• Starting from 8 March to 15 May 2024, MTR passengers who tap to ride with Visa will have the chance to win tickets to the “Katch the POP” concert on 8 June 2024, featuring top Cantopop boybands and acclaimed female K-pop star.

• The concert ticket lucky draw campaign is an extended celebration of the launch of the first contactless bank card payment for MTR rides as provided by Visa and aims to connect music and entertainment lovers with their transit experience.

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 March 2024 – Visa, a global leader in digital payments, is set to dial up the excitement of residents and tourists riding the MTR. Starting from 8 March, passengers using Visa tap to ride on the MTR will be rewarded with lucky draw chances[1] to experience exciting music and entertainment events. In collaboration with Katch, one of the music and entertainment platforms, Visa and MTR will bring together a sensational concert series of five live music shows scheduled throughout 2024 and beyond.

The inaugural “Visa x MTR presents ‘Katch the POP’ concert”, set to take place on 8 June 2024, promises an exciting lineup, with music performances from beloved members of boyband MIRROR – Lokman Yeung, Stanley Yau, Alton Wong, Frankie Chan, and Tiger Yau, and all members from popular boyband ERROR – Fatboy, Dee, 193 and Poki, as well as acclaimed female K-pop star, Jessica Jung. As part of this citywide promotion, cardholders of credit cards or debit cards issued in Asia Pacific[2] are invited to enroll and tap to ride with Visa on the MTR to earn lucky draw entries, with a total of 1,600 concert tickets up for grabs.

“We are committed to enhancing the daily commute for everyone, everywhere, by connecting public transport to convenient, secure and globally consistent Visa payments. In collaboration with MTR, Katch, our bank partners, and popular local and regional artists, we aim to make tapping to ride with Visa a rewarding journey,” said Paulina Leong, General Manager, Visa Hong Kong and Macau. “In 2024 and beyond, we will be rolling out a series of music and entertainment experiences to bring more joy to locals and overseas visitors on their MTR journey.”

Throughout the promotional period running from 8 March to 15 May 2024, participants can enroll their eligible Visa credit card or debit card on Katch’s webpage (https://concert.katch.hk/visamtr). Participants have to fill in the required information stated on Katch’s webpage including their name, contact information, and their eligible Visa card number. Participants will also be asked to select their preferred pick-up location.

Participants must then tap to ride on the MTR with their enrolled Visa card to qualify for one lucky draw entry per day. Visa cardholders of cards issued by selected bank partners may earn up to three additional lucky draw entries per day. Further details will be announced in due course by our bank partners.

800 lucky draw winners of the “Visa x MTR presents ‘Katch the POP’ concert” will be announced on Katch’s webpage on 30 May 2024. Each winner will receive a set of two concert tickets. The lineup of artists and musicians of forthcoming concerts will also be revealed on Katch’s webpage.

Visa is committed to making cities more livable with easier, connected and secure ways to pay for door-to-door journeys. In Hong Kong, Visa is supporting the future of a smart city by providing better payment experiences for everyone, powering smart mobility from parking meters, road tunnels, buses, taxis to trams. Recently, Visa and Hong Kong Tramways announced an extension of the longest-running promotion on Hong Kong trams, which offers a contactless payment discount of HKD 1 off every HKD 3 spent[3]. Visa is the first digital payment company in Hong Kong to provide contactless bank card payment for MTR rides.

[1] Terms and Conditions apply. Trade Promotion Competition Licence No.:58415-20

Hashtag: #Visa

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Visa

Visa is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.

Landmark collaboration will include an industry-wide survey in partnership with AMEC, exploring attitudes towards the value and effectiveness of PR practices across agency and in-house.

NEW YORK, US – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 March 2024 – In a landmark collaboration that aims to redefine the value and effectiveness of public relations, PRovoke Media and the PR Council (PRC) have announced a new partnership focused on the upcoming North American Summit on 1 May.

Titled “Proving and Improving the Value of Public Relations,” the Summit aims to enhance the understanding and appreciation of PR’s true value in today’s complex reputational landscape. A cornerstone of the partnership will be an industry-wide North American survey led by AMEC, the world’s largest media intelligence and insights professional organisation, which will examine attitudes towards the effectiveness of PR practices – aiming to bridge the divide between agency and in-house perceptions.

The survey topic will lay the groundwork for the Summit’s agenda, informing the content of individual sessions and driving editorial coverage. Specific areas of discussion will include such crucial topics as: C-suite value, the effectiveness of ESG initiatives, talent and skills development, the integration of technology and AI, the impact of earned-led creativity, ROI amid geopolitical volatility, employee advocacy metrics, the business impact of DEI and measuring what matters.

The PRC, which counts 150 of U.S. and Canada’s premier global, mid-size, regional and specialty PR firms as members, will serve as the title sponsor of PRovoke Media’s 2024 North American Summit, which takes place on 1 May at the Whitby Hotel in New York, ahead of the 2024 North American SABRE Awards at Cipriani 42^nd St.

“This collaboration is designed to spotlight the PR Council’s commitment to tackling the critical challenge of effectively demonstrating PR’s value,” said PR Council president Kim Sample. “We aim to challenge and inspire PR professionals to rethink strategies for demonstrating value in an increasingly complex and competitive landscape.”

“This partnership not only emphasizes the critical role of public relations in today’s business environment but also offers a crucial platform for discussing, showcasing, and advancing the PR industry’s capabilities and impact,” added PRovoke Media CEO and editor-in-chief Arun Sudhaman.

“I would urge all PR professionals to participate in the survey and Summit, to ensure we can all identify and address the most pressing challenges relating to investment, value and impact.”Hashtag: #PRovoke #PRCouncil

https://www.provokemedia.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/provoke-news
https://twitter.com/provoke_news
https://www.facebook.com/provokenews/
https://instagram.com/provoke_news

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

PRovoke Media

PRovoke Media produces content across multiple platforms, delivering the most sophisticated reporting and analysis of public relations news, trends and issues, along with an extensive global footprint of events, including the SABRE Awards – the world’s biggest PR awards program. Founded in 2000 and previously known as the Holmes Report, the media company’s intelligence and insight challenges practitioners to consider the broader implications of their actions and elevates the status of the discipline by proving to senior executives that PR is a mission critical management function that can deliver extraordinary business value.

PR Council

The PR Council is the only North American association dedicated to supporting agencies with a core competency in earned media. Through a combination of convening and advising, the PR Council aims to help Members – the leaders of 150 premier global, mid-size, regional and specialty firms – work smarter to build more valuable agencies. The organization is focused on the most critical issues affecting PR agency leaders’ ability to attract and retain talent and grow client relationships and their firms.

PARIS, FRANCE – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 March 2024 – On the afternoon of 8^th March, local time, ” “Bonjour! Chine Soleil Hainan” international image exhibition and Hainan Tourism and Cultural Promotion Event took place in Paris, France. Through a combination of picture and physical exhibitions, as well as videos of Hainan tourism and cultural highlights, it comprehensively showcased the essence of Hainan’s tourism and culture, as well as its innovative products, new business formats, and new images to the French public.

The event featured various exhibition areas, including Sunny Island, Rainforest Elves, Recreation and Health Sanctuaries, Shopping Paradises, and Hainan Culture. In addition to captivating photo exhibitions, over 200 exhibits showcasing Hainan’s unique intangible cultural heritage, such as Li costumes, Li brocade, coconut carving and shell carving, were also presented.

Wang Zhongyun, Deputy Director of the Department of Tourism and Culture, Radio, Television and Sports of Hainan Province, highlighted Hainan’s significance as the world’s largest free trade port, China’s only international tourism consumption center, China’s largest special economic zone and an international tourism island. He emphasized Hainan’s role as a strategic hub of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and a beautiful, romantic international tourism and holiday destination.

Hainan’s abundant tourism resources, including its unique tropical island landscapes, vibrant Li and Miao ethnic cultures, and rich historical heritage, contribute to its charm. In 2023, Hainan welcomed over 90 million domestic and international tourists, marking a significant 49.9% increase from the previous year. During the 2024 Spring Festival holiday alone, the province received 9.5145 million tourists, achieving a total tourism revenue of RMB15.127 billion, both creating new records.

Recently, efforts to promote foreign tourism to Hainan continue, with a focus on creating special tourism products tailored to international visitors. It was emphasized that Hainan has opened 47 overseas routes, 13 marinas, and over 2,300 yacht berths. In 2024, Hainan plans to expand overseas flight to 66 routes, and aims to apply for passenger routes of the Seventh Freedom of the Air in the first half of this year. Additionally, the newly launched Hainan Coastal Scenic Highway spans 988 kilometers, offering access to 12 coastal cities and counties, 31 national A-level tourist attractions, 21 coastal tourist resorts, 7 marine sports bases, and 11 five-coconut-level beautiful villages, satisfying various tourism purposes such as coastal vacations, sports, medical and health care, research and study.

During the event, Wang’s introduction of Hainan’s visa-free policy for inbound tourism attracted significant interest among guests. Announced by China’s National Immigration Administration, effective 9 February, 2024, nationals from 59 countries, including France, Russia, Britain, and Germany, are eligible for visa-free entry to Hainan for up to 30 days, for purposes such as trade, visiting relatives, medical care, exhibitions, and sports competitions (exclusive of work and study).

Furthermore, Hainan recently launched a public test of the “Hainan Assured Payment” platform to facilitate payment for foreigners visiting China. This initiative aims to enhance the convenience of payment for foreigners in China. By then, overseas visitors to China will be able to make payments with their bank cards without downloading any software.

Remy Aron, a French artist with extensive experience in China, was invited to the event. He believed that in 2024, the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations of France and China, the two countries can join hands to make greater contributions to building a 21st century civilization. He believes that Hainan Free Trade Port, with its unique advantages, has the potential to develop into a world-class tourist destination where art converges, and become an emerging cultural center of the world.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 March 2024 – The Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), Thailand encourages both locals and foreigners to participate in tackling the corruption problem, ensuring that there is a specified law to protect witnesses and whistleblowers to help officials detect corruption cases.

The Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand Section 63 B.E.2560 (2017) places importance on the prevention and suppression of corruption by focusing on the participation of the public in the fight against or pointing out clues of corruption, and the state must provide measures to protect people who report corruption. Meanwhile, the Organic Act on the Prevention and Suppression of Corruption B.E. 2561 (2018), Section 131 and Section 133 empower NACC to provide safety protection to accusers, victims, petitioners, complainants, witnesses, whistleblowers who give statements or reports any clues or information about corruption. The law also protects the performance of duties to government officials who give statements or whistleblowing to the NACC.

“Preventing and combating corruption requires the cooperation of all sectors, whether government agencies, private organizations, or civil society, to recognize the serious threats that arise and recognize the importance of the problem of corruption. Witnesses or people who have been damaged by corruption cases or whistleblowers are afraid to complain or give information regardless of corruption and bribery. This will create difficulty in tackling corruption and bringing perpetrators to justice. For that reason, the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand; therefore, places importance on the prevention and suppression of corruption by focusing on the participation of the public in the fight against or pointing out clues of corruption, and the state must provide measures to protect people who report corruption,” the NACC explained.

Moreover, it pointed out that at present the problem of corruption in countries around the world has become one of the most important problems in many countries, including Thailand, where many related sectors have a common will to help prevent and suppress corruption. The nature of corruption is perceived only by the giver and the recipient, so when the benefits are balanced, it is difficult for either party to complain about this guilt as fear of causing themselves and other people around them to face trouble or being extorted by those who involved the bribes.

Thus, Thai law is concerned with this problem so it gives full authority to the NACC to set up the regulations on Witness Protection B.E. 2562 (2019, providing guidelines for for requesting witness and whistleblower protection.

The guidelines define that persons entitled to file applications and witness protection are covering accuser, victim, petitioner, complainant who gives statements, or the whistleblower including the spouse, parents, successor, or any other person who has a close relationship with the requester.

To file a complaint or give information about corruption to the NACC, anyone can contact NACC provincial offices nationwide or other agencies to request witnesses’ protection. In case, the witness or whistleblower is unable to present the complaint in person, it shall be done in writing or by letter, or by other means of communication such as telephone, fax, or electronic mail, or may authorize another person to act on their behalf.

After receiving requests for witness and whistleblower protection, the NACC will provide officers to secure witnesses at residences or places requested by witnesses or whistleblowers or arrange for witnesses to stay or reside at a location designated by the office.

That witness can ensure that the NACC will provide measures to conceal the personal data of witnesses and whistleblowers while arranging contact to ensure their well-being or regularly inspect the place where they live or stay.

Moreover, the NACC will send a notification in writing to the Royal Thai Police, the Department of Protection of Rights and Liberties, or other agencies to implement additional security protection.

To ensure that witnesses and whistleblowers will be able to live as normal, in case they cannot work or earn a living while being under protection, the NACC provides expenses and allowances as they are entitled to compensation. In case of damage to life, body, health, liberty, reputation, property or any other rights of witnesses, and other expenses for giving testify to the officers, the compensation for witness protection shall be disbursed at the rate specified by the Ministry of Justice or as determined by the government.

The NACC concluded that the agency recognizes and values the protection of witnesses and whistleblowers as they are key persons who could help Thailand improve transparency and wipe away the corruption from Thai society, as well as increase the corruption perception index to a higher level equivalent to the international level.

For whistleblowing of any misconduct by government officials, please contact the NACC Office Tel. 1205 or website: www.nacc.go.th

—————————————————-

Reference: https://nacc.go.th/categorydetail/20180831184638361/20240304143021?

Organic Act on Prevention and Combating Corruption B.E. 2561 (2018), Section 131 and Section 133 accompanying the National Anti-Corruption Commission Regulation on Protection and Assistance of Witnesses B.E. 2562 (2019)

*This press release translation is funded by the National Anti-Corruption Fund (NACF).

Hashtag: #IntegrityWay #AntiCorruption #ZeroCorruption #NACC #NACF

https://nacc.go.th/english

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), Thailand

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), Thailand is a constitutional independent organization and supervised by nine commissioners selected from various professions. It is authorised to undertake work on the prevention and suppression of malfeasance, particularly in government agencies, on assets investigations, as well as on the monitoring of ethics and virtues of political position holders.

It has the authority to file charges in court as well as support and build up awareness of the penalties for committing corruption. The NACC is supervised by the NACC Board and has the Office of the NACC as its administrative agency.

Since 1997, Thai Courts have ruled against and punished politicians, former ministers, high-ranking government officials as well as executives of the private sector in the thousands of cases submitted by the NACC.