Khamis, 15 Ogos 2013

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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Barking 'lion' irks zoo visitors
The Ows sue Credit Suisse
Teen held for molesting train passenger

Barking 'lion' irks zoo visitors

Posted:

BEIJING: A Chinese zoo's supposed "African lion" was exposed as a fraud when the dog used as a substitute started barking.

The zoo in the People's Park of Luohe, in the central province of Henan, replaced exotic exhibits with common species, according to the state-run Beijing Youth Daily.

It quoted a visitor surnamed Liu who wanted to show her son the different sounds animals made – but he pointed out that the animal in the cage labelled "African lion" was barking.

The beast was in fact a red Tibetan mastiff – a large and long-haired breed of dog.

"The zoo is absolutely cheating us," the paper quoted Liu, who was charged 15 yuan (RM8) for the ticket, as saying. "They are trying to disguise the dogs as lions."

Three other species housed incorrectly included two coypu rodents in a snake's cage, a white fox in a leopard's den, and another dog in a wolf pen.

The chief of the park's animal department, Liu Suya, told the paper that while it does have a lion, it had been taken to a breeding facility and the dog – which belonged to an employee – had been temporarily housed in the zoo over safety concerns.

Users of China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo service mocked the zoo.

"This is not funny at all. It's sad for both the zoo and the animals," said one.

"They should at least use a husky to masquerade as a wolf," said another. — AFP

The Ows sue Credit Suisse

Posted:

HE was a 19-year-old full-time national serviceman when he and his businessman father opened a joint investment account at a private bank in July 2006.

Two years later, Ian Ow Tuc Yun used the account to trade in futures and racked up losses of close to S$900,000 (RM2.3mil) in a space of nine months.

Now, the 26-year-old student and his father Ow Weng Fye, 63, are seeking S$2.6mil (RM6.7mil) in damages from the Singapore branch of Credit Suisse.

The lawsuit opened for hearing in the High Court yesterday.

They assert that their relationship manager Aaron Chwee Toh Yee – named as the second defendant – had misled and manipulated the naive son into making the trades, while keeping the father in the dark.

The Ows, represented by Adrian Tan, want the trades made by the son to be voided on the grounds that he was a minor at the time.

While their trading losses amounted to some S$900,000, the Ows contend that the money would have grown to S$2.6mil had it been invested according to the father's instructions.

Credit Suisse, represented by Senior Counsel Alvin Yeo, said that although instructions for the trades were given by the son, the bank's telephone transcripts showed that the father was consulted and kept in the loop.

The bank argued that the joint account was governed by Swiss law, where the age of majority is 18.

So, the son was not a minor when he opened the account.

Even if Singapore law were to apply, the bulk of the loss-making trades were made by the son after he turned 21 on May 25, 2008, the bank contended.

In any case, the father remains liable for the trades as the joint account holder and the bank only puts the loss at about S$500,000 (RM1.2mil). — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Teen held for molesting train passenger

Posted:

A 17-YEAR-OLD youth, who is believed to be responsible for outraging a passenger's modesty on an MRT train, has been arrested.

Officers responded to the case on board a north-bound MRT train on Tuesday night. The victim raised the alarm when she felt something was wrong and informed a fellow passenger, who then helped to detain the suspect together with station staff until the police arrived.

The police said that investigations are ongoing. If convicted, the suspect may face a jail term of up to two years, or a fine, and he may also be liable to caning.

The police advised the public to stay vigilant at all times and remain calm should they encounter such crimes while travelling on public transport.

In such cases, they should raise the alarm immediately for other members of public to help, call 999 and report the matter to the bus or train driver. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

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Magnitude 6.8 earthquake shakes New Zealand
NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times per year - report
China rejects appeal by Nobel laureate's brother-in-law

Magnitude 6.8 earthquake shakes New Zealand

Posted:

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 struck south of New Zealand's capital, Wellington, on Friday, sending panicked workers and residents into the streets just weeks after a similar size quake struck the city.

The quake, which hit near the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island, was at a depth of about 10 km (6 miles), according to NZ Geonet, which originally gave it a magnitude of 6.0.

While fire authorities said it was too early to assess the impact, there were some reports of superficial damage to buildings from the quake, which did not cause a wider tsunami alert, but sent items tumbling from shop shelves.

Air and rail services were being suspended while officials checked tracks and runways for damage.

There were also widespread power outages across the north of the South Island. There was no specific threat of a widespread tsunami, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

New Zealand has been hit by a string of quakes since a shallow, 6.3 magnitude tremor devastated the South Island's Canterbury region in 2011, killing nearly 200 people and levelling Christchurch, the country's second largest city.

Earthquakes are common in New Zealand, whose two islands lie along the Australia-Pacific tectonic plate boundary.

(Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by Paul Tait and Mark Bendeich)

NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times per year - report

Posted:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since 2008, the Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing an internal audit and other top-secret documents.

Most of the infractions involved unauthorized surveillance of Americans or foreign intelligence targets in the United States, both of which are restricted by law and executive order, the paper said.

They ranged from significant violations of law to typographical errors that resulted in unintended interception of U.S. emails and telephone calls, it said.

The Post said the documents it obtained were part of a trove of materials provided to the paper by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who has been charged by the United States with espionage. He was granted asylum in Russia earlier this month.

The documents included a level of detail and analysis that is not routinely shared with Congress or the special court that oversees surveillance, the paper said. In one of the documents, agency personnel are instructed to remove details and substitute more generic language in reports to the Justice Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

In one instance, the NSA decided it need not report the unintended surveillance of Americans, the Post said. A notable example in 2008 was the interception of a "large number" of calls placed from Washington when a programming error confused U.S. area code 202 for 20, the international dialling code for Egypt.

The Post said the NSA audit, dated May 2012, counted 2,776 incidents in the preceding 12 months of unauthorized collection, storage, access to or distribution of legally protected communications.

The paper said most were unintended. Many involved failures of due diligence or violations of standard operating procedure. It said the most serious incidents included a violation of a court order and unauthorized use of data about more than 3,000 Americans and green-card holders.

In 2008, the FISA Amendments Act granted NSA broad new powers in exchange for regular audits from the Justice Department and the office of the Director of National Intelligence and periodic reports to Congress and the surveillance court, the Post said.

"We're a human-run agency operating in a complex environment with a number of different regulatory regimes, so at times we find ourselves on the wrong side of the line," a senior NSA official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the Post.

"You can look at it as a percentage of our total activity that occurs each day," he said. "You look at a number in absolute terms that looks big, and when you look at it in relative terms, it looks a little different."

In what the Post said appeared to be one of the most serious violations, the NSA diverted large volumes of international data passing through fibre-optic cables in the United States into a repository where the material could be stored temporarily for processing and selection.

The operation collected and commingled U.S. and foreign emails, the Post said, citing a top-secret internal NSA newsletter. NSA lawyers told the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that the agency could not practicably filter out the communications of Americans.

In October 2011, months after the program got underway, the court ruled that the collection effort was unconstitutional.

Some members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, including Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon, have been trying for some time to get the NSA to give some kind of accounting of how much data it collects "incidentally" on Americans through various electronic dragnets. The Obama administration has strongly resisted such disclosures.

(Writing by Eric Beech; Editing by David Brunnstrom)

China rejects appeal by Nobel laureate's brother-in-law

Posted:

HUAIROU, China (Reuters) - A Chinese court on Friday rejected an appeal by the brother-in-law of jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, upholding his 11-year sentence on fraud charges, a case seen as another example of official retribution on the Liu family.

Supporters of Liu Hui say his case was trumped up, aimed at thwarting the increasing attention by the rights community on the plight of Liu Xia, who has remained under effective house arrest since her husband won the Nobel Prize in 2010.

The ruling - announced by a court in Huairou, a one-hour drive northeast of Beijing - was not unexpected as China hardens its stance towards the rights community under the rule of newly-installed President Xi Jinping.

The Huairou court upheld the June sentence that Liu Hui, a manager in a real estate company in the southern city of Shenzhen, defrauded a man called Zhang Bing of 3 million yuan ($490,000), along with another colleague. Liu Hui has maintained his innocence, according to his lawyers.

Liu Tong, Liu Hui's brother, told reporters he was furious at the verdict.

"This result fundamentally will make anyone angry, especially his family members. Because at its heart, it's a miscarriage of justice," he said. "The government says daily it wants to prevent wrongful convictions, miscarriages of justice from happening, but everyone knows that this is a miscarriage of justice."

Shang Baojun, one of Liu Hui's lawyers, said the decision was "unreasonable".

"I met with Liu Hui. He thought that the verdict is completely unfair. Frankly speaking, this verdict is a mistake. He does not think he was defrauding anyone," Shang said, adding Liu Hui was considering a further appeal.

The case has also renewed international concern about the plight of Liu Xiaobo's family, which has attracted considerable attention in the United States and European Union.

Charles Parton, political affairs counsellor for the EU's mission in Beijing, said the EU expressed regret at the upholding of the sentence.

"Liu's prosecution and conviction may have been linked to the situation of Liu Xiaobo and his sister, Liu Xia, Liu Xiaobo's wife, and therefore may have been politically motivated," he told reporters outside the courthouse.

Liu Hui was allowed out on bail last September, but arrested again in January, after several rights activists and foreign reporters forced their way past security guards late last year to visit Liu Xia, lawyer Shang told Reuters previously.

NOBEL LAUREATE'S WIFE RARELY ALLOWED OUT

Liu Xiaobo, a veteran dissident involved in the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests crushed by the Chinese army, was jailed for 11 years in 2009 on subversion charges for organising a petition urging the overthrow of one-party rule.

His wife Liu Xia is rarely allowed out and is almost never allowed to receive visitors. She has not been convicted of any crime.

Liu Xia did not appear at the court on Friday as she was feeling unwell, Liu Tong said.

She is currently resting at home and her physical condition is "very fragile", he added.

(Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing buy Ron Popeski)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

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KLCI falls lower, KLK and Petronas weigh
TPPA: Malaysia says no to fixed timeframe
Stronger MMHE second-half results seen

KLCI falls lower, KLK and Petronas weigh

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI fell almost four points lower on Friday morning weighed by selected blue chips, in tandem with the weaker regional market as debate on US Fed's stimulus cutback picked up.

At 9.04am, the KLCI fell 3.45 points to 1,788.76. Turnover was 73.36mil valued at RM30.62mil. Losers outpaced gainers 184 to 64 while 124 counters were unchanged.

HwangDBS Vickers Research said the KLCI could face downward bias today after showing resilience lately. On the chart, the benchmark index may test the immediate support level of 1,785.

"In terms of local corporate developments, of probable interest today are stocks like Astral Supreme, DRB-Hicom, as its 51%-owned subsidiary has proposed to divest the entire stake in Uni.Asia Life Assurance for RM518mil cash and AmBank, in response to an announcement of its latest quarterly financial results during lunch hours," it said.

Reuters reported Asian stocks were weaker, gold was at two-month highs, the dollar was nursing losses and Treasury yields were at two-year highs as traders debated what differing signals meant for the timing of any tapering of the US Federal Reserve's stimulus.

Upbeat US jobs claims data and rising consumer prices suggesting a winding back of the Fed's US$85 billion a month bond buying could start as soon as next month were countered by weak results and outlooks from Wal-Mart the world's largest retailer, and Cisco.

At Bursa Malaysia, CIMB fell five sen to RM8.10, PetDag 14 sen to RM28.20 and PPB eight sen to RM14.70.

Bourstead fell eight sen to RM5.22, AFG six sen to RM5.33 and iBhd 34 sen to RM2.51.

Gainers were KL Kepong, up 10 sen to RM21.28, HLFG 10 sen to RM14.68 and Kossan four sen to RM6.04.

Khind rose seven sen to RM1.67 after it posted a 110% jump in net profit to RM6.43mil from RM3.06mil a year ago.

TPPA: Malaysia says no to fixed timeframe

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's participation in the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) should not be bound by any fixed timeline, as many issues remain unresolved.

In a special Cabinet meeting convened yesterday, the Prime Minister and Cabinet directed Malaysian negotiators to continue ensuring that Malaysia's sovereignty was defended in the course of the TPPA negotiations.

"As a number of major issues – including state-owned enterprises, and labour and intellectual property rights (IPR) – remain unresolved, the Cabinet is of the view that Malaysia should not be bound by any fixed timeline with regard to the TPPA.

"They are unanimous in reinforcing Malaysia's position that we will only agree to the TPPA with terms that are most favourable to our country," read a statement issued by the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti).

Critics of the TPPA fear that negotiations would be wrapped up in October.

The special Cabinet meeting was held as part of the ongoing process to update and seek fresh mandate from the Cabinet on the TPPA.

All lead negotiators from the various ministries presented their respective progress of negotiations and challenges ahead.

According to sources, during the three-hour meeting, several ministers asked questions and sought clarification on several issues.

"This was the first time we had a dedicated Cabinet briefing, so there were a lot of questions, including the investor-state dispute settlement system, market access and government procurement," a source said.

It is understood that another full briefing on the TPPA for the Cabinet would be held soon.

During yesterday's session, the Cabinet also agreed to two more Cost Benefit Analyses or CBAs, focusing on interests of small and medium-scale enterprises and the bumiputra business community as well as a comprehensive analysis of national interests.

On the issue of IPR, the statement said the Cabinet was unanimous that Malaysia would not agree to any proposal that would deny access to affordable medicine and healthcare.

"The Cabinet is firm in ensuring access to affordable medicine remains its utmost priority which will not be compromised in the ongoing TPPA negotiations. The Cabinet also took note of the request to exclude tobacco and tobacco products from the TPPA."

Miti has also informed the Cabinet that engagement with all stakeholders would be intensified prior to concluding the TPPA negotiations.

Miti is currently discussing with various stakeholders the format and framework of further engagement.

The statement also said the Cabinet was very supportive of more transparency in the negotiation process.

Stronger MMHE second-half results seen

Posted:

MMHE HOLDINGS BHD

By Kenanga Research

Underperform (maintained)

Target price: RM3.39

MMHE Holdings Bhd recorded a second-quarter ended June 30 core net profit of RM47.6mil which brought its core net profit for the first half to RM98.1mil.

The results were broadly within our expectations, accounting for approximately 41.2% of our full-year forecast of RM237.9mil.

However, it was below market expectations, accounting for only 36.8% of the consensus full-year ending Dec 31 (FY13) forecast of RM266.8mil.

Nevertheless, the first-half results were still within our expectations as we are expecting a stronger second-half performance on the back of variation orders for some previously completed projects such as Gumusut-Kakap and Telok Gas.

No dividend was declared in the second quarter.

Quarter-on-quarter, the sequential net profit was down by 6.0% against first quarter due mainly to lower offshore works executed within the quarter, resulting in lower revenue.

Management guides that both the Gumusut-Kakap floating production system and Telok-B topsides have been successfully delivered.

Year-on-year, the core net profit was down by 26.5% largely due to lower margins recognised in the first half due to higher costs recognised at the Tapis EOR (enhanced oil recovery) project; and the lack of earnings before interest and tax recognised at the Malikai project which has yet to achieve profit recognition status (25% completion) for the year.

Overall, we are not surprised by the weaker results as contract wins have been sluggish since mid-2012, resulting in a shrinking order book; and margins are still flat as MMHE has just kick-started its cost rationalisation and efficiency enhancement exercise.

Order book currently stands at approximately RM1.8bil from RM2.5bil in the first quarter with the Malikai project being the largest with a contract value of RM1bil.

Tender book stands at RM4.5bil with the majority (approximately 50% to 75%) comprising domestic contracts.

Management admitted that the contract flows had been pretty slow lately and hinted that some light could be seen by year-end.

We suspect competition will intensify with additional fabrication licences being dished out (i.e. Muhibbah and KKB Engineering) but MMHE is likely to maintain its edge in heavy-tonnage and complex projects given its track record and tie-up with global heavyweight Technip.

The group currently targets to win an additional RM1.5bil contracts vis-à-vis its previous RM3bil target for FY13.

There are no changes to our FY13 forecasts given that the earnings are largely within expectations.

We maintain "underperform" and target price of RM3.39 based on an unchanged 18 times price-earning ratio on earning per share in calendar year 2014.

Some risks involved are higher-than-expected project wins, better-than-expected margins and an acceleration in its project executions.

EASTERN & ORIENTAL BHD

By RHB Research Institute

Trading buy (maintained)

Target price: RM2.60

EASTERN & Oriental Bhd (E&O) has announced that a dialogue regarding a detailed environmental impact assessment (DEIA) study on Seri Tanjung Pinang 2 (STP2) will be held on Aug 24.

This public forum is part of the requirements under the DEIA that E&O is conducting. It will need to incorporate those comments into its final environmental impact assessment (EIA) report and submit for approval. We expect this will take another 2-3 months.

Land is valuable in Penang due to its scarcity.

The public forum is a major hurdle before the State Government gives the 760-acre development the nod.

More importantly, by requirement, 110 acres (net) of STP2 land will be surrendered to the state as payment in-kind to fund infrastructure projects on the island.

Assuming a blended average price of RM1,100 per sq ft (psf) (versus RM765 psf for STP1) for the mix of landed and high-rise developments, STP2's gross development value (GDV) could amount to a massive RM18bil to RM20bil.

Our assumptions are reasonable, as STP1's super-link and Andaman 2 units are now selling at RM770 psf and RM1,400 psf respectively.

Since initiating coverage on the stock, we have always seen E&O as a potential takeover target, whether the acquirer is major shareholder Sime Darby or another party.

Apart from Sime, E&O's valuable brand is a good fit for other developers that do not have a niche in the high-end luxury segment.

A general offer could be on the cards, as Sime has gradually raised its shareholding to 32% (as at July 31).

If the 33% threshold is triggered, Sime will have to make a general offer.

We note that Sime has been mulling the listing of its property division, and could pool all its property assets together, including its stake in E&O and Battersea, in the listed company.

We maintain our "trading buy" rating with an unchanged fair value of RM2.60, a 35% discount to revised net asset value.

TAN CHONG MOTOR HOLDINGS

By CIMB Investment Bank

Outperform (maintained)

Target price: RM8.00

NO change to our earning per share (EPS) or revised net asset value (RNAV) based target price for now, which is pegged to the sector's 11 times 2014's price-earning average.

Catalysts are expected from a depreciation of the yen and the launch of new models.

We maintain "outperform."

According to an earlier report, Mitsubishi Motors Corp has formed a joint venture (JV) with Tan Chong Motor (TCM) to assemble cars for the Japanese automotive giant after terminating its collaborative agreement with Proton.

Mitsubishi Malaysia has confirmed the agreement but production may not start so soon and the cars would only be meant for the domestic market.

The JV is in line with management's intentions to broaden TCM's assembly footprint and produce 100,000 units a year group-wide.

We believe the JV will have a marginal impact in the immediate term as TCM would have to prove itself on small volumes first before getting access to Mitsubishi's key segments.

The JV could also require some capital commitments as it could be taking over a few production lines in Proton's Shah Alam plant if DRB-Hicom relocates all of Proton's manufacturing to Tanjung Malim.

We are more excited about TCM's other future potential JVs which could involve a budget A-segment car. This will have the biggest impact in reaching 100,000 units a year target.

TCM should remain your top pick in the auto sector.

We expect positive news flow throughout 2013 and its Asean positioning to stand out further.

It is the only local player to have made material progress outside Malaysia which is increasingly becoming saturated.

TCM's exclusive rights to Indochina and Myanmar are well supported by its sister company, APM Automotive, which is one of the top three carpart companies in Asean.

KL KEPONG

By Affin Investment Bank

Reduce (maintained)

Target price: 19.46

WEAKER crude palm oil (CPO) average selling price and fresh fruit branches (FFB) production are expected to cap third-quarter ended June 30 performance of KLK's plantation division.

CPO futures is rebounding after the USDA cut 2013-14 soybean production and closing stocks estimates but have averaged only RM2,280 per tonne in the first six weeks of the fourth quarter.

Nevertheless, group profit should improve quarter-on-quarter in the fourth quarter as FFB production is expected to increase by approximately 18% on yield recovery.

While the profit outlook remains subdued until CPO price recovers, KLK offers a number of key positives for longer-term investors.

Its FFB production growth is likely to exceed those of its larger peers for many years due mainly to consistent replanting and new planting programmes as well as more immature and young areas (45.4% of total planted area) moving into prime age.

It has land bank of nearly 300,000 ha, with large plantable reserves of approximately 60,000 ha.

The acquisition of a 51% stake in Collingwood Plantations Pte Ltd, which holds 44,342 ha of oil palm plantation land in Papua New Guinea, has also boosted the group's total land bank to 295,463 ha and plantable reserves to approximately 60,000 ha.

The group currently has 11 resource-based manufacturing plants located in Malaysia, China and Europe with an expanded total capacity of 1.8 million tonnes per annum, up from 1.6 million tonnes per annum in the financial year ended Sept 30, 2012 (FY12).

To further boost synergies and profit contributions, capex has been budgeted to further expand capacity to 2.5 million tonnes per annum in FY14.

Buoyed by strong sales in its 1,000-acre, RM4.2bil Bandar Seri Coalfields development, profit contribution from property development is rising.

The division can also leverage on another 6,000 acres of valuable land in Sungai Buloh which the group has earmarked for property development.

While we continue to regard KLK highly for its good management and operational strengths, still weak CPO average selling price raises the risk of profit performance in the second half of FY13 falling below our expectations. Pending the release of its third-quarter results on Aug 20, 2013, we maintain our FY13 to FY15 forecasts as well as price target of RM19.46 based on 16 times calendar year 2014 earning per share and "reduce" rating.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Nation

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Spices selling like hot cakes
More Firefly flights to Penang and Kota Baru
Giving the tourism sector a boost

Spices selling like hot cakes

Posted:

KUALA TERENGGANU: While the month of Syawal brings blessings to Muslims in various forms, it is also a time for spice traders at Pasar Besar Kedai Payang here to make a bundle.

The traditional market is famous for its unique and authentic spices, which are highly sought after for open houses or wedding feasts.

A survey found that traders in the market resume business as early as the fourth day of Hari Raya, offering their family's secret recipes to produce tasty dishes.

During Syawal, the spice trade booms because many who are back for Hari Raya never fail to visit Pasar Payang. — Bernama

More Firefly flights to Penang and Kota Baru

Posted:

PETALING JAYA: Firefly will increase its flights to Penang and Kota Baru to build upon its strong performance on these key routes.

Starting from Monday, there will be an additional 11 weekly flights from Subang to Kota Baru and Kota Baru to Subang along with two additional weekly flights from Subang to Penang.

These additional services will be available until Oct 25, 2014.

For details, contact Firefly's call centre at 03-7845-4543 or log on to www.fireflyz.com.my, Twitter (twitter.com/flyfirefly) and Facebook (facebook.com/Firefly).

Giving the tourism sector a boost

Posted:

The second largest foreign exchange earner after manufactured goods and the seventh largest contributor to the Malaysian economy, the tourism industry raked in a Gross National Income (GNI) of RM47.2bil last year.

The industry experienced a remarkable growth and evolved to become one of the country's fastest growing economic sectors, contributing RM60.6bil in tourist receipts, with tourist arrivals registering at 25.03 million in 2012.

Today, the business volume of tourism is equal to, or even more than that of oil exports, food products and automobiles.

The Government, having recognised the potential of the industry, has mapped out a blueprint of targets for the Tourism and Culture Ministry through various initiatives to stimulate an sustainable development for the industry as the country heads towards achieving high-income status by 2020.

Malaysia recorded an overall growth of 15.9% in tourist arrivals with 6,449,398 tourists in the first quarter of 2013, as compared to 5,562,538 tourists during the same quarter in 2012.

Tourist receipts also grew this year by 16.7%, generating RM14.99bil to the country's revenue as compared to RM12.84bil in 2012.

Tourism has proven to be a catalyst for development and these dynamics have turned the industry into a key-driver for economic growth.

According to Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, the Government's strong support in recognising tourism as an important economic driver as well as the concerted efforts of the country's trade and media partners to market and brand Malaysia made the country the most preferred tourist destination which has contributed to this achievement.

Looking ahead, Malaysia is targeting a 7.1% growth in tourist arrivals this year, compared to 26.8 million last year, generating RM65bil in tourist receipts.

Tourism was identified as one of the 12 National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs) under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and this has driven Malaysia's economic growth with various missions being planned and implemented in line with the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan towards achieving the targeted 36 million tourists and RM168bil in receipts by 2020.

Towards this end, tourist arrivals are targeted to grow by 1.5 times with tourist receipts growing by three times.

The Government is placing greater effort geared towards increasing the yield per tourist to attract the higher yield segment.

Measures have been taken to improve and upgrade tourist offerings and services to enhance the country's connectivity to key priority markets.

Among the high-impact programmes conducted by the Ministry for this purpose is the Homestay Programme.

Last year, the programme attracted 325,258 participants, with 20.4% of them foreign tourists.

It generated an income of RM18.55mil to the rural economy community, which is an increase of 17.9% compared to 2011.

The Malaysian Homestay Experience Programme was presented the First Prize UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation in Public Policy and Governance in recognition of its outstanding contributions and achievements.

The importance of the shopping and retail industry as one of the key drivers in the tourism sector cannot be overlooked, having contributed the second biggest share of tourist expenditure, 30.7%, after accommodation.

In 2012, tourists spent a total of RM19bil on shopping. This is a 5.7% increase compared to the previous year.

Kuala Lumpur gained worldwide attention when it was named the fourth shopping destination in the world by CNN Travel and second best shopping city in Asia Pacific by Globe Shopper Index.

This recognition strengthened the capital's position as a shopping haven.

Malaysia's image as a major shopping destination was a result of several key initiatives undertaken by the Tourism NKEA.

Among the initiatives were the abolishment of import duties on more than 300 items, the opening of the first Premium Outlet store in Johor, the improved pedestrian connectivity within the main shopping precinct of Kuala Lumpur City Centre-Bukit Bintang and the establishment of Bukit Bintang-KLCC Tourism Association.

Another strategy to promote the country as a travel destination of choice was by hosting international and major events.

Various existing homegrown events were repackaged and clustered to boost international spectatorship such as the Formula One series.

During 2012 alone, 19 events were secured with tourist expenditure of RM916mil.

"Culture is a unique proposition for tourists; we know a major draw is our diversity of people and cultures that includes Malay, Chinese, Indian and the traditional tribes in Sabah and Sarawak.

"Tourism and culture not only offers enjoyable experiences for visitors, but also creates greater understanding among different people and enriches the life experiences of the residents, renewing their pride in their heritage and their desire to preserve it," Nazri said in a statement.

Some 14.5 million tourists visited heritage sites in Malaysia last year and the craft sales at these sites generated RM341mil.

Another niche product offered to tourists is the spa industry.

To further enhance this industry, the Government not only introduced a rating mechanism for these services to maintain its standards, but also set up Centres of Excellence to provide training for spa therapists.

Economic diversification and niche tourism activities would characterise the way the industry moved forward.

Visit Malaysia Year 2014 was launched by the Prime Minister in January 2013 to maximise the potential of the country's tourism industry with the theme "Celebrating 1Malaysia, Truly Asia. VMY 2014 – We are The Host".

Malaysia aims to achieve 28 million in tourist arrivals and RM76bil in tourism receipts during this period, creating the need for doubled effort from all parties to ensure the highest standards of services at all times.

The role of every Malaysian is crucial towards ensuring the success of the Visit Malaysia Year 2014.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf

When I Was A Kid 2

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WHEN Cheeming Boey's first book, When I Was A Kid, hit the bookstores here last year, it jumped right to the top of the non-fiction bestseller list. Between book signings, interviews and his art and writing, Boey – who is a Malaysian artist/animator currently based in the United States – has garnered quite a following.

His second book, When I Was A Kid 2, was released last month and it looks like it is all set to follow in the footsteps of the first.
It is not difficult to see why.

His stories tell of a childhood that many people would find easy to identify with – a world where a child's logic rules supreme even if it defies the laws of physics and conventional common sense. It is a world where, for a limited number of years, two plus two can equal whatever you want it to be.

It is this fleeting phase in life that Boey has immortalised in his books.
Many readers will likely find it pleasing to relive those youthful years vicariously through his work. And even if your childhood wasn't quite as magical as Boey's, these stories will at the very least amuse and entertain.

The sketches, lovingly rendered in the same semi-comic book style as the first, are charming in their simplicity.

Drawing freehand on paper with pen, Boey leaves mistakes and cross-outs in, so it doesn't lose the personal touch of a journal – his books began life as a journal.

He maintains a consistent tone throughout that feels authentic, and many a story will strike a familiar chord with readers young and old alike. These are stories that many of us know growing up, yet he manages to make it all sound fresh. You don't know what the next page turn will bring you, and he does a good job of injecting fun and nostalgia into the seemingly mundane.

In an earlier interview with this writer, he described his writing style as "unapologetic and honest" – which is evident in this book.

There is a nice surprise in store at the end of When I Was A Kid 2: Boey has included suggestions from his mum, who read his book before it went to print ... but it sure looks like he didn't heed her advice!

His mum, who has become quite a hit with his blog readers (she occasionally appears in his stories), includes a disclaimer to one of my favourite stories in the book (see Terrarium pics ABOVE). She offers an explanation to Boey's horrific tale, an alternative ending, if you will.

Don't skip to the end of the book for this; I recommend saving this note from mum for the last.

To new readers, head over to iamboey.com and check out his hand-drawn blog. If you like what you see, chances are that you will like his book just as much, if not more.

> When I Was A Kid 2 is available at all major bookstores.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: Central

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The Star Online: Metro: Central

Show and tell with style

Posted:

GUIDES at Singapore's main tourist attractions are to be trained on how to show and tell in a lively and fun fashion in the face of stiffer competition from abroad.

It is the first such training for them and other workers in the attractions industry, which is bracing for a slowdown after 10 years of unprecedented growth.

Similarly, the courses are a first too: tailor-made for industry workers by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) in partnership with the Association of Singapore Attrac-tions (ASA).

The first course on how to deliver animated tours will start today and last for three days.

It is part of a series of modules in the programme, aptly called ACT, the acronym for Attractions Con-textualised Training.

Industry players like Chiang Zhan Xiang feel it is overdue.

Said Chiang, business development director of Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom on Sentosa: "There are more free-and-easy travellers who come by word of mouth. They will pay money for a good experience and we need to give them that."

The training is especially urgent for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), said WDA tourism division director Janice Foo.

"The attractions sector is people-oriented and SMEs, employing fewer workers, find it difficult to customise training for their staff," she said.

"Skills such as communication, interaction and programme delivery are imperative to enable them to perform well in their job and leave tourists with a good impression of Singapore's attractions."

Agreeing, director of the Singapore Philatelic Museum, Tresnawati Prihadi, said: "Visitors now have higher expectations as they have seen places elsewhere."

It also plays a pivotal role in drawing tourists to Singapore's shores, helping the tourism industry contribute 4% to the country's gross domestic product.

From 2002 to last year, new attractions, such as the two integrated resorts and the Formula One night race, helped boost visitor arrivals, which grew at a compound annual rate of 6.6%.

But in the following 10 years, this rate is expected to slow, ranging between 3 and 4%.

Part of the reason is intensified competition from abroad. New integrated resorts will spring up soon in Macau and South Korea, Bangkok plans to hold an F1 night race by 2015, and Universal Studios theme parks are set to open in South Korea and Shanghai.

To meet the challenge, the ACT programme will introduce classes on such topics such as diction and story-telling in the next few months. Courses for supervisors are also in the pipeline.

Still, Gladys Loo, who manages mini-golf course LilliPutt in East Coast Park, will not send any of her four full-time workers for the training.

"Each staffer lasts only a year. If we send them, we have to re-do everything when they leave."

Chiang, however, plans to send all 26 full-time employees for the training. "They now learn on the job. The training will improve their skills and make our attraction more enticing. It also helps to retain staff." — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

‘Upskirt’ offender charged in court

Posted:

A 36-year-old man who allegedly tucked his cellphone into the laces of his shoe to capture "upskirt'' video recordings of more than 200 women was charged.

Be Keng Hoon, a technical officer, is said to have committed 264 charges of intruding into the privacy of women between October 2011 and Aug 14, 2012.

Except for the first charge which says that the offence occurred at ION shopping mall on Aug 14, 2012, the locations and identities of the women in the rest of the charges are unknown.

Be, who has no lawyer, will be back in court on Aug 29.

If convicted, he could be jailed for up to one year and/or fined on each charge. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

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The Star Online: Metro: South & East

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The Star Online: Metro: South & East

Show and tell with style
‘Upskirt’ offender charged in court
Convicted murderer escapes gallows