personnels that have achieved a great deal of successes in their life.”

So what are you waiting for? Mark your calendar, Set a reminder, because we are coming back fiercer than ever. We are hoping to see you all on the 21st and 22nd of October, at Institute of Technology in Cambodia (ITC).

“ Come, Experience, and Be successful.”

This event would not come into practice without the help from our partners. We would like to express our deepest gratitude toward Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Institute of Technology in Cambodia, Smart, EZECOM, and many other partners that support and sponsor our event.

Registration link: https://barcampasean2017.eventbrite.com

Website: http://barcamp.asia

FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/barcamppp/

See you at BarCamp ASEAN 2017!!!!

ASEAN Sky Line

2014-12-09T12:18:00.000+08:00

We all know ASEAN is a growing region where economic development is undergoing and producing growth and prosperity. Out of all achievements, this time we will look at the sky line of ASEAN: the tallest building of each ASEAN nations. We share the same sky, therefore the same dream.

NOTE: There are new buildings under construction and on the verge of completion as we speak. This article is last update of December 2014. Should there be any changes in the status, we will promptly work on it. Also, some countries are very difficult to access information regarding what we are looking for. So some might have inconsistent information. Please feel free to comments.

1. Brunei- One of the richest land in the world, Brunei has attracted millions of tourists to witness its beautiful natural and human-made resort. Particularly, its highest building is approximately 122 meter longs and gorgeously standing in Bandar Seri Begawan. Having built in 1990 and owned by the Ministry Finance, it was called The Ministry of Finance Building and Complex.

Ministry of Finance Brunei

2. Cambodia- Having been acknowledged as one of the oldest civilization country among Asia, Cambodia is an empire full of culture and belief. In 1992, Angkor Wat Temple, the most targeted place for most tourists, has been listed in World Cultural Heritage List. It brings such a pride and happiness to all Cambodian people. Nonetheless, recently there is a huge skyscraper emerges in the heart of Phnom Penh, called Vattanac Capital which owned by Vattanac Properties Limited. Its height is about 188 meters (617 ft) which will be used for Residence, Commercial, Office Rental, and Banking.

Vattanac Capital

3. Indonesia- A country which made up of more than 17,500 islands, Indonesia has won its fame as a heaven of sea creatures. But marine life is not the only thing Indonesia shall be remembered about. Wisma 46, the 250 meters long PT Swadharma Primautama building which was built in 1996 in Jakarta, is a great addition to the growing sky line of ASEAN. You may note that this building appears in the 2004 video game Need for Speed: Underground 2, located in Bayview City Centre.

Wisma 46

4. Laos- Lao, which is famed for their beautiful landscape, installed a towering figure on the bank of the Mekong River. Erected since 2004, Don Chan Palace has been recognized as the top place which bringing harmony to any visitors.

Don Chan Palace

5. Malaysia- Little is needed to add for this amazing masterpiece. The Petronas Tower which is located in Kuala Lumpur city, is listed as the the top Commercial building which is the busiest and highest one among all. Its 451.9 meters height just simply amuse everyone.

Petronas Twin Tower

6. Myanmar- Myanmar also known as Burma is a country full of Pagodas and Temples. One might think that most of its well-known place are pagodas. However if we take a deeper look at each piece of its architecture, we will surprise of its masterpieces and unique. We would never get sick of visit every of its pagodas I promise. Because they were designed in deference and apparently gorgeous. Like many other countries, Myanmar does have its notable and the highest tower in town, it was called Diamond Inya Palace. It is a kind of residential condominium which will be finished in the following year 2015. With its 127 meters, this building owned by Mandalay Golden Wing Construction Ltd in Yangon.

Diamond Inya Palace

7. The Philippines – The Philippines, a home of a diverse range of birds, plants, animals and sea creatures has earned so much attention from other people. It is a must stop-by place for whom enjoy travelling in the natural land. Whereas talking about a human-made attractive place there, PBCom Tower, a 259 meters long with antenna has been listed as the tallest building among many other stylist building in Manila even it was erected since 2010.

PBCom Tower

8. Singapore – The smallest and the most modern one in ASIA, Singapore has been earning respect and admiring from various countries even from the West. In such a short period of time, it has developed itself to become one of strongest countries in trade and economic. Due to its limited space, you would barely see a small building besides a resident one. But, what is more special about Singapore is that currently there are 3 buildings considered the highest one. They are: Republic Plaza (completed 1995), One Raffle Place - Tower Two (1986) and United Overseas Bank (UOB) Plaza One (1986), all are 280 meters long.

One Raffle Place

Republic Plaza

UOB Plaza One

9. Thailand – Thailand, with Its countless and wonderful natural resorts, its extraordinary services just make every tourists cannot help but note it as a relaxing place for summer vocation or after retirement. Moreover, its usage of technology is just more than expected. They have so many skyscrapers, modern way of transportation and many other means. Ever since 1997, its tallest tower has been built as Baiyoke Tower II within 304 meters in Bangkok.

Baiyoke Tower II

10. Vietnam – Being known through its delicious snacks and foods, Vietnam rarely fail to fulfill its visitor desire. Sometime you don’t need to go to a market by just standing in front of your hotel or walking in the street, you would see tremendous kinds of snacks is being sold in everywhere. However, besides food, there are many things which adored by tourists. In 2011, the highest tower “Landmark 72” which is owned by Keangnam Enterprise, has charmed so many people by its great service in Hotel, office, serviced residences, retail and observatory in Hanoi.

Landmark 72 Tower

Article by: Dara Ratanakraksmey
Prepared by: Chhaly Samsokrith

THE ORIGIN OF KHMER NEW YEAR

2014-04-21T11:06:00.002+08:00

It’s APRIL.

What, why? What’s special about April, you ask me.

Of course, April is the month where new year starts.

Wait, wait. Why April? Couldn’t it be logical for new year to fall on January which is the first month of the year?

Yes, this is perfectly logical. However this is the Gregorian calendar we are using. It’s pretty popular wide world I say, with many countries adopting it.

You see, before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, most countries had their own calendar system in which their new years are based on.

You may be surprise to learn that there are so many countries with their New Year falling on February, March, April, June and November.

Back to April. This is a definitely happy time of the month for Cambodian, Thai, Laotian people where the old crankies….I mean, the well-respected elderly people, go to the temple to make merits. Young horny guys go to the temple to flirt with women shamelessly. Young brats go to the temples to frolick and dance around. I hope I am painting a happy picture because it is.

From my knowledge or what’s left of it, New Year celebration in Cambodia, Thailand & Laos generally last for three days. There’s different version of the New Year based on those three countries.

I cannot speak for Thailand and Laos because I might unwittingly insult the readers from these countries.

To Cambodian readers, please don’t stone me if I do make some error.

The first day is known as “Moha Songkran មហាសង្រ្កាន្ត” , the second day as “Virak Vannabat

វិរ:វ័នបត” and the last day as “Virak Lerng Sak វិរៈឡើងស័ក”.

Usually on the first day, most people prepare their offerings to welcome the new angel to their house (usually the day before) and visit their local temple to make merits.

The following day, people are encouraged to donate and help the poor and unfortunate people. I think that’s a very good idea, credit to whoever came up with that. We need more of that as nowadays, no one really cares for the unfortunate downtrodden people.

Anyway, the last day consist of cleaning the elders and Buddha statues with water, in a sense to drive away the bad vibe and bring happiness in.

During the three days, people will be drunk senselessly, kids playing games that look suspiciously like gambling, and elderly people fervently trying to make more merits for their next life.

Every year, we have a pretty angel who arrives on the first day. This angel will bless us wretched people to ensure we don’t accidentally die or something. Oh and she gets to stay to babysit us for the whole year until the next new year then she can go back home with another angel taking her place. Pretty tough thankless job so I think we owe them angels with a big celebration.

How did it started? Well no one knows. So our ancient forebears made it up and labelled it as a folk tale.

It all began with a smart arse boy in ancient times. And so our epic tale began….

This boy who goes by the name of Thammabal, was damn smart. Smart to the point he can understand what birds are chittering about. I suspect birds were talking shit about people the whole time and plotting when to shit on unsuspecting ones….those cheeky feathered bastards.

He attracted young and mature ladies alike with his intelligence. Suffice to say, he was pretty popular.

Unfortunately for the young lad, someone’s jealous to the point that he couldn’t take it anymore. I guess Kabel Moha Prom didn’t get adoration or attention of any sort, the poor bloke. He’s the king of the gods, so who can blame him, used to being lavished with admirations of young virgins.

Filled with petty anger, Kabel Moha Prom descended down from the heavens to challenge Thammabal to a riddle. A riddle with deadly consequence not for the God King, but for the mortal Thammabal if he lost. A bit tad unfair if you asked me.

The loser will be decapitated and the winner, well you know, his head is still attached to his shoulders.

The riddle goes like this – “What is happiness in the morning, midday and night?”

The timeframe agreed upon was a week, or seven days.

So the poor young sod spent six days being scared in a forest of nowhere, possibly deeply regretting the bad choice he made in hindsight.

The vultures were chatting about Thammabal, unwittingly not knowing that Thammabal can understand the language of birds.

Said one hungry male vulture to a female vulture that they are going to feast upon Thammabal’s dead corpse for tomorrow’s course because the unfortunate bastard couldn’t find an answer..

I guess they observed him wandering around the forest for six days and couldn’t really disagree on that.

The female vulture curiously asked the male vulture about the answer to the riddle.

The answer was pretty simple yet unexpected. Happiness shined on the face after washing it in the morning. Happiness is felt by the body after being washed during the hot sweating midday. Before going to bed at night, feet/legs are washed to feel happiness.

So on the last day, Thammabal returned to Kabal Maha Prom, heavily betting his life that the answer was correct.

Turn outs to be correct.

So luckily for Thammabal, the God King is a man of his word despite jealousy and promptly decapitated his own head off. I guess in those olden days, bets are pretty tough.

However there’s one tiny thing being overlooked. You see, Kabal Maha Prom was pretty much responsible for orchestrating rituals for every new year, bestowing prosperity, happiness and good luck upon the population. Being bodyless, I can imagine it’s pretty tough for the God King to go around doing that.

So he had his extremely beautiful seven daughters to take turns in carrying his head on a golden tray called Jerng Pean around Mount Sumeru, the home of the Gods, every time a new year arrived. If it wasn’t for the golden tray and his daughters, his head alone can demolish the world in flames if dropped from the heavens to the earth.

Each daughter are assigned to a particular day on which she has to descend down from the heavens to the earth to fly around Mount Sumeru while holding Jerng Pean with her father’s head, doing her father’s blessing duties before going back.

Starting Sunday ending in Saturday, the seven daughters went by the names of Tungsar Tevi, Koreak Tevi, Reak'sa Tevi, Mon'Tea Tevi, Keriney Tevi, Ke'mirea Tevi and Mohor'ta'rea Tevi respectively.

They are a picky bunch of eaters with strange eating habits. Like us human beings, I admit.

Why is that important to know about their eating habits? Well, we can appease her while preparing our offerings in order to receive her blessings upon her arrival on Moha Songkran, so it pays to know her likes so we don’t end up being cursed.

Tungsar Thep (ទុង្សទេវី) likes eating fig fruit, rides on a badass man-eating bird called Garuda and carries disc of power and seashell.

As for Koreak Tevi (គោរាគទេវី), she drinks oil, rides on a ferocious tiger while carrying a sword and a cane.

Reak'sa Tevi (រាគ្យសាទេវី) craves blood, rides a horse and carries trident and a bow.

Mon'Tea Tevi (មណ្ឌាទេវី) looks like a mild gentle sort as she likes a nice cup of milk while riding a donkey with a needle and cane in her hands. I don’t know what’s up with canes but let’s continue.

Keriney Tevi (កិរិណីទេវី)likes nibbling on sesame seeds and beans. She rides an almighty elephant while holding a harpoon and a…what? A gun? Do they have guns in ancient times? Man, these angels are a bunch of badass sort we wouldn’t want to mess with.

Ke'mirea Tevi (កិមិរាទេវី) prefers bananas. She sit on the back of a water buffalo, singing with her instrument called Mandolin and a sword at bay. There must be endless supply of beasts and bandits to deal with in ancient times, I reckon.

And so we have come to the last angel, being Mohor'ta'rea Tevi (មហោទរាទេវី). She dines on deer meat. Grilled, baked, steamed, I’m not sure. She comes in an elegant style, riding a big peacock with a disc of power and trident.

Here’s a family photo of those beautiful ladies.

Summing it up, it depends on the date of the first day that one of the seven daughters will be chosen.

Thus conclude the tale of the New Year’s origin….so when the new year comes, you can be sure to surprise the hell out of your Cambodian friends by telling them the name of the exact angel based on the date of Moha Songkran.

By a Cambodian reader

P.S: This article will be updated soon in order to accommodate all related cultures such as Thai and Laotian version. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Congratulation Jonathan Allen Yabut for winning the first ever Apprentice Asia

2013-08-01T11:43:00.000+08:00

(Photo courtesy of axn-asia.com)

"Inspiration sparks hope, hope sparks action and actions sparks change."

Jonathan "Jon" Allen Yabut, a senior product manager of a pharmaceutical company in the Philippines, was hired by Tony Fernandes, a renown Malaysian entrepreneur and the "Boss" of The Apprentice Asia TV show, in its first season ever. Having competed with other 11 contestants from across Asia, Jon was acclaimed for his leadership and management skills, most importantly his ability to bring the best our of other people, which have the greatest appeal to the Boss's taste. The 27-year-old Pinoy will receive a work at one of Fernandes's firm with a 6-figure salary in one-year contract.

The Apprentice Asia is the Asian version of famous TV reality show "The Apprentice" hosted by Donald Trump. In Asian version, the Boss is played by Tony Fernandes, founder of AirAsia and owner of English football club Queen Park Ranger Football Club. The show comprises of 12 contestants from Asian countries and aired 11 episodes on AXN-Asia.

Congratulation to Jon, to Philippine, and to ASEAN.

Aseanclan Blog manager

Chhaly Samsokrith

1200-year-old lost city of Mahendraparvata discovered in Cambodia

2013-06-17T17:03:00.000+08:00

An ancient city, dated 350 years before the famed Angkor Wat, has been discovered by a group of archaeologist from University of Sydney led by a French-born archaeologist.

All thanks to the airborne Lidar technology which use light detection and ranging data, 7 days of hard work result in a fashionable and extraordinary discovery. Damien Evans, who has been instrumental in this discovery, says that it's not yet known how large Mahendraparvata was because the Lidar search covered only a small, circumscribed area.

"Maybe what we are seeing was not the central part of the city, so there is a lot of work to be done to discover the extent of this civilization," he told The Age.

After studying the ancient scriptures from a great warrior, Jayavarman II, Jean-Baptiste Chevance, director of the Archaeology and Development Foundation in London who led the expedition, not that there is an existence of a mountain capital, “but we didn’t know how all the dots fitted, exactly how it all came together”.

At this moment, not many information or data related to this newly-discovered ancient city has been revealed, therefore we must resort to patience for further studied results.

Should there be any updates, we will work on bringing it in

WWF-Philippines’ New Mobile Game to Raise Funds for a Cause

2013-03-03T00:50:00.001+08:00

Words by Ethel Merioles

Remember the Tubbataha Reef incident that happened last month? Just a little background on the World Heritage site located in the Sulu Sea, over 1000 animal species inhabit in the reef, including hawksbill sea turtles, giant trevally (jacks), hammerhead sharks, barracudas, manta rays, palm-sized Moorish idols, napoleon wrasse, parrotfish, and moray eels. Whale sharks and tiger sharks have reportedly been seen in the large coral sanctuary, as well.

The Tubbataha Reef is just one of six marine priority conservation areas that WWF-Philippines are helping, and this time, in an effort to raise funds for a cause, the independent conservation organization released a cool mobile game in February this year.

As part of WWF-Philippines’ fund raising campaign to save marine animals from pollutants and unsustainable fishing practices, a Filipino app development company known as AppLabs Digital Studios designed and developed a time-pressure puzzle game. The game is primarily meant to provide hours of entertainment to any user and at the same time donate to WWF-Philippines’ marine conservation programs. A dollar can go a long way, especially if it means saving the rich marine biodiversity of the Philippines, including, of course, the world-renowned Tubbataha Reef.

The app, dubbed EnviroPop, is currently available for download at the Apple App Store, and will reach the Android market very soon. Sales from the app will go straight to WWF-Philippines’marine conservation programs to help conserve our biodiversity and mitigate the impact of human footprint on our environment. With this app, people will learn more about our environment and essentially save the Philippine seas!

Interested iOS users may try the app for free (Download link: http://goo.gl/kwUKU) or purchase the full version for $0.99 (http://goo.gl/Qec9I). The Android version is scheduled to be released early this year.

Vietnamese Traditional Craft Village

2013-02-21T16:05:00.000+08:00

partially By Doraemon Tran

For a long time, craft villages have been an important element of Vietnamese culture and economy. The existence of these villages could date back thousands of years, as archeologists have unearthed a 3500-year-old large bronze making center in Vĩnh Phúc province of Vietnam (a little west of Hanoi), evidence of a town specialized in bronze crafting, as well as indication of a complex society with stratification and craft specialization. Into the Han period, craft villages have been well-established in Northern Vietnam with a catalogue of numerous products well desired from India to China.

Craft villages continued to exist in Vietnam throughout the feudal time and well into the modern time, particularly highly concentrated in areas with bustling commercial activities like the capital Hanoi. Visiting Hanoi today, you'll hear the phrase "36 streets of Hanoi". Hanoi today has over hundreds streets, but the 36 "streets" here, or should be more correctly translated as "36 towns" imo, were the 36 areas of the old Hanoi, each of with specialized in a craft product.

How did craft villages form in Vietnam? I'll leave this question to more thorough research, but from what I know, even until this day, most villages in Vietnam, especially the Northern part, have something that they call the "traditional occupation" of the village. This occupation could be making silk fans, lanterns, ceramics, conical hats, wood printing etc.

A sad reality is that these villages are dying, and along with them are the beautiful traditional handicrafts of Vietnam.

This is caused by an array of factors, many of which are unavoidable results of development, industrialization, and open market economy. Mass production made possible by assembly lines and machineries have driven down the price of industrial products (many of which are imported from other countries), making it hard for handcrafted products to compete. Artisans receive less and less profit until they cannot maintain a living by their occupation anymore. Not many young people are willing to continue the traditional occupation of their family when they can make more money following other paths.

Preserving traditional villages has been a concern of many Vietnamese, for it's an important cultural element of Vietnam. Many craft villages, like Bat Trang ceramic village, have existed for many many centuries and have produced high-quality arts and crafts throughout their history and it would be a pity to see them die. Artisans in some villages have tried to change their production methods to cope with the changing market and environment. In the past years, the government have made effort to encourage revival of many craft villages to attract tourists. But the task is harder done than said.

Bát Tràng village, one of the four famous ancient ceramic villages of Vietnam, and the only one that still thrives today.

Established in the Tran dynasty, the village has become so famous that if you read Vietnamese history, hear folk songs or come across countryside proverbs, you cannot fail to meet with this name. Vases of the finest quality or delightful plates for home decor have brightened the homes of the aristocracy, rice bowls have held the food of farmers, and in more recent times, electricity has been transported across the country thanks to ceramic insulators produced in Bat Trang. In the area of arts and antics, Bat Trang ceramics are famous in various places in the world and are displayed in the museums of many countries including Japan, the Philippines, France, Belgium and Turkey.

According to Vietnamese annals, migrant potters from Thanh Hoa province established Bat Trang village in the middle of the 14th century. Situated on the banks of the Red River, close to the capital. Bat Trang had very favorable geographic conditions to develop its craft. The region was also gifted with kaolin reserves that are an essential material for ceramic production. Consequently, Bat Trang ceramics quickly became prosperous. In the 15th century, its finest production was selected to be offered as tribute to the Chinese Minh. The village further prospered throughout the 16th century, producing high-grade ceramic articles for the noble class as well as for the people. From then onward, Bat Trang went through many ups and downs in the following centuries, but its kilns kept burning mid ceramics were still exported to Japan, East and Southeast Asian countries. Today, after orienting its production toward artistic items, Bat Trang ceramics have kept a strong foothold in international markets such as Taiwan, South Korea Japan, German, Denmark, Belgium, France, Holland, Australia and America.

Situated 15 kilometers away from Hanoi. Bat Trang actually covers the two hamlets of Bat Trang and Cao Giang, for a total area of 164 hectares. It currently has a population of 6,500 including some 1,300 ceramics production households Hat operate more than 2,000 kilns. More than 30 companies are also producing and trading ceramics in Bat Trang and the village is buzzing with activities. In 2002, the total revenue from ceramics production and trading almost reached VND500 billions, of which domestic consumption amounted for VND200 billions and export for VND300 billion. Major items for export are utilitarian articles mid art ceramics.

Some products of Bát Tràng village today

But be very careful when you enter the market in Bát Tràng today. I'm serious. Many of the products sold there are fake, not authentic Bát Tràng handcrafts but industrial stuff. Of course they will tell you it's Bát Tràng products, but they're lying. You just have to check carefully.

Some Lê dynasty pieces unearthed (15th century)

Sơn Đồng village (Hanoi)

This village has hundreds years history of making wood sculptures

Located next to 32 road, the center of the capital about 15km, Son Dong commune, Hoai Duc, Hanoi is known for its famous wood products, fine art and carved lacquer. Here, people could hear the sound of carve and cut around the village.

So far, the class descendants of wood Son Dong village no longer remember the origin of the craft, only that the product of villages have been identified from hundreds of years. A hundred years, the village of Dong Son not only talented in the paint, carve, create the Buddha statues thousand arms, thousand eyes, the Thien (Good) statue, the Ac(Evil) statue, the Arhat statues, eight pole palanquin.. known throughout the country, but from the ancient times, the Son Dong know each other always prompt professional respect given to their ancestors: painting, pagoda sculpture - has created a job for Son Dong village know how artists have talented hands, the King Khai Dinh's prizes, French were awarded the artist.

From the land of King Hung to the The best cave in the North of Vietnam - Huong pagoda, anywhere in the country, we also see the worship statue by the Son Dong craftsman. A very special with village workers in the wood that even though there is no sign on the statue but the Son Dong people can easily recognize the product were done by your village people manipulate. They look so proud that you have a good job to be crystallized in the hands home workers that others village want to learn are also difficult to follow and also "in heart" to hold round of prestige for the ancestor profession .

The pilgrim as well as respect for this quality of "uniqueness" of products that the Son Dong village that want visited the wood village... What is the trick that makes the product of Son Dong village is love, create credibility with customers, while the country has so many professionals as well as villages such as Dong Son worshiping? The question of who is doing missionary work, keep industry of the village explained very rustic and simple: "Many generations now, the only wood carving village always thought, one thing is to know, to understand the sentence : “ know every thing is to know nothing”.

The consideration of Son Dong village artisans for products of their village is also manifested in behavior, communicating daily trading. Everyone in this land, from the elderly men in village to the baby 2 to 3 years, future generations of wood village, also called wood products very successful arranged clear order of precedence, while shipments to customers have a red cloth covering statues. Generations remain loyal to the natural paint materials used to the painting statues, which must be manually processing workers in the village are confident ... The small jobs that full respect implies that become thought in the each villager wood. For the respect that many people far away to visit the village and respect for feelings, special favor with Dong Son people, who make these products are everywhere aspire for worship. Hundred years old definition remains...

Buddha goods can only carved jack wooden, because the concept, which is wood "sacred" - very appropriate for making worshiping things. Moreover, jackfruit wood characteristics flexible, soft, durable, less cracking, easy to trim. Wood transport that removed rubbish wood, only use core to carve. Single measurement instrument in the hands of the workers are gauge wire and a "Tam rule ". Head and face of statue was always processed first. Carve outline the cap (if any) and the forehead, nose, lips, ears, etc. ... Ear of Buddha large and flowing, to the set a reasonable balance in the distance from the hairline (the 2 side of head) to chin, maybe ear touched the shoulder.

Gilded painting technique is also wonderful as the art of lacquer. After each stage must be grinding statue by the stone and water. Paint then grind away, then paint on ..., so never saw the flat surface and stretch then use a paint layer (called Cam Thep paint) cover. For Cam Thep paint be almost dry (touch by hand feel sticky) then silver paste or gold paste (silver, gold depending on customers). Therefore, each statue by artist Dong Son remake brings a different look. These parallel sentences, horizontal board that horse, large crane, all shone bright yellow, purple, pink in the sun soon. Every product here is both harmony, has portrayed its own dynamic characteristics, requires financial resources both human mind here.

La Xuyên village (Wood carving village in Nam Định)

La Xuyen Village at 70 km from Hanoi, is famous for wood carving from ancient. It has a rich history of thousands of years with dozens of skilled workers who participated in building palaces, temples for feudal dynasties. Ninh Huu Hung, the first founder in setting up hamlet, imparting to local native, was the famous craftsman in both of Dinh – Le dynasty using at an important function.

Traditional carpentry in La Xuyen which the pinnacle is the carving art almost reached perfectly. These local carpenters had been not only in Eastern but also in Western country to make a lot of villages’ beauty. Their huge productions are the architectural works with widen spaces and heighten the height of antique dome. Plentiful and common productions such as incense-table, hammock, sindora wood bed, tea chest… all showed high level technique.

Till now, a part of traditional craft village has remained in communal house. The talented carpenters contributed their minds, skilled hands into a huge architectural works. These artisans really infused a vital spirit into the carving and relief works throughout the time.

Nowadays, La Xuyen is just a small village of Yen Ninh commune, Y Yen district, but this craft village is still alive throughout the time and become more and more famous. With the tradition of a long-standing craft village, La Xuyen has been contributing to bring fame to motherland.

Note: Pictures are directly distracted from the original source. We are not credited for taking these pictures.

Source:

Bat Trang village
http://battrangco.com/index.php/mod,...-village.html/

Son Dong village
http://visithanoi.blogspot.com/2011/...about+Hanoi%29

La Xuyen vllage
http://www.hrpc.com.vn/index.php?opt...ders&Itemid=36

Asia's Perfect 10 2013 Notes

2013-02-19T16:20:00.000+08:00

Dear all fans

I am Samsokrith, the current lead contributor of this blog. It has been a long time since I post a new article, and I am feeling gradually compelling to do so. However, it is always my aim to bring you rich content through intensive research. Therefore, though it might seems we are in a rush, but we will maintain our values and will only post a worthwhile article.

On the other note, as for 2013, the blog has set a goal to publish at least 12 articles. I hope that this goal will inspire our blog to invest more time in bridging our ASEAN community closer with our articles. We will try to bring new knowledge and ideas of ASEAN to this blog so that our reader can experience "something more" and feel the love.

Last of all, I would like to apologize for the slow growing of this blog for the past few years. As a matter of fact, I become the solo-runner of this blog and it takes serious timing to write an article for this blog. So to improve the current condition, I will try to seek other authors to help contributing to this blog.

I thank you for your time here and wish you all good luck

With friendship, true love and brotherhood

Chhaly Samsokrith
Lead Contributor of Asia's Perfect 10 Blog

King Father Norodom Sihanouk passed away

2012-10-16T23:27:00.000+08:00

Article from Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012101559281/Online-Edition/king-father-norodom-sihanouk-passed-away.html

King Father Norodom Sihanouk passed away today in Beijing at the age of 89, 59 years after he declared Cambodia's independence from France.

Sihanouk was a greatly charismatic leader revered as something of a God King during the height of his power in the 1950s and 60s. He served both as King and then Prime Minister after taking the daring step of abdicating from the throne to enter politics.

In 1970, he was ousted as Prime Minister in a bloodless coup d'etat led by the right-wing general Lon Nol and watched from exile in China as Cambodia slid further into the turmoil of the Vietnam War that preceded the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime.

The prince returned to his country after it fell in 1975 to the ultra-maoist Khmer Rouge regime responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.8 million Cambodians, torture, rape, forced labour camps, starvation and the decimation of the country's economy and was placed under house arrest. Several of his children and grandchildren were killed by the regime.

As Cambodia began to recover after the Vietnamese-backed guerrillas liberated the country from the Khmer Rouge in 1979, Sihanouk once again entered into the political fray but was unable to negotiate his way back to the ruler, finally abdicating the throne in 2004 to his son, Norodom Sihamoni.

In recent years the retired King repeatedly travelled to Beijing to receive medical treatment for a number of ailments including diabetes and cancer. In a hospital there, he finally succumbed to a heart attack on today at 1.20 am, Phnom Penh time, Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan confirmed.

More on Phnom Penh Post

Blogfest's Asia 2012: Angkor Siem Reap

2012-10-09T17:26:00.000+08:00

Blogfest.asia is a festival for bloggers in Asia.

This is the region’s 3rd cross-border gathering for blogger community. Everyone is welcome to join the festival and meet hundreds of bloggers from the neighborhood community. Participants will be able to learn blogger / blogging activities in respective countries / territories, and interact with key bloggers in Asia.

The 4-day Blogfest.Asia ’12 provides a unique opportunity to address “Change & Responsibility”, in Asia perspective. The event program at-a-glance will consist of:
+One day heritage tour to gear up for blog competition
+One full-day conference
+Two evening gathering / parties exclusively for participating bloggers
Clogger Club
+Educational workshops for NGOs in Asia

Blogfest.asia will support and work closely with associated blogger community and events in the region. It will also serve as an idea hub, community exchange point, and action camp for bloggers in Asia to make technological and social impact for the benefit of the region.

More info: http://2012.blogfest.asia

Joining Asean Clan

2012-06-11T21:24:00.001+08:00

Hello everyone, let me make a short announcement here. I would like to open for anyone who wish to have their article published on our blog. The article must be ASEAN related, free of any political purpose or potentially causing transnational conflict specially countries of ASEAN. The topic can varies from culture to society, people to place, or food to objects. You can check out some of our articles before making the decision. And please NOTE that all articles must be written by you, does not offend any copyrights infringement (you can write from various sources but avoid plagiarism and correctly cited).

If interested, please submit your article to samsokrith@gmail.com

More Dead Than Alive

2012-05-11T10:54:00.000+08:00

Dear all First of all, this post is non-ASEAN related. However, since this is a global issue, I decided to post it. Thanks to Jen Rhee for submitting this one to me. Please feel free to add some comments or info

Created by: MedicalTranscription.net

Alodia: Queen of Cosplay

2012-04-26T19:15:00.000+08:00

By Chhaly Samsokrith

In the modern world of entertainment, and in the country of anime and video game enthusiastic lives a princess who contributes highly to the art of cosplay. Filipino's Alodia Gosiengfiao has found herself in this area of attention since 2003 when she was awarded 3rd place in an event known as C3 Convention [1]. Her fame rose gradually since and she has been featuring in magazines, events, and books.

Here is the list of her awards:

2003 Culture Crash Comics Convention Magic Gunner Rikku of Final Fantasy X-2 3rd Place and People’s Choice

2004 Ragnarok Online World Championships Isis of Ragnarok Online Alberta Craftsmanship Award

2004 3rd Philippine Toys and Hobbies Collection Convention Chii of Chobits 3rd Place

2005 Anime Explosion Creature Pink of Gunbound Online 1st Place, Best Props and Most Innovative Awards

2006 5th Philippine Toys and Hobbies Collection Convention Alexiel of Angel Sanctuary Best Group

2006 National Cosplay Competition Arua of Rose Online Online Voting Winner

[2]

As a youth, Alodia put her interest in arts, anime, piano and video games. During that time, she got involved in many school's art competition and earned quite a reputation. She also got involved in online fan forum known as Anime Club where she met many other people who shared the same interests. In 2003, due to enormous supports from her forum's friend, she made a decision to participate in the cosplay competition C3 Convention where she posted as Rikku from Final Fantasy X-2 along with her sister, Ashley as Yuna from the same game. Later, she gained more attention with her appearance as various characters of different franchises.

Due to her fame, she is invited to be a judge in many cosplay competitions. In 2009, she was named FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World [3]. Currently, she is a spokeperson for CSCENTRL, continues her habits in participating in many cosplay events and often featuring in many teen magazines. Her reputation is worldly recognized.

To Filipino, and Cosplay fans, she is a symbol of creativity and enthusiasm. Her background with arts coupled with her passion in anime, video games and other creative media franchises has led her to contribute to the rise of Cosplaying activities in Philippine. At the time she started cosplaying, there have been already much interests in that. In recent years, cosplaying in Philippine has been intensifying. Even people who do not cosplaying, they also know her name, such is a great contribution to Cosplaying.

Trivia [4]:

The name Alodia is an ancient kingdom located between Africa and Egypt.

The nickname "Edjie" comes from a combination of her parents' nicknames.

Alodia used to live in Balete Drive, a street that is very popular due to rumors that it is constantly haunted by a white lady.

The name "Alodia Almira" means "Princess of Love".

Alodia plays the keyboards in her bands, Tutuband and The Bestidas.

Alodia Gosiengfiao hosting with Luis Manzano at the TV show “LOL: Laugh Out Loud

As a child, one of the earliest anime series Alodia was exposed to was Pokemon.

Her connection:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AlodiaGosiengfiao

Website: http://www.alodiagosiengfiao.com/

Art Gallery: http://blackmage9.deviantart.com/

[1] http://www.supanova.com.au/guest/alodia-gosiengfiao/

[2] http://www.realitytv.nfo.ph/alodia-gosiengfiao-biography-and-photo/

[3] http://www.spot.ph/peopleparties/29797/why-are-all-the-geeks-hot-for-cosplay-queen-alodia/1

[4] http://orientexpression.blogspot.com/2008/05/alodia-almira-arraiza-gosiengfiao.html

"We Can't Change The World, But We Wanna Build a School in Cambodia" - a movie which will touch your heart til the end

2012-02-23T15:55:00.000+08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIvojePbnJM

Struggling life, unskilled leadership, a twist of fate, a bridge of love, a mouthful title, an inspiring true story

The title might be funny to you, but the story is indeed far more inspired than what you can imagine. Let me introduce you Kota Hada, a real-life ordinary student who successfully raise a large sum of money to build a school in Cambodia. From the story we learned that Kota was a second-year medical student who was struggling in studying and live, whose life changed after he stumble across a pamphlet advertising for Cambodia volunteering activities. For Kota, he had never been to or heard of this country before, but he was so happy to take this job. He had the supports from his 3 best friends, and he went further to create a group of people to collect the money. Though not skilled in leadership and speech, Kota always put his life on the line for this task.

The movie could not get high attraction without the hard work of the casts. On the spotlight, is Osamu Mukai who stars as the protagonist Kota. His performance savours the taste of bittersweet taste of life of a university student who is experiencing a pure pressure of both social and financial issues. However, it is not him alone that has done a great job. Even Cambodian counterparts performances were producing a unique feeling of people who suffered from both past and present issues, such as war, HIV/AIDS, and poverty. Not to mention a really sweet background music which will never let your mind fly away from the movie.

This is a great movie, it brings you to see two countries, the first world country of Japan, and the third world country of Cambodia, magnificently that you feel appreciated for those countries, their people and culture. The movie also gives you a greater insight of volunteerism, what does it mean to volunteer to help others. Kota is the one who seeks help, but he chooses to help others so that he can find the meaning of his life, and it leads him to a whole new life.

Movie Snapshot: Directed by Kenta Fukasaku
Based on 僕たちは世界を変えることができない。by Kota Hada
Starring Osamu Mukai, Tōri Matsuzaka, Tasuku Emoto, Masataka Kubota Cinematography Kazuhiro Suzuki
Studio Toei, Central Arts
Distributed by Toei
Release date(s) September 23, 2011
Running time 126 minutes
Country Japan
Language Japanese
Box office US$$3,334,273
Theme Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kwsgk5y3Qw&feature=related

Ancient bronze back boat returns to Cambodian National Museum

2011-07-12T15:04:00.003+08:00

Read more on Phnom Penh Post

"Image from Phnom Penh Post"

AN ancient bronze boat prow ornament from the finest flowering of the Khmer empire has been handed over to the National Museum of Cambodia by retired Thai-based collector Douglas Latchford.

The intricately cast bronze, dating from between 1080-1181, is the only one of its kind ever found.

“This particular one is also depicted in the stone relief on the south wall of the Bayon temple,” said Latchford, who has been collecting Khmer and Indian art for the past 50 years.

ASEAN-China youth leaders to form association

2011-06-27T11:08:00.000+08:00

[NOTE]: Taken completely and directly from http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/7421476.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

The youth leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China (ASEAN-China) on said he will establish an ASEAN-China Youths' Association aimed at building closer relations and cooperation and sharing experience.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of a two-day ASEAN-China youth leaders symposium on Sunday, Sok Theavuth, youth leader of Cambodia, said that the meeting agreed to work toward the establishment of the ASEAN-China Youths' Association in order to promote linkage, share experience, and to ensure that the voice of youths remain be heard, considered, and recognized by respective governments of the ASEAN member states and China.

"We will give our suggestion for the establishment of the association to the ASEAN-China leaders at the 14th Summit in Indonesia in November 2011," he said.

Meanwhile, Cambodian Secretary of State for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Kao Kim Hourn said that youth leaders are playing an important role to further nurture and boost the relations between the ASEAN-China.

"As the future leaders, they can be a valuable asset to further build trust and promote mutual understanding between and among our peoples of ASEAN and China," he said during closing the symposium.

The symposium was attended by approximately 65 youth leaders from the ASEAN countries and China aimed at building closer regional friendship relations and cooperation.

Wu Jing, associate professor at China's Guizhou University, said that ASEAN and China are good neighbors and good strategic partners.

"We are confident that with concerted efforts of all parties, China-ASEAN will hold out immense prospects of development toward a regional prosperity," she said.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Source:Xinhua

The Lost Pop Music Of South East Asia

2011-06-12T08:15:00.002+08:00

A large portion of Asian pop music from the 1960s and 1970s has been lost.
Asking the locals about Asian pop music from the past is a bit like asking about ancient archeological treasures..... not easy to find. Nontheless it did not stop me from trying to hunt down some of these lost treasures. My travels have taken me to little Indonesian backstreet shops and markets.
Due to the extreme rarity of early 60s/70s rock'n'roll music from SE Asia, I would not dare to hope that any true collector would ever sell me any good condition tapes or vinyl records. As for the original master tapes, if they still exist, they would be beyond my poor man's bank account. But I would be very happy to have a transfer to CD of the original recordings. A good home computer can make a relatively nice transfer from old records to the CD format.
Hmmm...... then again, if any of you folks out there should come across a groovy looking record in a second-hand shop....... let me know, OK.
Even though it isn't Indonesian, I'll tell you this little music snippet.
In Australia I tracked down the obscure folk/rock duo Fred Dyer and Terry Fielding, who in the late 60s/early 70s, had recorded some psych/fuzz Carnaby Street-ish stuff, as well as music with a folk or country sound, including their ode to Moby Dick. The song was simply called "The Whale". This song tribute to the great whale and author Herman Melville, was something I had wanted as badly as Captain Ahab wanted revenge upon the whale that took his leg. I was obsessed with the search for this song. I remembered hearing it as a kid on the old car radio, sort of like a theme song for our dawn patrol surfaris, as my father drove into the darkness, on our way to the surf beaches. With the doom laden chorus echoing in my head, I would ponder the enigmatic ocean, as I lay on my surfboard.
Many years later I tried to find this song, but no CD shop had any information about it, and they had never heard of the musicians Fielding & Dyer. Even a long search on the internet, over many years, revealed nothing. Vanished like a ghost.
By pure chance I came across the lyrics and guitar tabs in the Mudcat Folk Music Forum. Best thing - it was posted by Fred Dyer himself and included his email. From there on it was easy. Mr Dyer was surprised that someone still remembered his obscure independent release from 38 years ago, and more than happy to transfer his old record to CD on his home computer and send me several copies, autographed by himself and his old music mate Terry Fielding.

So my point is that the old Indonesian and other SE Asian pop music is definitely still out there........ somewhere.
It is just a matter of finding the right person to ask.

My Sincere Apology

2011-06-02T16:37:00.003+08:00

To Those Who May Concern

First of all, I would like to express my regret in my inability to response to your emails which have been sent to me in between July 2010 until now. I was away from our official email, and as I returned to manage it, I found myself miss lots of interaction opportunity.

This is my complete mistake as the main contributor. I am sorry that those who had sent me email did not get the appropriate response from the blog. We hope you would not find this disturbing as we are now also facing difficulty in running this blog.

But we still keep our believe in this blog, this movement. And thus, THIS BLOG WILL NEVER CEASE TO EXIST.

As the main contributors, I have nothing but my proclamation that there will be new posts coming, sooner or later. AND also that from now on, the MAILBOX WILL BE MONITORED IN A MORE REGULAR BASIS.

I hope this post can ensure all of you out there, who wish to send us articles for posting.

I sincerely apology for my lacks of commitment and I therefore vow to perform better as the team captain.

With Friendship, True Love or Brotherhood

Chhaly Samsokrith, Main Contributor of Asia's Perfect 10

Southeast Asian Masterpieces

2010-07-15T13:05:00.002+08:00

Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity

The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness on intangible cultural heritage and encourage local communities to protect them and the local people who sustain these forms of cultural expressions.

Several manifestations of intangible heritage around the world were awarded the title of Masterpieces to recognize the value of the non-material component of culture, as well as entail the commitment of states to promote and safeguard the Masterpieces.Further proclamations occurred biennially until 2005.

To date, a total of 90 Masterpieces from 70 countries have been proclaimed. It's a long list, but I would like to focus on Southeast Asian masterpieces.

~Cambodia~
The Royal Ballet of Cambodia

Sbek Thom, Khmer Shadow Theatre

~Indonesia~
The Wayang Puppet Theatre

The Indonesian Kris

The Indonesian Batik

~Malaysia~
Mak Yong Theatre

~Philippines~
The Darangen Epic of the Maranao People of Lake Lanao

~Vietnam~
Nha Nhac, Vietnamese Court Music

Space of Gong Culture

The Quan ho folk songs

BacCamp Phnom Penh 2010 [3]

2010-07-06T22:18:00.000+08:00

BarCamp Phnom Penh 2010 September 25th- 26th

PHNOM PENH – The most anticipated and friendly technology-related event will arrive on September 25th and 26th 2010 at University of Puthisastra (UP) with the support of an open group of IT personnel, bloggers, and the nonprofit and business community. Dubbed as “BarCamp Phnom Penh” which was influenced by California’s 2005 innovative “impromptu” gathering The BarCamp, this is the third time the event takes place in Cambodia’s capital of Phnom Penh. An estimation of 1,000 information technology enthusiasts (local and international) are expected to show up at this “unconference” meeting.

With momentum gained from our previous BarCamp Phnom Penh events (2008 and 2009) the organizing teams are hard at work developing an innovative BarCamp Phnom Penh 2010.

“The idea is to bring the like-minded people together to witness the greatness of the BarCamp” Said Samsokrith, known as Denith, who joined the organizing team this year. “It is the time when people are free to share and at the same time, being shared. You cannot tell how much you improve after participating in such event but I can tell that if you truly follow its rules, you will find the excitement of the event. And the rule is simple: participate.”

“How the BarCamp works is relatively easy. If you have a topic, and you want to present or discuss about it, post that topic on the presentation slot on the board and then you’ll be given a room and time to do your presentation or discussion with the participants.” Denith added.

Last year, the BarCamp Phnom Penh received enormous support from prospective sponsors like Ezecom, Sabay, InSTEDD, Open Institute, Yejj, Yellow Page, House Thirty-Two, Pizza World, T&C etc. We are hoping that this year, these companies and more within our tech community will join us to help make this a historic event again. Their contributions will add attractions and excitement to this upcoming event in addition to the opportunity to present themselves to the public.

With our plan to bring more activities to the event, we are hoping to attract a bigger number of participants and to help them to see more of the beauty of BarCamp concept, and altogether, participate in a dynamic discussion of the national and regional technological evolution we are undergoing, where technology is a fast growing part of our daily life. Come and join us if you are also looking forward to see a bigger and more exciting BarCamp Phnom Penh this year.

Registration opens at: http://barcampphnompenh.org

Chantra Be
Lead Organizer, BarCamp Phnom Penh
Chantra.be [at] gmail [dot] com
Mobile: (+855) 12 316 781

Asean-China Free-Trade Zone - Are You Ready?

2009-12-29T18:45:00.001+08:00

There are! But if like me you are only a regular citizen, we will not notice it or even bother with these new things from the ASEAN organization. Example, the Asean-China Free-Trade Agreement, heard of it? Maybe, but most of us did not pay attention.

Here's the news, the Asean-China FTA will take effect when the clock strikes midnight of January 1, 2010 UTC+0800. That means, all trade goods under the agreement will have no more tariffs (and some goods will have less import taxes instead).

(Originally posted at: Snow World)

What does it mean? It will give traders from China an easy way to export their products on Asean countries - at the same price level or even less than what we offer locally! Example rice, we all know (especially if you live in the Philippines and VietNam) that the rice from China are *ehemm* superior than what we offer. Additionally, their labor is cheaper too.

Starting January 1, 2010, Chinese farmers with their superior rice and cheap labor will be able to export their product in any Asean country at the same price or even less than what our local farmers can offer. Previously, these imported rice have to be sold higher because of the tariffs or import taxes.

It is only one of the many example and is always the number one worry of many agricultural-based countries like the Philippines, VietNam, Indonesia, and India (<-- India is worries that the Asean-India FTA will mean the superior Asean products will kill their local industry). Maybe by now you are worried too. We should! But let us not forget that these free-trade zone agreements are two-way. Meaning, we can export our respective superior products over to China and compete with their local products (and don't we always say that their products fails miserably in quality control?)

This is competition. In a world that is going global (in all sense of the word), the only way left for us to survive and possibly push our economy up is to compete globally.

Going back to our example, if for example the Philippine Government and Farmers wants to stick with rice farming and not explore other opportunities then why not adapt China's rice and methods? My cousin who graduated from UPLB and his batchmates were sent to China years ago to do just that!

Sadly, after they returned with the knowledge and technology, local NGOs and farmers refused to accept this new rice and methods. Now the Asean-China FTA is here to stay, we are now worried of what it can do to our local farmers.

Tell me if I am missing something here, but as far as what I heard, local groups and farmers just do not want to accept this new thing. They are afraid of change.

Secondly, I do not understand why our government is still holding on the rice industry. I think it is time that we refocus our energy and time to an industry that will give us a better return in the long run. For example the BPO (aka call-center) industry.

The BPO industry is beyond "free-trade zones", there is nothing to import and export in this industry. Our government should spend less on industries (and people) who refuses any help and upgrades and redirect it to those that will benefit from it.

Or how about the gaming industry? Today's generation of Filipinos are too much into gaming, I'm sure many of those gamers are dreaming of creating their very own games!

How about our graduating Nurses? Instead of them going abroad why don't we build a project that will keep them right here at home? We also have the animation industry, maybe I am not exaggerating when I say that Filipinos were involved in many of the popular animations in the world.

And of course electronics, Filipinos are known to be good manufacturers of electronic products. If we can improve this industry then one day we will be able to compete head-on with China.

Give China the rice industry to rule. Let us concentrate on industries where we are not yet far behind or still far ahead from China. Let us improve those industries and dominate their own market right at their home.

Now if anyone will say "but China is huge, sooner or later they will dominate us" then we might as well surrender our sovereignty and join the People's Republic of China (that's what they want anyway).

The Asean-China Free-Trade zone is here to stay. January 1, 2010 will be a new world for all of us Aseans. We may not notice its effects but it will be there around us.

It is up to you my fellow Asean to find that industry where China is still weak, improve those industries before China does, and we will have the Asean-China FTA working for us more than it does for China.

Happy New Year Asean Citizens!! Let's face 2010 together!

(Originally posted at: Snow World)

Good reads:

In Southeast Asia, Unease Over Free Trade Zone

Manila proceeds with ASEAN tariff deal

Ancient Angkorian Highway

2009-12-02T08:37:00.000+08:00

A map of the most important Khmer sites during the Khmer Empire! There are stone highways, canals, and bridges connected to the Angkor-Phimai temples, Angkor-Wat Phou temples, Angkor-Sambor prei kuk temples, Beng Melea-Wat Phou, Angkor- Roy et, and many many more!

GUY NICHOLSON

WAT PHU CHAMPASAK, LAOS — From Saturday's Globe and Mail Published on Saturday, Feb. 04, 2006 2:37AM EST Last updated on Sunday, Apr. 05, 2009 1:26AM EDT

Standing below the ruins of Wat Phu Champasak, it's easy to see why kings and temple builders lavished attention on this spot for several hundred years. At midmorning on a weekday, it's less obvious why I can see just three other Westerners visiting one of the most venerated shrines in Southeast Asia.

The crumbling pile of palaces, galleries and balustrades occupies the lower slope of a mountain long sacred to the people of southern Laos. Water said to be holy seeps from the rocks behind the exquisitely carved sanctuary at the temple's highest level, and I can just pick out the Mekong River's muddy brown flow a few kilometres to the east. The location is as remarkable now as it must have been in the fifth century, when the first stones were laid.

This astonishing ancient monument, home to a festival attended by thousands every February, was linked for centuries by a stone road to the fabled Angkor temples of what is now northwestern Cambodia and on to a host of related sites in Thailand. [size=5][size=5]If it still existed today, it would be a cultural and historical superhighway comparable to the Inca Trail or the Silk Road,[/size][/size] but the route was already long overgrown by the time the region's modern borders were drawn in the colonial era. The revolutions of the 1970s closed temples and borders alike.

Geography and security issues have long made it cumbersome and dangerous to visit these ruins as a united whole. While Thailand is accessible to visitors, Cambodia and Laos have been slow to open up.

The last political barrier has finally fallen in the past couple of years, allowing adventurous tourists to transit a remote and unofficial border area less than 100 kilometres from Wat Phu. When the infrastructure improves, there's every chance that tourist demand will resurrect the historic connection between Laos and Cambodia.

For now though, overland travel along this route remains something of an adventure. I've picked up the trail at Angkor and its gateway town, Siem Reap, where tourist arrivals reached nearly 700,000 last year.

It's becoming impossible to find the kind of solitude that used to prevail here -- a disappointment for those hoping to play Indiana Jones or Laura Croft, but a welcome development for mainstream visitors and the Cambodian economy. Security is no longer a major issue, new hotels and restaurants are opening every week and road development is making it simple to visit formerly remote ruins such as Beng Melea and Koh Ker.

However, the tarmac does not extend to Laos, just 200 kilometres to the northeast. So, although it's possible to cheat and take a 45-minute flight across the border, the next leg of my trip begins with a ride on a fast boat south to Phnom Penh.

Just after dawn, our ferry leaves the chaotic landing of Chong Khneas, winds down a spindly river and guns its motors at the mouth of Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. I sit on the speedboat's roof for the whole five-hour trip, trying to avoid sunburn but unwilling to miss sights of the stilt homes and dry-season rice paddies flashing past.

Phnom Penh was my home for three years and it is the hub of Cambodia's slowly improving transportation network, so I feel a wave of nostalgia when the boat deposits us at the capital's doorstep. I book a ticket on a small "minibus" -- a creaky van, really -- heading north the next morning.

When dawn breaks, our driver already has us outside the capital and is laying steadily on the horn as he weaves across both lanes, forcing smaller oncoming vehicles to the shoulder, as per Cambodian custom. We pass through Skuon -- a crossroads known for fried spiders, a local delicacy -- before half the passengers have even woken up. We pass Kampong Cham and turn onto a rutted red-dust road.

We are entering a part of the country that is geographically distinct from tabletop-flat central Cambodia -- rice fields give way to scrub forest as we climb slowly into the highlands that lead to Vietnam. There are also cultural differences; beside one particularly dusty stretch of road sits a mosque used by the Cham, Cambodia's main religious minority.

It has been barely five hours by the time we arrive in the riverside town of Kratie, and I have a decision to make. Stay the night, or push closer to the border? A glance at the town and a grumbling in my stomach persuade me to stay, and I'm rewarded with the kind of afternoon that comes only with travelling overland: I watch Irrawaddy dolphins on the Mekong, peruse the town's crumbling French-colonial architecture and join locals at the riverside to watch a fiery sunset.

Early the next morning, I'm aboard another minibus with Laos in my sights. The road to Stung Treng has much in common with the road to Kratie, except that there's even less pavement. We slowly navigate over potholes the size of truck beds and the dust from passing trucks begins to filter in through the bus's tattered floorboard. It's early afternoon by the time we reach Stung Treng -- just in time to catch another speedboat.

However, unlike the heavy-duty vessel that carried tourists south from Siem Reap, this boat feels fragile -- little more than a few planks of wood with a large outboard motor. For an hour and a half, my knees get intimate with my chin as we slalom through a course of rocks, sandbars and whirlpools. It's the dry season and the Mekong's waters are low.

Docking at the Cambodian border post is obviously a cultural experience for the five other tourists crammed into the speedboat, and for the six energetic French seniors we meet passing through in the other direction. Bargaining strategy is plotted as the groups negotiate with guards over the size of bribe -- this is, after all, an "unofficial" crossing. My basic Khmer language skills get me off the hook for half the others' rate: about $1.20 instead of $2.30. But I have no such privileges on the Lao side of the river. At least I'm finally across the border.

Although the southern tip of Laos is more than 700 kilometres by road from Vientiane, the capital, there is plenty to see in this region. Just north of the border, the Mekong widens to reveal a delta of sandbars and rapids known as Si Phan Don --- literally 4,000 islands -- where there is a low-key but growing tourism industry. Pakse and Savanakhet are old French market towns whose colonial shop houses are crumbling into picturesque neglect even as proximity to nearby Thailand fuels their new economies.

But I haven't spent three long days in the sticks for anything but the holiest temple ruins in Laos, and Wat Phu Champasak fails to disappoint. Ground was broken here under the Chenla civilization that ruled Cambodia and southern Laos in the fifth century, but the structures remaining today were built several hundred years later, during the Angkor period.

The similarity to Cambodia's temples is striking as I walk down an entrance causeway between two dry reservoirs and pass matching sandstone palaces, barely restored despite the temple's 2001 designation as a World Heritage Site. One suspects this will change if the moneyed masses start arriving.

I can feel the late-morning heat as I climb a sagging laterite staircase through a corridor of white-blossomed frangipani trees. This sanctuary is much higher than what you see south of the border, where builders were forced to construct their own mountains. The lintel carvings here are as exquisite as any of its type, speaking to the fact that this began life as a Hindu monument, like many Khmer ruins converted to modern Buddhist use.

With a quiet moment to spare, I pause near the bottom to consider a tiny structure just south of the stairs. [size=5]Beside it are several chunks of rock imbedded in a row -- remnants of the 1,000-year-old stone road leading south to Angkor.[/size] They lead nowhere now but the dense undergrowth, yet I remain impressed -- after all, this remains the second-best road from Cambodia.

A Trip to Koh Kong

2009-11-04T11:20:00.012+08:00

A Land dubbed as the next Hong Kong

This article is about my trip and my impression over this land. I actually travelled to its city, Koh Kong city, but have reached some destinations along the road there. What I can tell about this land is that it has both potential for tourism and industrial revolution.

The journey to Koh Kong was quite a long one, if you prefer to drive in a reasonable speed to enjoy the beauty of nature surrounding there. It took me 5 and a half hours to reach Koh Kong city. The road was in good condition, there were several spots that need repairing or more attentions. But all in all, the road is reliable. Reaching Koh Kong, we can witness plenty types of landscape, ranging from mountainous to sea side. We can relax during our travelling hour because the scenic views of nature along the road will sap away your stresses. In past time, it is difficult and requires more time to reach Koh Kong, but the government built four important bridge to make the journey faster and easier. The four bridges are Srae Ambel Bridge, OngDong Tek Bridge, Tropeng Roong Bridge and Ta Tai Bridge.

We can say that with these four bridges, it is less costly to travel to Koh Kong as well, because there used to be ferries rent to transport us to other shore, now it is unnecessary. The road could be a long.dragging one because there are hundreds of turning point and the driver needs to have extra cautions in order to maintain the overall safety of the travel. However, there is no many accidents reported, so no need to worry. You can also rest for every time you reaches any of the four bridges, because there will be villages locate there and you can find several things to can buy.

For 5 hours of travelling, you'll arrive at Koh Kong, a land of a new hope for Cambodia. It has several interesting areas such as the Koh Kong resort, Koh Kong Special Economic Zone, Koh Kong Safari World Prey Koang Kang and many other areas. Eventhough beach is scarce at Koh Kong city, we can access the beach through the Koh Kong resort. The beach is good enough for a good sea sight, but not for some other activities because the area is located near the disputed area and the Thai troops will not welcome any "intrusion." In Koh Kong city, you can also find the longest bridge in Cambodia, which is 1,900 meters long and serve as a connection to Koh Kong resort. Koh Kong Special Economic Zone is the most interesting topic, because it is hinted that a Korean vehicle assembly factory will be built there, and many more to come. The Zone is the prospect of the future economic development of Cambodia and for this, Koh Kong has been considered to rise rivals to Hong Kong. The Zone is easily found, but I could not provide details about entry. One other interesting part of Koh Kong city is Prey Koang Kang, which is a mangrove tropical forest. It was initially preserved and re-structured in 1997 and in present day, it is opened for tourists and there is a handful of projects related to the area like hotels, restaurants, and other resorts. Koh Kong Safari World Is another places to visit and we can enjoy our moments with the animals.

Koh Kong, along with Kep and Shihanouk Ville, can give you all a great time with the sea and the mountains. It is also part of Cardamom Mountains and Kirirom National Parks thus nature is abundant . I recommend this place for a "getting-away-from-the-hard-day" resting visit because Koh Kong would offer us many kinds of activities and scenic views. The fresh air is also a healer of stressful head and headaches.

Cambodia becomes permanent member of World Heritage Committee

2009-10-28T08:50:00.000+08:00

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) — Cambodian Prime Minister on Tuesday expressed his warmly welcome as Cambodia becomes the permanent member of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) of UNESCO in 17th general assembly in France.

“ It is a new pride for our country that became fully permanent member of the world heritage committee,” Hun Sen told over 2,000 students in graduation ceremony of a university in Phnom Penh. “ Itwill promote the image and prestige of the Kingdom of Cambodia on the world arena,” he added.

On behalf of new permanent member of the WHC, Cambodia will implement its mission with high responsibility and will strengthen the cooperation with other countries, he said.

“ We will enhance capacity building and study multi experiences with the world heritage committee, UNESCO, and other international forums,” he stressed.

Moreover, Hun Sen said that Cambodia will do more to follow the common purposes in the WHC that has been working on conservation, culture and heritage development. “ We have to enhance more international cooperation to move forward of conservation and heritage development.”

The Kingdom of Cambodia was elected as a member of the WHC thanks to her richness in cultural properties and history including intangible cultural properties, several of which were inscribed on the World Heritage List, namely the Royal Ballet, the Shadow Theater, Angkor area, and the Temple of Preah Vihear, the premier said.

Cambodia becomes one of 21 permanent members which represent 186 countries in the world in the 17th general assembly of world heritage committee that is held from Oct. 23 to 28, 2009 in Paris, France at UNESCO Headquarters.

Cambodia became a member of UNESCO in 1951.