Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Saturday, January 13, 2018
South East Asia in the grip of chilly weather
South East Asia in the grip of chilly weather
Temperatures across South-east Asia have dipped beyond the norm in recent days, with non-stop rain and strong winds contributing to chillier tropics.
The thermostat has dropped to as low as 22°C in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and 17ºC in Bangkok, cold bouts have been reported in Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, and ice slabs have even been found in parts of Myanmar.
The weather has become so chilly that Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak tweeted on Friday (Jan 12): "Wow, Malaysia's weather is really cold today, just like in Jeddah!" He had just returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department attributed the chill to the north-east monsoon, but did not expect temperatures to dip further. The agency forecasts all-day rain to last until Sunday in Kuala Lumpur.
Thailand has been experiencing a cold snap since last month, with fog blanketing its northern regions and frost forming on mountains.
In Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, the temperature fell to as low as 8ºC, the lowest this winter for the city.
Though Cambodia was also struck by the cold weather this week, it was not as bad as last month, when the temperature plunge caused a sweater-shopping frenzy, and baby elephants had to wear hand-knitted coats.
The Philippines has been experiencing generally colder weather too, a result of the El Nino-La Nina weather dynamics, and the chilling Arctic air called the polar vortex. "We have seen a cold blast in the Pacific and Atlantic regions," said the local weather bureau's forecaster Nikkos Penaranda. The lowest temperature recorded recently was 12.2ºC in the northern city of Baguio on Jan 1.
Meanwhile, Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said it recorded moderately lower-than-usual temperatures in the Riau Islands, an Indonesian province closest to Singapore, and in Nusa Tenggara Timur, east of the country's main tourist island of Bali. On Friday, the two locations registered temperatures of 23ºC to 25ºC.
All other provinces are seeing relatively normal temperatures, state weather forecaster Risda Novikarani told The Straits Times.
Over in South Asia, the northern parts of India were also in the midst of a cold spell, but meteorological officials said this was well within the range for winter months. "Temperatures have fallen and the cold wave condition is more severe in January than December," said Mahesh Palawat, director of private weather forecaster Skymet. "It is a normal winter."
According to India's Meteorological Department, minimum temperatures in most parts of northern India this week continued to be between 5ºC and 10ºC, and would remain so until Monday (Jan 15).
~The Straits Times/Asia News Network~
Temperatures across South-east Asia have dipped beyond the norm in recent days, with non-stop rain and strong winds contributing to chillier tropics.
The thermostat has dropped to as low as 22°C in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and 17ºC in Bangkok, cold bouts have been reported in Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, and ice slabs have even been found in parts of Myanmar.
The weather has become so chilly that Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak tweeted on Friday (Jan 12): "Wow, Malaysia's weather is really cold today, just like in Jeddah!" He had just returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department attributed the chill to the north-east monsoon, but did not expect temperatures to dip further. The agency forecasts all-day rain to last until Sunday in Kuala Lumpur.
Thailand has been experiencing a cold snap since last month, with fog blanketing its northern regions and frost forming on mountains.
In Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, the temperature fell to as low as 8ºC, the lowest this winter for the city.
Though Cambodia was also struck by the cold weather this week, it was not as bad as last month, when the temperature plunge caused a sweater-shopping frenzy, and baby elephants had to wear hand-knitted coats.
The Philippines has been experiencing generally colder weather too, a result of the El Nino-La Nina weather dynamics, and the chilling Arctic air called the polar vortex. "We have seen a cold blast in the Pacific and Atlantic regions," said the local weather bureau's forecaster Nikkos Penaranda. The lowest temperature recorded recently was 12.2ºC in the northern city of Baguio on Jan 1.
Meanwhile, Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said it recorded moderately lower-than-usual temperatures in the Riau Islands, an Indonesian province closest to Singapore, and in Nusa Tenggara Timur, east of the country's main tourist island of Bali. On Friday, the two locations registered temperatures of 23ºC to 25ºC.
All other provinces are seeing relatively normal temperatures, state weather forecaster Risda Novikarani told The Straits Times.
Over in South Asia, the northern parts of India were also in the midst of a cold spell, but meteorological officials said this was well within the range for winter months. "Temperatures have fallen and the cold wave condition is more severe in January than December," said Mahesh Palawat, director of private weather forecaster Skymet. "It is a normal winter."
According to India's Meteorological Department, minimum temperatures in most parts of northern India this week continued to be between 5ºC and 10ºC, and would remain so until Monday (Jan 15).
~The Straits Times/Asia News Network~
Friday, January 12, 2018
HCMC to hold fireworks shows to mark New Year, Tet
Ho Chi Minh City to hold fireworks shows to mark New Year, Tet
A high-range show and several low-range displays will be organized during the festive occasions
A fireworks performance is pictured in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre
The central government has given a go-ahead for authorities in Ho Chi Minh City to organize fireworks displays in celebration of the New Year and upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year).
The Government Office has sent a document to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, green-lighting pyrotechnic shows to be held in the southern metropolis on New Year’s Eve and Lunar New Year’s Eve.
A high-range pyrotechnic exhibition will take place in District 2 near the Thu Thiem Tunnel on New Year’s Eve.
Three low-range performances will be given at the Dam Sen Park in District 11, Cu Chi Tunnels in the namesake outlying district, and Rung Sac Square in Can Gio District.
The much-awaited performances will start at midnight and last for 15 minutes.
A similar plan has also been approved for Lunar New Year’s Eve, which falls on the night of February 15, along with two extra low-range fireworks shows at the Nga Ba Giong Memorial in Hoc Mon District and a location in Nha Be District.
Expenditures for the shows must not be funded by the state budget and safety procedures must be strictly adhered to, the Government Office stressed.
The municipal People’s Committee had earlier submitted a document to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to secure his approval for pyrotechnic displays for the special occasions, which will be funded by the private sector.
~News courtesy of Tuoi Tre News~
A high-range show and several low-range displays will be organized during the festive occasions
A fireworks performance is pictured in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre
The central government has given a go-ahead for authorities in Ho Chi Minh City to organize fireworks displays in celebration of the New Year and upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year).
The Government Office has sent a document to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, green-lighting pyrotechnic shows to be held in the southern metropolis on New Year’s Eve and Lunar New Year’s Eve.
A high-range pyrotechnic exhibition will take place in District 2 near the Thu Thiem Tunnel on New Year’s Eve.
Three low-range performances will be given at the Dam Sen Park in District 11, Cu Chi Tunnels in the namesake outlying district, and Rung Sac Square in Can Gio District.
The much-awaited performances will start at midnight and last for 15 minutes.
A similar plan has also been approved for Lunar New Year’s Eve, which falls on the night of February 15, along with two extra low-range fireworks shows at the Nga Ba Giong Memorial in Hoc Mon District and a location in Nha Be District.
Expenditures for the shows must not be funded by the state budget and safety procedures must be strictly adhered to, the Government Office stressed.
The municipal People’s Committee had earlier submitted a document to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to secure his approval for pyrotechnic displays for the special occasions, which will be funded by the private sector.
~News courtesy of Tuoi Tre News~
HCMC to open second book street in 2018
Ho Chi Minh City to open second book street in 2018
Visitors to the second book street in Ho Chi Minh City can peruse their purchases and sip coffee at a book café nearby
Visitors review entries of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper’s photo exhibition at the gallery at Nguyen Van Binh Book Street, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre Ho Chi Minh City’s second book street, to be located in District 7, is expected to become another cultural rendezvous for urbanites and promote the reading culture.
The municipal People’s Committee has ratified a project to build the city’s second book street on Nguyen Dong Chi Street in Tan Phu Ward.
The venue, named after Nguyen Dong Chi, a revered folk culture researcher, is expected to open in 2018.
The municipal administration has tasked the District 7 People’s Committee with implementing the project using funds contributed by the private sector.
Investment in the street, which will boast 20 richly-decorated stalls and a coffee shop, is estimated at nearly VND14 billion (US$ 614,731).
Representatives of the Vietnam Publishers Association’s Ho Chi Minh City office revealed the city was planning to set up a book street in each of its districts in a bid to promote the reading culture.
According to a survey recently conducted by the Ho Chi Minh City Book Street Management, over 58 percent of the 450 respondents said they went to the book street to buy printed publications, while 36 percent of them affirmed they were drawn to the venue to read books.
The poll also found sightseeing and sipping drinks as purposes among nearly 50 percent and 19 percent of the respondents.
The survey findings confirmed the necessity of launching a book street in densely populated areas, which is also in line with current trends.
The future rendezvous will adopt the same model as that of Nguyen Van Binh Book Street in downtown areas, which opened in January 2016 to the delight of avid readers and publishers.
Lined with old trees providing lush foliage, Nguyen Van Binh Book Street spans 144m and 8m in length and width, and boasts sidewalks which are 6m wide.
Apart from 19 book stalls, other highlights are an exhibition space and a book café, situated next to the Saigon Central Post Office, one of Ho Chi Minh City's icons, which is a perfect place for visitors to skim their newly-bought books and sip their coffee while delighting in the beauty of the heart of the southern metropolis.
The street has emerged as a favorite hang-out for local residents, voracious young readers and expats on weekends.
Alongside Nguyen Van Binh and Nguyen Dong Chi Book Streets, city authorities have also planned to launch three other book streets in other districts, with the third venue likely to be located in District 5.
Speaking at The Sofa, a monthly book-themed discussion group held on Nguyen Van Binh Book Street in December 2016, Le Hoang, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Publishers Association, said while more books have been printed in Vietnam over the years, it remains an issue that few Vietnamese are fond of reading.
Hoang said textbooks and school reference books accounted for as many as 80 percent of the books available on the market.
“The reading rate amongst Vietnamese is only one book per person per year if we exclude these two types of books,” he said.
The Vietnamese only spend $2 a year on books, compared to $10 by the Chinese and upwards of $200 for those in developed countries, Hoang added.
~News courtesy of Tuoi Tre News~
Visitors to the second book street in Ho Chi Minh City can peruse their purchases and sip coffee at a book café nearby
Visitors review entries of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper’s photo exhibition at the gallery at Nguyen Van Binh Book Street, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre Ho Chi Minh City’s second book street, to be located in District 7, is expected to become another cultural rendezvous for urbanites and promote the reading culture.
The municipal People’s Committee has ratified a project to build the city’s second book street on Nguyen Dong Chi Street in Tan Phu Ward.
The venue, named after Nguyen Dong Chi, a revered folk culture researcher, is expected to open in 2018.
The municipal administration has tasked the District 7 People’s Committee with implementing the project using funds contributed by the private sector.
Investment in the street, which will boast 20 richly-decorated stalls and a coffee shop, is estimated at nearly VND14 billion (US$ 614,731).
Representatives of the Vietnam Publishers Association’s Ho Chi Minh City office revealed the city was planning to set up a book street in each of its districts in a bid to promote the reading culture.
According to a survey recently conducted by the Ho Chi Minh City Book Street Management, over 58 percent of the 450 respondents said they went to the book street to buy printed publications, while 36 percent of them affirmed they were drawn to the venue to read books.
The poll also found sightseeing and sipping drinks as purposes among nearly 50 percent and 19 percent of the respondents.
The survey findings confirmed the necessity of launching a book street in densely populated areas, which is also in line with current trends.
The future rendezvous will adopt the same model as that of Nguyen Van Binh Book Street in downtown areas, which opened in January 2016 to the delight of avid readers and publishers.
Lined with old trees providing lush foliage, Nguyen Van Binh Book Street spans 144m and 8m in length and width, and boasts sidewalks which are 6m wide.
Apart from 19 book stalls, other highlights are an exhibition space and a book café, situated next to the Saigon Central Post Office, one of Ho Chi Minh City's icons, which is a perfect place for visitors to skim their newly-bought books and sip their coffee while delighting in the beauty of the heart of the southern metropolis.
The street has emerged as a favorite hang-out for local residents, voracious young readers and expats on weekends.
Alongside Nguyen Van Binh and Nguyen Dong Chi Book Streets, city authorities have also planned to launch three other book streets in other districts, with the third venue likely to be located in District 5.
Speaking at The Sofa, a monthly book-themed discussion group held on Nguyen Van Binh Book Street in December 2016, Le Hoang, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Publishers Association, said while more books have been printed in Vietnam over the years, it remains an issue that few Vietnamese are fond of reading.
Hoang said textbooks and school reference books accounted for as many as 80 percent of the books available on the market.
“The reading rate amongst Vietnamese is only one book per person per year if we exclude these two types of books,” he said.
The Vietnamese only spend $2 a year on books, compared to $10 by the Chinese and upwards of $200 for those in developed countries, Hoang added.
~News courtesy of Tuoi Tre News~
Cambodia negotiates reopening of informal Vietnam border crossings
Cambodia negotiates reopening of informal Vietnam border crossings
Ratanakiri provincial authorities are trying to resolve a border dispute with Vietnam, urging the Vietnamese to reopen four recently blocked border crossings, according to National Police spokesman Kirth Chantharith.
The conflict originated when Cambodia rejected Vietnam’s proposal to build four new, formal border checkpoints, only accepting one. In response, Vietnam blocked off four heavily travelled, informal crossings.
Speaking to reporters following a year-end meeting of police officials, Chantharith downplayed the severity of the dispute. “We are having a special negotiation. The Ratanakkiri provincial governor is solving the problem without any huge challenge,” he said.
But Governor Nguon Keoun and his deputy, Yem Sam Oeun, said the closures have been an inconvenience to Cambodian border units, and a resolution is not imminent.
“Vietnam asked to open four more checkpoints and we thought that three of them were not important because they access the forest . . . not the paved road,” said Sam Oeun.
“On 12 December, Vietnam dug and cut up the road, but later on, they filled it up and then they built the fence to separate it,” he added.
Sam Oeun said the one agreed-upon border checkpoint has not been opened either, because it requires approval at the “national level”.
He condemned Vietnam’s response, saying it is an inconvenience to the border troops who often crossed into Vietnam to buy goods.
Sam Oeun also said the move unfairly impacts ethnic minority communities that cross the border daily to visit relatives.
“Our province and Kon Tum province have ethnic people. In fact, they are siblings and relatives, and they cross back and forth as normal,” he explained.
He said both sides would meet to discuss the issue, but a date has not yet been set.
San Chey, country director of the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability, said Vietnam may want more efficient paths for smuggling illegal timber.
“Vietnam controls many economic [land] concessions in the northeast and most of the economic concessions were accused of involvement with smuggling timber,” he said
Regional analyst Paul Chambers, with Naresuan University in Thailand, said the move was a signal that Vietnam was willing to flex its strength.
“It could signal a more aggressive stance by Vietnam amidst its perception of too strong a tilt by Cambodia toward China,” he said.
~News courtesy of Phnom Penh Post~
Ratanakiri provincial authorities are trying to resolve a border dispute with Vietnam, urging the Vietnamese to reopen four recently blocked border crossings, according to National Police spokesman Kirth Chantharith.
The conflict originated when Cambodia rejected Vietnam’s proposal to build four new, formal border checkpoints, only accepting one. In response, Vietnam blocked off four heavily travelled, informal crossings.
Speaking to reporters following a year-end meeting of police officials, Chantharith downplayed the severity of the dispute. “We are having a special negotiation. The Ratanakkiri provincial governor is solving the problem without any huge challenge,” he said.
But Governor Nguon Keoun and his deputy, Yem Sam Oeun, said the closures have been an inconvenience to Cambodian border units, and a resolution is not imminent.
“Vietnam asked to open four more checkpoints and we thought that three of them were not important because they access the forest . . . not the paved road,” said Sam Oeun.
“On 12 December, Vietnam dug and cut up the road, but later on, they filled it up and then they built the fence to separate it,” he added.
Sam Oeun said the one agreed-upon border checkpoint has not been opened either, because it requires approval at the “national level”.
He condemned Vietnam’s response, saying it is an inconvenience to the border troops who often crossed into Vietnam to buy goods.
Sam Oeun also said the move unfairly impacts ethnic minority communities that cross the border daily to visit relatives.
“Our province and Kon Tum province have ethnic people. In fact, they are siblings and relatives, and they cross back and forth as normal,” he explained.
He said both sides would meet to discuss the issue, but a date has not yet been set.
San Chey, country director of the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability, said Vietnam may want more efficient paths for smuggling illegal timber.
“Vietnam controls many economic [land] concessions in the northeast and most of the economic concessions were accused of involvement with smuggling timber,” he said
Regional analyst Paul Chambers, with Naresuan University in Thailand, said the move was a signal that Vietnam was willing to flex its strength.
“It could signal a more aggressive stance by Vietnam amidst its perception of too strong a tilt by Cambodia toward China,” he said.
~News courtesy of Phnom Penh Post~
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