This year, lychee output was expected to reach 130,000 tonnes in Bac Giang Province and 50,000 tonnes in Hai Duong Province.

The lychee output in Bac Giang was estimated to reduce by 10 per cent against 2015. But the output of high quality lychees under VietGap and GlobalGap, national and international quality standards for farming products, have been increased, Bac Giang Province reported.

Hoang Trung, head of MARD’s Plant Protection Department, said the department has granted 29 codes for 300ha for growing lychees, mostly located in Bac Giang for exports to high demand markets.

Many enterprises have come to the lychee growing regions with codes to order lychees for exports, he said. They would focus on exporting to Australian markets while also paying attention to the United States, European Union and the Association of South East Asian Nations markets.

The Ha Noi Irradiation Centre is ready to implement irradiation services for fruit exports this year to reduce spending for lychee export activities. The department has complemented procedures to get recognition from Australia for certificates of the centre, he said.

Duong Van Thai, deputy chairman of the People’s Committee of Bac Giang Province, said the province expected to sell 78,000 tonnes of lychee on the domestic market and export 52,000 tonnes this year.

For export markets of Vietnamese lychees, last year, China was the largest export market with an export volume at 100,000 tonnes, accounting for 50 per cent to 60 per cent of total export volume.

This year, Trung said the department has asked phytosanitary agencies in Lao Cai and Lang Son provinces to create favourable conditions for issuing export licences to lychees as soon as possible.

The deputy head of customs department of Lang Son Province, Vi Cong Tuong said the Lang Son customs department would create conditions for lychee exports, including transport, warehousing and administrative procedures.

At present, Vietnam has negotiated with China to accord highest priority to export lychee to China and then other fruits, reported chinhphu.vn.

Meanwhile, the People’s Committees of Lao Cai, Bac Giang, Hai Duong and Hung Yen provinces which account for a large lychee-growing area in the country met in late May to promote the exports of Vietnamese fresh lychees to China via the Lao Cai border gate.

Authorities pledged to facilitate administrative procedures, ensure transport safety, and enhance market management to reduce frauds in the trade of the fruit, reported vietnamplus.vn.

Deputy Director of the Lao Cai Department of Industry and Trade Nguyen Truong Giang said the provincial management board of economic zones has asked farmers to study the market to have a proper export policy in place.

The province also advised farmers and businesses to export via trade contracts to avoid the risk of economic losses.

It pledged to create the best conditions for firms to export fresh lychees through Lao Cai border gate, he added.

Yang Peng, deputy chief of the Hekou district in China’s southern Yunnan province, said that the Chinese side will make it easier for bilateral trade and easier customs procedures.

The district’s authorities asked Vietnamese firms to strictly follow the customs procedures of the two countries, he added.

More than 26,000 tonnes of fresh lychees worth US$11.6 billion were exported to China via Lao Cai international border gate in 2015.

In 2016, the volume of fresh lychees exported via the gate is expected to equal the previous year’s amount, or about 420 tonnes per day.

He said investors would benefit from Malaysia’s strategic geographical location in the heart of Asean, its pragmatic and business-friendly policies, as well as well-developed infrastructure and connectivity.

He also said Malaysia’s involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, coupled with the ongoing negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partner­ship, could serve as a bridge to other potential markets not only within the Asia-Pacific region, but also in the international arena.

“We welcome more investments from Japan, particularly in the new growth areas with emerging technologies, high-technology, capital-intensive, high value-added, knowledge-based, skills-intensive and export-oriented, which provide high-income jobs.

“We encourage investments that will help to position Malaysia as a country that can develop innovative and creative products and services,” Dr Ahmad Zahid said in his keynote address at the 34th joint Japan-Malay­sia Economic Association (Jameca) and the Malaysia-Japan Economic Association conference held here. Addressing top Japanese industry leaders among the 120 participants, he also touched on the development of the halal industry in Japan as the country prepares to host the 2020 Olympics in the capital city of Tokyo.

“This prospects will in turn create new business opportunities here and raise more interest in Japan from abroad.

“It is my hope that Malaysian investors will capitalise on this golden opportunity to venture into new businesses in Tokyo, especially in the halal food industry,” he said.

The one-day conference was attended by 30 Jameca members, 90 Japanese companies interested to invest in Malaysia and Malaysian participants.

Some of the big Japanese names that participated included Hitachi Ltd, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Japan Airlines, Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Corporation, Yakazi Corpora­tion, Toyo University and Brahim’s Food Japan.

The explosion occurred at 5am in Laos’ Khammuan province, 15 kilometres from the border checkpoint at Vietnam’s Quang Binh province.

The cause of this explosion remained a mystery as of press time. However, Pathedlao Daily, which belongs to state-run Lao News Agency, said in a Facebook post that the bus was loaded with illegally felled logs being smuggled out of Laos.

The news was initially broken by Facebook user Keovongvin Bounnhukhien, who posted several photographs of the accident. Vietnam’s Dan Tri International website also shared several photographs and posts from unknown Laos media sources showing smoke coming out of the burned out bus standing in the middle of the road.

Initial reports indicated that there were 12 casualties, with nine dead and three seriously injured. The victims were all passengers, and a source claimed that they worked for log smugglers. The nine deceased all hail from Vietnam’s Nghe An province.

“When I arrived at the scene, I could see the bus going up in flames with fragments shooting everywhere,” one eyewitness was quoted by Dan Tri as saying. Laos police say the explosion could have been caused by a bomb loaded on the bus or detonated by a suicide bomber on the bus, Dan Tri said.

Police have not ruled out other causes, it said.

The statement is referring to the more than one million who are of working age but unemployed in Vietnam in the first quarter of this year.

The latest labour statistics, released this week by the Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs, revealed that since December to March this year, an additional 20,700 people are out of work.

Among the one million unemployed, the group with the highest unemployment rates were university graduates or those holding higher degrees. An estimated 190,900 graduates and degree holders, an increase of more than 35,000 people over the same period last year, cannot find work.

About 118,900 college graduates could not find jobs, an increase of over 2,000 since last year, according to released figures.

By contrast, the number of jobless intermediate school graduates witnessed a downward trend. Only about 60,200 people in this category were unemployed, a small bright spot in this quarter’s labour bulletin.

The first quarter labour information also showed that 53.29 million have jobs nationwide, a decrease of 211,120 people compared to the final quarter of last year.

Deputy Minister Mau blamed the situation on the slowing economy in the first quarter of this year, which has had a direct impact on the job market.

There has been a reduction of about 1.23 per cent in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in agriculture, forestry and seafood. This has put these sectors at the top of the list of those suffering from job losses, along with processing and manufacturing industries, as well as those firms that repair, and perform wholesale and retail sales of automobiles, motorbikes and engines.

Lacking practical skills

Labour experts say that a mismatch between employer requirements and graduate skills is the main reason why degree holders are facing employment problems.

Dr Bui The Duc, deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Publicity and Education Commission, told Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper that more than two million labourers were working at about 300 industrial and processing zones across the majority of provinces and cities.

The training for workers remained weak while the quality and structure of human resources had yet to meet the demands of enterprises, he said.

According to domestic and foreign experts, human resources in Vietnam are of a lower quality than in many developing countries in the region, and are being out competed in the labour market.

Many businesses, especially foreign-invested ones, refuse to employ graduates and instead want to conduct training themselves as they do not trust the quality of training from educational institutions in Vietnam.

Deputy Minister Mau said that in the long term, the skills of labourers must be improved. The unemployment rate would continue to increase if the knowledge and skills of job seekers continue to be misaligned with what the market wants, he said.

Future hopes

Dao Quang Vinh, director of the Institute of Labour, Science and Social Affairs, predicted that in the second quarter, 53.49 million people would have jobs, an increase of only 0.4 per cent compared to last quarter.

“The good news is that the unemployment rate of working age people is expected to decrease, thanks to the GDP increasing by 6.17 per cent this quarter as predicted by the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM),” Vinh said.

He said that the processing and manufacturing industries, construction, media and communications would attract more employees.

According to Phu Huynh, an economic and labour expert from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in the Asia-Pacific region, using the jobless rate to evaluate growth in the developing economy does not fully reflect the status of the national labour market.

Besides the unemployment rate, several other items of information should be added to the labour bulletin of Vietnam including figures on impoverished workers, vulnerable job groups, the percentage of agriculture jobs, labour productivity and average wages, he said.

The modern Terminal 3 Ultimate, part of the capital’s main Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang city, goes fully operational from next March, serving international flights from other carriers including Air France, China Airlines and Dutch carrier KLM. It is expected to become the only arrival and departure point for international passengers in future.

The 4.7 trillion rupiah (US$345.61 million) terminal will be able to handle 25 million passengers a year, adding to the airport’s current capacity of 52 million.

“The terminal is our answer to passengers’ dreams for an airport that has a large capacity, which is more comfortable and has better facilities and services,” Haerul Anwar, a spokesman for state airport operator Angkasa Pura II, told The Straits Times.

Spanning 422,804 sq m, the new terminal is slightly larger than Changi Airport’s Terminal 3. It boasts 10 gates for international flights and 18 for domestic ones, two four-star hotels, meeting rooms, duty-free shops, retail outlets, restaurants and multi-storey carparks.

There will be skytrains to shuttle passengers between all three terminals, and commuter trains to take them to the city in less than an hour.An automated baggage handling system featuring at least 13 conveyor belts, 206 check-in counters, and 38 self check-in and 12 bag drop counters, are expected to lead to swift clearance and shorter queues. Officials hope that with the opening of the new terminal, Soekarno-Hatta would be able to rival Changi as well as Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), and lure international passengers to choose Jakarta as a transit point.

Haerul disclosed that airlines would be given discounts on landing fees to offset the “refuelling costs which are 20 to 24 per cent higher than our neighbours’ “.

He said the airport authority also intended to “showcase our deep culture and heritage and local talents to attract travellers”, adding that art exhibitions, cultural shows and local dances will be held regularly.

Analysts, however, remained sceptical about the ambitious plans to take on Changi and KLIA.

“It will take our airport 20 years to reach Changi Airport’s standard. These improvements are just the first step towards a long journey,” said former lawmaker and aviation analyst Alvin Lie.

Indonesia’s aviation industry sorely lags behind other countries’, with a dismal air safety record, flight delays, poorly skilled workers and sloppy maintenance, said Dudi Sudibyo, a senior editor of aviation magazine Angkasa.

Transport Ministry spokesman Hemi Pramuharjo said the new terminal was part of efforts to spruce up 29 international and 236 domestic airports across the country.

He told The Straits Times: “The demand for air transport is growing. The airport needs a makeover. We want to upgrade the facilities and optimise the integration of the aviation system.”

Now, through its shared history with Indonesia, the world’s second-youngest nation is eyeing fullAsean membership, as it seeks to identify with a region poised to become “the powerhouse of the 21st century”, Timor Leste’s deputy foreign affairs and cooperation minister, Roberto Sarmento de Oliveira Soares, told The Jakarta Post.

“Timor Leste […] has manifested its desire to be part of Asean since the very beginning of our inception in 2002. And that desire, the commitment of Timor Leste, has always been raised in numerous meetings, forums in the region and beyond, and at the bilateral level,” he said.

Timor Leste officially submitted its application letter to be considered an Asean member in 2011, during Indonesia’s chairmanship.

“Our application was overwhelmingly welcomed and supported by Indonesia, and of course, through the Indonesian chairmanship, then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono successfully secured all the endorsements and acceptances from all Asean member countries to officially endorse Timor Leste’s membership, by establishing two important mechanisms to assess [our] readiness.”

Soares said the mechanisms were the AseanCoordinating Council and the technical or working level, which were mandated to assess Timor Leste’s readiness covering all three important pillars: the political and security, the economic and the sociocultural pillars.

“All three pillars [have undergone] assessment, […] so now we are basically waiting for the Asean side […] to make a final decision about our accession,” he said.

With regard to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s commitment, Soares said Timor Leste was very much grateful.

“Indeed, during his visit to Timor Leste, [the president] continued to reiterate the strong commitment of Indonesia and he will do whatever he can in his capacity […] to push for our accession to Asean.”

“Asean very much lies on Timor Leste’s foreign policy priority; our desire to be part of Asean is indeed to further […] safeguard our own regional identity, because we are one of the only countries in Southeast Asia that does not yet belong to any regional organisation.”

Soares credited Asean as a unique and dynamic regional organisation.

“At the time when Asean established itself, it was mainly focused on political peace and stability. But a few decades later, Asean expanded on its concentration by looking beyond political stability, into what is the most important [aspect] in our globalised world today: economic integration and competitiveness,” he said.

“Being part of Asean will further safeguard Timor Leste’s own independence and sovereignty, and of course, peace and stability in our region.”

On the other hand, Soares said Timor Leste could also be a bridge between Asean and the Pacific.

“At the same time, Timor Leste can also contribute beyond Asia Pacific through [its] own linkages and partners,” he emphasised.

Soares pointed to the fact that Timor Leste could connect Asean with the community of Portuguese-speaking countries, the CPLP, which are located in Africa, Europe and Latin America.

“They offer vast economic opportunities, but also for political and sociocultural cooperation. So that can also be another important [way] Timor Leste contributes to Asean,” Soares said.

Incoming President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte’s expletive-laden outbursts during live interviews could get networks airing his words into trouble, warned Jojo Solomon, a board member of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB).

“(Should) the incoming President curse on air, the network will be liable,” the MTRCB official said.

While the MTRCB has no control over personalities and celebrities featured in news programmes, it has oversight functions over what public affairs programmes broadcast every minute of the day, said Solomon who was part of an MTRCB team touring the country to campaign for “intelligent viewership” and to popularise the revised classification rating system for television programmes.

‘Bleep!’

“As President, (Duterte) should know the limits of speaking to a television audience … I am sure he knows he should not utter (obscenities),” Solomon added of the Davao official known for letting loose a barrage of expletives and curse words in his everyday speech and media pronouncements.

Manoli Supnet, another MTRCB board member, said network operators are responsible for what goes on air, especially television technicians who should always be on their toes during live public affairs programmes.

“They should be alert since they are the ones who control the equipment that ‘bleeps’ out the cuss words uttered by some interview subjects,” she added.

Under the MTRCB’s Guidelines on Language, shows rated G (for general audiences) are not allowed to air swear words, both as verbal or nonverbal expressions. “Profane, offensive and sexually suggestive language or gestures” are not allowed, either.

In programmes considered for parental guidance (PG), the MTRCB noted that while shows “may contain mild and infrequent swear words and menacing language,” the successive or frequent use of “strong swear words or sexually derived expletives shall not be allowed.”

A bit of leeway is allowed in programmes classified as Restricted or R-13, meant for viewers who must be 13 or older, where “moderate swear words and menacing language consistent with the context of the scene” are allowed. Also allowed is the use of “strong swear words and expletives, provided that its use is infrequent and not vulgar … and all references to sex are suitable to viewers who are at least 13 years old.”

Penalties

In a recent media briefing, Duterte said he intends to control his cursing once he assumes the presidency.

Another MTRCB board member, Manny Buising, warned that “If [Duterte] can’t help himself, it is the network that would be penalised.”

According to Article 201 of “Offences Against Decency and Good Customs” of the Revised Penal Code, offenders can be meted out the penalty of prision mayor, or imprisonment of from six years and one day to 12 years), or a fine ranging from 6,000 pesos to 12,000 pesos(US$128 to $256), or both fine and prison term.

Buising cited the case of noontime show host Vice Ganda “who sometimes cannot control what comes out of his mouth.”

But every time that happens, the MTRCB official said, “it is not him who meets with us, but the network.”

Added Supnet: “Network owners should self-regulate. We always say that the right of everyone is important and we should not surrender our right to select what should or should not be watched.”

The district was doubly rewarded that year when a 60km paved road was completed, linking the remote and undeveloped area to central Vientiane.

This gave the district a huge boost by providing a fast connecting route to the economic opportunities offered by the commercial developments taking place in the capital. The new road also made Sangthong a more attractive prospect for developers and people looking for a new area to explore.

Located along the Mekong River and with a mountainous backdrop, the district is blessed with thick forest and rivers and offers a rural retreat on the outskirts of the increasingly built up capital.

Wanting to capitalise on their good fortune, district authorities are making plans to attract tourists by showing a different side of the country’s capital.

By doing so they are following the current socio-economic development plan adopted by the district’s 4th Party Congress in 2014, which placed a strong emphasis on tourism.

Head of the district’s Information, Culture and Tourism Office, Saveng Xanai, recently told Vientiane Times “Following the development plan agreed on at the congress, we are focusing on developing three particular tourist attractions. At present we are trying to decide which one we will embark on first.”

The first site under consideration is located along the Mekong River, where various leisure facilities would be offered.

The second area is along the Nam Sang river, which would attract people looking for stunning scenery and a rural idyll. It has been compared to the Nam Xong river in Vangvieng district, Vientiane province, and has many big trees.

The third area of interest is along the Nam Ton river. This location has waterfalls and is also the place where the President Souphanouvong spent 10 days after he and other leaders escaped from Phonkheng Jail where they were imprisoned during the Indochina War.

Saveng said “Don Kangkhong island, situated in the Mekong River, is also under consideration as a tourism site, but would be developed by the Vientiane authorities, who plan to build a resort, restaurants and other facilities.”

Following the development plan, the district also plans to use its agricultural strengths as a tourist attraction. There are various projects centred on the cultivation of organic rice and other crops, which would be of interest to visitors, Saveng added.

Deputy Head of the district’s Agriculture and Forestry Office, Somdeth Bouphakham, said recently “Our office is involved in the organic cultivation of rice and other crops. We are also promoting five locally-produced items under the ‘One District, One Product’ scheme, which we hope will be of interest to visitors.”

The production of organic rice involves 284 families who live in eight villages by the Nam Ton river. This year they hope to export 100 tonnes of rice to Europe and to grow and export more in the coming years.

The Republic of Korea is also running a project in which 10 families grow organic crops on an area of nearly one hectare in Pakthaep village. Families who live by the Mekong and Nam Sang rivers also grow crops on the riverbank and sell organically farmed vegetables at local markets.

The district also has four large cattle and goat farms, and a banana plantation. Several business operators are interested in setting up pig and fish farms, which could also become tourist attractions.

The district has 35 villages and more than 75,900 hectares of land, of which 29,900 hectares are agricultural land.

A recent statistics report issued by the Tourism Development Department of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism showed that Laos’ tourism sector countrywide generated over US$725 million in 2015.

Tourism now ranks third in terms of income generation. The minerals sector tops the list and generated over US$1.292 billion in revenue for the government in 2015.

Second place was occupied by other industries combined, yielding over US$917 million, while electricity generation was fourth on the list with more than US$495 million, and agricultural products came in fifth with revenue of US$319 million.

The number of tourist arrivals in 2015 was over 4.6 million people. This was an increase of 13 percent compared to 2014, when some 4.1 million people visited Laos.