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Laos Ranks Fourth at Cyber SEA Game 2022

The Lao team at the Cyber SEA Game in Bangkok.

The Cyber SEA Game was recently held in Bangkok, Thailand, and the Lao team put up quite an impressive performance in the competition.  

South Korean Company Authorized to Build Multi-Billion Dollar Resort

Photo credit: Champa Post

Laos has signed an agreement with a South Korean company giving it a concession for the use of a 1,200-hectare plot of land to build a resort worth USD 2.9 billion.

Blue Ocean Daily Festival—Taitung County Government’s New Event Successfully Revitalizes Local Marine Recreation Industry; Promoting Smart Tourism and Continuing to Foster a Blue Ocean Lifestyle Under Taitung’s Slow Economy

TAITUNG, TAIWAN – Media OutReach – 14 November 2022 – In recent years, the Taitung County Government has been refining the county’s “Sea is Life” outlook. Providing opportunities in and around water has aided and enabled the county government’s marine culture education and aquatic recreational activity expansion efforts.

2022 marked the initial launch of the Blue Ocean Daily festival. The 5-week event aimed to provide tourists and tourism operators with recreational water activities. It was only recently the festival has come to a fitting end after offering a total of 22 Austronesian-themed maritime activities with local schools, tribes and industry associations.

Jinzun Village and Flowing Lake are currently being built up as hubs to spread awareness of recreational aquatic activities and marine culture education. By means of providing county residents and tourists more aquatic activity diversity, both hubs follow three ideals: embracing, engaging and knowing the sea. Furthermore, with the partnership with the Kimokeo Foundation from Hawaii, the recent new addition and integration of Shanyuan Bay has garnered much international exposure.

The inaugural Blue Ocean Daily Festival’s significance lies in its cultural roots search, as well as meaningful international exchanges. The Taitung County Government invited Kimokeo Kapahulehua (also known as Uncle K), well-known throughout Hawaii for his preservation efforts of Hawaiian culture, to build off the year’s prior establishment of the Taiwan Outrigger Canoe Club (TOCC). The club brought ethnic Taiwanese Hawaiians athletes to Taitung for their natural affinity toward reconnecting with their mutual ancestors.

Uncle K introduced the Hawaiian outrigger canoe to Taitung and the important role it played during the Austronesian migration period. County residents were then able to know the canoes and experience them up-close during one of the eight classes Uncle K hosted during the festival.

The Haiiwan native also did a first for Taiwan—performing a long-distance sail in an Outrigger Canoe in Taiwan’s waters. Kapahulehua and his crew set sail from Shanyuan Bay to traditional waters of the Torik Tribe, effectively reenacting the historical setting of using boats as means to maintain friendly relations between Austronesian communities.

During the welcoming ceremony, before coming ashore, a conch shell trumpet was prepared and blown to announce the Hawaiian crew had arrived by canoe, then, the on-shore Torik Tribe responded with a bamboo bugle horn to greet the Hawaiians ashore. This marks a meaningful milestone for the Blue Ocean Daily Festival so that the festival may continue to carry on the spirit of its unique cultural heritage.

The Blue Ocean Daily Festival in addition to facilitating exchanges between international organizations, local tribes and academic institutions, it’s also the starting point in which marine creation and community revitalization occurs. The county government is also committed to developing smart tourism.

4K video feeds have been installed at three locations in Jinlun, Fugang, and Huayuan and will soon be made available for public access online. The zero-latency broadcasts enable the public easy access to Taitung’s beauty and can marvel at it anytime, anywhere. In the future, the county government also expects to launch online ecology education and tours to develop its intertidal zone-themed content that is not limited by time and space.

Taiwan is believed by some experts to be where the Austronesian language family originated, according to the Taitung County Government. There are seven indigenous groups in Taitung County, making it the most culturally diverse county in Taiwan. Moreover, Taitung is blessed with rich marine resources, with a 249-kilometer coastline including the county’s outlying islands, which when totaled together, is the longest coastline in the nation. The county also has rare deep ocean water (DOW) and underwater hot springs, which can only be found in few places on Earth. The unique geographical environment and rich cultural heritage makes the county well positioned for development within the marine recreation industry.

In the future, the county government will continue to connect with the international community through the Blue Ocean Daily Festival and promote the revitalization of marine themed tourism and community development to achieve its vision of sustainable development of the local marine recreation industry.

FoodSmart Conference and Expo for the Food and Beverage Trade 2022

Promoted smart food waste treatment to foster a sustainable F&B industry
Secretary for Environment and Ecology encouraged cross-sector collaboration to address food waste issues

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 14 November 2022 – FoodSmart Conference and Expo for the Food and Beverage Trade 2022 cum ECF Source Separation and Collection of Food Waste for the Food & Beverage (F&B) Trade and EPD Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Collection Award Ceremony were successfully concluded at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 14 November 2022. The theme-based seminars and discussions sessions were broadly supported by the F&B and environmental sectors. Corporate delegates shared not only the best practices and relevant innovation in food waste management, but also walked the audience through the latest development of sustainable food, artificial intelligence technologies, environmentally friendly tableware, and health and safe environment, etc. The wide range of new knowledge and new technologies disseminated at the event would help the F&B trade enhance its competitivity while achieving environmental excellence and sustainability.

Mr. Tse Chin-wan, Secretary for Environment and Ecology appreciate the efforts of the F&B trade in promoting food waste recycling

Invited to officiate the ECF Source Separation and Collection of Food Waste for the Food & Beverage (F&B) Trade and EPD Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Collection Award Ceremony, Mr. Tse Chin-wan, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology of the HKSAR Government presented over 300 participating organisations with certificates of appreciation. The certificates are a recognition to the trade’s active delivery of social and environmental responsibilities through taking part in food waste recycling. He also took the opportunity to encourage the trade to continue to render strong support to the Government in promoting waste reduction in the community with a view to building together a greener and more liveable Hong Kong that cherishes resources for achieving carbon neutrality.

Mr. Simon Ka-wo Wong, Convenor of the FoodSmart Partnership Programme thanked food waste collection participants during his opening remarks at the award ceremony. He said, “The FoodSmart Partnership Programme has been committed to providing the industry with environment management recommendations and guidance on food waste reduction since its inception in 2018. This platform has helped the F&B trade formulate food waste reduction measures and carry out separation at source. We have kicked off a programme to recycle and separate food wastes, and arranged transportation of collected food wastes to O‧PARK 1 for free.” Wong wishes the programme to continue to act as a communication channel for the sector and the government, through which the trade’s views on separation at source and food waste recycling could be reflected to support the ECF and EPD schemes. By doing so, the trade could contribute more to lessen the burden of the landfills and towards a brighter and greener Hong Kong.

In his opening remarks for the Hong Kong Productivity, an organiser of the ECF Source Separation and Collection of Food Waste for the Food & Beverage (F&B) trade initiative, Mr Mohamed D. Butt, Executive Director of HKPC said, “HKPC has been collaborating with the trade in the FoodSmart Partnership Programme since 2018. To improve the efficiency of local food waste management, we also work with Hong Kong Waste Association on the initiative of Source Separation and Collection of Food Waste for the Food & Beverage trade. We have been supporting the trade with the technical knowhow and suggestions on producing less food waste, as well as on separating them. Suitably sized and various types of equipment for separation are also provided to help with separation. The collected waste has been sent to O‧PARK1 for free. Every year, the food waste processed at O.PARK1 can provide electricity for more than 3,000 Hong Kong families. On top of these, we are leveraging our expertise in technology and innovation to offer technical assistance to the trade. A good example is “Food TranSmarter”, the food waste conversion system developed by HKPC to offer simple, clean and hygienic solution to the collection and shipping of food waste. In response to the government’s requirements, HKPC is always dedicated to foster public engagement, technology innovation and re-industrialisation, such that the food waste problem can be tackled with a full-chain solution and all-round technology and services. Going forward, HKPC will continue to support the government’s waste reduction measures and join up with the trade to manage Hong Kong’s food waste problem to promote green and sustainable development.”

Source Separation and Collection of Food Waste for the Food & Beverage (F&B) Trade

To promote waste reduction and separation at source for recycling in the industry, the FoodSmart Partnership Programme (FSPP) was organised by The Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management Ltd, Association of Restaurant Managers, Chamber of Food & Beverage Industry of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants & Related Trades, and Institute of Dining Professionals. The programme is also jointly supported by the Environmental Protection Department, the Food Wise Hong Kong Campaign and the Hong Kong Productivity Council. Under the FSPP banner, the “ECF Source Separation and Collection of Food Waste for the Food & Beverage (F&B) Trade” initiative was rolled out to provide participants with technical advice and support on reduction and source separation of food waste, including free, suitably sized, and different types of food waste recycling equipment. Food waste collected from eateries are transported for free to O·PARK1 in Siu Ho Wan every day for turning the waste into energy/resources. Using smart and cloud-based data systems to support recycling transport, the initiative has developed district-specific diversion routes for the recycling sector to improve its operation efficiency. Besides, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) had launched the Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Collection in 2018, focusing on setting out the main collection and transport operation logistics for the food waste generated by the C&I and public premises. A larger scale Pilot Scheme was subsequently launched in September 2021 to serve the food waste collection needs of more participating private and public organisations. The EPD is also expanding this service to recycle domestic food waste on a trial basis. At present, about 140 tonnes of food waste is transported to O‧PARK1 and transformed into energy every day. Some of the food wastes have come from the two aforementioned initiatives.

Hashtag: #FoodSmartPartnershipProgramme

Tia Lee Returns in 2022 with the Premiere of “Falling in the Deep”, First Episode of “Goodbye Princess” Animation Series

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 14 November 2022 – Tia Lee, Asian fashion icon, pop singer, film and television actress, has released a first-of-its-kind MV pre-release production that blends animation, music and fashion videography, to mark Tia’s return. Upon release of the “Goodbye Princess” animation trailer and the first episode of the 6-part series, an unprecedented record of over 13.65 million views were achieved for this unique form of storytelling and music launch within the first 72 hours.

Thematic image echoing content of the first animated episode.

Thematic image echoing content of the first animated episode.

The “Goodbye Princess” pre-release campaign kicks off with a 6-part animated animation series. Each 30-second episode has the spirit of a classic fictional “princess”, reconstructing age-old stories to tell a whimsical tale inspired by Tia’s own experiences and journey in entertainment industry. “Goodbye Princess” showcases Tia’s determination to break free from stereotypes and shake off biases that have been placed on her, paving the way forward to take ownership over her own destiny.

Today, Digital Cover themed “The Voice” and an in-depth interview of Tia Lee by Vogue Hong Kong was also released, allowing followers around the world to have a glimpse of Tia on her new refreshed journey towards female empowerment.

Credits to Vogue Hong Kong:Photographer: Shin Sun Hye (@Studioioo)Fashion Director: Sean K (@S.e.a.n.K)Stylist: Kim Sun Young & Kim Jee Soo (@ES.Consultancy)Hair: Jang Hye Yeon (@janghyeyeon_)Make up: Lee Suk Kyung (@OngiBeauty)Nail: Eun Kyung Park (@Nail_Unistella)Executive Producer: Lee Kyung Kim at BL Creative House (@BLcreativehouse)

Credits to Vogue Hong Kong:
Photographer: Shin Sun Hye (@Studioioo)
Fashion Director: Sean K (@S.e.a.n.K)
Stylist: Kim Sun Young & Kim Jee Soo (@ES.Consultancy)
Hair: Jang Hye Yeon (@janghyeyeon_)
Make up: Lee Suk Kyung (@OngiBeauty)
Nail: Eun Kyung Park (@Nail_Unistella)
Executive Producer: Lee Kyung Kim at BL Creative House (@BLcreativehouse)

The first animation episode, “Falling in the Deep, premiered on 11 November, featured a carefree mermaid swimming happily in a calm ocean. By chance, she spots an old television set on the seabed, which is the entrance to a tunnel that transcends time and space. Captivated by the lights, she swims into the tunnel’s kaleidoscope of imagination and temptation.

Suddenly, the mermaid realises that her tail has transformed into legs. Unable to swim, she sinks deeper into the ocean as a beam of light surrounds her. Will this beam of light come to the rescue of the mermaid? Or is it a sign of troubles to follow? What will she encounter next? The answers will be revealed in episode 2, to be released on 15 November (tomorrow).

“Goodbye Princess” animation series episode 1 poster.

“Goodbye Princess” animation series episode 1 poster.

Accompanying the premiere was a poster released on 12 November that explained the underlying messages of the animated short clip:

  1. The television set symbolises the start of Tia’s journey into the entertainment and fashion scene;
  2. The kaleidoscope reflects imaginations and temptations. The kaleidoscope also hides different easter eggs of Tia’s actual appearances and looks when she first joined the industry;
  3. The mermaid losing her tail calls out her helplessness upon realising the true nature of show business.

Complementing the stunning series is a set of motion and still images of Tia based on the same theme of “Falling in the Deep“, curated by award-winning Creative Director, Tony C. Miller. The motion and still images portray a stunning Tia in an iconic green couture dress underwater. While the production took under the water, it also overcame a big challenge – Tia’s fear of water.

This first animation and fashion videography series represents a breakthrough in MV pre-release execution and also a personal breakthrough for Tia. Stay tuned for more exciting development of Tia’s “GOODBYE PRINCESS” journey, which will be out soon!

Episode 2 release schedule:

Animation: 15 November
Animation Poster: 16 November
Motion & still images: 17 November

Official press materials:

“GOODBYE PRINCESS” Animation Episode 1: https://youtu.be/w8nG_R7fm20
“GOODBYE PRINCESS” Episode 1 Poster: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck2gvCOvfbA/

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=679156036910954&set=a.231904644969431 (for downloading)

“GOODBYE PRINCESS” Episode 1 Still Image: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck7qmJFvrJ-

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=681898139970077&set=a.231904644969431 (for downloading)

“GOODBYE PRINCESS” Episode 1 Motion Image: https://youtu.be/LNPmgPNA8aQ


Tia Lee Official Channels:
Instagram @leeyufen: https://www.instagram.com/leeyufen/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tialeeofficial/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leeyufentialee/
Weibo: https://weibo.com/u/1396928042/

Hashtag: #TiaLee

About Tia Lee

Tia Lee (李毓芬), born in Taipei, is an Asian pop singer, film and television actress, model, and former member of the girl band Dream Girls. In addition to her acting roles and musical career, Tia appears frequently at major fashion shows. As a fashion icon and trend-setter, Tia has graced the covers of fashion, beauty and lifestyle magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, and shares her beauty and fashion tips through a number of Vogue’s social media channels.

Lao Children Raise their Voice for Climate Justice

© World Vision International – Last September, the village of 11-year-old Nice was covered by water after Tropical Storm Noru hit Laos

From 6-18 November, world leaders have gathered in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, for the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP27. This edition marks the 30th anniversary of adopting the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Trudeau Commits a Million Dollars for UXO Clearance in Laos, Cambodia

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at ASEAN Summit

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia last week where he announced the funding support. 

Myanmar Junta Risks Total Ban at ASEAN Meetings

Myanmar's chair lies vacant at the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh.

Leaders of ASEAN countries have warned Myanmar that it needs to proceed with an actionable peace plan or risk removal from the bloc’s meetings as an aftermath of the social and political chaos engulfing the nation.