Kunlavut stuns world No. 1 Axelsen to win Indian Open title
MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2023
THE NATION
Red-hot Kunlavut Vitidsarn ended his losing streak to world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen, shocking the Dane in a thrilling three-game final of the Yonex Sunrise Indian Open on Sunday in New Delhi.
The Thai, who had not beaten Axelsen in any of their six head-to-head contests played without inhibition on Sunday, combining a mixture of a solid defensive game and attacking tactics to derail the reigning Olympic champion 22-20, 10-21, 21-12 in 64 minutes.
It was the first triumph for Kunlavut in a BWF World Tour Super 750 event, and his second win on the World Tour. The Thai world No. 3 had claimed his maiden crown at the German Open (Super 300) last year.
In their previous encounters, the Thai’s incessant retrieving had proved in vain against the hard-hitting Dane who used to dictate points with his explosive smashes. But the tables were turned on the Dane on Sunday, as Kunlavut intensified his offensive game, never allowing the world champion to settle down.
Axelsen held a marginal edge in the opening game when he rallied from 12-15 to level scores at 18-all and held a game point at 20-19 in the opener. Two net shots went in favour of Kunlavut, giving the Thai the opening game.
The Dane was in full command in the second game, overwhelming the Thai No. 1 with his trademark smashes, winning easily at 21-10.
The 21-year-old Thai was at his best in the decider, quickly gaining the upper-hand at 15-10. Kunlavut stayed in control with his attacking game and well-placed shots to wrap up the match conceding only two more points.
Kunlavut became the second Thai male to win the Indian Open after Boonsak Polsana in 2008. Kunlavut will next head to the Super 1000 Indonesia Open, which begins on Tuesday, and then return to Thailand for the Princess Masters in early February.
The women’s title was won by South Korean An Se Young, who stunned Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 15-21, 21-16, 21-12.
On Saturday, top seed Yamaguchi had eliminated Thai hope Supanida Katethong 21-17, 21-16.
Thai snooker ace ‘Mink’ dominates rivals to win Belgian Women’s Open
MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2023
Thai snooker ace Nutcharut Wongharuthai, better known as Mink Saraburi, beat Belgium’s Wendy Jans to win the Belgian Women’s Open on Sunday night.
Nutcharut, 23, came from a frame behind to beat the home favourite 4-1 at the Trickshot snooker club in Bruges.
The win capped a dominant display by the young Thai star, who dropped only one frame in the entire tournament.
She also rose to second in the world rankings after scoring her fifth career title win.
Last year, Mink became the first Thai to win the World Women’s Snooker Championship after defeating Jans 6–5 at the Ding Junhui Snooker Academy in the UK.
She also won the youth snooker world championship in 2018 at 18 years of age. A year later, she recorded her first maximum break of 147 in competition.
Nutcharut will be back on home soil in February when she competes in the Women’s World Cup and the flagship World Women’s Snooker Championship in Thailand.
Junior Asian Tour to Tee Off at Sothern Hills Hat Yai on Friday
MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2023
THE NATION
The inaugural Junior Asian Tour (JAT) golf tournament will be competed between January 27 and 29 at the Southern Hills Golf and Country Club in Songkhla.
The opening circuit is one of the six Junior Asian Tour events to be held in Thailand this season. The tour will be organized in line with international standards, with the goal of sharpening players’ talents.
In the future, organizers hope to expand the tour to other nations, with Thailand serving as the region’s golf hub. In addition, each Junior Asian Tour circuit will feature World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and Junior Golf Scoreboard.
The Junior Asian Tour will be competed in a stroke-play format. It is divided into three age groups: 10-12 years, 13-14 years, and 15-18 years. Apart from opportunities to gain world ranking points, youngsters with outstanding results on the Asian Junior Tour will receive wildcards into prestigious events including the LPGA, Ladies European Tour, Asian Tour, TrustGolf Tour and several professional events due in Thailand.
The qualifying round is due on January 26 at Sothern Hills to select top 30 players for the tournament rounds. However, before the tournament, participants and their entourage must provide a negative result of their COVID-19 test performed in a clinic or hospital within 72 hours or within 24 hours using ATK kit testing.
The Junior Asia Tour is supported by TrustGolf, an indoor training center with advanced technology, Trust Pharmacy, Silicon Marina, Ditto, B. Grimm Company, Bangkok Bank, Bond Holdings, LMV, Bridgestone, Adidas Golf, Leborn, Balance Golf Nutrition and Southern Hills Golf and Country Club.
Four girls with the best results from JAT circuits 1-3 will be awarded wildcards into the final qualifying round of the LPGA-Ladies European Tour co-sanctioned Trustgolf Women Scottish Open.
Players, boy and girl, with outstanding results from circuits 1-2 will be granted spots in the Asian Tour – Ladies European co-sanctioned Asian Mixed Cup while those with best results from the JAT circuits 2-3 will earn their slots in the Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge. Furthermore, winners from each JAT circuit will receive wildcards to the Thailand Mixed circuits 1-3 and the No 1 player on the JAT Order of Merits from JAT circuits 1-3 will be eligible for the Thailand Mixed circuit 4.
Kunlavut beats world No 1 Axelsen to win India Open badminton title
MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2023
Thailand’s Kunlavut “View” Vitidsarn conquered world No 1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark two sets to one on Sunday night to win the 2023 India Open badminton tournament.
Kunlavut emerged with the title after a back-and-forth tussle lasting 1 hour and 40 minutes in New Delhi. The Thai edged the first set 22-20 before Axelsen fought back, taking the second 21-10. Kunlavut then upped his game in the decider, overwhelming the Dane 21-12 to grab the title.
The world No 8 also recorded his first win against Axelsen in their last six encounters.
The 2023 India Open, officially known as the Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2023, is a BWF World Tour Super 750 series tournament with total prize money of US$900,000 (30.6 million baht).
Thai ace Kunlavut pocketed US$59,500 (1.94 million baht) for his title win.
Man U legend Wes Brown kicks off ‘Fifa for Schools’ in Thailand
MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2023
Former Manchester United and England legend Wes Brown was on hand to guide young Thai talents as Fifa launched its Football for Schools programme in Thailand this weekend.
Fifa’s Football for Schools program (F4S) aims to make the sport accessible to both boys and girls across the globe by incorporating football activities into the education system.
Brown joined the three-day event at Queen Sirikit 60th Birthday Stadium in Pathum Thani province, teaching basic playing techniques to 90 youths from 12 schools across the country, plus 24 physical education teachers.
The training session was also recorded for the F4S app, which teaches basic football techniques to primary school children.
“This is a good opportunity for children to enjoy the sport and for teachers to learn the basics that can be passed on to their students in classrooms, and help them improve their skills in the future,” Brown told reporters. “Seeing children having fun also makes me have a good time. I hope to see more of this activity in Thailand,” he added.
Brown, 43, made 232 appearances for Manchester United between 1996 and 2011, winning two Uefa Champions League titles, five Premier League titles and an FA Cup, before moving to Sunderland, Blackburn Rovers, and finally Kerala Blasters. He played for England from 1999 to 2010.
Brown also holds Uefa’s highest coaching qualification, an “A” licence.
Inflation Throttles Consumer Purchasing Power, But Enterprise IT Spending Remains Strong in 2023, according to the forecast by Gartner, Inc.
Worldwide IT spending is projected to total $4.5 trillion in 2023, an increase of 2.4% from 2022, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc.
This is down from the previous quarter’s forecast of 5.1% growth. While inflation continues to erode consumer purchasing power and drive device spending down, overall enterprise IT spending is expected to remain strong.
“Consumers and enterprises are facing very different economic realities,” said John-David Lovelock, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner. “While inflation is devastating consumer markets, contributing to layoffs at B2C companies, enterprises continue to increase spending on digital business initiatives despite the world economic slowdown.
“A turbulent economy has changed the context of business decisions and can cause CIOs to become more hesitant, delay decisions or reorder priorities. We’ve seen this in action with the reshuffling taking place among some B2B companies, especially those that overinvested in growth. However, IT budgets are not driving these shifts, and IT spending remains recession-proof.”
The software and IT services segments are projected to grow 9.3% and 5.5% in 2023, respectively. The devices segment is forecast to decline 5.1% this year as both consumers and enterprises lengthen device refresh cycles.
“During the height of the pandemic, employees and consumers had technology refreshes of tablets, laptops and mobile phones due to remote work and education,” said Lovelock. “Without a compelling reason for an upgrade, device assets are being used longer and the market is suffering.”
In Thailand, IT spending is forecast to reach almost THB 934.9 billion in 2023, an increase of 4.2% from 2022. Gartner forecasts double-digit growth in software and IT services as organisations increase spending on digital projects.
“Inflation, skills shortages and supply chain issues continue to have a significant impact across Thailand, driving CIOs to be more hesitant, delay decisions or reorder priorities,” said Lovelock. “Despite these economic realities, we continue to see local enterprises increase spending on digital business initiatives.”
Tight Labor Market Impacts IT Services Spend
Job vacancy rates have been increasing every quarter and the open jobs per unemployed rate is at record lows in many countries. High competition for talent is challenging CIOs to hire skilled IT staff, limiting growth for companies that struggle to scale without the requisite talent.
Simultaneously as software spending continues to rise, the IT services market is growing as companies look to bring in outside IT staff for implementation and support. For example, spending on consulting is expected to reach $264.9 billion in 2023, a 6.7% increase from 2022.
“CIOs are losing the competition for talent,” said Lovelock. “IT services spending is growing more quickly than internal services in every industry. Skilled IT workers are migrating away from the enterprise CIO towards technology and service providers (TSPs) who can keep up with increased wage requirements, development opportunities and career prospects.”
Gartner’s IT spending forecast methodology relies heavily on rigorous analysis of the sales by over a thousand vendors across the entire range of IT products and services. Gartner uses primary research techniques, complemented by secondary research sources, to build a comprehensive database of market size data on which to base its forecast.
The Gartner quarterly IT spending forecast delivers a unique perspective on IT spending across the hardware, software, IT services and telecommunications segments. These reports help Gartner clients understand market opportunities and challenges. The most recent IT spending forecast research is available to Gartner clients in “Gartner Market Databook, 4Q22 Update.”
True Group shares visions on human and AI collaboration to inspire world-changing innovations
MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2023
With success, concluded the regional-renowned seminar, “MIT Media Lab Southeast Asia Forum”, run by MIT Media Lab, a world-leading research institution on technology, media, science, art, and design of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States.
The seminar was supported by True Group with the digital ecosystem that helped uplift tech and startup industry and True Digital Park opening its door to welcome participants from all over the world to show the true potential of Thailand and its people.
Mr Natwut Amornvivat, Chairman of the Board, True Digital Group, joined in with a special talk on “Human + AI: Opportunities and Challenges” and shared his thoughts on how AI technology will change the way businesses operate and how people live. In his talk, he also emphasized how True Group, as a leading tech company, strives to encourage the balance collaboration between humans and technology in order to create innovations that will put forward new developments for people, organizations, Thailand’s economy and its competitiveness, as well as the better living standards for Thai people. To fulfil the ambitious goals, he also outlined the plan to expand the collaboration on business and solution developments with other organizations in order to bring about top-of-the-line innovations for Thailand’s tech entrepreneurs and startups.
AI Technology: Life changer and business transformer
Stressing on True Group’s leadership as a tech company with integrated telecommunication infrastructure and end-to-end digital ecosystem, Natwut gave some examples of the innovations developed by True with the combination of AI technology and the various fields of knowledge from experts that move forward industries such as healthcare, agriculture, and retails.
Healthcare: Partners to expand fast and equal medical care
While Thailand may have an abundance of medical experts, most of them could be found in major hospitals and capital cities, resulting in inefficiency in equal reach to healthcare. To help alleviate the struggle, True strives to help decentralized the healthcare service system by partnering with leading medical institutions, such as King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Ramathibodi Hospital, and Siriraj Hospital, as well as renowned medical professors.
True now has around 400,000 patients using telemedicine services and with a firm belief that we have on “Physical + Digital”, which aligns with Media Lab’s belief that the collaboration between humans and technology is better that relying solely on technology, True opened “TrueHEALTH corner” in many areas, equipped with basic health evaluation tools and the ability to immediately connect to doctors online, to help lessen the gap in healthcare service distribution.
In addition, True also worked with Ramathibodi Hospital and opened RAMA Health Spaces for all, which has a more spacious service floor and service offerings such as phlebotomy service, specimen collection for lab tests, chest x-ray, and EKG. In another collaboration with Siriraj Hospital, Smart EMS (Smart Emergency Medical Service), highlights a human-led solution by using technology in a supporting role with the medical expertise of doctors and nurses at the forefront.
The collaboration was a reflection of True’s ambition to put forward partnerships and collaborations with every party in the ecosystem. It is True’s belief that once we have an integrated view of how the healthcare system connects, we can achieve the better service and solutions for the people.
Agriculture: Smart AgTech and the challenges in productivity
Though the agriculture sector is known to be the largest industry in Thailand, efficiency challenges still persist and result in a lacking quality of life for farmers and environmental problems. To tackle the pain points, True developed various solutions for each agricultural sector. For crops, we use satellite and drone technology to monitor and predict the upcoming impacts. For livestock, we use IoT and analytics to detect and analyse livestock’s behaviors, such as for dairy farms, we use health monitor tools that can alert farmers of potential health risks to curve early problems, for swine and shrimp, we use video analytics technology to detect movements in order to help plan and manage both the quality and the volume of the production. However, precision agriculture, robotic harvesting, and machinery quality control, among many others, are still some of the predominant challenges that True and startups are working together to crack, in order to uplift Thailand as the industry leader.
Retails: Revolutionize retails with AI
There is still room for retails to grow, from driving efficiency to serving customers’ needs better, which inspired True to develop various solutions to bridge the gaps. For example, heatmap was developed to learn more about how customers behave while in the store in order to improve the quality of services, a shelf detection system that sends alerts when the shelf is empty with connected data with the warehouse for planning, as well as AI-enabled sensor that analyses and monitor freezers to preserve product freshness. These are also some of the examples of how humans and AI need to work together; while challenges such as demand analysation, shell management, customer behaviour analysation, and personalized advertisements are still among some of the prevalent areas that need a collaborative network of organizations, startups, government, researchers, and innovators to work together to overcome.
Positive attitude and belief power innovations
Natwut concluded his talk with inspirational learning for participants; while AI may be able to help elevate works for humans, empathy is still something that AI cannot do. The collaboration between humans and AI is, therefore, what True has always believed in and practiced. Introducing innovations will also be met with doubts, but it is also a great opportunity for the innovator to be the first to succeed. A positive attitude and strong belief will be what open people’s mind and the key to making innovations come true.
Cambodia has taken the position that it will use the term “Kun Khmer” to refer to the sport of kickboxing at the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, and has removed the term Muay from all references to the sport.
Despite strong reactions from the Thai side – and threats of a boycott – the Cambodian SEA Games Organising Committee (CAMSOC) says it will not be budged.
CAMSOC secretary-general Vath Chamroeun said the decision had been affirmed in an informed letter shared with all of the participating nations. The letter explained that the term “Kun Khmer” was chosen as an expression of the host country’s national identity.
“Even if the Thai sporting federation takes issue with our decision and threatens to boycott, Kun Khmer will remain an event at the 32nd SEA Games. According to the rules, if there are four or more participating countries, it is eligible for the games. So far, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia are planning to enter, so we don’t care if one nation decides not to take part,” he stressed.
The firm position followed strong reactions from Thai officials.
Sakchye Tapsuwan, president of the International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) and the Amateur Muaythai Association of Thailand, threatened a boycott in an interview with Thai PBS Sport on January 21.
“The association will not send athletes to compete. We have spoken with the Olympic Committee of Thailand and they concur. We will not send athletes to Cambodia,” he said.
The IFMA also announced that it will impose fines on all countries that send kickboxers to the games in Cambodia. Citing the SEA Games rules, it said both Khmer boxing and kickboxing in the SEA Games shall use the name Muay or Muay Thai.
“The IFMA has sent a letter to the countries of the ASEAN region, warning them that if they opt to participate, they will not be allowed to participate at the IFMA’s sporting events, especially the upcoming Asian Indoor Games,” said Sakchye.
Chamroeun did not express any concern over the withdrawal of the Thai boxing team, saying that it was up to each country to decide whether or not to participate in any sport. However, he made it clear that Cambodia would not send kickboxers to the 33rd SEA Games 2025, to be hosted by Thailand.
“If Thailand includes Muay Thai in the 2025 SEA Games, we will not participate. They decided to boycott us over the name, so we will respond in kind. I am sure that many other countries will participate,” he said.
“We remain united in the development of Kun Khmer and Muay Thai in the form of friendly matches, no matter what. Multi-sport events like the SEA Games are different because we are representing our country. We must adhere to the principles of our nation’s cultural identity,” he concluded.
By Chhorn Norn The Phnom Penh Post/Asia News Network
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).
Onshore Wind Power Projects Face Local Opposition in Northeast Japan
MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2023
Several wind power plant construction projects in the Tohoku region are facing opposition from local mayors and residents concerned over potential damage to the environment.
In the last several months alone, a number of projects have been scrapped in the face of strong opposition, though one particular project is moving ahead after the operator coordinated closely with locals.
According to one expert, projects that are green-lighted have a common theme: Companies deal sincerely with the concerned local communities.
On Dec. 2 last year, Tsutomu Komata, the mayor of Shichinohe Town in Aomori Prefecture, voiced disquiet over an ongoing onshore wind power farm project in the Hakkoda Mountains in the prefecture.
“The town is clearly opposed to the project,” Komata said of the Michinoku Furyoku Hatsuden Jigyo project. The mayor’s worries stemmed from the possible impact of deforestation on water sources, among other factors.
The construction of up to 150 wind turbines with a combined generation capacity of 0.6 million kilowatts had been planned over about 17,300 hectares spanning six municipalities in the prefecture – including Shichinohe. The project was led by Tokyo-based Eurus Energy Holdings Corp. and invested by Toyota Tsusho Corp. and other companies. Operations were slated to start in April 2030. However, in the face of local opposition, the company announced it would scale back what was to be one of the nation’s largest planned wind power projects by reducing wind turbine numbers to around 100.
Other projects, meanwhile, have been cancelled. In July last year, Osaka-based Kansai Electric Power Co. was planning to build up to 23 windmills that would have generated 96,600 kilowatts of electricity in the Zao Mountains in the town of Kawasaki in Miyagi Prefecture. However, the plan was scrubbed after running into criticism from Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai, among others, over claims that the construction of a cluster of wind turbines around the Okama crater lake “would destroy a precious landscape” that was popular with tourists.
Similarly, a project planned by Osaka-based Hitachi Zosen Corp. on the borders of four municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture, including the village of Showa, was nixed in August last year because of opposition from locals.
Strong winds blow steadily along the Tohoku region’s coastal areas, making it a preferred location for wind power generation. Aomori Prefecture was Japan’s largest producer of wind power in fiscal 2021, registering some 1,255.15 million kilowatt-hours, according to a Natural Resources and Energy Agency survey. Three other Tohoku region prefectures were among the nation’s top 10 wind power producers in that fiscal year: Akita (930.46 million kilowatt-hours) was third, Iwate (396.76 million kilowatt-hours) fifth and Fukushima (313.17 million kilowatt-hours) eighth.
But some Tohoku region mayors are growing distrustful of project developers, claiming they do not coordinate closely enough with local communities.
For example, Aomori Gov. Shingo Mimura criticized the Michinoku Furyoku Hatsuden Jigyo project last November, saying, “It’s unacceptable that they do everything [based purely] on their own business plans.”
In September last year, Miyagi Gov. Murai revealed a plan to create an ordinance for taxing businesses that build new renewable energy facilities in forested areas in the prefecture. Murai wants to slow projects that conflict with local communities, saying, “There are no means for local governments to stop such project plans.”
However, some project operators reach out to and thoroughly engage with local communities. In April last year, Fukushima Reconstruction Wind Power GK – a Fukushima city-based joint venture created by nine companies, including Sumitomo Corp. – began constructing Abukuma Wind Power Plants in four municipalities, including the city of Tamura in Fukushima Prefecture. The plants will have a combined output capacity of 147,000 kilowatts.
The company has spent seven years coordinating with locals since the Fukushima prefectural government began environmental-impact assessments for the project in fiscal 2015. The firm plans to hire local engineers who will be responsible for maintaining and managing the projects. A total of 46 wind turbines will be constructed and operations are scheduled to begin in spring 2025.
Yoshiaki Shibata, an expert on renewable energy and a researcher at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, said, “It’s important [for project operators] to establish a scheme to collaborate with local communities and have local residents participate in the project from the onset while informing them about specific benefits to their communities.”
President Jokowi’s approval rating at all-time high
MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2023
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s approval rating has hit an all-time high after the government eased COVID-19 restrictions last month, a poll showed on Sunday.
Figures released by pollster Lembaga Survei Indonesia (LSI) showed satisfaction with the president had risen consistently over recent months to reach 76.2 % at the start of 2023.
“In the last three months, the president’s performance has increased in (terms of) positive public perception from 62.6 % in September 2022 to 76.2 %. If we look at the last three months, the increase is quite significant,” LSI executive director Djayadi Hanan said.
The more than 10-point jump put Jokowi on his highest approval rating recorded by LSI during his current term which began in 2014.
“I think this was mostly because of the lifting of (Covid-19) social restrictions and a decrease in fuel prices,” Djayadi told Reuters. “The narrative that the economy will be very difficult, particularly in 2023, has been there since the beginning of last year.”
Jokowi’s announcement in December of the end of pandemic restrictions was well received, the pollster said, as the restrictions had been seen as hurting the economy.
The LSI poll, conducted between Jan. 7-11 and covering more than 1,200 respondents, also comes months after the start of a high-profile trial against a former police general.
The case sparked public uproar about alleged corruption and impunity within the police, but the fact that the case was made so public was taken as a sign that the government was at least trying to tackle the issues.
LSI cited improvements in perceptions of the economy and law enforcement as reasons for the ratings jump.
Jokowi’s poll rating appears to have been unaffected by both the passing last month of a controversial new criminal code and his issuing of an emergency regulation to replace the jobs law.
Jokowi is serving his second and final term in office with the next election scheduled for February 2024.
Sunday’s poll found Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo was the favoured candidate to succeed Jokowi, although his candidacy is yet to be announced.
The other top candidates were Defence MinisterPrabowo Subianto and former Jakarta governorAnies Baswedan, both of whom have announced their intentions to run.
Earlier this month, Jokowi expressed regret over mass human rights violations committed in the country’s past, including a violent anti-communist purge in the 1960s and the disappearance of student protesters in the late 1990s.
“With a clear mind and a sincere heart, I as the leader of this country, admit that gross human rights violations have happened in several incidents and I regret they happened very much,” Widodo said in a speech at the state palace in the capital Jakarta.
“I have sympathy and empathy for the victims and their families.”
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