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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014350

Four Chinese brands are recognized as world’s most influential companies that are shaping the future, according to TIME100 Most Influential Companies, an annual list that highlights businesses making an extraordinary impact around the world.

These four industrial leaders are China’s electric vehicle maker BYD Co Ltd, short-video sharing platform TikTok, online fast-fashion retailer Shein, and power battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd , known as CATL.

It is the second time for BYD to grab a position on the list as the company continues to grow fast under its strategy of “expanding the scale of new energy transportation” in China, the biggest automobile market in the world.

As an important part of the new energy vehicle industry chain, CATL was included on the list in the category of disruptors, together with TikTok, the overseas version of Douyin, which has over 1 billion global users, and Shein, whose annual revenue is close to $10 billion.

Surpassing Amazon in app downloads worldwide, Shein has become the most downloaded shopping app on iOS and Android platforms in the United States, National Business Daily reported on Thursday.

As an international B2C fast fashion cross-border e-commerce company targeting global young consumers, fast-fashion upstart Shein takes full advantage of China’s industrial chain and makes its prices so cheap that European and American consumers often find it hard to believe.

Shein has achieved over 100 percent growth in revenue for 8 consecutive years, and has become the largest cross-border apparel e-commerce provider in China in terms of sales volume, with more than 20 million annual active users, according to National Business Daily.

Shein’s growth speed further accelerated 300 percent, achieving revenue of about $10 billion in 2020 when the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered explosive growth of online sales, China Entrepreneur reported on Friday.

Time magazine divides these companies into five dimensions, namely, pioneers, titans, leaders, innovators and disruptors by soliciting information across sectors including health care, entertainment, technology.

Opinions from editors, correspondents and industry experts were collected and key factors influenced the evaluation of these companies included relevance, impact, innovation, leadership, ambition, and success, according to Time.

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).

Published : April 09, 2022

By : China Daily

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014319

Check out what’s hot in the region on April 8 as The Nation puts together headlines from members of Asia News Network (ANN). Click to read more:

Myanmar Crisis
Unknown gunman shots Central Bank Vice-Governor Daw Than Than Swe

Eleven Media ( Myanmar )
https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014307

Tibet China
Can’t banish China from Tibet, need to learn peaceful coexistence: Dalai Lama 

The Statesman (India)
https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014308

Himalaya
All-Black team set to climb Everest  

Kathmandu Post (Nepal)
https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014309

Tensions Russia-Japan
Russian military becoming more active in Japan’s vicinity 

The Japan News
https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014310

South China Sea
Vietnam asks China to cease militarization in South China Sea, reasserts sovereignty over islands 

Vietnam News
https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014311

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).

Published : April 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014311

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam on Thursday asked China to end its militarisation in the South China Sea in violation of Việt Nam’s territories and to refrain from escalating tensions.

Phạm Thu Hằng, deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Việt Nam, made the remarks during a regular press briefing, in response to a question over US reports of China having fully militarised at least three of several islands it built on Việt Nam’s Trường Sa (Spratly) Islands in the South China Sea (known in Việt Nam as the East Sea).

“The strengthening of militarisation of a number of entities as part of the Spratly Islands not only violates Việt Nam’s sovereignty over this island, but also causes serious concerns for countries in the region and the international community, as reflected in ASEAN’s documents,” Hằng stated, adding that this is not conducive to the maintenance of peace, stability, and development in the South China Sea.

“Việt Nam has full legal grounds and historical evidence to assert sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel islands, and sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the waters in accordance with international laws and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” Hằng emphasised.

Việt Nam asks China to respect Việt Nam’s sovereignty, cease all militarisation actions and refrain from actions that could escalate tensions in the region, maintain favourable conditions for the continued joint efforts with ASEAN to conclude the negotiations towards a substantive and effective Code of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in line with international laws and 1982 UNCLOS at the earliest time, she stated.

The US news agency Associated Press in late March cited US Indo-Pacific commander, Adm. John C. Aquilino, saying that China has outfitted the islands with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile systems, laser and jamming equipment, along with fleets of fighter jets, adding that this “buildup of weaponisation is destabilising to the region.”

Aquilino said the construction of missile arsenals, aircraft hangars, radar systems and other military facilities on Mischief Reef (known as Đá Vành Khăn in Việt Nam), Subi Reef (Đá Subi), and Fiery Cross (Đá Chữ Thập) – three among the seven entities that Việt Nam claims sovereignty of but are currently under Chinese occupation – appear to have been completed.

Reporters also asked for Việt Nam’s response to a comment from retired Filipino Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, who said that the country should hold joint patrols in the South China Sea with Việt Nam, the US, and some countries in the region, as a way to compel China to adhere to ground rules in Scarborough Shoal, a traditional fishing ground shared between the three countries.

In response, Hằng again reiterated Việt Nam’s stance of wishing to cooperate with other countries and contribute to peace, stability, safety, cooperation, and development in the South China Sea, based on international laws and 1982 UNCLOS, for common interests and in line with the aspirations of the countries in the region and the international community.

“With that in mind, over the years, Việt Nam has participated in joint patrols with countries in the region, such as Cambodia, Thailand, and China, and carried out international cooperation in scientific research, environmental protection, maritime crime prevention, and other economic activities,” Hằng noted.

Border exchange

Asked about the upcoming Việt Nam-China border defence friendship exchange slated to be held in late April this year, the deputy spokesperson said the exchange activities at all levels and sectors and localities between Việt Nam and China have been regularly maintained under a variety of formats.

The border defence friendship exchange is a regular annual activity held by the two countries’ ministries of national defence and border guard forces, she noted.

The event is expected to include a wide range of activities aimed at increasing mutual understanding and mutual trust, as well as enhancing the effectiveness of the coordination on border management and protection between the two border guard forces in particular and between the two armies in general, Hằng said.

“The event aims at promoting friendship and cooperation between localities and peoples of the border region, as well as the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Việt Nam and China, and also contributes to the building of a borderline of peace, stability, friendship, cooperation, and development between Việt Nam and China,” the deputy spokesperson stressed. — VNS

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).

Published : April 08, 2022

By : Vietnam News

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014310

On the evening of March 15, the Maritime Self-Defense Force detected two Russian Navy ships heading west in waters about 70 kilometers east-northeast of Shiriyazaki cape in Aomori Prefecture. The Shiranui, a destroyer from the Ominato base in the prefecture, and a P-3C patrol plane from the Hachinohe Air Base, also in Aomori Prefecture, began tracking the Russian vessels.

The Russian ships eventually passed through the Tsugaru Strait between Honshu and Hokkaido and reached the Sea of Japan. Photographs taken from the P-3C clearly showed at least 10 vehicles loaded on the deck of one vessel.

This incident was another indication of increased Russian military movements in the vicinity of Japan since before Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine. The Self-Defense Forces confirmed that a total of 57 Russian Navy ships sailed through waters close to Japan from January to March — more than were recorded during that period in the past 10 years combined. In addition to transporting units from Russia’s Far East toward Ukraine, Moscow has been conducting military exercises and apparently aims to flaunt its military might in areas near Japan.

According to the Defense Ministry, the two Russian vessels were tank-landing ships. On March 16, two more Russian ships passed through the Tsugaru Strait. Under international law, foreign military ships may freely pass through this strait. At a press conference on March 17, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said it was “possible” that Russia was transporting combat vehicles and personnel to Ukraine.

According to Japanese government sources, Russian units stationed in the Kamchatka Peninsula and elsewhere in the Far East had massed in Vladivostok and possibly moved toward Ukraine on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Statements issued by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and other sources say Russia’s 64th separate motorized rifle brigade, which is suspected of involvement in the mass killing of civilians in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, was originally based in the outskirts of the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk.

Northern territories used

As well as sending units into combat, Russia also has been stepping up drills involving its ships.

A Yomiuri Shimbun analysis of SDF statements on Russian vessel movements from January to March revealed that 57 such ships were detected in waters near Japan, including the Tsugaru Strait, the Soya Strait and the Tsushima Strait. This figure eclipsed the total of 54 ships detected during the same months from 2012 to 2021 combined.

According to officially published documents, the number of Russian Navy vessels confirmed in those waters in January this year was zero. However, Russian vessels have been spotted frequently since Feb. 1. At least 20 ships have been detected near the Soya Strait and the Tsugaru Strait since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Many of these vessels appear to have participated in large-scale exercises in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean. “The sea often gets rough during the winter months, which can restrict exercises such as those involving helicopters landing on and taking off from ships,” a senior Japanese Defense Ministry official told The Yomiuri Shimbun. “Conducting these drills at this time is aimed at displaying their military capabilities.”

Russia also has conducted military exercises in the northern territories. On March 25, the Russian military announced it had started a large exercise involving more than 3,000 personnel in the northern territories and Russia’s own Chishima archipelago. This appeared to be retaliation for Japan imposing sanctions on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. Anti-tank missiles and drones were reportedly deployed for the exercise.

Russia apparently conducted a target practice drill on the evening of March 30. Crew members on a Nemuro Coast Guard Office patrol boat sailing in waters near Nemuro, Hokkaido, saw lights that appeared to be flares. For about an hour from 6:30 p.m., these lights constantly illuminated the sky in the direction of Kunashiri, an island north of the boat’s position. “I’ve never heard of anything like this happening before,” said an official of the coast guard office.

Russia-China cooperation

Joint Russia-China activities in areas near Japan also have been conducted in recent years. Whether these actions will continue in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine is a focus of considerable attention.

In October, a group of 10 Russian and Chinese ships for the first time sailed jointly through the Tsugaru Strait and the Osumi Strait. The flotilla sailed in a loop around almost the entirety of Japan. In November, a total of four Russian and Chinese bombers flew together over the Sea of Japan, East China Sea and Pacific Ocean. The Air Self-Defense Force scrambled jets in response.

Katsutoshi Kawano, a former chief of staff of the Joint Staff Office, said: “China is carefully thinking about its own position, including the pros and cons of helping Russia’s blatant act of aggression. Analyzing the exercises Russia and China have conducted in the Far East reveals a lot about their relationship. This situation will need to be closely monitored.”

Far East military buildup

In the closing days of the Cold War, Soviet forces in the Far East included about 390,000 ground troops and 240 surface ships and submarines facing the Japan-U.S. alliance.

These numbers were slashed after the Soviet Union collapsed, but cutting-edge equipment has been deployed in the region in recent years as Russia once again reinforces its military might.

According to the Defense Ministry’s white paper and other sources, Russia’s Eastern Military District, which covers the Far East region, has ground forces comprising about 80,000 personnel. The district’s naval power includes about 20 main surface ships and 13 nuclear-powered submarines. Several nuclear-powered, ballistic missile-carrying submarines operate in the Sea of Okhotsk, and Russia is installing surface-to-ship missiles that could strike approaching enemy vessels.

The northern territories protrude into the Sea of Okhotsk, making them extremely important from a military perspective. Russia has stationed about 3,500 personnel of the 18th machine gun and artillery division, as well as tanks, armored vehicles and artillery, on Kunashiri and Etorofu islands.

By Yohei Kano

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).

Published : April 08, 2022

By : The Japan News

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014309

At least 60 members, including 25 Sherpas and a filming crew, will accompany climbers.

On May 1, 1963, Jim Whittaker became the first American to climb the world’s highest peak— Mt Everest.

On August 28, the same year, Martin Luther King, an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech calling for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States.

It took four decades for the first Black climber to summit Everest.

On May 26, 2003, Sibusiso Emmanuel Vilane of Swaziland became the first black person to summit Everest, according to mountaineering statistics of the government.

Come May, a 11-member all-Black team has set its eyes on the world’s tallest peak.

The project aims to promote racial equity in the great outdoors by summiting Everest.

“We believe our project will encourage people of colour to not just dream big, but simply get outside,” Philip Henderson, a native of California, the leader of the 11-member all-Black expedition team, told journalists in Kathmandu on Wednesday.

“We want to tell the world that we build the community and we are also a part of the community.”

The team will leave Kathmandu for Lukla, the gateway to Everest, on Thursday and then trek to the Everest base camp.

The team will be accompanied by at least 60 members, including 25 Sherpa guides and an eight-member filming team. “Eleven of us will climb. We expect at least nine will succeed,” said Henderson.

The expedition has been named ‘Full Circle’, with an objective to spread awareness about the need for diversity and inclusion in outdoor sports and beyond for the Black community.

This historic attempt has been expected to inspire generations of outdoor enthusiasts, educators, leaders and mountaineers of colour to continue chasing their personal summits.

“Black people have started moving to big cities. They have started dreaming. Things have changed but they have not changed much,” said Henderson. “I have been to Nepal 12 times. People in Nepal know me but they don’t know us [Black].”

“We are going to Everest, the tallest mountain on the planet. There is a risk of dying. But if we succeed, the new generation will see what we did.”

Attempting to summit Mount Everest is neither easy nor safe. At least 295 people have died on the mountain, 197 on Nepal’s side of Everest, according to the Himalayan Database that archives a comprehensive record of all expeditions.

Close to 7,000 mountaineers have climbed Everest from the Nepal side since Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and New Zealander Edmund Percival Hillary first set foot atop the world’s highest peak in May 1953. Only a handful of those climbers have been Black.

Bhishma Raj Bhattarai, an official at the Department of Tourism, the agency that issues permits to climb Everst, told the Post that 176 permits have been issued for Everest as of Wednesday, with the highest 42 permits issued to American climbers.

“We also see an equally busy year on Everest this spring too.”

Last spring, despite the Covid pandemic at its peak, Nepal issued nearly 750 permits—with a record 408 fee-paying permits issued to individuals aspiring to climb the world’s tallest mountain. Only 163 climbers succeeded.

Everest aspirants have started packing their bags and are heading for the Khumbu region. Flights are busy, restaurants and hotels are packed again, helicopters are humming and ponies and yaks are busy transporting goods to the foot of Everest.

Everest normally sees aspirants with multiple goals.

“This is a project where we can make an impact,” said Adina Scott, one of the two female members in the team.

Bhattarai said that they have not maintained a separate record on Black Everest climbers but said such an expedition is rare.

In the spring of 2019, Saray N’kusi Khumalo, born in Zambia, and now a South African, had scaled the 8,8848.86 metre tall mountain after three failed attempts that were foiled by bad weather and a deadly earthquake in 2015.

“More women should rise,” said Shanta Nepali, who is filming the tour up to the Everest base camp. “This is an amazing project. This project will not only raise awareness to promote racial equity in the great outdoors in American society but in Nepal too where there are many communities who still face barriers either from the government or from society.”

“Nepal is also among the least diverse countries when it comes to the outdoors. I am happy to be a part of the project.”

Foreigners pay $11,000 to obtain a permit to climb Everest and spend anywhere between $40,000 and $90,000 for the entire expedition.

The Full Circle project is estimated to cost $800,000. The project received around $200,000 in donations through a GoFundMe campaign and was funded by companies like Microsoft and North Face.

“It costs a lot of money. But we have received overwhelming support for the noble change. We eat daal, bhaat to manage our expenses,” said Henderson.

“We are here to accomplish our goal,” he said, “we have to return home with success. This is Everest. A deadly mountain.”   

By Sangam Prasain

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).
 

Published : April 08, 2022

By : The Kathmandu Post

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014308

Nobel laureate and Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Thursday said Tibetans cannot resort to violence and banish the Chinese out of our land, however, they can definitely learn to coexist peacefully through the approach of middle way policy while we continue to preserve our own identity.

Addressing the participants of the 25th Shoton festival being held in Dharamshala in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, he said moreover, there is widespread interest among the Chinese today towards Tibetan Buddhism and its scientific approach that relies on logic and reasoning through investigation.

Even scientists around the world are experimenting with the viability of the correlations of science and Buddhism, he added.

Dalai Lama stated that the Tibetans owe extensive gratitude to King Songtsen Gampo for introducing Buddhism and the Tibetan script that they so proudly promote today.

He urged the Tibetans, particularly the Millenials, to continue the preservation of Tibet’s heritage and to the reassurance of gathering, he affirmed to live over 100 years.

Dalai Lama expressed happiness over the commencement of the Shoton festival and said the festival brings fond memories of Tibet where it is celebrated with much fervour and gusto.

He stressed on the relevance of Tibetan opera as an intrinsic part of Tibetan culture and added Tibetans in exile must continue to protect and preserve that culture.

The representative of each opera troupe presented a segment of Namthar (biographical stories) the Tibetan spiritual leader.

A total of 8 opera troupes are currently in Dharamshala to participate in the weeklong Shoton festival, a grand official cultural event that began on 6 April and will conclude on 13 April.

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).

Published : April 08, 2022

By : The Statesman

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014307

Central Bank Vice-Governor Daw Than Than Swe was shot this morning, according to the Koh Min Koh Chin Ward Administration Body in Bahan Township.

The shooting took place on April 7 at around 10 am. Security officials arrived at around 10:30 am and conducted an investigation, an official from the administration said.

“She just returned from Nay Pyi Taw last night. The gunman knocked on the front door of her house and shot her when she opened the door,” said a ward official.

The shooting took place in Room No.14, 3rd floor, Building 5 in Shwegone Yeik Mon Housing. She was shot while opening the door at home.

The Vice-Governor did not live in the house provided by the state but in her own apartment in Shwegone Yeik Mon housing. She has been living in the apartment for more than five years, according to the ward official.

“She lived alone in that house. She was alone at the time of the incident,” said a ward official.

Daw Than Than Swe is currently served as the Vice-Governor of the Central Bank. She is recently appointed as the leader of a board to supervise dollar and gold .

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).

Published : April 08, 2022

By : Eleven Media

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014269

Check out what’s hot in the region on April 7 as The Nation puts together headlines from members of Asia News Network (ANN). Click to read more:

Foreign affairs South Korea
S. Korea holds FM talks with Sweden, Finland

– The Korea Herald
https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014260

Reopening Vietnam
Karaoke, bars, massage venues in Hà Nội to reopen
– Vietnam News
https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014261

Inventions China
China files more patents in Europe than ever before
– China Daily
https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014262

Education Japan 
Implementing easy-to-understand Japanese to promote inclusivity
– Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News
https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014263

Airline reopening Myanmar 
MAI plans special flights to Bangkok, Singapore, Guangzhou, Kolkata and Delhi in April
– Eleven Media (Myanmar)
https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014264

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).

Published : April 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014264

Myanmar Airways International (MAI) is planning special flights to Bangkok, Singapore, Guangzhou, Kolkata and Delhi in April, according to a statement from the airline.

The MAI will fly to Bangkok weekly on every Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, to Singapore weekly on every Mondays and Saturdays and to Kolkata and Delhi on scheduled dates.

From April 1, passengers, who have received a full dose of COVID-19 vaccine, will no longer need to show entry approval and quarantine upon arrival in Singapore.

Due to the large number of passengers visiting to Thailand from Myanmar during the Thingyan period in 2022, almost all of Yangon-Bangkok-Yangon flight tickets and Yangon-Singapore-Yangon flight tickets have been sold.

Currently, two domestic airlines, the state-owned Myanmar National Airlines (MNA) and Myanmar Airways International (MAI), are flying the Yangon-Bangkok route.

“After not traveling abroad for a long time, I inquired to buy a Yangon-Bangkok flight ticket for a visit and work in Bangkok during the Thingyan festival and I have been informed that almost all of the tickets are sold out,” said a passenger who was trying to buy a flight ticket to Thailand during the Thingyan festival.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19 virus, all temporary visa restrictions on tourists coming to Myanmar from around the world have been extended until March 31, according to a press release from the Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment of COVID-19.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued temporary entry restrictions on tourists visiting Myanmar to implement more effective prevention and control of COVID-19 pandemic, and all of them have been extended until March 31, 2022.

Currently, as the COVID-19 confirmed cases, infection rate and mortality rate have dropped significantly, Myanmar needs to develop its international tourism industry and attract more foreigners and tourists to Myanmar and to make it easier for Myanmar citizens to enter the country, a temporary restriction on international flights will be set until April 16, and regular flights will be allowed to resume on April 17 in accordance with the COVID immigration requirements.

Foreigners (including diplomats and staff from UN agencies) should visit the nearest Myanmar embassy or consulate abroad to be exempted from visa restrictions if they are to arrive in Myanmar by relief or special flight due to emergency government duty or unavoidable circumstances.

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China
Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily
Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri
Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media
(Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin
(Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).

Published : April 07, 2022

By : Eleven Media

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014263

A community movement to encourage Japanese people to use “yasashii nihongo,” or easy-to-understand simple Japanese, for non-native speakers is gaining traction in Ikuno Ward, Osaka, where people from about 60 countries reside.

One Sunday in March, parents arrived with their children at Tsudoi no Hiroba Po Po Po, a child-rearing support facility in Ikuno Ward. A 28-year-old Vietnamese national came with her 1-year-old daughter. She has been living in Japan for four years and is still learning the language.

“Does she go to a nursery school?” Kuniko Morimoto, a nursery school teacher and the secretary general of Seiwa Kyodo Fukushikai, a social welfare group that operates the facility, asked the mother in Japanese. She appeared confused, so Morimoto said the Japanese word for nursery school more slowly. The mother then seemed to understand the question and told Morimoto the name of the school her daughter attends.

A 34-year-old man from Sierra Leone visited the facility with his two children. “Japanese is difficult, but the staff here speaks to us in a way that’s easy to understand,” he said.

Morimoto said, “I want to make this facility a place where parents and children feel comfortable, even if they don’t understand Japanese that well.”

Simple Japanese is spoken by breaking up a sentence into short phrases or using simpler words. The idea of using this type of Japanese came from failing to convey vital evacuation information to foreign nationals after the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995.

“The concept of simple Japanese is similar to universal designs, which are environments that can be accessed by everyone, whether or not they have a disability,” said Keizo Yamawaki, a professor at Meiji University and specialist of multicultural societies.

He also pointed out that the word “yasashii” not only means easy, but also kind.

In Ikuno Ward, there are currently 174 establishments, including restaurants, real estate agencies and hospitals, implementing the concept.

“I once explained iced coffee to a customer by having them touch ice,” said Kiyoko Hashizume, who runs a coffee shop. “I enjoy such interactions.”

Tomoko Fujiwara of Keiseikai, which operates a business that dispatches care workers, said, “This type of Japanese is also easily understood by the elderly, so it’s useful in the care field as well.”

Masatoshi Kambayashi, who works for the ward’s planning and general affairs department, said, “Local residents are becoming more aware of the importance of respecting diversity and connecting with each other based on the notion of simple Japanese.”

A non-profit organization established by the ward’s residents plans to open a multicultural exchange facility in a vacant school building that will offer a play space for parents and children, as well as a place where people can learn Japanese.

A diverse community can enrich the lives of its residents. It is also important for people to accept each other’s differences and interact without prejudice.

Yamawaki points out that, in order to create such relationships, it is helpful to work together on projects or issues such as child-rearing or disaster preparedness.

“The relationship might start off in a limited scope, but it will gradually expand and ultimately lead to creating a comfortable community for everyone,” Yamawaki said.

Community building

An increasing number of areas nationwide are working to build more inclusive communities.

In 2019, a buddy system was established in Takahama, Aichi Prefecture, that paired Japanese volunteers with foreign nationals to promote multiculturalism. The program has volunteers teach non-Japanese residents about local traditions, among other cultural topics.

“I now feel closer to the foreign residents here,” said volunteer Chiyoko Sakakibara, 75.

Junko Niimi, representative director of Trading Care, the program’s organizer, said, “I want to build a community in which residents have a sense of connection with each other.”

The city of Nagareyama, Chiba Prefecture, uses the slogan, “Nagareyama is the place to be if you were to become a mother,” to advertise the city as a family-friendly area.

“We have implemented policies focusing on the child-rearing generation,” a city official said. “As a result, we have created a lively community that is comfortable with wide-ranging generations.”

The city has attracted many new residents, achieving one of the highest growth rates in Japan.

In 2014, the city of Beppu, Oita Prefecture, enforced an ordinance to “allow people with and without disabilities to feel comfortable and safe.”

The non-profit organization Jiritsu Shien Center Oita, which was started by people with disabilities, promotes universal tourism, providing relevant information and assistance to those with disabilities when they go to tourist destinations.

“To create a diverse and respectful community, it is necessary to have more people who can act as bridges,” said Yoshihiko Kuroda, a professor at Sugiyama Jogakuen University and specialist of regional community studies.

“It is also important to develop a system in which foreign nationals, the elderly and people with disabilities can all make contributions as members of the community.”

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Published : April 07, 2022

By : The Japan News