Singapore
Correspondent

Edited by James M. Kelly

Singapore crowned as the Top International Meeting City
In a recent survey conducted by the Union of International Associations (UIA) 2008 Global Rankings, Singapore was recognized as the most preferred international city for meetings for the second consecutive year, ahead of favorites Paris and Vienna. Singapore also consolidated its position in the category of Top International Meeting Countries by moving to the third position, behind U.S.A (first) and France (second).
In addition, Singapore also became Asia’s most preferred country to conduct a meeting, a tag which this country has been bestowed upon for the last 24 consecutive years. Singapore accounted to over 22.5% of the total meetings held in the Subcontinent in the year 2007. Over the past ten years, Singapore has seen an astounding growth of 256% in the number of meetings conducted over here.
Renowned for its excellent infrastructure facilities and a renowned tourism landscape, Singapore offers a host of luxuries to business travelers and organizers. The Singapore Tourism Board is confident on strengthening and expanding Singapore’s share in the global business market by constantly improving its facilities and offerings.

As the world is gearing up to give Singapore a tough competition in this area, the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB) has also stepped up its own plans to encourage and foster a relationship with other Singapore’s government agencies to attract more business to the country. This new scheme has been a success and has attracted over 450 business events to the country, resulting in a significant contribution to the total tourism receipt.

Industry experts’ credit this prestigious award to the professional and dedicated workforce of Singapore that co operates fully with the organizers to create an unforgettable experience for the business travelers. New initiatives such as the opening of integrated resorts have ensured that business travelers are provided with a host of entertainment and fun activities to enjoy after their business meetings.

Hong Kong
Bureau

Edited by James M. Kelly
IBM, FXA GROUP AND VIETNAM JOIN FORCES TO ENSURE GLOBAL SEAFOOD SAFETY

For years, IBM has been involved in projects relating to food and has provided millions of dollars in aid and for research and development in the field. With innovative technology, IBM has been providing effective solutions to ensure that all food products being exported are traceable at all times.

Now, in a one of a kind joint venture, IBM has united hands with the FXA group and the authorities of Vietnam to launch a campaign to aid the improvement of global food safety. The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) and the Vietnamese State Agency for Technological Innovation (SATI) are deeply involved in the project and aim to ensure the complete and absolute safety of seafood trade, in Vietnam.

Organizations associated with the VASEP have won numerous prizes, including the prestigious Grand Prize for nutrition and health at the Seafood Prix d’Elite competition, held under the aegis of the European Seafood Exhibition 2009 in Brussels, Belgium.

Vietnam exported seafood worth over $4.25 billion, in the year 2008. With this joint project, VASEP and SATI aim at the proper and regular tracking of Vietnamese seafood exports, which will be monitored via the radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. The entire exercise is being undertaken to ensure that the seafood being exported is totally fresh, when it arrives at the global markets.

The technology being offered by IBM and FXA will initially be tested in a few seafood farms in Vietnam, who export to nations like Japan and USA. By using the technology offered by these hi-tech companies, VASEP and SATI will be able to collect vital data regarding each batch of seafood, meant for purposes of export. The collected data will include information such as the name of the farm from where the seafood was procured, when and where it was processed, the temperature that needs to be maintained and the present location of the consignment or batch.

With all this information available, every single one of the parties involved will benefit, since they will have a steady flow of information. This project aims at offering a better solution for wholesalers, shippers as well as retailers.

Bangkok
Reader

Edited by James M. Kelly
The Unfortunate Correlation between Your Skin Color and Fame in Thailand

Thailand as a nation, has been in the grips of white fever for a long time now, and still continues to be, if internal reports from the entertainment and media industry are to be believed. Numerous individuals have come up with complaints that they were discriminated against in the entertainment and media industry just because the color of their skin was black, and not white.

One such case has been of the famous Thai DJ Nakadia. Due to her bold exploits, she has made a name for herself more in Europe than in Thailand. She even played at one of the world cup finals, but her performance was not shown on Thai television. However, her complaints are not directed at the general public of Thailand, but at the people heading the media and entertainment industry for creating problems while conducting business with her.

Some argue that people of a half Thai nationality are more famous in Thailand because they have all that is required by the Thai public: a natural white skin and all the facial features that the general Thai public likes.

This may be true to some extent but the problem of color discrimination still remains demystified in Thailand. One of the most accepted causes for such discrimination is that due to the fact that Thailand has a majority of dark skinned people, white skin looks more attractive to the public. Uniqueness of the white skin is what attracts Thai people and in turn sows the seeds of discrimination.

People in the entertainment industry might not refer to all of this as discrimination by saying that they are providing what the public is demanding. But a closer look at the selection process of actors, actresses, TV anchors and other people who would appear on national television, and you would come face to face with the ugly truth of color discrimination.

Beijing
Reader Contribution

Edited by – James M. Kelly

China has an elongated history of temple beauty that has been beautifully preserved over the eons. These temples allow an insight into the mysteries and legends of this wonderland. Some of the most attractive and culturally rich temples in China include:

White Horse Temple

The White horse temple was the first Buddhist temple built in China. It was built under the rule of Emperor Ming, and is one of the oldest temples in China. Located just about 12 Km from the modern province of Luoyang, the White Horse Temple was home to the first version of the Chinese Sutra pf forty-two sections.

Da Xiangguo Temple

The Da Xiangguo temple, located in The City of Kaifeng, Henan, is one of the most well known Buddhist temples in China. In one of the room of this temple is the magnificent statue of a Bodhisattva that is carved out of just a single trunk of the gingko tree. The unique feature of this temple is that it was destroyed by a flood during the end of Ming dynasty, and was rebuilt again at the beginning of the Qing dynasty.

Famen Temple

The Famen temple is famous for the legend, according to which there is a piece of the finger bone of Sakyamuni buried under its pagoda. Owing to the vast number of artifacts in this temple, two exhibition areas were especially dedicated to display them to the public

Guandi Temple

Known as the temple of the God of War, the Guandi temple is situated in the west of Xiezhou County, Yuncheng City. Out of the numerous temples dedicated to worshipping Guan Yu, this is the largest in China. The Guandi temple was built in 589 AD in the Sui Dynasty.

Confucian Temple

The oldest and the largest temple dedicated to Conficus is the Confucian temple, which is situated in the Shandong Province. Established in 478 AD, this temple was modified continuously for over 2000 years until it took the shape of the Confucian Temple of today.

Food Writer

Edited by – James M. Kelly
Malaysian Delicacies at Their Best

Although Malaysia does not have a cuisine style of its own, but due to a diverse mix of cultures and religions in Malaysia, the origin of Malaysian food can be traced back to the Indian, Chinese, Eurasian, Malay and Nyonya style.

Indian Food

The first taste of Indian food which Malaysia got was in the 19th century, when a lot of Indian immigrants were brought to Malaysia as contract laborers. Today, you can find a host of Indian restaurants and roadside hawkers selling traditional Indian style food.
Breads are the most famous items of north Indian cuisine. These breads are made of fresh dough, which is baked inside a hot tandoor and then flavored with onion or garlic. Paratha, naan and chapatti are the most preferred breads in Malaysia.

Tandoori dishes like the tandoori chicken are also very popular among the Malaysian people. Apart from traditional Indian dishes, you can also find modifies versions of Indian dishes that are specially created to cater to the taste of Malaysian people. Mee goring and Nasi Kandar are two such modified Indian dishes.

Chinese Food

Chinese food is basically derived from Cantonese food, which is known for its variety and freshness. Dim sum is a popular Chinese snack that is served widely in Malaysian restaurants and eaten during lunch or brunch. Extreme delicacies like shark fin soup and birds nest soup are also quite popular in Malaysia.

Apart from Cantonese food, the dishes of north and west of China like Szechwan, Shanghai and Peking can also be found in different eating joints in Malaysia.

Malay & Nyonya Food

Malay food is known for its spices and flavors, and is greatly influenced by countries like Indonesia, India, China and the Middle East. Rice is the main diet in Malay food and is served along breakfast, supper and dinner. Fish, beef, mutton and pork are popular dishes that are eaten along with rice.

Nyonya food is a delightful combination of Malay and Chinese food and is also native to Penang and Singapore. Nyonya food generally consists of coconut milk, along with spices like coriander and cumin.