Singapore’s key exports fall by 13.4 per cent in second quarter of 2023
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s non-oil domestic exports (NODX) declined in the second quarter of 2023, falling by 13.4 per cent, with both electronics and non-electronics seeing a drop. The drop follows a 16.1 per cent contraction in the first quarter of 2023. According to data released by Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) on Friday (AugContinue Reading
Pattaya considers beach operating hours
PUBLISHED : 11 Aug 2023 at 07:20
Pattaya City is considering imposing opening hours on its beaches to curb a growing number of noisy night owls who party into the morning.
The city has received an increasing number of complaints about the nighttime visitors who like to play loud music using portable speakers while drinking alcohol and partying on Pattaya’s popular beaches, Wutthisak Roemkitchakan, the deputy city mayor, said on Thursday.
A number of these visitors continue drinking and partying and refuse to leave even when city rubbish collectors show up in the morning to clean the beaches, he said.
This results in the beaches being left littered with rubbish the following day, he said.
“The city now is thinking of imposing opening and closing hours on these beaches as this can be a solution to the problem,” he said.
Currently, the city does not have regulations on the opening and closing time of its beaches, meaning they are open around the clock, he said.
The city previously tried to step up patrols on the beaches, but it was impossible to find enough security officers to do so every night, he said.
The city’s beaches have attracted more visitors since undergoing a major expansion and renovation, he said.
Normally, these beaches do not have many visitors on weekdays, and most of them leave early in the evening, he said.
However, the number of visitors is usually much higher on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with many who like to drink alcohol and party late into the night, he said, adding that all city authorities can currently do is ask for their cooperation to leave.
Complaints received by the city authorities also noted loud noises made by a number of nightclubs, most of which were open-air places on beaches, he said.
In response to these complaints, he said, the Pattaya municipality and Bang Lamung district authorities inspected these night entertainment establishments and asked them to control the volume of their music.
Officials recommended a few measures, including building a proper sound-proof room for guests, he said.
More measures will be jointly implemented with local police to curb the noise pollution in Pattaya, he said.
In other news, Pipit Rattanarak, a United Thai Nation Party MP for Surat Thani, voiced his concern over shortage problems being faced on the popular islands of Koh Samui and Koh Phangan in the South.
Speaking during a House meeting on Thursday, Mr Pipit pointed to the need for all agencies to boost the handling of transport services, as well as water and electricity supplies on the islands. More measures are required as the islands are receiving a rising number of visitors, he said.
Singapore narrows 2023 growth forecast range to 0.5-1.5%, as external demand outlook remains weak
SINGAPORE: Singapore has trimmed its growth forecast for 2023 amid expectations for demand from key external economies to remain weak ahead.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said on Friday (Aug 11) that the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) for this year is now expected to come in between 0.5 to 1.5 per cent, narrowing from the previous 0.5 to 2.5 per cent range.
The decision comes alongside data showing the economy growing by 0.5 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter.
This is a notch below the advance estimate of 0.7 per cent, but slightly advancing from the 0.4 per cent growth in the first quarter.
On a quarter-on-quarter seasonally-adjusted basis, Singapore’s economy expanded marginally by 0.1 per cent between April and June. This marked a reversal from a 0.4 per cent contraction in the first quarter but underperforming the advance forecast of 0.3 per cent.
For the first half of the year, Singapore’s GDP growth averaged 0.4 per cent on a year-on-year basis.
“WEAK” EXTERNAL DEMAND FOR REST OF 2023
In its quarterly assessment, MTI said it sees a “weak” external demand outlook for the rest of the year.
Apart from the expected slowdown in Singapore’s key external demand markets, the downturn in the global electronics sector will also likely be protracted with a gradual recovery happening only “towards the end of the year at the earliest”, it said.
At the same time, there remain downside risks in the global economy.
These include more persistent-than-expected inflation in the advanced economies which could induce tighter global financial conditions and in turn lead to a sharper pullback in global spending and worsen the ongoing manufacturing downturn.
Escalations in the war in Ukraine and geopolitical tensions among major global powers also add to the risk of renewed supply disruptions, dampen consumer and business confidence, as well as weigh on global trade.
Staged videos fuel religious hate and misogyny in India
TwitterIn a video shared and watched by millions of people in India, a man is seen attacking a person who is wearing a black burka and holding a child. He then forcibly removes the burka to reveal a man.
The message accompanying the clip warns in Hindi that people should “be aware” of criminals using the burka – a veil used by Muslim women around the world – to disguise themselves and “kidnap children”.
The video, published on YouTube earlier this year, has been viewed more than 29 million times before it was deleted.
But it did not show real events. It was a dramatisation – a scripted performance with amateur actors.
Scripted videos, apparently created for entertainment, are increasingly being shared on social media as true events in India. Often accompanying the videos are false claims that stoke religious hatred and misogyny.
India has witnessed growing tension among religious communities, particularly between Hindus and Muslims, since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in May 2014. Many of the false narratives that target these communities also encourage moral policing against women.
This trend of dramatised videos has reached multiple Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi and Telugu. Sometimes, local media outlets have also mistaken staged videos for news.
Many of the staged videos show people wearing burkas in order to kidnap children. This could have real-life consequences – over the past few years, authorities in many Indian states have had to issue warnings against fake news after several people were attacked by mobs believing them to be kidnappers.
Why are these videos dangerous?
These dramatised videos are accompanied by disinformation tactics which may confuse viewers on social media. Some have disclaimers but they may be hidden in the middle or the end of the videos.
Most times, the text is in English, which is not always understood by viewers.
According to a fact-check by Alt News, the original clip of the man wearing a burka – which was later deleted by its creator – actually had a disclaimer stating it was “a work of fiction”. But it was visible only for a second.
Other creators add CCTV templates to make the videos seem more realistic.
One such video, which went viral in December 2021, was shared alongside claims without evidence in multiple languages that Muslim men were trying to intoxicate Hindu girls by spiking their food.
In the comment section below the video, many users appeared to believe it was true, making Islamophobic remarks. “Beware of love jihad,” commented a user.
“Love jihad” refers to a conspiracy theory which claims that Muslim men are wooing Hindu women to convert them to Islam.
Most videos made by Hyderabad-based creator Venkat Seepana feature a recording sign and time-stamp like CCTV clips. His YouTube channel has over 1.2 million subscribers and more than 400 videos.
One clip depicted a tailor misbehaving with a woman. It was shared multiple times on Twitter and Facebook with claims that it showed a Muslim man mistreating a Hindu woman: “Hindu sisters and daughters are requested not to go to the shops of Muslims, they are people with a bad mentality.”
Seepana told the BBC that he made these videos to “spread awareness and show real-life situations”.
Alishan Jafri, a journalist and disinformation researcher, says that dramatisations that go viral may not lead to physical violence. But they deepen existing religious biases.
“These videos are adding fuel to the fire in the society that is already divided and polarised. Most of these videos are targeted against certain communities, particularly Muslims, and when they go viral, they contribute to structural violence against the minority community,” he says.
Sometimes, these scripted videos – which spread confusion in the first place – are used to sow even more disinformation online.
Some of them portray illicit relationships between friends, family members and people with a huge age difference.
Two such staged videos were widely shared in May with false claims attacking the Hindu community.
The first one depicted a man dressed in saffron – a colour associated with Hinduism – who claims he is marrying his sister.
In the second video, the same woman is shown standing next to him in a burka and he says he is marrying her to convert her to Hinduism.
On Twitter the clips were used by some to claim that this was a Hindu man who was making his sister pretend to be a Muslim woman.
Both the man and woman seen in the two videos appear in several other videos portraying different characters.
The original clips can be found on a YouTube channel with more than 400,000 followers which commonly posts scripted videos.
When the BBC asked Vikram Mishra, the channel’s owner, if he was aware that his videos were perceived as real, he replied: “We all want to become a hit. I make videos that do well according to the trends of society.”
He said the videos are created only for “entertainment and views, as our team of 12 people earn their livelihood from our YouTube channel”.
The BBC also reached out to social media platforms with questions about their policies on dramatised videos shared out of context.
A Meta spokesperson said they have “clear rules prohibiting content on Facebook that incites violence” and that they remove anything that breaks these rules.
YouTube too said the platform has “strict policies prohibiting violent or graphic content”, misinformation, and “misleading or deceptive content with serious risk of egregious harm”.
X, formerly known as Twitter, sent an auto-reply that they would “get back” soon.
How can you spot scripted videos?
Many of the videos look and feel staged, and they are also produced and shared in other countries. But they are believed by Indians and go viral in the country because they “cater to more conservative audiences”, says Harish Nair, managing editor of Fact Crescendo, which operates in India and other Asian countries.
He also believes Indians “share videos which they believe are issued in the public interest”.
According to him, staged videos are not the prevailing misinformation trend in India. But they have “a huge impact on society as they validate their pre-existing beliefs and sentiments”.
Prateek Waghre, policy director of Internet Freedom Foundation, a Delhi-based digital rights advocacy group, agrees. “Low media literacy is one aspect of the problem, but this is happening in a society where there are existing social divisions and people are already primed to think like that.”
But there are ways to check if a video is actually scripted.
Ruby Dhingra, managing editor of India-based multilingual fact-check media Newschecker, said viewers should be wary of camera angles, locations, reactions and the language used in the video. They can reveal if the people caught in action are hiding from the camera or posing for it, and if they are speaking naturally or being loud and overacting.
Dhingra also notes that it is “highly unlikely” that an incident will be captured by multiple cameras for its entire length and without any disruption, like the scripted videos.
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Snubbed Pheu Thai woos UTN
Srettha’s PM bid needs new backers
The Pheu Thai Party is struggling to secure enough support from other parties for its prime ministerial candidate Srettha Thavisin.
It is now trying to woo support from the United Thai Nation Party (UTN), while the Move Forward Party (MFP) has apparently snubbed it.
The Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), meanwhile, has expressed a willingness to back Pheu Thai’s PM candidate.
Somsak Thepsutin, a Pheu Thai list-MP, said he met Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, a UTN list-MP, for talks on the possibility of the UTN joining the Pheu Thai-led coalition.
Mr Somsak said he disagreed with the idea of some of the UTN MPs acting as renegades and breaking away from the UTN to join the coalition. “The whole party should come and join together,” he said.
He refused to comment when asked if the Pheu Thai-led coalition needs to include the UTN and the PPRP.
However, he added: “Everything is possible. The new government wants to secure enough support to ensure stability.”
The PPRP MP for Kamphaeng Phet, Phai Lik, who spoke on behalf of his party, said it had not been approached by Pheu Thai since they last met for talks on July 23.
However, the PPRP agreed that the new government must be established as quickly as possible so it can address the problems besetting the country.
“Therefore, the party agrees that all of its 40 MPs will vote for a prime ministerial candidate from Pheu Thai,” he said.
“During talks with Pheu Thai [on July 23], we discussed the policies we want to push for together, such as increasing monthly allowances for the elderly and the continuation of the state-welfare card scheme.
“Moreover, several [PPRP] MPs used to work with Pheu Thai. I am also a former Pheu Thai MP,” Mr Phai said.
He went on to say the PPRP has not yet discussed with Pheu Thai the possibility of joining a new government.
“But if Pheu Thai approaches us, we are ready to join,” Mr Phai said.
Pheu Thai on Thursday welcomed the Chatthaipattana Party, along with its 10 MPs, into its bloc, raising the number of House seats held by the coalition to 238 out of the 500 total.
Both parties expressed their commitment to seeking cooperation from all political parties and the Senate for the election of a prime minister and the formation of a new government.
Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said the country is in a unique political situation, and all parties needed to join forces to address constitutional issues, economic challenges and social conflicts.
The two parties urged the public to have confidence in their alliance, which they said is intended to bring Thai society back to normal quickly.
Chartthaipattana leader Varawut Silpa-archa said he thanked Pheu Thai for inviting his party into the coalition.
He cited their shared policies and perspectives and expressed confidence in Pheu Thai’s potential to lead the upcoming administration.
With the inclusion of Chartthaipattana, the Pheu Thai-led coalition alliance now consists of nine parties.
Earlier, Pheu Thai withdrew from the previous eight-party coalition led by the MFP.
Pheu Thai, which has 141 House seats, on Monday, teamed up with the Bhumjaithai Party with 71 seats. On Wednesday, it announced its coalition had six more parties.
Deputy Pheu Thai leader Phum- tham Wechayachai said a meeting between Pheu Thai and MFP key figures on Wednesday was not an invitation for the MFP to join the coalition.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidate and daughter of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, also attended.
Most MFP supporters do not approve of the party voting for a PM candidate from Pheu Thai, according to the MFP. It cited internal opinion polls by its MPs showing 95% of supporters are against such a move.
Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, an MFP list-MP, posted on Facebook the party must not open a door for the return of a dictatorship.
He was referring to the “uncle” parties: the PPRP led by Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, and the UTN, which has PM Prayut Chan-o-cha as its candidate.
His remark came amid rumours either, or both parties would be invited to join the Pheu Thai-led coalition.
Here’s why you could be eating 3D-printed meat and less rice by 2040, according to food futurists
As for the poultry industry, you could say Yip “cried fowl” on its heavy reliance on antibiotics to promote growth and prevent diseases, “which contribute to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that may pose health risks to consumers”.
Furthermore, COVID-19 and the ripple effects of the Ukraine war have emphasised the importance of self-reliance globally. In Singapore, the government, along with key industry and community stakeholders, have been gearing up to meet the “30 by 30” goal of sustainably meeting 30 per cent of our nutritional needs by 2030.
With just 1 per cent of the country’s land set aside for farming, you won’t just be seeing high-tech urban farms and edible gardens in community gardens. There are also other food innovations that are starting to come into fruition, and become scalable and affordable to Singaporeans by 2040, said Tay.
3D-PRINTED PORK BELLY AND BACON
Other than the plant-based meat alternatives that you already see in supermarkets and on menus, there is also cultured meat created using animal cells. Yip predicted that such lab-grown cultured meat will likely gain wider acceptance by 2040 as the technology matures and becomes more affordable.
“By then, the technology can potentially evolve to a point where consumers can order meat products tailored to their preferences, dietary needs, and cultural preferences,” he said.
When will COE prices go down? Not for another year, experts say
Even then, the quota across all COE categories is just 11,019 between August and October. This translates to 3,785 COEs in Category A and 2,816 in Category B, spread over six biddings – a small number compared with high COE supply years.
For example, from November 2018 to January 2019, the total quota was 30,143, including 10,894 in Category A and 7,414 in Category B. In those months, Category A prices were under S$30,000 and Category B premiums were under S$35,000.
HOW FAR WILL PRICES FALL?
Beyond supply, there are other factors affecting COE prices and how much they fall, experts said.
Singapore’s transport system, land use and travel behaviour affect demand for private cars, Assoc Prof Theseira said.
“When people live, work and play in ways that benefit greatly from private car ownership, demand for cars goes up. If their needs can be met by public transport better, then car demand falls,” he said.
For example, condominiums used to be built to be accessible by private cars, but today, many developments are integrated with public transport or are close to bus and train stations, he said.
Moving pieces of art or public nuisance? Bright, loud public minivans in Indonesiaâs Manado divide locals
MANADO, Indonesia: As soon as the sun dips below the horizon, the streets of Manado City, Indonesia come alive with flashes of colourful LED lights and the ear-splitting beat of electronic dance music. The source of these exuberance and excitement – some say commotion – may come as a surpriseContinue Reading
âBetter to have no rice than to be outclassedâ: Why a customised minivan is a coveted ride in Indonesiaâs Manado
MANADO, Indonesia: As soon as the sun dips below the horizon, the streets of Manado City, Indonesia come alive with flashes of colourful LED lights and the ear-splitting beat of electronic dance music. The source of these exuberance and excitement – some say commotion – may come as a surpriseContinue Reading
Board of Investment event set to strengthen alliances, networks for EEC
The Board of Investment (BOI) has joined forces with the Thai Subcontracting Promotion Association (SUBCON) and Informa Markets to organise the “MIRA and SUBCON EEC 2023” event from Sept 6-8 at Nongnooch Pattaya International Convention & Exhibition Center (NICE), Chon Buri.
The aims of the event are to strengthen entrepreneurs in the eastern part of the country, a zone underlining the region as “Asean’s sourcing and manufacturing excellence and subcontracting centre”, and be a step towards a Thai industry transition to the future, which is aligned with the strategy to transform the country into a new economy.
The event is targeted to match over 600 businesses and to generate over 2 billion baht in business value.
Mr Narit Therdsteerasukdi, BOI Secretary-General, said that the BOI, in collaboration with SUBCON and Informa Markets — a world-leading international exhibitions organiser — is organising MIRA (Maintenance, Industrial Robotics and Automation) and SUBCON EEC 2023 for the second consecutive year.
The event is a comprehensive trade and service exhibition and industrial solutions event held in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) comprising leading brands who work in the Maintenance, Industrial Robotics, Automation, and Subcontracting sectors.
(Photo: EEC Facebook fanpage)
The event will also display industrial parts and the most comprehensive business matching forum in the eastern region being built to support the Thai manufacturing and service sectors to be ready for their transition into future industries, in particular industries that are key to the eastern region’s wealth, such as electric vehicles, electronics, and intelligent manufacturing systems, he said.
More than 150 companies will participate in the exhibition, and the event is expected to also draw in over 100 large buyers and achieve 600 pairs of business matchings. The event is also expected to draw in around 5,000 visitors, he said.
“The BOI foresees that the support of domestic subcontracting producers entering into the global supply chain is a key strategy to promote Thai entrepreneurs to global markets, especially for Thai SMEs that execute with quality and in accordance with international standards in new industries such as electric vehicles (EV), electronics, automation, and robotics.
The BOI has continuously joined forces with such alliances to organise activities that link each industry in the EEC area for the second consecutive year, seeing the zone as the main industrial area of the country.
“This event will increase opportunities for Thai entrepreneurs to co-operate with leading foreign companies in sourcing, technology transfer, and subcontracting, as well as to create joint ventures between Thai and foreign countries, thus strengthening the supply chain of the targeted industries,” Mr Narit said.
Mr Kiattisak Jirakajonvong, President of SUBCON, said that following many investment projects in the EEC area, this is an important opportunity for Thai entrepreneurs to connect with foreign business partners and new investors in the targeted industries.
Home to over 400 members in the international trade arena, the Thai SUBCON association is ready to be a bridge that connects Thai entrepreneurs by helping them participate in important international exhibitions to create new trade opportunities, he said.
(Photo: EEC Facebook fanpage)
“We have also been a part of the SUBCON Thailand event that has been held continuously for more than 17 years and became a part of the SUBCON EEC for the first time last year. The event received a very good response from our members, as more than 90% of our members agreed to join the event again this year.
“This is a guarantee of confidence in doing business with suppliers and Thai partners. The association is confident that organising SUBCON EEC 2023 will be another way to create new opportunities for Thai entrepreneurs to move further toward the transitional industries, in particular, the targeted industries which will be key to upgrading the EEC to become the economic centre of the region,” he said.
Mr Sanchai Noombunnam, General Manager of Informa Markets, said that since Informa Markets has been working with the BOI and receiving great support from various alliances such as SUBCON, Informa foresees an opportunity to further expand the achievement of SUBCON Thailand — which is normally held in Bangkok — to a new important economic area such as the EEC.
He said Informa Markets initiated organising MIRA and SUBCON EEC in the past year to create an opportunity for entrepreneurs in the area to meet with large manufacturers who have high purchasing power to invest in the area, as well as to bring technology and innovation that corresponds to the industry of leading manufacturers to the exhibition.
The event is also happening to promote knowledge exchanges, such as in the field of electric vehicles, electric appliances, and mechanical and future industries as well, namely aircraft maintenance, medical equipment, robotics, and automation.
The previous event had been well received and was considered a great success, he said.
“This time, Informa Markets is ready to again organise MIRA and SUBCON EEC 2023 for the second year. There will be opportunities to witness modern technology and innovation in industrial maintenance and automation, including the advanced robotic system that today has become an important component of the Thai manufacturing sector,” he said.
At the same time, system integrator service providers from Thailand and Japan have also been invited to share their experiences and exchange information.
Last but not least, an important highlight that is regarded as the strength of the SUBCON EEC event is the business matching forum organised by BOI.
Moreover, what can’t be missed is a seminar giving an update on trends and new knowledge in the industry from experts sharing their direct experiences through various topics, all with the aim to connect major buyers from around the world, he said.