THAILAND IS confident that negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will be completed by the end of the year following major progress made during the Asean Summit over the weekend, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who chaired the summit, said.

Thailand aims to conclude two additional chapters to the trade agreement by early July. So far, seven of the 20 RCEP chapters have been negotiated. Thailand is looking to show progress by closing two chapters by next month after negligible progress in the first six months under its leadership.

The mega-trade deal, which brings together the 10 Asean nations along with China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, has been stuck in negotiations for the past seven years. Once completed, it will be the largest multilateral trade deal in history.

“All Asean countries recognise the importance of completing the RCEP negotiations by the end of this year amid rising protectionism and trade tensions,” Prayut said yesterday at a press conference.

He said Thailand was confident of concluding the negotiations phase of the RCEP by the end of the year.

“The RCEP will enhance the centrality of the Asean region, connecting countries in the Indian subcontinent with those in the Asia-Pacific region, acting effectively as the centre of Asia,” he claimed.

“When the deal is successful, the 16 RCEP countries will form a multilateral trade bloc which represents a large portion of the global economy. This will increase Asean’s negotiating power with other countries in the future,” the prime minister said.

In 2018, trade between the RCEP countries represented up to a third of global trade. Thailand’s trade value with the RCEP countries was worth some US$70 billion in 2018. Thailand’s exports to the RCEP countries currently account for 58 per cent of its total exports, according to the Commerce Ministry.

Yesterday, trade officials headed to Melbourne, Australia, where the 16 RCEP countries will meet from June 25 to July 3 to resolve outstanding issues.

“Our target is that at least two chapters be closed out by the end of the senior economic officials’ meeting on RCEP in Melbourne,” Auramon Supthaweethum, director-general of the Commerce Ministry’s Department of Trade Negotiations (DTN), said on the sidelines of the weekend summit.

The meeting in Melbourne, she said, would address all the 13 outstanding chapters and two chapters will be in particular focus. These two chapters include one on rules of origin of goods and another on trade in financial, telecom and professional sectors.

Auramon expects negotiations on these two chapters to be settled at the end of their trip to Melbourne, adding that currently the Asean region has established a common position on nearly all the remaining 13 RCEP chapters.

The key challenges, she said, are the chapters on trade in goods, trade in services and intellectual property standards.

The matter of trade in goods and services presents a challenge, as there are countries like China and India, which do not have a bilateral free trade agreement. This means that details on trade in goods and services between these countries have to be discussed without a free trade agreement framework to build upon, according to the trade official.

Meanwhile, there are different standards between developed economies and less developed economies on intellectual property protection, which will need to be resolved, she explained. For example, developed economies such as Japan, Australia and South Korea have a high standard on intellectual property regulations, which other less-developed economies may struggle to meet.

“The online audio visual industry is flourishing in the country, with more and more audio visual products of increasingly high quality being created,” said Cui Chenghao, deputy Party secretary of the research center of the National Radio and Television Administration, during the summit.

Cui, who is also the deputy editor of the report, points out that major online video platforms in China, including Tencent platform iQiyi, have been pouring capital into the production of original content and the quality of most works have reached a level that is comparable to those produced by broadcasting companies.

“For instance, most original online shows no longer depend solely on the star factor of famous personalities. More and more new actors are appearing in these programs,” he says.

Cui also claims that technological advancements have been driving growth in the online media market since 2018 when technology such as 4K (ultra-high definition) and 8K resolution as well as virtual reality started becoming more prevalent in the industry.

According to a joint survey conducted by the research center at the administration, the Center of Shanghai International Film and TV Festival and the audiovisual communication research center at Peking University, about 1,500 films were screened exclusively online in 2018, a drop from 2,400 in 2016.

The drop is partly a result of the rising budgets for online movies, which as the survey also shows, have grown a hundredfold, surging from several hundred thousand yuan in 2015 to tens of millions of yuan in 2018.

“We hope to see the quality of films continue to improve as more budget is allocated to such projects,” says Lu Di, director of the research center at Peking University.

Ma Zhongjun, founder of Shanghai-based Ciwen Media and a Chinese playwright, stated at the summit that some key elements of quality online works are innovation, either in characters or plots, and a smooth and rigorous film production process ranging from the choice of scripts to the completion of a film.

Ye Ning, vice-president of Huayi Brothers Media Group, says an excellent film should resonate with the audience, evoke emotions and create a new world in the viewer’s mind.

Loc, 56, and his wife can earn VND350,000 (US$15) per night from renting out a room, excluding food, motorbike and boat rent, or a local guide.

“My income from fishing had been unstable for 20 years, so I turned to tourism services as I needed to retire from fishing,” Loc said.

“I was born a fisherman, and now I use that experience from the traditional trade to serve tourists,” he said.

The islander’s education and communication of protecting the marine environment and cleaning the ocean help the local community improve their awareness of protection.

“I can earn $15 per night and VND70,000 ($3) for food from each tourist,” Loc said.

“Boat trips and motorbike rentals add to my income as many tourists have been flocking to the islands in recent years. My knowledge of marine species and the ocean help me act as a local guide for tourists as well,” he said.

Marine protection

The Cham Islands-Hoi An World Biosphere Reserve, which covers over 33,000ha including the ancient town of Hoi An, has 1,500ha of tropical forests and 6,700ha of sea featuring a wide range of fauna and flora.

The islands, which include eight islets with 2,400 inhabitants, have been one of the most popular destinations in Quang Nam Province since UNESCO recognised Hoi An ancient town and the My Son Sanctuary as World Heritage Sites.

A report has revealed that more than 80 per cent of the population have switched from fishing to the eco-tourism sector and doubled the income per capita to VND42 million (US$1,800).

The islands are the only location in Vietnam promoting the non-use of plastic bags and the ‘3Rs’ (reduce, reuse and recycle) programmes since 2011, as well as fighting over-fishing for decades.

The 2,400 inhabitants earned US$3.6 million per year, 65 per cent of which is from tourism and service.

Tran Hoan, a 53-year-old fisherman, initially protested the non-use plastic bag campaign in the Cham Islands Marine Protected Area (MPA) in 2011.

But he then voluntarily joined a community-based team to prevent illegal and over-fishing activities.

“At first, we protested the ban on plastic bags because they were seen as the most convenient way of transporting food every day,” Hoan recalled.

“Now we all know that plastic bags have killed the coral reefs – a safe shelter for fish and other species. Islanders now use environmentally-friendly packaging or reusable bags for their daily market trips,” he said.

The local community is continuing to protect the environment by promoting “Say No to single-use plastic cups and straws”.

Dr Chu Manh Trinh from the MPA said islanders offered tourists hand-made paper packaging instead of nylon bags.

Fishermen have also set up teams to check for illegal fishing or pollution such as fishing by electric shock and netting small marine species.

Challenges

Director of the MPA Centre Tran Thi Hong Thuy warned that booming mass tourism would result in over-exploited natural resources in the Cham Islands.

She said the islands hosted only a mere 17,000 tourists in 2009, but about 400,000 visited in 2018.

“At least 33ha of the seaweed has been destroyed in the past decade due to over-fishing and mass tourism. About 102ha of forest – 10 per cent of the total forest area on the islands – has also been cleared for the construction of roads and buildings,” she said.

She said water off the islands docked regularly more than 700 boats in serving for fishing and tourist transport.

Le Ngoc Thao, an expert from the MPA pointed out that the Cham Islands-Hoi An biosphere reserve site would be threatened in the near future by fishing using electric shocking, pollution, lack of freshwater and rapid urbanisation in the basin of the Thu Bon River.

He said 7ha of nipa palms in Hoi An itself, the Thu Bon River basin or in the transition area of the biosphere reserve – was cleared to make way for Cua Dai Bridge.

“The bridge, which connects Hoi An and the districts of Duy Xuyen and Thang Binh as part of the area’s socio-economic development plan, cuts through a 40ha nipa palm forest, just 5km away from ancient town of Hoi An,” Thao said, adding the forest remained a safe shelter for marine species and fish reproducing before migrating to waters of the Cham Islands,” he said.

Solutions

To promote biodiversity protection, the MPA and Hoi An will continue to allow only 3,000 tourists to visit the islands per day.

The strict control of mass tourism will help the marine ecological system recover for sustainable development.

Professor Chu Hoi suggested afforestation and replanting nipa palms in the Thu Bon River basin as well as rejecting mass construction of beach hotels and resorts as well as sound management of waste and water would be key factors in supporting the sustainable development of the Cham Islands-Hoi reserve.

Professor Nguyen Hoang Tri from the Man and the Biosphere Programme – an intergovernmental scientific programme launched by UNESCO, said the islands should set a lower limit for the number of tourists to promote the sustainable development of the islands.

He said biodiversity protection and improving awareness among the community about environmental protection will be the key to building the islands into a national brand in the context of a community-based eco-tourism site rich in biodiversity.

The trial aims to gradually improve robotic application in training, remote diagnosis and medical treatment to improve the efficiency of treatment and patient care.

“The clinical trial simulation will help accelerate hi-tech applications in diagnosis and treatment,” said Dr Bui Van Chien, director of Hai Phong Children’s Hospital.

“In the near future, doctors in Hai Phong will be able to discuss directly with their Korean peers about different cases around the clock,” said the director.

Training courses and seminars between the two hospitals will also be organised with the assistance of the robot.

In the future, the use of robots in diagnosis and treatment will be applied in hospitals nationwide, especially in remote, mountainous areas and islands.

Dr Pham Thu Xanh, director of Hai Phong’s Healthcare Department, said the use of robots was considered the first step of using artificial intelligence in healthcare services.

Asean foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the Asean Summit and discussed repatriation of the refugees following the long stalemate since November last year when the refugee group resisted the plan due to fears about their safety.

“We discussed safe repatriation and recognition of their status in Myanmar society upon their return,” Don told reporters after the meeting.

Myanmar authorities would issue them an NVC, a step towards recognition of their identity, he said.

More than 740,000 Rohingya refugees fled from violence in Rakhine state since August 2017 after a heavy-handed “clearance operation” by the Myanmar military in responding to attacks on security outposts.

Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed on a repatriation deal in late 2017 but it is yet to be implemented. Don said both countries needed to set the terms, conditions and timeline and the screening procedure.

Asean has agreed to enhance its role and visibility in humanitarian assistance, repatriation and sustainable development in Rakhine state.

Asean Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi and an assessment team from the Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management visited Rakhine several times between December and May. Their report on the matter was circulated among ministers for further discussion and instruction.

Run by the Penang Animal Sanctuary Society (PASS), the place on a 0.25ha plot is leased from the Penang Island City Council for three years.

Over the last few years, the society had tirelessly worked to get the place in order to house the stray animals.

PASS co-founder Nornee Lim said it was a tough task getting this plot and another 1.01ha plot for the second phase of the project.

“We flattened certain parts of the terrain and did some landscaping to create a conducive atmosphere for the animals. “We’ve spent about RM500,000 so far and more is needed to run the sanctuary.

“Presently, it has only 20 dogs,” she said, adding that the project was in its first phase and that when completed, the sanctuary would be able to house some 1,000 strays.

“We have a group of 20 professionals who have been working hard to solicit funds for the sanctuary.

‘The work is never-ending as we need a lot of resources.

“We managed to secure this place after many years of hard work including numerous meetings. “The current lease is not long enough and we are seeking a 20-year lease.

“We need volunteers to take care of the animals and we also do not have an in-house veterinarian,” she said.

The sanctuary will rescue the strays and send them to the councils to be spayed or neutered before placing them in the sanctuary.

Volunteers who are interested to help and those wishing to donate funds or adopt strays can call Lim (013-4168324).

The King visited a KFC outlet in Temerloh, Pahang and queued up for Kentucky Fried Chicken just like other customers on Friday (June 21).

Several pictures of Sultan Abdullah’s KFC visit were posted on Istana Negara’s Instagram page (@istana_negara), and were praised by Malaysians.

“Such humility, lining up like a regular citizen. Daulat Tuanku,” Instagram user @deen_janggut said. As of 5pm, the post gathered over 4,000 likes on Instagram.

The seven-storey building in the beach town of Sihanoukville, owned by a Chinese company, collapsed with workers inside.

“We have pulled out a body and we see two more bodies still stuck between debris,” Yun Min, the governor of Preah Sihanouk province, told AFP, adding 13 people were injured.

Images showed excavators digging into the flattened debris in the hunt for dozens of other workers feared to be trapped inside.

“There are more than 30 people in the pile of debris from the building,” Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said in a Facebook post, citing witnesses.

He said all of the dead were Cambodian, including two workers and a translator.

Governor Yun Min said around 50 workers would normally have been on the site at the time.

“We have rescued 20 so far… we still can’t say exactly how many are trapped in the debris,” he said, adding some may not have been at work at the time of the accident.

Rescue workers in hard hats heaved chunks of broken cement from the flattened building, looking for anyone buried underneath, while the diggers shunted twisted metal to the side.

Medical workers attended to a shirtless injured man, as concerned crowds built up around the site.

The building belonged to a Chinese national who rented the land from a Cambodian owner.

Sihanoukville was once a sleepy fishing community before being claimed first by Western backpackers, and then wealthy Russians.

Chinese investment has flooded in in recent years, spurring a construction boom in a resort town known for its casinos which pull in mainland tourists.

There are around 50 Chinese-owned casinos and dozens of hotel complexes under construction.

Between 2016 and 2018, $1 billion was invested by Chinese government and private businesses in the Preah Sihanouk province, according to official statistics.

Cambodia, one of Southeast Asia’s poorest countries, has notoriously lax safety laws and labour protections. Accidents are common at its building sites.

The only Asian hosts of the World Cup so far have been Japan and South Korea, in 2002.

China is widely seen as the next Asian frontrunner to hold the tournament, with its massive sporting market, wealth and infrastructure to match.

But the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc, meeting in Bangkok this weekend, is keen to steal a march on the regional superpower.

“Government sectors think this can happen… 15 years from now,” Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai told reporters after talks with his counterparts.

A Thai Foreign ministry spokeswoman said “the idea will be proposed to the leaders” of ASEAN before the end of the summit on Sunday.

Since the inaugural World Cup in 1930, 17 countries have hosted the event, many of them in Europe and South America where millions of football-mad fans have descended to support their home country’s teams.

FIFA usually selects the country years in advance, and the 2026 event will go to the North American continent, with the United States, Canada and Mexico joint hosts.

But the years-long vetting process has been fraught with controversies in the past, as allegations of bribery and kickbacks have plagued FIFA over awarding the host position to Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022.

Southeast Asia is home to tens of millions of passionate fans but it lacks high-level national teams, as well as the facilities to put on the massive event.

It is unclear which of the 10 members would host games or how FIFA would allocate the automatic qualification normally given to tournament hosts.

American pop singer Nick Jonas cannot stop gushing about his wife Priyanka Chopra Jonas, whom he called his “hot date”.

Nick on Friday posted an Instagram story featuring his wife and Indian actress. He used a heart filter on the social media platform.

He captioned the Instagram story: “My hot date on date night”.

Nick and Priyanka’s date night video comes hours after the Jonas Brothers released their new song titled Runaway.

On the Bollywood front, Priyanka has wrapped up shooting for Shonali Bose’s The Sky Is Pink along with Farhan Akhtar and Zaira Wasim.