Recently an article is being circulated on social media and smartphone apps reminding travellers to take note not to receive any gifts from duty-free shops in airports, even if they are free of charge. This is because you may end up as a victim in the scam – as a thief stealing in a duty-free shop.

An author believed to be from Taiwan said: “My friend was shopping in a duty-free shop in Bangkok International Airport, the cashier put a pack of cigar in his bag. He thought that was a gift by the duty-free shop but was arrested by the police for stealing in the shop. He ended up spending two nights in the jail. Thai police asked him for 30,000 Baht in fine before releasing him.”

The article also touched on similar incident not only happen to his friend but also other victims in airports of Singapore, Malaysia and India. Someone had similar experience in Dubai airport.

“Such scam takes place almost every day at the airports throughout the world. These are pre-designed scam with collaboration of airport staff to look for next victim. Staff in duty free shop resorted to such tactic for some quick money. Many believe tourists would never return for the second time!”

Are those stories genuine? Unfortunately, these incidents did take place many years ago.

According to a news report entitled “Tourists warned of Thailand airport scam” on 20 July in 2009 on BBC online, a couple from Cambridge was to fly back to London on 25 April the same year and became victims of the scam at the Bangkok International Airport. Both were regarded as thieves in the duty-free shop. They were later intimidated by the police asking for huge sum of cash. They managed to return home after the British Embassy stepped in to help.

Foreign media described this as “Zig Zag” or Thai airport scam. Even the British Embassy issued warning to travellers to beware of shopping in duty free shop.

Thai authorities have taken action against such scams. Recent such scams are unheard of in the last few years. But to travellers, being more cautious would mean they expose to lesser risks.

The impoverished western state neighbouring Bangladesh has become a crucible of religious hatred focused on the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority, who are reviled and perceived as illegal immigrants in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

Despite years of persecution and government restrictions, the Rohingya largely eschewed violence.

But sporadic armed clashes have erupted since October when a previously unknown Rohingya militant group staged a series of attacks on security forces, sparking a massive security crackdown by Myanmar’s military which the UN believes may have amounted to ethnic cleansing.

A brutal round of fresh fighting has been raging since Friday when militants staged new coordinated ambushes.

More than 100 people, including some 80 militants, have been killed. Thousands of Rohingya civilians have fled towards Bangladesh while local Buddhists and Hindus have sought sanctuary in towns and monasteries away from the clashes.

Both sides have accused each other of committing fresh atrocities in recent days, accusations that are difficult to verify because the fighting is taking place in inaccessible villages.

The government department directly run by Suu Kyi — the State Counsellor’s Office — has released a flurry of statements through its Facebook account, including grim pictures of civilians allegedly shot dead by militants.

“Terrorists have been fighting security forces by using children at the frontline (and) setting fire (to) minority-ethnic villages,” the office said it its latest statement on Monday.

The statement said there should be “no concerns for civilians who are not linked with extremist terrorists”. It called on Rohingya to cooperate with security forces and not brandish “sticks, swords and weapons” when security forces approached.

The militant group behind the fighting — the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) — hit back with its own allegations on Monday.

“While raiding Rohingya villages, the Burmese brutal military soldiers bring along with them groups of Rakhine (Buddhist) extremists to attack Rohingya villagers, loot Rohingyas’ properties and later burn down Rohingya houses,” the group said via its Twitter account @ARSA_Official.

Myanmar’s assurances for Rohingya civilians appear to have had little effect with a fresh influx of refugees heading to Bangladesh. Some have been turned back by Bangladeshi authorities.

Rohingya who made it through on Sunday described Buddhist mobs and security forces shooting people dead and burning down homes. They said many Rohingya men and youths stayed behind to fight.

Myanmar’s government made similar claims that Rohingya were burning their own homes when violence first broke out in October.

Refugees accused Myanmar’s military of engaging in scorched earth retribution, as did a number of rights groups who used satellite imagery to track the fires.

Activists and supporters on both sides of the sectarian divide have a history of posting false images and footage online.

Savankhone Razmountry, vice minister of information, culture and tourism, made the remark at a meeting in the Laotian capital of Vientiane with editors from the Asia News Network. The ANN is an alliance of 23 English-language media outlets across Asia, including The Japan News.

The Southeast Asian nation’s government has set the goal of graduating from LDC status “during the period from 2025 to 2030,” Razmountry said.

The list of countries — currently 47 — in the LDC category is reviewed every three years by the U.N. Economic and Social Council based on three criteria: gross national income (GNI) per capita, human assets, and economic vulnerability. According to data from the 2015 triennial review, the GNI per capita of Laos is US$1,232 — already close to the graduation threshold of US$1,242.

At the ANN meeting, the vice minister also stressed that tourism promotion of the country — which is rich in wildlife and cultural properties including the Unesco World Heritage site of Luang Prabang — is “an important engine” to ensure economic development.

The government plans to increase the number of foreign visitors from the current level of about 4 million to “6 or 7 million in the coming years,” Razmountry said. He called for more foreign investment to build infrastructure such as roads, international airports and hotels in the inland nation.

Razmountry highlighted the increasing need for educational cooperation from foreign countries to develop relevant human resources. Having been part of the socialist bloc before the end of the Cold War, Laos still receives scholarships from former bloc members such as China, Russia and Vietnam, according to the vice minister.

He said in an interview that his firm now has more than 15,000 visitors on their website and nearly 30,000 visitors on their Facebook page every month, and expects the figure to be doubled by the end of this year.

“We have now acquired around 400 bookings so far, and hope to receive more after the low season ends. Our customer base will grow together with the rising number of people visiting us through the website and social network channels,” he said.

“We mainly target to achieve 5,000 customers by April 2017. We hope to enjoy 50 per cent growth on a monthly basis.”

Ten months of impressive traction has brought 55 tour companies and over 150 local experts generating opportunities across the nation. The firm now has a team of five permanent staff and aims to expand both its network and workforce over time, he said.

Nyunt Win Aung plans to improve content marketing via Facebook as a primary channel for promotion. A mobile application will be introduced in the fist week of November. In the long run, he hopes to focus on automation, in addition to expansion of the workforce to 30 staff.

“We aim to make travelling easy for everyone. That is why we decided to create a time-saving and cost-effective platform for local travellers. We are confident that our business will be stronger despite stiff competition in the market,” he said.

“Normally, when people think of visiting somewhere, they have to buy tickets for transportation, find the best hotel that would suit their needs and book it in advance, and hire either taxis or motorbikes to go to their favourite destinations. All the processes usually take time. So we created a one-stop platform gathering tour operators, local guides and travellers for their own convenience. They no longer need to bother or worry about their trips.”

According to Nyunt Win Aung, the firm’s services are now available in all the states and regions in Myanmar, except Kachin State where he hopes to launch next year.

He said the top favourite destination by far is the ancient city of Bagan, followed by Mandalay and destinations in Shan State such as Taunggyi, Kalaw, and Inlay Lake. He hopes to receive more bookings for trips to the nation’s popular beaches such as Ngapali, Ngwe Saung, Chaung Tha and Gawyingyikyun.

Regional winner

The firm is an alumnus of Telenor’s accelerator programme and Phandeeyar: Myanmar Innovation Lab, from which they received pre-seed funding. Earlier this year, the firm won US$10,000 to venture further, as it took the top prize among more than 250 applicants at the 2017 Mekong Business Initiative Innovation Grants supported by Asia Development Bank.

At the event, promising tourism start-ups across Southeast Asia vied for securing four grants up to $10,000 (Bt333,000). The firm won two steps of the competition in Cambodia and Laos, respectively.

He said all their customers were satisfied with the firm’s service. He was proud to say that around 40 per cent of people travelling with the firm became return customers.

“We always try to ensure smooth transportation and nice accommodation for our customers at the best price. Perhaps this is our strength that sets us apart from others,” he said.

He said the firm took its customers’ feedback into serious consideration. It usually collects customer satisfaction data either by phone or through a survey form after the trip. In this regard, the firm can determine the rating of its partners to ensure better services.

He said cost effectiveness fuelled people’s interest in travelling with the firm. He added it costs a minimum Ks35,000 (Bt857) to the maximum Ks180,000 per trip, which he said is affordable for even low-income people.

The report also finds that consumers in Southeast Asia continue to be among the world’s most confident.

Despite decreasing by two points, the Philippines with 130 points has surpassed India with 121 points to become the most confident country in the world.

Indonesia ranks fourth with a score of 122 while Thailand drops to 10th with 107.

Confidence levels bounced back in Malaysia and Singapore, which score 94 and 89.

Unlike last year, consumers in Vietnam are no longer the most avid savers globally.

The study shows that 63 per cent of Vietnamese put their spare cash into savings (compared to 76 per cent in the previous quarter), following Thailand (69 per cent), Singapore and Indonesia (66 per cent).

Consumers in Vietnam continue to spend more on big-ticket items.

After covering essential living expenses, around one in three Vietnamese consumers are willing to spend on things like holidays (38 per cent), new clothes (36 per cent), new technology products (31 per cent), home improvement (30 per cent), and out of home entertainment (29 per cent). Twenty-three per cent have medical insurance.

Nguyen Huong Quynh, managing director of Nielsen Vietnam, said: “In contrast to the volatility of the fast moving consumer goods market in the first half of the year, Vietnamese consumer sentiment is getting better. This upsurge is due to consumers’ optimistic perception of personal finances and immediate spending intentions.

“Vietnamese consumers pay closer attention to what is happening, easily being influenced by word of mouth and social media, and quickly react, which makes them continuously evolving consumers.

“Therefore, manufacturers and retailers need to have ‘real time’ understanding of the emerging consumer trends and take faster actions to meet their demands.”

The top five concerns of Vietnamese consumers remain the same as in the last quarter of 2016.

Job security continues to top the list at 48 per cent, followed by health (38 per cent), work/life balance (25 per cent), the economy (20 per cent), and parents’ welfare and happiness (17 per cent). “While consumers continue to be upbeat about their future, financial security remains one of their top priorities,” Quynh said.

“Both job security and economic outlook have a direct impact on consumers’ degree of financial security, and hence remain key concerns.

“It is not a surprise that in the current context, consumers are looking for healthier lives or even total wellness. Thus, this trend offers both manufactures and retailers the opportunity to innovate and develop the next generation of offerings.”

Globalisation and technological changes have contributed to unprecedented economic growth, improvement in living standards, and poverty reduction. But these could also bring about structural unemployment in the short to medium terms, delegates heard on the second day of the Apec Economic Committee meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday. Structural unemployment is caused by changes in an economy, such as shifting labour demand patterns due to affluence, capital accumulation, urbanisation, international trade, or changes in technology, according to the 2017 Apec Economic Policy Report.

These changes lead to a mismatch between the skills of job seekers and those required for emerging job opportunities, it said.

In their individual economy reports, Apec countries identify skills mismatch as a key challenge in their labour markets. Young workers are not always gaining the right skills to prepare them for employment, leading to a high level of youth unemployment in several economies. Meanwhile, ageing population means older workers need to continue working while learning new skills.

Improving the labour force participation of young people, women, minorities and other disadvantaged group is a continuing effort among Apec economies. There are also some gaps in human capital development in the region. About a third of Apec economies have a secondary school net enrolment rate of below 60 per cent.

The unemployment rate among people aged 15-25 was above 10 per cent in 13 of Apec’s 21 economies in 2015. Moreover, 30 per cent of employed people in the region are unpaid family workers.

On the first day of the meeting, the committee discussed the Apec–OECD Framework on Competition Assessment. This sets out non-binding principles for implementing consistent competition assessment in Apec member economies. It also promotes Apec-wide co-operation on competition assessment.