“Foreign flows are back, market capitalisation is near all-time high,” Bursa Malaysia Bhd chairman Tan Sri Amirsham A Aziz said in his opening remark at the 12th Invest Malaysia (IMKL2016) conference here yesterday.

Foreign net inflows to Malaysian equities totalled RM5.6 billion for the three months to March 2016. Foreign shareholdings accounted for 23 per cent of Malaysia’s market capitalisation of RM1.7 trillion as at end-March 2016.

Last year, Malaysia registered a total net outflow of RM19.4 billion, with foreign shareholdings standing at 22.3 per cent of its market capitalisation.

“This compared with a total net outflow RM6.6 billion in 2014, with foreign investors accounting for 24.3 per cent of the country’s market capitalisation.

Highlighting the vibrancy of Malaysia’s equity market, which is represented by about 50 economic sectors, Amirsham said, “our FTSE4Good ESG Index continues to add new members and our syariah indices continue to outperform our benchmark index”.

To date, there were 34 companies participating in the ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Index that was launched by Bursa Malaysia 16 months ago.

This represented an increase of 42 per cent in the number of companies participating in the index from 2015.

Meanwhile, the launch of the ESG Index for the five leading Asean markets had been unveiled at the IMKL2016 as announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“I can share with you the rolling out of the new FTSE4Good Asean 5 Index, or the Asean ESG Index, which will mean that companies listed on the exchanges of Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam which meet the ESG standards will be eligible for inclusion,” Najib said in his keynote address for the the two-day IMKL2016 that had been jointly organised by Bursa Malaysia Bhd and Maybank Kim Eng.

The conference is the largest annual capital market event in Malaysia that serves as a marketplace for global fund managers.

This year, IMKL2016 featured 55 Malaysian companies that represented more than 50 per cent of the country’s market capitalisation and about 47 global and regional fund managers with a combined assets under management valued at US$11.17 trillion (RM43.41 trillion).

Men, too, are as much into taking care of their skin, going by what they, as well as industry players and beauty companies, tell The Straits Times.

Communications and digital marketing manager Timothy Oh says: “I think how you present yourself is important as it represents who you are and makes an impression.”

The 28-year-old, who is in a relationship, spends almost $400 on skincare every month. He started to pay more attention to his skin about five years ago, when he noticed more gender-neutral skincare products entering the market. His daily routine involves a facial wash, toner, sunscreen and serum to moisturise the skin, mainly from South Korean brand Sulwhasoo.

On why he is willing to invest in skincare products, Oh says: “It is just like the bed you sleep on. If you use it daily, it contributes to what your life is like. I make sure the things I use daily are of good quality.”

According to figures by market research company Euromonitor International, the value of the men’s skincare sector here has been on the rise since 2010. The skincare sector, which includes all products to care for the skin, such as cleansers, moisturisers and exfoliators, hit $15 million in retail sales last year, up from $11.5 million in 2010. Euromonitor International forecasts that this market sector is set to continue its upward trend in the coming years.

Beauty brands are seeing keen interest from men in skincare, mostly among those aged 20 to 35.

Ms Lyn Tan, brand general manager of Etude House Singapore, says: “There is greater awareness of male skincare and beauty now, especially with the Korean wave. Some men turn to celebrities for inspiration on how to groom themselves.”

With popular actors such as Lee Min Ho and Kim Soo Hyun and K-pop idols such as Shinee and G-Dragon becoming ambassadors for cosmetics brands, it has become more acceptable for men to show interest in beauty products and that has helped change the way society views men’s grooming.

Men are also buying make-up products. Ms Tan says: “Our make-up is popular with the new generation of beauty-conscious males due to the booming trend of Korean men wearing make-up. They use products such as eyebrow pencils and BB cushions.”

To meet the growing demand from male customers, beauty companies are working hard at churning out new skincare products. In the last five months, four beauty brands – Shiseido, Lab Series, Etude House and Laneige – have released new men’s grooming products. British luxury label Burberry launched its first grooming line for men last week.

Etude House has seen sales of its men’s products increase tenfold from 2013 to last year. It entered the Singapore market in 2009. Declining to give specific figures, Ms Tan says the average spending per male customer has increased.

Etude House launched a new men’s range, the Gentle Black Homme collection, in December last year. The range comprises four products, including a foam cleanser ($19.90) and a whitening and antiwrinkle fluid ($32.90).

Multi-brand beauty retailer Escentials has seen a 20 per cent increase in male consumers in the past two years. The company carries labels suitable for both women and men, such as British skincare brand Eve Lom and Stockholm label Verso. Prices for skincare products at Escentials range from $30 to $1,517.

Ms Michelle Liu, head of Escentials, says men are becoming more detailed in how they regard their overall health – they care about their skin as much as their bodies.

“Taking care of your body and skin is no longer a gender-biased topic, but rather the representation of a positive lifestyle and attitude.”

She says the average male spends $150 to $250 at Escentials. The average female customer spends about $250 to $400.

Other brands such as Japanese label SK-II and Sulwhasoo have also noticed an increase in the number of male customers.

Sulwhasoo intends to release three reformulations of its men’s range – a serum, an emulsion and an anti-ageing cream – and a new cleansing foam next month. Prices for the products are not available yet.

Beauty brands are not the only ones experiencing an increase in male clients. Dermatologists and clinics which provide aesthetic procedures such as laser treatments and treatments to lighten acne scars are also seeing more men.

Dr Georgia Lee from TLC Lifestyle Practice, who specialises in aesthetic medicine, says this can be attributed to a combination of awareness through social media, acceptance, availability of treatments and more competitive pricing due to the increase in supply.

The clinic offers various aesthetic treatments, including laser treatment and fillers which range from $300 to $1,600.

About 23 per cent of her clients are male, with the peak age bracket falling between 40 and 49 years.

Dermatologist Chan Yuin Chew of Dermatology Associates at Gleneagles Medical Centre says he has noticed more men going for aesthetic treatments, with them making up about one in five patients at his clinic. He says they seek treatments because they want to look better and feel more confident. Most of his male clients are in their 30s to 50s.

Male skincare fans The Straits Times spoke to say they place importance on looking good because having good skin gives them confidence.

Business operations executive Situ Rongyao, 30, spends about $100 on skincare products every month. He started to pay more attention to his skin about three to four years ago, when he started working.

He views skincare as a preventive measure against ageing. “It’s to keep your skin clean and healthy looking. It is good to start early so when you get older, you won’t look so bad.”

The bachelor also occasionally uses a BB cream, For Men Active BB Block, from South Korean label Dr.Jart+.

“I use it only occasionally to conceal pimples or some scars. The cream also has sun protection properties, which is good.”

Both he and Oh have noticed more of their male friends paying attention to their skin, even asking one another for advice on what products to use.

“They’re not using just bar soap on their faces any more,” says Oh.

by Shahril, inspired by the veranda in traditional Malay houses./The Star

4 Young Malaysian designers who’ll change the way you look at furniture

Embargo Date: 13 Apr 2016

Author: Wong Li Za

Agency: The Star (Malaysia)

Content:

It’s “just” a table, a simple chair.

But take a closer look at these pieces of furniture and you will see the marks of passion and creativity that drive the four young designers who made them.

At this year’s International Furniture Fair Singapore (IFFS) held in March, these designers showcased their products under the Tanggam banner.

Tanggam (the Malay word for mortise or dovetail) is an initiative launched by the Malaysian Timber Industry Board to nurture and promote outstanding young designers from Malaysia.

We delve into the design details, inspiration behind the pieces and the long-term aspirations of these four designers.

An avid traveller, industrial designer Stephanie Ng has exhibited her works in London, Melbourne and Bangkok. As part of the Tanggam collective, she also exhibited at the SaloneSatellite 2015, part of the prestigious annual Salone del Mobile in Milan, Italy.

That same year, Ng won the grand prize in the 2015 Malaysian International Furniture Fair Furniture Design Competition with her Mick’s Deck Chair.

The 31-year-old holds a Bachelor of Design in Industrial Design from Swinburne University of Technology, Australia.

Her design studio, Stephanie Ng Design, which is based in Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne, offers a range of lighting solutions for residential and commercial applications, as well as custom design services in home decoration and design, lighting and furniture.

Besides locally, her work can be found in New York City, Paris, Bucharest and differents parts of Australia.

Ng and her team like to use unique materials to make an ordinary product special. The studio also incorporates notions of craft into their work. One example is their Luna Lana lighting range, handmade from 100 per cent treated merino wool to create intricate woven lighting designs that wrap and intertwine.

Exhibited at last month’s IFFS was Ng’s Scoop series of lights and furniture.

The Scoop pendants bear a simplistic form with clean contours and is reminiscent of an ice cream cone. The bright coloured ring suggests different flavours that are suitable for various interiors with the option to install the lights with brightly-coloured cords.

“My design studio started designing bespoke lighting for projects and we have a small product range. One product of which is our most popular and has been used in projects here and in America and Europe is our Scoop pendants. Therefore, we saw an opportunity to expand the series into furniture using key elements of the pendant lighting design, such as the colour, the curves and the minimalist appeal,” shares Ng about the collection.

“The pendants are what inspired the series, so we would really like to see people using the entire collection together,” she adds.

Ng believes that “good design should have cohesive synergy rather than be about a standalone object”.

“We believe that the integration of pieces produces a total effect that is greater than the individual pieces themselves.

“This came about with our first creation, the Halo Modular lighting, which is a piece that can grow as far as your space allows, as its individual modules can be added on to create a larger feature pendant.”

Products, Ng feels, should enable users to showcase their own personality; in the case of the Halo lights, you can make up your own configuration and colour scheme – “So the very same light can look completely different at my place and at yours.”

Versatility is a big part of Ng’s designs, as “we believe it is increasingly important in society these days, in order to let people stand out and personalise their belongings,” she adds.

Shahril Faisal founded Shahril Faisal Design in KL, in 2014, a studio specialising in producing furniture, lighting and interior accessories that are timeless objects that “reflect the delicacy and simplicity of traditional Malaysian roots”. This same philosophy informs the practice that the 33-year-old set up last year in Delft, The Netherlands.

Shahril graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in 2006 and within six years won his first prize when he was the 2012 winner at the Mobili Furniture Design Competition organised by the Malaysian Timber Industry Board.

From 2013 to 2015, as part of Tanggam, he participated in the Salone del Mobile’s SaloneSatellite. In 2014, he also won an international chair design competition organised by Italian furniture company Formabilio.

At the IFFS 2016 last month, he featured his Serambi wooden chair and Lasah bamboo trestles.

“The Serambi is a raised veranda which is always part of the traditional Malay house. This veranda is a multifunctional space that provides people with an area to relax in, and which can also be used to entertain guests while maintaining the privacy of household members.

“The veranda easily evokes an inviting feeling while enabling spontaneous interaction to occur between household members and passers-by. So it is this transparency and airiness that I wanted to capture in the design of the chair,” explains Shahril.

The idea behind the Lasah bamboo trestle, made almost entirely with bamboo, was to use the natural material in its original form without deconstructing it into laminated panels.

Shahril also designed it in such a way that it can be constructed using simple tools, such as a knife or cutter, which are easily accessible to local folk in rural villages.

“The idea is to involve the local people as stakeholders in a sustainable business model. In addition, a feature of the trestle is the innovative joinery that helps to keep the bamboo in place while acting as structural support. It becomes a visual highlight and permits the trestle to be easily taken apart and assembled without requiring any form of hand tools,” he explains.

Shahril’s winning design at last year’s Formabilio contest – the 48th – was the Twine chair. The win is quite a coup, as the Italian furniture brand is known for holding global competitions to pick designs that it then incorporates into its portfolio – Shahril’s chair might well end up being sold globally.

“The whole concept of Twine is to play around with people’s initial perception of a particular material’s attribute and intrigue their feelings. It’s like, your mind says that it’s hard but your feeling says otherwise, because the visual contradicts the perception of the mind,” explains Shahril.

The Twine chair uses laminated plywood and mild steel tubes treated to look as if they are made of thick rope holding the chair together. The intertwining of the leg and backrest composes the armrest and becomes the focal point of the chair.

“These were the subtle and delicate details that I tried to embed into the design. It intertwines form with function and comfort with style,” Shahril adds.

Industrial designer Sim Chia Yi exhibited at a SaloneSatellite in Milan in 2014 and 2015 under Tanggam as well.

Sim was also one of 11 finalists in the Furniture Design Award 2016, an annual furniture design competition organised by the Singapore Furniture Industries Council. The design she submitted for the competition was a coffee table she calls Gravity.

“The design is kept simple in its form by adopting the most obvious but neglected theory of gravity to connect furniture parts,” explains Sim, 26.

The design utilises sustainable materials to construct some parts of the table. The base of the table is made from a special mixture of paper pulp using old newspapers.

At IFFS this year, she displayed her creation called The Odd Plate, a coffee table with a simplified form that features the beauty of the Malaysian timber species semangkuk.

“As a designer, I wanted to highlight the natural beauty of the wood grain of the selected species. So I chose to keep the visual distraction in physical form at a minimum while highlighting the essence of the piece through a brass plate,” explains Sim.

There are two shapes of the design – a cube shape and a rectangular one – both forming a cute collection.

Sim graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in product design futures in 2012 from East London University. In the same year, she was awarded first prize in the Ideation Award, organised by the Malaysian International Furniture Fair, for her wok-shaped rattan seat design entitled Just Like Old Times.

In 2015, Sim set up her own design collection under the brand Aarxx, and also co-founded Mukk, a lifestyle brand in the same year.

“Aarxx is a way to express design in the form of art and experience. Most of the designs published in this brand are very unconventional or they provoke a sense of intrigue and fascination,” she shares.

Sim co-founded Mukk with friend Vivian Shi Wei, a fellow industrial designer. The word “mukk” means “wood” in Mandarin.

“Our product design in Mukk revolves around adopting wood as the core material, or a combination of wood and (other materials). Our products are mostly handcrafted; our aim is to nurture the design scene in Malaysia by creating a local design brand, as a prime mover to inspire the rest to celebrate design,” she says.

Furniture and playground designer Daniel Idros constructed his own in-house studio, Knendhoi, in Kuala Lumpur in 2009.

He graduated with a Bachelor degree in Industrial Design from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in 2011 and started his first job as an office furniture designer in Kuala Lumpur.

In 2014, he won fifth place at the Malaysian Timber Industry Board’s Mobili Furniture Design Competition and, in 2012, he was among the top 10 finalists in the same competition.

At the IFF in Singapore this year, he exhibited the Chongak Coffee Table from the Chongak Series No.1.

“Nowadays, we are kept busy on electronic gadgets such as smartphones and tablets most of the time. I wanted to create an environment where everyone can participate in an activity together, through furniture.

“The Chongak is a coffee table that is inspired by the traditional game Congkak. Using the coffee table as a medium, I hope to bring back the game and the memory of playing it in the past, with the hope that adults can introduce the game to youngsters,” shares Daniel, 30.

Two other unique designs by him are the Leegat Stool N° 4B, inspired by tap dance, and the Three Mountain table.

The Leegat Stool is designed with various types of legs that produce different pitches or music notes when they are tapped on the ground. Users can generate their own music through movement while they are seated on the stool. The pitch changes depending on which stool leg touches the ground.

Meanwhile, the Three Mountain design consists of three main components that act as islands, which are made with silicon rubber.

The islands form the compartments for activities that involve the five senses – seeing, smelling, hearing, touching and feeling.

The table top is made with meranti timber and reflects a lake that has been covered by the three islands that are placed in the middle of the table.

Daniel’s Three Mountain table design, which has compartments for activities that involve the five senses.

“My personal goal is to be able to portray my heritage through my design. I’m also looking forward to collaborating with design firms/designers from all around the country.

“Through that, I hope to enhance my ability to produce even better designs,” says Daniel.

At the event held on April 11, Vietnamese Ambassador Do Hoang Long informed local officials and participating enterprises of Vietnam’s potential and policies to encourage development, its economic strengths, and the country’s key export products.

He said the potential for co-operation between the two countries had not been fully tapped as bilateral trade had only reached some US$390 million in 2015, of which $20 million had come from Egypt’s exports.

The ambassador also introduced the participants to the Investment Law and the country’s preferential policies to attract more foreign investment into Vietnam. Thanks to these policies, some $20 billion was being poured into the country every year, he stressed.

The ambassador used the occasion to ask the Aswan Province administration to provide information on its policies as well as projects that required investment. He also proposed the establishment of links between the Vietnamese Embassy and Aswan Province’s Chamber of Commerce to connect businesses in the two countries.

The president of the Aswan Chamber of Commerce, Mohamed Abu Al Kassem, called for investment by Vietnam in the area’s main fields, such as seafood processing and mining. He also suggested Vietnam exempt visas for Aswan businesses.

The new fees imposed, would impact the entire aviation industry as well as the consumers and not just Malaysia Airlines.

When asked whether the fee increase would drastically affect the aviation industry, especially air fares, Azharuddin said whether the airlines would absorb the increased cost themselves or transfer the cost to the consumers was something out of DCA’s control.

Transport minister Liow Tiong Lai said the government would make a decision on DCA’s new fee proposal this week, and if approved, the new fee would go into effect from April 15.

When contacted by Sin Chew Daily, a MAS spokesperson said such a dramatic increase implemented almost immediately had been unprecedented in the aviation industry, and would potentially keep foreign airlines away from the Malaysian air space, adding that the proposed measure would not augur well for the country’s tourist industry.

The airline said while it approved of increased cost to control the use of our air space and other related resources and infrastructure development, the drastic increase had indeed taken the airline off guard.

The MAS spokesperson nevertheless said the airline welcomed the authorities’ move to have a dialogue with aviation operators to explain the basis of fee increase.

However, he did not elaborate whether MAS’ air fares would be increased accordingly.

During the media briefing, DCA said other than the air navigation flight charges (ANFC), there were some 50 different flight operation fees that would be increased, of which at least 20 were newly introduced fees.

Azharuddin said the DCA’s expenditure was about US$65 million a year but its revenue was only US$13 million, and as such it needed the government’s funding for continued operation.

He said the government had approved to convert the DCA from the civil aviation department to civil aviation authority, and the transformed body would need to generate its own income to sustain its operation.

“The new fee scheme is still a proposal and the final decision will rest on the transport ministry.”

He said the last time DCA reviewed the ANFC was way back in the 1970s while the last revision of other fees was in 1996. As such, Azharuddin said it was necessary for the DCA to increase the fees so that its operation could be sustained.

Azharuddin said the DCA had approached the aviation operators several times, the last being on April 1 this year.

He also said the DCA and the Transport Ministry would meet up with aviation operators again tomorrow to finalise the fee increases.

On the 10-fold increase of ANFC, Azharuddin explained that the fee would be increased from US$ 0.0125 to US$0.077 per nautical mile to US$ 0.12 to US$ 0.77 for the two flight information regions, namely the Kuala Lumpur FIR covering West Malaysia and the Andaman Sea, and the Kota Kinabalu FIR covering the states of Sabah and Sarawak and parts of South China Sea, adding that the margin of fee increase was an outcome of discussions between the DCA and economic experts.

He also said the proposed new ANFC was still lower than those charged by New Zealand, Azerbaijan, Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

For instance, an Airbus A320 flying 400 nautical miles will have to pay US$206 under the new fee scheme, cheaper than the US$221, US$262 and US$500 charged by Hong Kong, Vietnam and Thailand respectively. Only Indonesia charges less at US$90.

Azharuddin said there were some 500 landings and the same number of takeoffs from Kuala Lumpur International Airport alone every day, and that the DCA could not charge the same amount to effectively control a much denser air space compared to decades ago.

Besides, the DCA will also invest more to improve the existing infrastructure, including the development of new air traffic control centers in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu and replacing outdated radar and telecommunication systems.

“We can only safely and effectively control our air space if we have the money.”

The red palm weevil, or Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, is a species of beetle that excavates holes in the trunk of palm trees, eventually killing the plant. It infests coconut palms, date palms and oil palms.

According to the Department of Agriculture’s (DoA) Plant Biosecurity Division, so far a whopping 465ha of coconut trees are gone, mainly in Terengganu and Kedah.

There are 85,799ha of coconut palms in Malaysia. Additionally, 335 date palms have been eaten.

So far, said department head Faridah Aini Muhammad, no commercial plantations had been affected, but the weevil’s spread was a major cause for concern.

“What worries us is that if these beetles do not have access to their main source of food in date palms, they will move to oil palm trees.

“There have been reports which are still unconfirmed as yet, but it is a very real concern,” she said, adding that research was currently ongoing in several universities across the country.

“Research at UKM has shown that even without being forced, the weevil will go to the palm oil fruits and breed inside the tree itself.”

The red palm weevil first entered the country when seedlings and date palms were illegally brought in across the border with the beetle in the trunks.

Under Malaysia’s Plant Quaran­tine Act, the import of any palms except for research purposes is prohibited.

So far, the weevil can be found in five states – Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan, Penang and Terengganu – with the latter being the worst-hit.

“People have been bringing pandan coconut and date palms in for years, but after El Nino recently the weather became more suitable for these palms to flower and fruit, so people wanted to bring it in,” said Faridah.

However, unknown to most people, the bulk of the date palms smuggled in were ornamental plants that would not fruit.

While Malaysia is home to several other species of palm weevil, the one that has recently entered our shores breeds far quicker and so is more dangerous.

“To control its spread, we must spray cypermethrin (an insecticide) every two weeks until the infestation is dead. We have to do preventive spraying as well, including soil drenching (adding diluted chemicals to the base of plants),” said Faridah.

The adults are also killed with the use of pheromone traps, which can be used as an early detection method.

“If we find beetles in the traps, we know there are probably more,” she said.

The DoA has also met with and briefed the Smuggling Prevention Unit (UPP) of the Border Control Agency to look into the matter.

The Biosecurity Division has urged Malaysians to contact the DoA if they notice a possible infestation, or spray insecticide themselves.

“The first sign will be a wilting crown – the leaves fall into a skirt-like formation around the tree. They will then start dropping.

“Eventually, the whole trunk will be hollowed out and potentially fall, which is also a risk to the public, as some areas use palms as avenue trees to line roads and pathways, and even around mosques,” she said.

Faridah said that while the beetle had appeared in Malaysia in 2010, the situation had worsened due to an increase in smuggling.

“We have approached nurseries and told them to stop selling these smuggled date palms, but people must stop buying from unreliable sources, and report any potential smuggling to the authorities,” she said.

The number of Wireless@SG hot spots will also be doubled to 20,000 by 2018 to better complement telcos’ 4G networks in meeting consumers’ rising demand for mobile broadband.

“We must build first class infrastructure for pervasive, seamless and high speed connectivity to benefit citizens and businesses,” said Dr Janil Puthucheary, Minister of State for Communications and Information, announcing the upgrades on Monday (April 11) in Parliament.

Some Members of Parliament had asked if there were plans to improve the surfing speeds of Wireless@SG, with Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang GRC) saying: “Today’s Wireless@SG speeds are slower in performance than what our 4G mobile networks provide.”

Addressing this, Dr Janil said that Wireless@SG’s current speed is already faster than most public Wi-Fi services around the world.

With the upgrade, Wireless@SG speeds will be faster than existing 3G speeds, he said. Singapore will also be the densest hot spot city in the world, calculated by the number of hot spots per inhabitant. Currently, Singapore trails only Tokyo.

“But it is not the connectivity that makes us smart; it is what we do with it,” said Dr Janil.

“Operators can also use Wireless@SG to offer improved services such as cashless payment and location-based analytics. All this benefits consumers, businesses, and productivity.”

Coverage expansion will target congested places such as hospitals, government buildings and community centres so that more people can connect to the network without surfing slowdowns, a common bugbear.

More public places such as hawker centres, train stations and retail malls will also be added to the list of Wireless@SG zones.

About half of the existing 10,000 hot spots at the current 3,000 locations are already allowing users to surf at up to 5Mpbs, from 2Mpbs previously. Speeds at the remaining hot spots will be upgraded by year-end.

As at December last year, there were two million frequent users on the network, clocking 10 million hours a month. Every month, they also consume 1.1 petabytes, or 11 per cent of what mobile users consume monthly on 4G and 3G networks.

This has come after the network was last upgraded in April 2014. Specifically, the log-in process was simplified using identification data already stored on users’ SIM cards.

After a one-time set-up is done, Wireless@SG users can automatically connect to the network in seconds if Wi-Fi is turned on in their devices. Previously, users need to create and key in their username and password to connect to the network.

To date, more than 90 per cent of all Wireless@SG users log in via this simplified method. But because demand is increasing, there is a need to boost current speeds.

According to Myanmar Traffic Police and Transport Ministry’s Road Transport Administration Department (RTAD), the number of casualties is on the rise in line with the increasing number of vehicles in the country.

Myanmar recorded 15,676 road accidents last year, resulting in 4,420 casualties and 25,964 injuries.

In January 2016, there were 1,334 cases with 416 casualties and 2,116 injuries. In February, there were 1,360 cases with 413 casualties and 2,223 injuries.

“We learnt from the traffic rule enforcement supervisory committee that 12 lives are lost per day on the roads here, twice the number of deaths in 2011. So, Myanmar’s roads are among the most dangerous in Southeast Asia. We are running this campaign to help everyone make the small changes that help keep themselves safer on the roads,” said Zita Schellekens, corporate relations director of APB Alliance Brewery, the local distributor of Heineken beer.

The company launched the campaign entitled “Making Myanmar’s roads safer” in cooperation with RTAD and CESVI, an Italian international non-government organisation.

“It is a government priority to make sure people know and respect the rules of the road. Topics like no speeding, wearing seatbelts, no drunk driving, and no mobile phone usage while driving are crucial to saving lives on Myanmar’s roads. That is why we wholeheartedly support this campaign. If we work together, we can bring down the number of accidents and deaths,” said Chit Ko Ko, director general of RTAD.

Schellekens said that road safety was an issue Myanmar needed to address urgently. According to her, most accidents on city streets are caused by speeding, unsafe overtaking, drunk driving and a lack of driving experience. She blamed the lack of awareness for the increasing number of deaths caused by road accidents. She added that drivers needed to respect pedestrians who also needed to follow the rules of the road.

“The lifting of import restrictions has led to an influx of cars. As a result, Myanmar’s traffic has become more congested and dangerous, in part because there are so many inexperienced drivers on the roads. There have been many new cars and new drivers on the streets over the last few years. But many people are not aware of the traffic rules. This campaign is part of changing that,” she said.

Schellekens said APB would invest a significant amount of money in the one-year nationwide campaign, as it is the firm’s biggest corporate social responsibility initiative. But she did not mention the exact number. Last year, the firm brought a group of famous artists and singers from Yangon all the way to Mandalay, raising awareness of the public on every stop on the way. The firm has planned to continue such activities this year.

She said the campaign would be conducted in six ways – awareness raising via Facebook; a series of radio talk shows on road safety; an education programme in schools; advertisements through online media, print and billboards; release of a free game app; seven animated cartoons; and holding a national road safety conference.

The app, which aims at raising awareness on road safety by playing games, will be released in early May. The conference, bringing many players and different views together, will be held in Nay Pyi Taw in July. Policy changes are expected for reducing road accidents across the country.

Schellekens said that the campaign would place more emphasis on the areas where road accidents are the highest. Last year, Yangon region topped the list with 2,724 road accidents, resulting in 597 fatalities and 3,714 injuries.