Koh Kut falls victim to slump in vacationers

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PUBLISHED : 13 Nov 2023 at 05:13

Koh Kut falls victim to slump in vacationers

Trat: The number of tourists from European countries visiting Koh Kut district fell by 50% this year, according to the chairman of tambon Koh Kut administrative organisation.

Dechathon Chan-ob, the TAO chairman and operator of a resort on the island, said about 160,000-170,000 tourists visited Koh Kut district last year, generating hundreds of millions of baht in revenue.

The district is home to the beautiful islands of Koh Kut and Koh Mak.

Almost 100,000 tourists visited Koh Kut this year, which was the highest since the Covid-19 pandemic, he said, adding the return of tourists was in part due to the easing of travel from the mainland to the island.

However, the number of foreign visitors especially from Europe dropped by 50% this year and despite the usual uptick in activity during October, the sector remained sluggish.

“Usually foreign tourists visit the island in large numbers in October and November, but business is slow, looking at the numbers reported by restaurants, car and motorcycle rental services,” he said.

Mr Dechathon said the likely factors were the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the shooting at a Bangkok shopping mall last month and the Hamas-Israel violence which seems to be escalating.

He said that during the cold season, most tourists visiting Trat are foreigners while Thais head to the northern region, but added that he hoped to see an uptick in domestic visitors in December when the temperature rises.

The TAO chairman urged the Srettha government to launch tourism promotion schemes similar to those implemented by the Prayut administration, adding the visa exemption policy might not be enough to draw foreign tourists.

Non Suwatnanon, chairman of Koh Mak TAO, said the number of visitors at Koh Mak rose by 20% this year after the island received two awards.

Koh Mak recently won recognition from the Green Destinations Foundation and its partners as being among their Top 100 Destination Sustainability Stories 2022.

The island won second place in the category of Governance, Reset & Recovery behind Normandy in France at the Green Destinations Story Awards held at ITB Berlin 2023 in Germany.

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Earthshot Prize: Asia leads the way in quest to repair planet

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House in Thailand surrounded by flood watersGetty Images
By Suranjana Tewari
BBC News, Singapore

In a village in Western India, women collect onions that have been stored in the orange metal dryers that are transforming their lives.

It is simple, almost rudimentary, technology. But they help the farmers to process excess or lower quality crop – which would ordinarily go to waste – into valuable products that can increase their profit.

The dryers have been deployed around 400 villages and are made by India’s S4S Technologies, one of five organisations that won the Earthshot Prize this week. The £1m ($1.2m) award was started by Britain’s Prince William in 2014 with the aim of finding and scaling up innovative solutions to the world’s greatest environmental challenges.

“S4S, along with women farmers, are creating a new food ecosystem that reduces wastage and mitigates the increase in greenhouse gas emissions while meeting the world’s food needs,” co-founder of S4S Technologies Nidhi Pant said in a statement after the award ceremony in Singapore.

Indian farmers are contending with the impact of climate change every day, and they are not alone. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has identified the Asia-Pacific as the region most vulnerable to climate change, with 13 out of 30 countries on the continent facing significant fallout.

Home to multiple low-lying coastal cities which are exposed to flood and typhoon risk, the region also faces dramatic increases in heat and humidity; extreme rainfall is forecast in some areas, while drought is anticipated in others.

But Asia is also home to a great deal of innovation, actress Cate Blanchett said on the “green” carpet ahead of the Earthshot Prize ceremony. “There are so many people out there of all age groups and demographics, from all cultures, actually doing things within their own communities, in their own regions to tackle issues caused by the very rapidly changing climate,”

Turbocharging solutions

The founders of Hong Kong-based GRST, which won in the “Clean Our Air” category, are anticipating the transition to electric vehicles around the world with their eco-friendly lithium ion battery technology. They plan to use the prize to scale up their operations – GRST produces its batteries in China where it also sells them but plans to expand to Canada, Europe and Singapore.

“During the battery production, there’s a lot of emissions and toxic chemicals that go into the conventional way of doing it. We’ve replaced those with water and water-soluble materials, so [it’s] very clean and much lower energy usage. But the important point is at the end of life, our batteries are [more] easily recycled than water so we can minimise the need for future mining,” they said at the award ceremony.

Prince William poses with the winners during the 2023 Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony in Singapore.

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Meaghan Brosnan was in the US Coast Guard for 20 years before joining WildAid, which won in the “Revive our Oceans” category.

WildAid is working with communities and governments around the world – including in China, the Philippines and Palau – to combat illegal fishing and protect ecosystems in marine protected areas. “We’re also working with some local communities to modify their fishing nets, so that they will not capture and drown sea turtles,” Ms Brosnan said.

Aadith Moorthy, from the Indian state of Karnataka, is the founder of Boomitra, another Earthshot Prize winner. Mr Moorthy works with farmers to improve their agricultural practices by checking soil health and maximising crop diversity.

He was passing through an Indian village in 2017 when he came across the funeral procession for a farmer who had taken his own life because of crop failure. This tragic moment eventually inspired Boomitra, which means “friend of the earth”.

Noting that Boomitra currently works with about 150,000 farmers and on some five million acres of land around the world, he stressed that “two more zeros” need to be added to these statistics in order to move the needle on climate change.

Solutions hub

The energy for innovation and solving the planet’s problems was palpable amongst participants and trustees on the green carpet.

“What we all need in the climate space is both action and hope. And the finalists that we see, they provide both,” former New Zealand Prime Minister and Earthshot trustee Jacinda Ardern said ahead of the ceremony.

Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales poses with Australian actress Cate Blanchett

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Christina Figueres – who headed UN climate negotiations for six years and played a key role in the talks that led to the Paris Climate Agreement – told the BBC that she wanted to take Earthshot to Asia because the region “leads the world into the future”.

Noting the rate of growth in the region, as well as the demand for energy both in population as well as in industrial productivity, Ms Figueres praised the “brilliant, disruptive efforts” of people and organisations in the Asia-Pacific to address environmental challenges in a timely fashion.

Prince William also expressed hopes that the Earthshot Prize would expand into a global movement, in which governments are more engaged in green sectors so that climate change would be easier to tackle.

“Our winners and all our finalists remind us that, no matter where you are on our planet, the spirit of ingenuity, and the ability to inspire change, surrounds us all,” he said.

Additional reporting by Daniela Relph and Nikhil Inamdar.

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Legendary singer Tom Jones to hold Singapore concert in March

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It’s Not Strange, a hit song by Tom Jones, helped him achieve fame after his career began in the 1960s. Since then, &nbsp has sold more than 100 million albums, amassed 36 Top 40 touches, and won numerous Grammys and NBP Awards. Jones, who is regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time, received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in 2006 for his contributions to song.

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Earthshot Prize: Prince William says climate crisis too visible to be ignored

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Prince William with Earthshot 2023 winnersMedia PA
By Jemma Crew, Daniela Relph, andamp
NBC News

The Prince of Wales announced the five recipients of his yearly Earthshot Prize, saying that the climate crisis has” become very apparent to become ignored.”

Prince William declared that he thought this was the generation to take collective actions to safeguard the environment.

At a ceremony on Tuesday, he announced the winners of the£ 1 million($ 1.2 million ) prize.

They include a business producing electric vehicle chargers from recycled materials and assisting famous people in reducing food waste.

Hannah Waddingham walks with the Prince of Wales as he arrives for the 2023 Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony, at The Theatre at Mediacorp, Singapore

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Prince William stated during a speech at the Singapore awards festival,” The past year has been one of great change and also greater challenge.”

” A year in which the weather crisis’ results have become too obvious to be disregarded.

And a time that has left many people feeling hopeless and vanquished.

But as we’ve seen this evening, there is still desire.

The awards ceremony was presided over by artist Hannah Waddingham, along with shows from OneRepublic and Bastille, Sir David Attenborough, Hollywood celebrity Cate Blanchett, and original New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

The Princess of Wales expressed regret for not being present because she had remained in the UK to assist her 10-year-old son George with his” second set of significant exams.”

Cate Blanchett (left) and Hannah Jones, chief executive of the Earthshot Prize arrive for the 2023 Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony

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Members of indie pop band Bastille pose on the green carpet

Reuters

We hold onto the most potent rewards of all, optimism and hope, the prince continued, adding a cheery statement.

I choose to think that future generations will remember this generation as the time when we all took social activity for our world, he continued.

” We became the architects of shift towards a healthy and sustainable world the second we refused to accept the voices of neglect and pessimism.”

Prince William established the yearly prizes, which are now in their third year and are being held for the first time in Asia, to support initiatives to save the planet.

The prize honors President John F. Kennedy’s” Moonshot” goal of 1960s America at the time, who vowed to send a person to the Moon within ten years.

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Who are the triumphants?

Nature is Protected and Restored:

    The Andes Mountains in South America’s Acción Andina are the focal point of this local program, which is driven by a desire to cooperate for the benefit of all. According to Earthshot, it brings together tens of thousands of residents and local communities to safeguard regional ecosystems and forests.

sanitize our atmosphere:

    GRST, Hong Kong, China: As the demand for electric vehicles has increased, the company has created a more efficient, secure, and affordable method of producing and recycling lithium-ion chargers. This entails creating the device using a water-soluble binding composite, making it possible to recover and reuse the metals more affordably, and lowering the need for additional extraction. According to Earthshot, the technique results in a battery that lasts up to 10 % longer than average and reduces greenhouse gas emissions from production by 40 %.

resurrect our sea

    WildAid Marine Program, Global: This non-profit software enhances the efficiency of Marine Protected Areas, where individual action is strictly controlled. According to Earthshot, it makes sure people have the resources they need to stop illegal fishing, restore wildlife, and enhance maritime livelihoods.

Create a Waste-Free World:

    S4S Technologies, India was established in 2013 by six college buddies and aids remote areas in eradicating poverty, gender inequality, and meal waste. According to Earthshot, its solar-powered dryers and tools assist small-scale farmers in protecting crops and converting produce that would otherwise be wasted into useful goods.

Improve our culture:

    Boomitra, Global: A market for land carbon that rewards producers for using environmentally friendly methods is known as Boomitra, which in Sanskrit means” friend of the world.” According to Earthshot, it tracks the changes producers make to the soil’s capacity to store carbon over time using satellites and Intelligence systems.

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To help them develop their innovations, each winner will receive£ 1 million($ 1.2 million ). From more than 1,300 contenders, the 15 winners were chosen.

Brass from water tube fixtures, household waste, and tiny metal components filtered from wastewater ooze were used to create the awards, which were then combined.

Guests were instructed to dress in” pre-loved” attire.

The meeting is scheduled to air on the BBC in the UK at 17:20 GMT on Sunday.

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Rashmika Mandanna calls for action against ‘scary’ deepfake video

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Actress Rashmika Mandanna poses for pictures during the trailer launch of her upcoming Hindi-language movie Mission Majnu in Mumbai on January 9, 2023shabby Pictures
authored by Meryl Sebastian
Delhi-based BBC News

Rashmika Mandanna, an American actress, described a fake video of herself that went viral on social media as” extremely terrible.”

A British-Indian girl named Zara Patel morphed Ms. Mandanna’s experience into an Instagram picture.

For fake videos have been referred to as a more” damaging form of propaganda” by India’s minister of information technology.

The 27-year-old artist has primarily appeared in Telugu and Kannada movies and has received numerous honors for her performances.

She will then be seen in the Bollywood movie Animal, which is scheduled to release on December 1st, with artist Ranbir Kapoor.

The first person to report that the popular film depicting Ms. Mandanna was a fake was journalist Abhishek Kumar, who works with the fact-checking website Alt News.

The initial video was posted by Mr. Kumar on X( previously Twitter ). He emphasized that Ms. Mandanna’s mouth was replaced in the false video as she was seen boarding an elevator.

According to Mr. Kumar,” From a algorithmic POV ] point of view, the viral video is great enough for regular social media users to fall for it.” Additionally, he requested a legitimate model to handle similar situations in the future.

Amitabh Bachchan, a seasoned professional in Bollywood who co-starred with Ms. Mandanna next year, shared the post and stated that there was” a strong case for constitutional action.”

Such an event was frightening, according to Ms. Mandanna in a statement on X,” not only for me, but even for each of us who today is prone to so much damage because of how technology is being misused.”

She wrote,” I honestly can’t imagine how I was always address this if this happened to me when I was in school or college.”

Before more of us are impacted by like identity theft, the actor said she was appreciative of the support of her family and friends and urged an immediate resolution to the problem.

Ms. Patel, the girl in the original video, also said she was” deeply disturbed and upset” by the false video in her response.

She wrote in an Instagram account,” I worry about the future of women and girls who now have to worry even more about posting themselves on social advertising.”

Deepfakes, according to India’s IT minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar, are the” latest and even more dangerous and damaging form of misinformation and need to be dealt with by platforms.”

Social media platforms must make sure” no misinformation is posted by any user ,” he continued, in accordance with India’s IT regulations.

Platforms that don’t meet this requirement may be sued in accordance with American rules.

Today available on YouTube is BBC News India. To listen and view our documentaries, explanations, and features, click here.

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Singapore’s next General Election likely in 2024, say analysts after PM Lee reveals handover plan

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SINGAPORE: Political analysts told CNA that Singapore can anticipate holding its next General Election( GE ) in 2024 after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Sunday( Nov. 5 ) his timeline for the nbsp, handing over leadership to Deputy Premier Lawrence Wong.

Although Mr. Lee’s transition plans did not surprise the analysts, they claimed that the election date has been pushed back because of his desire to transfer the reins of power to M. Wong before the next GE & nbsp and by Nov. 21 of next year, which is the 70th anniversary of the ruling Peoples Action Party( PAP ).

If everything goes according to plan, Mr. Lee said, adding that there was no longer any justification for delaying the shift.

By November 2025, Singapore’s new GE must been announced.

Before turning 70 in February 2022, Mr. Lee had originally stated his intention to step down. This strategy was derailed by the crisis.

I will be at the new PM’s waste after( handing over). I may go wherever he believes I can be of assistance. On Sunday, Mr. Lee declared,” I’ll try my best to support him in his battle and win the second GE.” At the annual PAP awards and agreement, he was speaking to more than a thousand party members.

Given that Mr. Lee had been referring to handing over leadership to the next generation for a number of years, Dr. Felix Tan of Nanyang Technological University( NTU) observed that Sunday’s announcement was” overdue.”

” By saying that he would love to hand over before next November- it’s kind of an implicit way of telling Singaporeans, as well as the 4G ( fourth generation ) leaders, that probably there will be an election much earlier or at least in 2024 ,” Dr. Tan said. & nbsp,

” An vote should be scheduled by the following month. When? I wouldn’t want to calculate that just yet.

Given the lack of quality prior to Mr. Lee’s declaration on Sunday, Ms. Nydia Ngiow, managing director of public policy consultancy BowerGroup Asia, also cited earlier” common speculation” regarding the timing of the management transition.

She claimed that if PM Lee had decided to remain until the next GE is called, Mr. Wong and another 4G officials might not have been trusted.

Giving up the league before the GE should be seen as the prime minister’s confidence in the 4G leaders, particularly since there doesn’t seem to be much of a chance for them to prove their mettle going forward, Ms. Ngiow continued.

However, it could be argued that if he had been truly confident in the 4G, the national security portfolio — including defense, home affairs, and foreign affairs — could have been given to them earlier rather than having it continued to be managed by 3G ministers.

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‘Crazy argument’ to say Singapore doesn’t need capable ministers because of good civil servants: PM Lee

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SINGAPORE: According to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday( Nov. 5) the claim that Singapore’s great public service makes it unnecessary for it to have experienced or worthy officials is” ridiculous.” & nbsp,

Mr. Lee, the secretary-general of the People’s Action Party( PAP ) Awards and Convention this year, spoke about the impending leadership change. & nbsp,

Before the following general election, Mr. Lee, 71, declared he would hand over authority of his party to Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. & nbsp,

According to Mr. Lee, the PAP’s objectives are governing professionally, keeping clear, and winning elections, which may” need high-quality leadership.” & nbsp,

He continued,” The group has a strong, competent staff that is in contact with Singaporeans and has” shown what it can do.” & nbsp,

” Our public support is very good. According to Mr. Lee, there are times when people claim that Singapore’s legal servants are so excellent that we don’t have officials who are as skilled or experienced. & nbsp,

It’s a mad debate, I tell you. The legal services didn’t just appear out of nowhere.

According to Mr. Lee, Singapore has a great civil service because it had great political leadership who developed it. & nbsp,

He continued,” The civil servants are excellent, but they can only produce good results because they are led by capable ministers who comprehend the problems, make wise choices, and command their respect. & nbsp,

According to Mr. Lee, this dynamic can be compared to that of an orchestra and a conductor so that ministers is direct and support civil servants in their function and fulfill their political promises. & nbsp,

He continued,” Singapore’s ministers and companies” performed beautifully” during the COVID – 19 pandemic, as an illustration. & nbsp,

However, we couldn’t have succeeded as we did without the ministers to make the significant and difficult decisions, to assume democratic responsibility for them, and to provide national management.

According to Mr. Lee, the choices to implement the” circuit break,” close borders, pre-order vaccines, or draw on resources were all political ones. & nbsp,

” Remember, if you have regular political leaders, your public service will be regular, and this state will become very regular.”

Singapore is” sunk ,” Mr. Lee continued, if it ever loses its uniqueness and is unable to stand out from other nations. & nbsp,

Therefore,” leadership registration is a crucial operation for the group and for Singapore.” nbsp

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South Korea’s reserve forces need to emulate the US

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Under the existing Republic of Korea-United States defense arrangement, in the event of war in the Korean theater of operations, combined component commands – air, naval, ground and marine corps – under the Korea-US Combined Forces Command play vital roles in maintaining the rock-solid combined defense posture that defends the lives of innocent citizens in Korea.

One exceptional element within such commands is the Combined Ground Component Command, led solely by the four-star ROK ground operations commander – unlike other component commands that are mostly commanded by US generals.

The CGCC, comprised of about 350,000 ROK soldiers and a couple of war-time augmented US divisions, is a striking exception to the Pershing Principle, which states that no US troops are commanded by any foreign military power and therefore it epitomizes the US commitment to defending democracy in Korea.

However, the CGCC is at a critical juncture – not due to external aggression but because of Korea’s extremely low birthrate of 0.7 per woman. In 2023, personnel who previously would have been exempted from military service – such as cancer patients and others with incurable diseases – are exponentially being assigned to active service or at least supplementary service.

At the current rate, the number of conscripts available in any given year in the 2030s is projected to be around 180,000. This falls short of what is needed to maintain a combat-ready posture, especially when considering the “3-1 rule (ratio) of land combat” against the 1.2 million North Korean active personnel.

South Korean and US Marines in a joint training exercise. Photo: Asia Times Files / AFP / Kim Jae-Hwan

Hence, Korea must beef up its reserve force, estimated at 2.7 million, to strive to maintain the readiness posture. This is in stark contrast to a decade ago when the number of new conscripts exceeded the established annual threshold of 300,000.

Back then, the military also adhered to an unspoken rule that reserve training should not be challenging. However, times have changed.

As part of the recent Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) re-enlistment pilot program, personnel including discharged reserve soldiers, non-commissioned officers and officers are increasingly answering the call.

While the current registered number brought in under the pilot program (only a few hundred) is not substantial, what is truly problematic is that those few reserve forces cannot completely assume active duties. They can only conduct reserve tasks, which hinders the integration of the active and reserve forces.

Moreover, due to the MND pushing for more demanding reserve training, the on-site commanders increasingly rely on symbolic incentives such as dismissing the top-performing squads early or presenting awards.

This has generated resentment among young servicemen who feel they have legally fulfilled their obligations during their active service, but are, all of a sudden, forced to do more without any tangible benefits.

Meanwhile, those who are not eager to be dismissed early have no motivation to train hard.

The rigid separation between the active and reserve components (and between peacetime and war) inhibits the overall enhancement of the ROK armed forces’ capabilities and defense readiness posture.

As in the case of the US reserve force system, facilitating re-enlistment into active positions and establishing a standing reserve force even during peacetime for integrated training of active and reserve servicemen is crucial. This approach enhances interoperability between the active and the reserve and independent mission capabilities of the reserve force in the absence of an active force – as seen in Ukraine’s war against Russia, driven by reserve forces.

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration has been gung-ho about ROK’s prospects as a “global pivotal state.” Regarding many areas of governance and statecraft, Yoon’s determination seems well-received, both domestically and internationally.

A consequence, though, is that the ROK armed forces must take on more significant roles in the region as per the raised expectations of the West. However, achieving this goal is unattainable without the ROK Army, which is not only the largest standing army in East Asia’s democratic countries but also the first responder against authoritarianism in the region, adeptly utilizing both its active and reserve forces as the situation demands.

A new reserve system must then prioritize material incentives over symbolic ones, as many younger servicemen are no longer solely motivated by patriotism and camaraderie. The aforesaid approach of assigning extra duties to young soldiers without offering tangible rewards would backfire. Implementing a legislative framework for an institutionalized reserve system, supported by monetary compensations and other benefits, is essential.

Ensuing financial challenges are a concern. However, while such apprehensions related to maintaining a standing reserve force during peacetime are valid, neglecting to enhance the capabilities of the reserve component would incur greater costs at the onset of war.

The sheer number, 2.7 million, may appear substantial, but the overwhelming majority of these 2.7 million ROK reserve servicemen primarily serve as riflemen and have limited access to the latest weaponry and advanced systems – communication, fires, administrative and so on – that the active component operates. This significant disparity in capabilities and expertise could lead to catastrophic consequences when the active force is absent.

South Korean army commandos smash a pile of stone plates in a show of force at the National War Museum in Seoul. Photo: Asia Times Files / AFP / Park Ji-hwan

Some might propose a mass-manufacturing of drones and robots, but once (and if) both sides’ drones face attrition, traditional infantry urban warfare would most definitely ensue. The presence of numerous cities with millions of citizens and critical infrastructure and buildings acts as a multi-layered defense north and around Seoul.

Furthermore, North Korea’s significant special warfare forces, expected to be deployed to the rear areas south of Seoul and Camp Humphreys, necessitate a bolstered reserve force to counter them. This underscores the justification for maintaining a robust reserve force to secure the rear areas.

The state of affairs in East Asia is tempestuous. The ROK armed forces have been serving as the aegis of Korean citizens. However, ROK military brass may soon have to deploy its force overseas to defend other democracies.

In such scenarios, the dwindling active force cannot be deemed sufficient. To face these evolving challenges, strengthening and utilizing the reserve is imperative.

James JB Park ([email protected] / [email protected]) is a former staffer of the South Korean Blue House and former member of the National Security Council staff, as well as a reserve captain in the ROK Army. He is currently on deferment for his MA at Columbia.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the ROK government, the presidential Blue House or the ROK military.

This article was originally published by Pacific Forum. It is republished here with permission.

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