Tourism industry a big boost to Sarawak's economy

MIRI: The tourism industry has been identified as one of seven industries capable of boosting Sarawak’s Economic Transformation Programme.

Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan said on implementation of eight initiatives under the tourism sector, Sarawak would be able to generate RM68.3 million and up to 1,500 jobs by 2020.

The eight initiatives are health tourism, education tourism, eco-tourism, homestay, sports tourism, cultural and environmental tourism, and property and infrastructure tourism.

The tourism industry has broad-based products to offer in Sarawak including her natural environment, forests, rivers, culture, diverse ethnicity and handicraft.

The Ducati Multistrada Borneo Experience 2011, which arrived here Monday, comes under the sport tourism sector.

Sagan had the honour of welcoming the riders (of Ducati Multistrada 1200 Borneo Experience 2011) prior to having dinner with them at Mega Hotel here.

Fifty-two riders in 20 Ducati motorcycles were here Monday enroute to Brunei and then to Sabah. Among them are riders from United States, Italy, New Zealand, Uzbekistan, India, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and Thailand.

The Ducati Borneo experience hopes to promote the huge tourism potential in Sarawak and create rapport among the riders and members of the public at their every stop. The expedition will be shown through 13 episodes on television, targeting local and overseas audiences.

Naza Ducati Malaysia is the main organiser of the event in collaboration with Tourism Malaysia, Sarawak Tourism Board, Sabah Tourism Board, Brunei Tourism Board, MITI, Chevrolets, Eftra, Shell, SMF.net.my and Royal Bandits.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Tourism industry a big boost to Sarawak's economy

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Direct flight from Korea to Kuching a possibility

KUCHING: There is a possibility that the state will have a direct flight from Korea through the local tourism industry network with the country.

According to an officer from the Korea Institute of Tourism and Culture, Dr Kim Dock Key, the possibility would be given serious consideration to further enhance existing bilateral relationships between Sarawak and Korea.

“Korea now has a direct flight to Kota Kinabalu and we will consider having a direct flight to Sarawak to further promote tourism here.

“Besides that we also intend to enhance cooperation among the industry players in both Sarawak and Korea,” Kim said during a visit to Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg here yesterday.

Kim, who led a delegation to meet Abang Johari added that the group was attracted to the tourism products in the state.

He mentioned Bako National Park, which he described as a natural tourism product with beautiful tropical forest and scenic views.

A group of 16 delegates from the Korea Institute of Tourism and Culture joined in the visit; they will also be visiting Sarawak Cultural Village.

Continue reading at: Direct flight from Korea to Kuching a possibility

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Argentina and South Korea to have huge investment in Cebu Philippines

Argentinean transnational firm eyes making hefty investments in Central Philippine project

An Argentinean multinational pharmaceutical company is eyeing to build a manufacturing plant in the Philippines, a move which, if realized, should further boost trade relations between both countries.

Martin Lo Coco, executive director of the Argentine Chamber of Commerce for Asia and the Pacific, revealed that Bagó Laboratorios, a multinational company based in Argentina is now considering the possibility of putting up a manufacturing plant in the Philippines, in addition to existing plants established by the company in Vietnam and Taiwan.

Bagó Laboratories is owned by the Bagó Group, a major Argentine business firm with a strong presence in several Latin American countries. The group comprises of different companies focused on health care and on improving quality of life as well as providing high-tech services in strategic areas.

Lo Coco, who led Argentinean businessmen in a business matching session with the delegation from the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) in Buenos Aires, said the investment could further revitalize trade relations between the Philippines and Argentina.

“Our trade relation for now is still not that strong but the future will be great especially with the plan of Bago to open a big plant in the Philippines,” Lo Coco told Manila Bulletin before the official start of the business matching session.

Melanie Ng, CCCI’s head of trade mission, said the first day of the business matching session proved to be very successful even as Argentina was on a national holiday. She said local businessmen met with their

Argentine counterparts and discussed ways to build viable partnerships in business.

Arvin de Leon, minister and consul general of the Philippine embassy in Argentina, said now is a good time for both countries to strengthen business relations and stressed that the trade mission being conducted by the Cebu provincial government and the CCCI is a “great start.”

Korean Firm Mulls $400-M Underwater Visayas-Mindanao Power Connection

Korea’s Advanced Management Development Association (AMDA) mulls a $400-million underwater cable that would link the Visayas and Mindanao power grid with supply coming from the Leyte geothermal power plant.

Cristino L. Panlilio, trade and industry undersecretary for trade and investments promotion said the potential investment was facilitated by business and consulting firm ZMG Ward Howell.

There is also the potential of another underwater cable that would connect power from Batangas to Mindanao.

The company is expected to consult with National Grid Corp. of the Philippines if it decides to proceed with its plan, he said.

Panlilio has met with AMDA managing director Hyung soo Kim during the recently concluded Korean investment mission accompanying the visit of Korean president Lee Myung-Bak..

In addition, Panlilio said that water filtration company ANT (Advanced New Technology) 21 of Korea is also looking at working with water concessionaires in the country for the provision of clean water and sewerage treatment technology.

The company is eyeing for partnerships with Maynilad and other water concessionaires in other parts of the country.

With its in-depth experience in research and on-site consulting, ANT21has accumulated know-how in environmental technologies, especially in water treatment technology.

ANT21's goal is to solve environmental problems using its accumulated know-how and to provide economic profits for businesses and agreeable environment for people.

ANT21 is exerting its best efforts to achieve these goals with service oriented mind set and unflinching determination.

Bilateral relations between the Philippines and Korea have never been this dynamic with both countries enjoying robust growth in trade, investments and tourism.

In terms of bilateral trade, both countries posted total trade of $9.3 billion in 2010 almost doubling the $5.2 billion level five years ago.

Annual trade of Korean firms also jumped more than five folds to $390 million in 2010.

In terms of investments, Korea has become the Philippines third largest country investor since 2009.

Hanjin Heavy Industries is the country’s biggest Korean investor with $1.9 billion for a shipyard facility in Subic freeport that is now employing over 20,000 people. Hanjin is now exporting ocean-going vessels to various firms.

Hanjin’s huge investment has catapulted the Philippines as the world’s fourth largest ship maker. Other Hanjin investments include Phoenix Semiconductor Philippines Corp., a local unit of Samsung Electronics.

In terms of tourist arrivals into the country, Koreans topped the list. There have been 610,000 Korean tourists in the country as of August this year. There are also huge Korean communities in the country numbering 120,000.

From the Philippine side, there are 350,000 Filipinos working in South Korea.

China's first aircraft carrier starts second trial in West Philippines Sea

BEIJING — China's first aircraft carrier began its second sea trial on Tuesday (November 29, 2011) after undergoing refurbishments and testing, the government said, as tensions over maritime territorial disputes in the region ran high.

The 300-metre (990-foot) ship, a refitted former Soviet carrier called the Varyag, underwent five days of trials in August that sparked international concern about China's widening naval reach.

"China's aircraft carrier platform, after successfully completing its first sea trial in August, returned to the shipyard as planned for further refitting and testing," the defense ministry said in a brief statement.

"The work has been carried out and it set sail again on November 29 to carry out relevant scientific and research experiments."

Beijing only confirmed this year that it was revamping the old Soviet ship and has repeatedly insisted that the carrier poses no threat to its neighbors and will be used mainly for training and research purposes.

But the August sea trials were met with concern from regional powers including Japan and the United States, which called on Beijing to explain why it needs an aircraft carrier.

Tuesday's announcement comes against a background of heightened tensions over maritime disputes in the Asia-Pacific region, where China's growing assertiveness has put it on collision course with the United States.

President Barack Obama this month irritated Beijing with a drive to enhance the US role as a regional power, positioning Marines in northern Australia and pushing for a potentially transformational trans-Pacific trade pact.

Beijing sees the initiatives as intruding into its own sphere of influence, with the dispute over the South China Sea putting the two major world powers' differences into stark focus.

China claims all of the strategic area, as does Taiwan, while four Southeast Asian countries declare ownership of parts of it, with Vietnam and the Philippines accusing Beijing's forces of increasing aggression there.

The region is a conduit for more than one-third of the world's seaborne trade and half its traffic in oil and gas, and major petroleum deposits are believed to lie below the seabed.

The announcement of the carrier's second sea trial comes after Beijing said last week it would conduct "routine" naval exercises in the Pacific Ocean before the end of November.

China reportedly bought the carrier's immense armored hull -- with no engine, electrics or propeller -- from Ukraine in 1998.

The PLA -- the world's largest active military -- is extremely secretive about its defense programs, which benefit from a huge and expanding military budget boosted by the nation's runaway economic growth.

Earlier this year, China announced military spending would rise 12.7 percent to 601.1 billion yuan ($91.7 billion) in 2011.

ASEAN - China to start talks South China Sea – Myanmar close tie to china

THE ASSOCIATION of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China will start talks as early as January preparatory to drafting a binding document governing activities in the South China Sea, an official said yesterday.

"A meeting between ASEAN and China will be held by January to identify the main elements in crafting the Code of Conduct (COC)," Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Erlinda F. Basilio said in a hearing of the Senate foreign relations committee.

"The meeting is scheduled by the first week or second week of January," she added.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario earlier said that ASEAN members have agreed to draft a more binding document to guide activities in the contested area that will be presented to senior ministers in July 2012.

The Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have conflicting claims over the resource-rich Spratly Group of Islands.

The COC will serve as the implementing guideline of a declaration forged between ASEAN and China in 2002 on activities in the area, renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea.

Ms. Basilio said the Philippines will continue to call for a multilateral approach to settle the disputes, a move introduced at the recent ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Bali, Indonesia but was referred for further study.

"Despite China wanting bilateral approach, ASEAN claimant states want to push through with the multilateral approach," she said.

China has rejected multilateral negotiations on the issue, preferring instead to talk individually with tiny claimants.

The situation has prompted the United State to reinforce its presence in Asia-Pacific through a series of meetings with treaty partners, including the Philippines, prior to attending the Bali forum.

ASEAN members Myanmar and Cambodia, however, have expressed disagreement with the multilateral approach reportedly due to the influence of China.

The Senate committee on foreign relations was also briefed on other issues raised in the ASEAN Summit and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Honolulu, Hawaii, both held this month.

China, Burma Strengthen Military Cooperation

China's vice president says his country and Burma should strengthen their military ties.  Vice President Xi Jinping hailed China's friendship with Burma in a meeting in Beijing Monday with Burmese armed forces commander Min Aung Hlaing. The meeting comes days before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is to make an historic trip to Burma.

China's official Xinhua news agency quotes Vice President Xi Jinping as proposing that the militaries of the two nations "enhance, exchange and deepen cooperation." Xinhua also quotes the Chinese leader as saying the friendship that was forged by leaders of older generations has endured changes in the international arena."

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei was asked whether the China-Burma meeting was in any way related to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's historic trip to Burma later this week.

Hong says China and Burma maintain exchange and cooperation in various fields, but would not say more about the meeting than what was in the official statement.

Ren Yue is a Chinese foreign policy researcher and visiting professor at Hong Kong University. "I think that China is definitely having a very close watch about the recent moves, that Secretary of State Clinton visited Burma, or Myanmar. That definitely is something the Chinese government is watching closely and with concern," he said.

Ren says China has had problems with other southeast Asian nations - especially over territorial disputes in the South China Sea - but has seen Burma as one of its staunchest friends in the region. He adds that both Burma and China have been criticized for their closed political systems, but now Burma is starting to reform.

"The Chinese government also wants to start political reform, but it is not fast enough. I think that Clinton's visit could force Chinese leaders to think about something along those lines, democratization, political reform, in Chinese words," Ren stated.

Since last year, Burma has held elections and freed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest. Burma also recently risked angering China by shutting down a large and unpopular hydroelectric dam project.

Secretary Clinton's trip to Burma follows President Barack Obama's tour of Asian nations.  Researchers have said these trips are aimed at reinforcing U.S. influence in the region amid growing concerns about the rise of China.

Ren says he thinks, at this point, China is watching closely, but does not yet feel threatened.

COMMENTARY: Is a Nuclear War with China Possible?

BY LAWRENCE S. WITTNER

While nuclear weapons exist, there remains a danger that they will be used.  After all, for centuries national conflicts have led to wars, with nations employing their deadliest weapons.  The current deterioration of U.S. relations with China might end up providing us with yet another example of this phenomenon.

The gathering tension between the United States and China is clear enough.  Disturbed by China's growing economic and military strength, the U.S. government recently challenged China's claims in the South China Sea, increased the U.S. military presence in Australia, and deepened U.S. military ties with other nations in the Pacific region.  According to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the United States was "asserting our own position as a Pacific power."

But need this lead to nuclear war?

Not necessarily.  And yet, there are signs that it could.  After all, both the United States and China possess large numbers of nuclear weapons.  The U.S. government threatened to attack China with nuclear weapons during the Korean War and, later, during the conflict over the future of China's offshore islands, Quemoy and Matsu.  In the midst of the latter confrontation, President Dwight Eisenhower declared publicly, and chillingly, that U.S. nuclear weapons would "be used just exactly as you would use a bullet or anything else."

Of course, China didn't have nuclear weapons then.  Now that it does, perhaps the behavior of national leaders will be more temperate.  But the loose nuclear threats of U.S. and Soviet government officials during the Cold War, when both nations had vast nuclear arsenals, should convince us that, even as the military ante is raised, nuclear saber-rattling persists.

Some pundits argue that nuclear weapons prevent wars between nuclear-armed nations; and, admittedly, there haven't been very many—at least not yet.  But the Kargil War of 1999, between nuclear-armed India and nuclear-armed Pakistan, should convince us that such wars can occur.  Indeed, in that case, the conflict almost slipped into a nuclear war.  Pakistan's foreign secretary threatened that, if the war escalated, his country felt free to use "any weapon" in its arsenal.  During the conflict, Pakistan did move nuclear weapons toward its border, while India, it is claimed, readied its own nuclear missiles for an attack on Pakistan.

At the least, though, don't nuclear weapons deter a nuclear attack?  Do they?  Obviously, NATO leaders didn't feel deterred, for, throughout the Cold War, NATO's strategy was to respond to a Soviet conventional military attack on Western Europe by launching a Western nuclear attack on the nuclear-armed Soviet Union.  Furthermore, if U.S. government officials really believed that nuclear deterrence worked, they would not have resorted to championing "Star Wars" and its modern variant, national missile defense.  Why are these vastly expensive—and probably unworkable—military defense systems needed if other nuclear powers are deterred from attacking by U.S. nuclear might?

Of course, the bottom line for those Americans convinced that nuclear weapons safeguard them from a Chinese nuclear attack might be that the U.S. nuclear arsenal is far greater than its Chinese counterpart.  Today, it is estimated that the U.S. government possesses over five thousand nuclear warheads, while the Chinese government has a total inventory of roughly three hundred.  Moreover, only about forty of these Chinese nuclear weapons can reach the United States.  Surely the United States would "win" any nuclear war with China.

But what would that "victory" entail?  A nuclear attack by China would immediately slaughter at least 10 million Americans in a great storm of blast and fire, while leaving many more dying horribly of sickness and radiation poisoning.  The Chinese death toll in a nuclear war would be far higher.  Both nations would be reduced to smoldering, radioactive wastelands.  Also, radioactive debris sent aloft by the nuclear explosions would blot out the sun and bring on a "nuclear winter" around the globe—destroying agriculture, creating worldwide famine, and generating chaos and destruction.

Moreover, in another decade the extent of this catastrophe would be far worse.  The Chinese government is currently expanding its nuclear arsenal, and by the year 2020 it is expected to more than double its number of nuclear weapons that can hit the United States.  The U.S. government, in turn, has plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars "modernizing" its nuclear weapons and nuclear production facilities over the next decade.

To avert the enormous disaster of a U.S.-China nuclear war, there are two obvious actions that can be taken.  The first is to get rid of nuclear weapons, as the nuclear powers have agreed to do but thus far have resisted doing.  The second, conducted while the nuclear disarmament process is occurring, is to improve U.S.-China relations.  If the American and Chinese people are interested in ensuring their survival and that of the world, they should be working to encourage these policies.

* * *

Wittner is Emeritus Professor of History at the State University of New York/Albany. His latest book is "Confronting the Bomb: A Short History of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement" (Stanford University Press). This commentary was distributed by PeaceVoice a program of the Oregon Peace Institute, Portland, OR.

http://www.peacevoice.info/

Brunei team in first ever search and rescue drill on Mount Kinabalu

By Azlan Othman

Twenty-two Fire and Rescue personnel will join other search and rescue teams from Malaysia and Singapore in the first ever exercise high up Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in Southeast Asia.

The four-day exercise dubbed SAREX or joint search and rescue exercise involves finding missing and lost persons in the wilderness, which could strengthen and enhance the operation capabilities, especially for the department personnel, in search and rescue besides upgrading knowledge and expertise that could be implemented at home in the event of an emergency.

The exercise, at the invitation of National Security Council of the Prime Minister Office of Malaysia, began yesterday (November 28) and will end December 1.

The exercise would also foster closer ties among the participating countries.

The skills that the personnel possess become the core pillar in producing their true capability in line with the current trend and pace of modernisation globally. This is the aspiration of all operation personnel as first respondents in dealing with all sorts of emergencies and to be on full alert and ready besides enhancing the level of professionalism.

The Fire and Rescue Department strives to enhance the capabilities and expertise of its personnel in tackling any incidents through exercises or courses locally or abroad.

Before their departure via land yesterday morning in four vehicles, a flag handing over ceremony was held which was attended by the Director of Fire and Rescue Department, Awg Yahya bin Hj Abd Rahman.

The flag was handed over to the team head, Assistant Superintendant Annua bin Bangau.

Also present were Assistant Director for Operation, Awg Shabandi bin Hj Abd Halim, senior officers, Fire and Rescue personnel and their family members. A doa selamat was read by the teacher of Fire and Rescue Department, Ustaz Mohd Rosman bin Hj Bara.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
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Borneo Cultural Festival is vital to tourism industry

SIBU: Chairman of the Sarawak Central Region Hotel Association has claimed that the riverine town has been sidelined in terms of tourism promotion, causing tourists to shy away.

Johnny Wong Sie Lee alleged that the town’s signature event Borneo Cultural Festival (BCF) had been left out from next year’s tourism calendar.

“I learned that this major event has not been listed in the calendar of tourism for 2012. This is most unfair as BCF will be making a comeback next year and has been a crowd puller all this while. BCF is an important platform to showcase what Sibu has to offer to the world.

“And if it is not even listed in the calendar, how would tourists be able to know that the event is on next year. They too need to make preparations to come here and this cannot be done overnight.”

He could not figure out why BCF had been omitted whereas other tourism events seemed to have been included. Wong bemoaned that while Sibu might have limited places of interest, this should not be used as a basis to leave the town out of tourism activities.

He lamented that only a handful of tourists visited Sibu and promoting BCF was one way to reverse the trend.

Continue reading at: Borneo Cultural Festival is vital to tourism industry

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WikiLeaks wins Australian journalism award 2011

Assange' WikiLeaks wins Australian journalism award

SYDNEY, Nov 28, 2011 (AFP) - WikiLeaks has been recognized in Australia for its "outstanding contribution to journalism", with founder Julian Assange lashing out at "cowardly" Prime Minister Julia Gillard in an acceptance speech.

The global community recognized the independent journalism and heroic contribution of the Wikileaks that leaked thousands of confidential information involving the politics and US cables.

In the Philippines; Wikileaks leaked tons of information from the US cables related to the Philippines political issues and including the information that lauded by the locals regarding the tons of gold and oil and gas deposits in Agusan Marsh Mindanao which is estimated to a $Trillion US dollars.

Wikileaks leaked also the confidential comment of former US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney describing the Philippines President Benigno Aquino III as unassertive.

The anti-secrecy website was lauded at the annual Walkley Awards, where winners are chosen by an independent panel of journalists and photographers, for its courageous reporting of secret US cables.

"WikiLeaks applied new technology to penetrate the inner workings of government to reveal an avalanche of inconvenient truths in a global publishing coup," the Walkley trustees said in bestowing the award Sunday evening.

"Its revelations, from the way the war on terror was being waged, to diplomatic bastardry, high-level horse-trading and the interference in the domestic affairs of nations, have had an undeniable impact."

The whistleblowing website has published thousands of cables in which US diplomats give their often candid views on world leaders, to Washington's acute embarrassment.

Assange, an Australian citizen who has previously blasted Canberra for not doing enough to protect him in the fallout from the leaks, was scathing of the government in accepting the accolade in a pre-recorded video message.

"The Gillard government has shown its true colors in relation to how it's handled US pressure on WikiLeaks," he said in footage shown on SBS television which broadcast the awards.

"Australian journalists are courageous, the Australian population is supportive, but Julia Gillard is a cowardly Australian prime minister.

"As Australians we shall not despair, as long as we can speak out, as long as we can publish, and as long as the Internet remains free, we will continue to fight back, armed with the truth," he added.

Assange has spent much of the last year under virtual house arrest in Britain since he was detained in December 2010 over claims of rape and sexual assault made by two women in Sweden.

He has strongly denied the allegations against him, claiming they are politically motivated and linked to the activities of WikiLeaks.

The former computer hacker is currently appealing a decision against his extradition to Sweden to face the charges.

Australian BHP Billiton hopeful petroleum search in Palawan Philippines

A joint venture with Otto Energy in the Palawan Basin may be worth every cent.

DESPITE its $US20 billion ($A20.6 billion) push into the ''unconventional'' shale gas business in the US, BHP Billiton remains committed as ever to the conventional world of oil and gas exploration in offshore fairways.

It is spending a record amount around the world looking for the sort of big oil and gasfields that you would expect a company of BHP's size to focus on. But today's interest is its work in the Palawan Basin offshore from the Philippines/Malaysia.

More particularly, its farm-in on a Palawan permit (SC55) offshore from the Philippines held by Perth's Otto Energy (ASX: OEL).

Otto is no stranger to the offshore oil and gas potential of the Palawan as it is operator of the producing Galoc oilfield, which produced 595,423 barrels of oil in the September quarter (196,490 barrels net to Otto based on its increased interest of 33 per cent).

Take a look at any analyst reports on Otto and you will see that the Galoc interest pretty much covers Otto's current market capitalisation of $92 million at Friday's closing price of 8¢ a share. It is also holding some $28 million in cash, much of which will be applied to a second-phase development of the Galoc field.

So anything else Otto has comes for free, including the joint venture with BHP in SC55. BHP's involvement tells you that success in SC55 could be a game-changer for Otto. The targets in the permit are meaningful for BHP, let alone for a company of Otto's size.

SC55 sits in the south-west region of the Palawan and has proven oil and gas finds sitting to the north and south along what is considered to be an emerging 1000-kilometre long deepwater oil and gas trend. Total (unrisked) potential means recoverable resources across a number of prospects in SC55 have been estimated at 19 trillion cubic feet of gas and 670 million barrels of condensate (light oil).

BHP can earn a 60 per cent interest in the permit by carrying the cost of drilling two wells, with a commitment to drilling at least one. Otto's interest in the permit gets reduced to 33.18 per cent (the remainder is held by Trans-Asia Oil).

More to the point is that Otto reckons the first target - the curiously named Cinco - is good to go in April 2012. The estimated recoverable resource there alone is 74 million barrels of condensate and 2.1 trillion cubic feet of gas.

We're talking about a significant commitment here by BHP. The cost of the first well could be as much as $US60 million. Worth every cent if it comes in and not the end of the story if it does not, given the other targets in SC55.

The broker Hartleys reckons Cinco has a risked value of $89 million (15 per cent probability of success) and an unrisked value of $594 million. Again, that's all very interesting when stacked up against Otto's current market value. Little wonder then that Hartleys rates Otto as a ''conviction buy'' with a share price target of 18¢ a share.

''We consider the ideal to buy in the oil and gas sector is six months before the drilling of a high impact well,'' Hartleys said in a recent note. Cinco certainly has high impact potential for Otto.

As an aside, it is worth noting that Otto has a new chief executive officer - Gregor McNab.

Funny thing is that McNab comes to Otto after 22 years with BHP's now Houston-based oil and gas division, most recently as its vice-president external affairs.

Before that he had stints in Perth as the division's general manager of negotiations and general manager of its North West Shelf interests. As enthusiastic about Otto's interests in the Philippines as he is, McNab is looking to expand Otto's footprint elsewhere in south-east Asia and (onshore) east Africa.

GARY Fietz is another BHP veteran that jumped ship to do his own thing, as mentioned by Garimpeiro in July when his new endeavour New Age Exploration (ASX: NAE) was trading at all of 9.5¢ a share.

Fietz has been kicking some goals too, as is reflected in NAE moving up to the 11¢ a share level seen on Friday for a (fully diluted) market capitalisation of about $19 million. His Colombian coal ambitions for NAE are taking shape.

NAE's starter project in Colombia is the Terranova mine where NAE has announced a maiden resource of 3.6 million tonnes of coking coal. It is not the biggest resource ever announced but it does not have to be.

Because of its location in an environmentally constrained part of Colombia, NAE has to be in and out of the planned development by October 2014, assuming the environmental constraints remain, which they might not.

But the in-and-out beauty of Terranova at a peak annualised mining rate of 550,000 tonnes of raw coal is that its ease of development (a small-scale operation run by others is already there) sets up NAE to employ its mining equipment, wash plant and other infrastructure to the development of regional deposits.

To that end, it is stepping up work on an adjacent but not environmentally constrained concession area, the plan being that a stage-two development there will give it the longer-life presence in the Colombian coking coal industry that Fietz wants to see.

While NAE works towards possible first production at Terranova from January 2013, investors who took up stock in the group's recent $4 million placement at 12¢ a share are also banking on the big-time potential of NAE's ground position in Colombia's Cesar Basin.

The Cesar is where the privately owned US group, Drummond Company, struck a deal earlier this year for the sale of 20 per cent of its operations to Japan's Itochu for $US1.52 billion. It is also where Vale, Glencore and others have major expansions in mind.

If NAE's ground position in the Cesar were in any of Australia's coal basins, you could bet that its market capitalisation would be a multiple of where it is today. Current Cesar production for export markets is 40 million tonnes, rising to an estimated 70 million tonnes from 2015.

Fietz has an exploration target of up to 1 billion tonnes of coal across NAE's two concessions in the Cesar and an adjacent sub-basin. It could be worth watching NAE confirm that potential with the drill bit.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/business/bhp-chases-hopeful-petroleum-prospect-20111127-1o1hl.html

What Australia discovered outsourcing from the Philippines?

GONE are the days when a personal assistant had to be stationed next to the boss's desk.

Brisbane small businesses and sole traders have discovered "virtual PAs" - personal assistants based in the Philippines, India and all over the world - who do the work remotely, for a third of the price and at twice the speed.

Business owners say they are saving mountains of money by outsourcing time-consuming administration work.

Rod Westerhuis, a local real-estate agent, said he knows agents already using virtual PAs from the Philippines and is planning on hiring one himself in the new year. He said it's a "no-brainer".

"I can hire three of these assistants for the same price I'd get someone locally here in Brisbane," he said.

"It might cost me $700 a month for a full-time assistant and that's inclusive of everything; there's no extra super, sick pay or holiday pay on top of that.''

He said businesses were often reluctant to admit they used virtual workers because of the stigma attached to outsourcing.

"Some people get really offended by it, they think it's unethical. And while it might not be much money to us, it's a lot of money in the Philippines. And it's also about running a business efficiently and effectively," Mr Westerhuis said.

Brett Elvish, who runs his own finance consultancy business, regularly outsources administration and marketing work to other countries.

He prefers workers in the Philippines because of the small difference in time zones (two hours) and because they are tertiary qualified - but he has also outsourced work to the US.

"One woman, I gave her 10 hours of time to do some research for me and said that, once the 10 hours was up, we'd discuss how she was going,'' Mr Elvish said.

"I got an email saying the work had been done in 5.5 hours. At $6.60 an hour, the honesty and integrity was incredible. Why wouldn't I go back to that?"

A former director of a large finance company said he "shudders" to think about how much money was wasted on tasks that could have been outsourced.

"I've run much bigger companies than what I'm doing now and I think about the amount of money we would have wasted on all sorts of tasks … and how much money we would have saved by using these services," he said.

He agreed there was a stigma to outsourcing jobs. "I think there is that element there for some people. I've been asked by people if it is sweatshop-type stuff but it's simply not true," the ex-director said.

"People are very precious about Australian jobs and while I think that's fair enough, we need to accept that the world is now a smaller place.

"There's an enormous range of things that businesses are not taking advantage of. Bigger businesses are often lazy and reluctant to change, rather than having a strong moral aversion to something like this. It's laziness."

Paul Ellison, director of recruitment company People Plus, said the impact on the administration and personal-assistant job market would be "incredibly minimal".

"Maybe, in the more transactional or lower skill set part of the market, it could be useful, but some skills sets can never be done remotely or virtually. A lot of these jobs require an understanding of communication and a compatibility with their employer," he said.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/executive-style/manila-folders-going-to-manila-20111126-1o0nf.html

Gems around Fairy Caves in Bau

MEMBERS from the Malaysian Nature Society Kuching branch turned up at the Fairy Caves with high expectations of an interesting morning. We had come hoping to catch a glimpse of the Bornean whistling thrush (Myophonus borneensis). This bird is a highland species that can be quite easily seen on Mount Kinabalu, Sabah. For some unknown reason, the Bornean whistling thrush is also found around the limestone outcrops at the Fairy Caves in Bau, a mere 40-minute drive from Kuching.

The swiftlets were out to welcome the beautiful day; their wings slicing through the crisp morning air. The dusky munias flew over the padi fields to make a landing occasionally before taking off again. The scaly-breasted munia was among them.

A small flock of whistling ducks was on its way to frolic in a nearby pond. The plaintiff cuckoo called while the crimson sunbird and red-eyed bulbul played hide-and-seek with us in the trees. Both the greater and lesser coucals came into view, though on separate occasions, leaving the birders to deliberate as to which was greater and therefore not lesser. Apparently, the greater coucal has a booming call, while the lesser coucal has streaks on its body. Unfortunately, no one heard the coucal call nor observed the streaks.

The Bornean whistling thrush was late.

Pitcher plants dotted the karst landscape. One of the most famous and spectacular pitcher plants, Nepenthes northiana, could be seen growing in heavy clusters on the steep sides of the limestone cliffs.

The limestone hills in Bau and Padawan are the only known localities in the world for this carnivorous plant, making it endemic toSarawak. The discovery of the species in the late 1800s, during the reign of the White Rajahs, further boosted the exotic reputation thatSarawakalready enjoyed as a place populated by remarkable people, plants and animals.

There was a high-pitched call from a flowerpecker and a song from the tailorbird. As we stood under some stalactites, sharp calls from the Eurasian tree sparrows drew our attention to the grey limestone walls. The rugged surface offers an excellent foothold for rock climbers.

Snakes known as cave racers use the rough surfaces to ‘climb’ as they hunt for bats and swiftlets. These adept climbers inhabit limestone areas and often leave their moulted skins in the cliff crevices.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Gems around Fairy Caves in Bau
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Sarawak welcomes Kuching-Melaka flight

KUCHING: The state government has welcomed the introduction of the Kuching-Melaka flight announced by Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam on Friday.

Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said it was a good move to connect Sarawak and Melaka because of the two states’ historical links.

“Chinese explorer Cheng Ho landed in Melaka and then came to Sarawak so the connection between Melaka and Sarawak is there.

“In fact, we had planned a Kuching-Melaka direct flight all this while but back then the airport in Melaka was too small. It is now time to work with Melaka Air to see further connectivity,” he told reporters after launching the Ducati Multistrada Borneo Experience 2011 yesterday.

Abang Johari said his ministry would send officers to Melaka for feasibility studies on the new route and added that the plan should materialise soon.

“We will look into the direct flight connecting Kuching and Melaka because it is a complementary effort to Sarawak.

Continue reading at: Sarawak welcomes Kuching-Melaka flight
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Promoting authentic Sarawak dishes

KUCHING: Damai Beach Resort and Sarawak Cultural Village recently launched their Sarawak Authentic Cuisine Promotion.

It aims to promote authentic Sarawak cuisine to local and foreign guests. Assistant Minister of Tourism Datuk Talib Zulpilip launched the promotion at the resort’s Treez Restaurant.

“Sarawak boasts a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society. This rich diversity is also reflected in the cuisine of the state,” said Talib, who is also Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) chairman.

“Eating out is an experience; here, you will find varieties of eateries that range from deluxe and exquisite restaurants to roadside and hawker stalls.”

Meanwhile, Damai Beach Resort resort manager Zulkifli Othman said the resort had always striven to preserveSarawak’s heritage in its everyday operations.

“From details such as room decor and lobby layout, to our recreational activities and even resort signage, this preservation of ethnicity is one of our strongest selling points.

Continue reading at: Promoting authentic Sarawak dishes
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Cebu Pacific Air Seeks To Expand Operations to Kuching

KUCHING -- Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific Air of the Philippines seeks to expand its international routes in Malaysia by making Kuching its next stop after Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) CEO Datuk Rashid Khan said Sunday.

He said STB would facilitate and assist the airline in offering its service in this capital city of Sarawak.

"We welcome you and hope to work together towards a win-win situation and, particularly, in promoting the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) region," he said in a statement.

Rashid Khan said a delegation from Cebu Pacific Air, led by its International Sales and Distribution Systems Manager Leopoldo B. Coronel, and officers from the Philippine Tourism Department called on him yesterday and expressed their interest to expand the airline's operation to Kuching.

Continue reading at: Cebu Pacific Air Seeks To Expand Operations to Kuching

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Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa receives two top awards

KOTA KINABALU: Peppino and CHI, The Spa at Shangri-la's Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa, Kota Kinabalu received awards for Best Food Outlet and Best Spa Experience at the 2011 Sabah Tourism Awards Gala Dinner here last Saturday.

The Sabah Tourism Awards celebrates the industry’s achievements and honours outstanding individuals and organisations whose contributions have contributed to the growth of the tourism industry in Sabah.

On a separate note, CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa, Kota Kinabalu received the runner-up position at the 2011 SPA Traveller Awards for Best International Family Friendly Spa and Best International Spa Resort.

The inaugural SPA Traveller Awards reveals some of the world’s hidden gems along with the best romantic gateways, family friendly destinations and well-being retreats. For six months, readers’ were asked to nominate their favourite spa, treatment, therapist, cuisine and even most breathtaking spa view.

Continue reading at: Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa receives two top awards

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Kuching-Melaka direct flight early next year

KUCHING: A direct flight connecting Kuching and Melaka may commence as early as next month or early next year.

Melaka Chief Minister Dato Sri Mohd Ali Rustam when announcing this yesterday said he was keen to see the flight become a reality, possibly three times a week.

“I am looking forward to see the Sarawak and Melaka state governments collaborate on the direct flight to Melaka in the best interest of both states,” he told a press conference.

Mohd Ali is in the state with the Melaka Foundation (YM) delegation and its board of directors to witness a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Sarawak Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA/Pelita Holdings Sdn Bhd) and YM yesterday.

LCDA was represented by Senior Minister and Land Development Minister Tan Sri James Masing and two Assistant Ministers, Datuk Gramong Juna and Datuk Abdul Wahab Aziz.

Also present was Senior Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh who is also mnister of local government and community development, and second finance minister.

Mohd Ali said the route could boost tourism in both states.

“Melaka so far receives a total of 10.4 million tourists in 2010 with 20 per cent of them from overseas: Taiwan, Japan,China, Hong Kong, German, Switzerland and New Zealand.”

He said as of September this year, a total of 8.4 million tourists had visited the historical city, and the number is expected to reach 11 million by yearend. He said the proposed Kuching-Melaka flight could be shortened to one hour, compared to the one-and-a-half hour Kuching-Kuala Lumpur route.

“The flight is shorter than that to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). Hence this could be an alternative route.”

At the moment, Melaka is chartering Firefly and Melaka Air flights to Pekan Baru and Medan City on the island of Sumatera in Indonesia. The flight connection had lured many tourists from the neighbouring country to the city.

Continue reading at: Kuching-Melaka direct flight early next year

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Miri Marriott named Best Family and Recreational Resort

MIRI: Marriott Resort & Spa once again make a name among the crème de la crème of the South East Asian hospitality industry by winning a prestigious award at the highly-acclaimed Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards (Hapa) 2011-2013 Regional Series.

The resort received the ‘Gold Hapa Signature Family & Recreational’ award under the Establishment category.

The resort’s general manager Marcel Hinderer received the award at a two-night Awards Presentation cum Gala Charity Dinner held at Capella Singapore and Mandarin Orchard recently.

It was attended by over 600 hospitality industry players and nominees.

“We are really honoured to receive this recognition and enjoy the distinction among the best in the region, one that family travellers have confidence in.”

“The recognition is also a significant achievement for Sarawak as it gives tremendous sense of pride that Sarawak’s resort and hotel is on par with those in the region. We look forward to scaling greater heights by constantly enhancing our product and service quality,” said Hinderer.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Miri Marriott named Best Family and Recreational Resort

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Borneo Cultural Festival To Make Comeback In July, 2012

SIBU -- The Borneo Cultural Festival, an annual event of the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) to promote the town's tourism industry, will make a comeback from July 6 to 15 next year.

This was announced by council chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King at its monthly meeting, here, Friday.

The popular annual event was scrapped this year after the dismal performance by the town's Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates in the three seats here in the April 16 state polls.

BN through the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) lost the Pelawan, Bukit Assek and Dudong seats to the opposition and earlier on, the Sibu parliamentary seat in a by-election on May 16, 2010.

When the festival was scrapped, there was a public outcry and even the opposition DAP volunteered to organise it on behalf of SMC.

The council which had been organising it for the past nine years, had said it had to come to that decision as some people failed to appreciate the services of the town's BN representatives, but later said it had insufficient time to organise it.

Tiong in his speech hoped organisations representing the Chinese, Malay-Melanau and Dayak/Orang Ulu communities would be more committed in organising the festival to take it to greater heights.

He disclosed that the SMC would also host another popular event, the Borneo Talent Award, in November next year.

Continue reading at: Borneo Cultural Festival To Make Comeback In July, 2012

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Indigenous community gardens can be tourist pull

KUCHING: Community gardens advocated by Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) have the potential to be tourist attractions apart from accomplishing SBC’s mission of preserving traditional knowledge of plants among the indigenous people.

Deputy State Secretary Datu Ose Murang yesterday said India’s success story where a similar concept had been well applied could be the role model for the state’s community gardens.

He believed that making the gardens into tourism spots would also benefit the communities involved economically.

“The Bio Valley in India is a tourist attraction. Many tourists are attracted by the rich and diverse plants there. It can be an example for the communities here to emulate,” he said at the opening of the Traditional Knowledge Documentation Seminar 2011 at a hotel here.

Ose was representing State Secretary Datuk Amar Mohd Morshidi Abd Ghani.

Some 27 villages from seven communities namely Bidayuh, Iban, Penan, Kelabit, Lun Bawang, Kayan, Kenyah and Melanau participated in the programme organised by SBC.

Ose acknowledged SBC’s effort in setting up the community gardens as a way to better record traditional knowledge which had played and would continue to play a vital role in the socio- economic development of the state.

As such, he said the effort must be continued, adding that all related data should be consolidated for greater usage such as for the pharmaceutical industry.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Indigenous community gardens can be tourist pull

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Outsourcing stems Philippines labor exodus

Malaysia-based computer whiz Arlene Teodoro packed his bags and flew home to the Philippines this year, going against the tide in an impoverished country that sends millions of workers abroad.

Forced to leave his family and friends in 2008 in search of a decent job overseas, the 35-year-old bachelor says she is back for good because her skills are suddenly in big demand amid a business process outsourcing boom.

"Nothing compares to being back in the Philippines," said Teodoro, part of a 30-strong computer science class at a Manila university in the early 1990s, most of whose members also went overseas to find work.

"When I was working abroad I'd use up all my vacation leaves to attend family events and reconnect with my family."

Teodoro now earns about $3,000 a month as a business intelligence analyst for a US data mining firm, which uses powerful software to predict such key measures as future sales and trends for clients.

Big multinationals from aircraft manufacturers to retail chains are increasingly using these sophisticated tools, and the Philippines and India offer the most cost-efficient locales for such labor-intensive tasks, he said.

They also, crucially, have large English-speaking populations.

Data mining is one small part of the outsourcing phenomenon in the Philippines that has emerged from virtually nothing 10 years ago to become one of the country's most important economic planks and sources of jobs.

The Philippines has for decades suffered an exodus of people who have headed overseas to escape dire economic conditions, with one quarter of the population currently living on a dollar a day or less.

Nine million, or 10 percent of all Filipinos, now live and work overseas as OFW (Overseas Filipino Workers / Expatriates) in some world famous and Fortune 200 firms like Toyota Motors & Hyundai Motor Group as Engineers, Accountants and other top global firm like Chevron, Carrefour,  Honda, and in other industries for seaman, doctors, office workers, nurses, IT specialist, programmers and even for low-skilled performing jobs such as maids, drivers, construction workers and caretakers.

They sent $18.17 billion back to the Philippines last year, equivalent to 10 percent of the country's GDP, and their importance to the nation is such that they have earned the nickname: "Mga Bagong Bayani," or "Modern Day Heroes".

However the exodus has also led to a massive "brain drain" and caused social disruption as families are torn apart, with one or both parents going overseas and leaving their children at home with relatives.

But now the rise of outsourcing is giving many Filipinos a chance to stay at home.

The outsourcing workforce grew about 10 percent this year to 600,000, and is expected to expand to 900,000 employees by 2016, according to the Business Processing Association of the Philippines.

More than 60 percent of the outsourcing jobs are in call centers with Filipinos fielding telephone inquiries from, or selling products to, customers across the globe.

Although they are the lowest-paid in the sector, an entry-level call centre job still pays between 14,000-20,000 pesos ($325-$465) a month.

This is roughly equivalent to what a Filipino maid would typically earn in a wealthier Asian country such as Singapore, or a seaman's starting salary in the global merchant fleet.

The local industry is also increasingly attracting work for higher-paying skills such as data warehousing, accounting and medical transcription, as well as creative work ranging from webpage design to animation and video games.

"Before, it was the call centre boom in the Philippines, but now it's more of really specialized skills," said Teodoro.

The Philippines has risen to have the world's largest outsourcing sector an overtaken India in 2010 according to the IBM report. Continues boom of outsourcing the Philippines  is because of huge English-language workforce.

Filipino workers are also particularly prized in the United States and other Western nations because of their familiarity with their culture, a legacy of the Philippines' history as a former US colony.

"We have had expats telling us that working with Filipino teams is a very pleasantly unique experience, which they have not had elsewhere in the world," industry association senior executive director Gillian Joyce Virata told AFP.

The government has also sought to amplify the country's natural advantages by offering significant tax breaks for outsourcing firms and easing labour laws, such as one that used to bar women from working past midnight.

The industry association said outsourcing would generate revenues of $11 billion this year, up from $8.9 billion in 2010, and continue to grow by at least 15 percent annually to hit $20 billion by 2016.

This would place the outsourcing industry's revenues almost on a level with the money sent home by overseas workers.

"This industry has provided a very big support to the economic environment of the Philippines in the past decade," Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo told an outsourcing forum recently.

Aside from the direct benefits of employing people, Domingo credited the industry with a wide range of other knock-on effects such as increased car sales and the explosion of 24-hour convenience stores.

Outsourcing has also begun to transform Manila's skyline, with skyscrapers rising to cater to big foreign banks and technology companies that have set up shop with workforces that run into the tens of thousands.

"The contribution of this industry cannot be overstated," Domingo said.

40% of Heart of Borneo's conservation forests can be managed by firms

ALMOST 40 per cent of land in the 22-million hectare Heart of Borneo (HoB) conservation area can be managed by the private sector, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) has estimated based on a report it launched recently.

This figure was based on an estimate on current concession allocations, which make up 8.6 million hectares or 39 per cent of HoB, and thus stressed the importance of the private sector's role in realising the goals of the tri-nation initiative.

"Many of the key threats to the HoB are perceived to arise from private sector activity, but equally, the private sector has the opportunity to be the source and implementer of solutions to environmental and social challenges, and can continue to be a driver of economic and social development," said the WWF report, called "Business Solutions: Delivering the Heart of Borneo Declaration".

The 82-page report, which was launched on November 16, highlighted options for businesses within and around the HoB area, particularly those in the mining, forestry and palm oil industries, to pursue more sustainable operations.

Growth in both Borneo island's population and international demand in products from these three sectors have resulted in increasing pressure on Borneo's forests, the document noted.

"To date, the exploitation of Borneo's natural resources for short term financial returns has not given sufficient consideration to the broader environmental, economic and social implications of this activity," the report said.

It was the recognition of this growing pressure on the forests and the need to resolve it which gave rise to the signing of the HoB declaration in Bali, Indonesia in 2007 by the governments of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Brunei pledged 58 per cent of the country to make up 1.6 per cent of the 22 million hectare conservation initiative.

Apart from placing emphasis on the sustainable use and protection of the HoB area, the declaration also considered the socio-economic welfare of the people of the three signatory nations.

The report recognised that the past exploitation of Borneo's forests have led to reduced poverty rates in the participating countries, with the private sector expected to continue to play an important role towards further reducing poverty across the island.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: 40% of Heart of Borneo's conservation forests can be managed by firms

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