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Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Morning Focus: Flooding
Written By My First Web Blog on Wednesday, August 10, 2011 | 1:22 AM
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Currying flavour The home-cooked taste of Rozsiam's popular food products is winning new followers among Thai restaurants the world over.
Written By My First Web Blog on Monday, August 8, 2011 | 6:36 PM
t all started in the family kitchen. The cooking skills of mother Pareerath Maithai, notably her curries and phad thai, were highly regarded by friends and family alike, all of whom would regularly stop by her house to eat.
But her tasty meals were not sold commercially until some family members decided it would be better to share her special recipes with the public as a way of preserving the home-cooked taste.
"We were also inspired by the government's 'Kitchen of the World' programme," said Prakasit Chandrubeksa, a director of what soon became Rozsiam Co.
Mr Prakasit, who previously worked for The Mall Group, said Rozsiam was established in 2003 with the goal of creating home-made recipes using advanced production techniques.
Retort pouch technology and sterilisation via a water spray retort system ensure high standards of sanitation, freshness and flavour.
Rozsiam's first three products - instant phad thai noodles, sweet fish sauce and chili sauce - were targeted at "new lifestyle" consumers unaccustomed to using them in cooking.
More items including a variety of cooked curry pastes were soon added with an eye to export markets.
"Participating in several food exhibitions offered good opportunities to expand internationally," said marketing director Sarawuth Singhararach.
He especially credited the Thai Food Exhibition, an annual international fair organised by the Department of Export Promotion, with helping local operators to establish a presence abroad, especially small and medium-sized enterprises.
With purchase orders from abroad rising, Rozsiam soon increased its capital to 3 million baht from an initial one million.
Customers today include food service operators, especially Thai food restaurants, that use cooked curry paste to cut down on food preparation time.
Lacking this item means cooks must waste time making raw paste from scratch, having to prepare all of the fresh ingredients themselves - chili paste, red onions, galangal, Chinese ginger, kaffir lime leaves, garlic and coriander root.
Pounding all of this with a mortar and pestle is the traditional way to prepare curry paste, whose varieties include green, red and massaman.
The raw paste must be cooked well before adding coconut milk.
"Using cooked curry paste helps you bypass this time-consuming process. You simply add coconut milk or fresh milk and meat to get a ready-to-eat curry," said Mr Prakasit.
As well, Rozsiam's sterilisation process makes for better hygiene than for raw pastes sold in wet markets.
The company also offers ready-to-eat meals such as chicken stew, tom yum, green chicken curry and Penang curry.
Mr Sarawuth said the growing popularity of massaman curry, ranked No. 1 on a recent list of the world's 50 tastiest foods by CNNGo.com, is helping the company's export outlook.
The curry, of Persian origin, is rich in flavour with a thick broth that contains beef or chicken and - especially in the South - potatoes.
International sales account for 60% of Rozsiam's annual revenue of less than 10 million baht.
Hong Kong, China, Japan, Europe and Canada are the company's main markets.
Products are sold under the Rozsiam label as well as other brands in accordance with original-equipment manufacture contracts.Foreigners are big customers, as the flavour can be adjusted to meet their tastes, said Mr Prakasit.
"Our factory is still small, so it's easy to change the ingredients to make the food less spicy without hurting the taste," he said.
More importantly, the selling price of 19-20 baht for enough cooked paste to make four servings of curry is very competitive, as is the 49-55 baht that a pack of ready-to-eat food products goes for, said Mr Prakasit.
National Food Institute data show Thailand's exports of seasoning products including cooked curry paste has increased in line with the growing popularity of Thai restaurants abroad.
A total of 221,594 tonnes of seasoning products valued at 13.8 billion baht were exported to 146 countries in 2009, up by 9% and 18%, respectively, from 2008.
Of the segment, curry paste has shown substantial growth, fetching more than 1.2 billion baht in export revenue.
Chili sauce and fish sauce are two main seasoning products that enjoy especially strong demand from Thai food operators abroad, each one generating more than a billion baht in export revenue.
"We were also inspired by the government's 'Kitchen of the World' programme," said Prakasit Chandrubeksa, a director of what soon became Rozsiam Co.
Mr Prakasit, who previously worked for The Mall Group, said Rozsiam was established in 2003 with the goal of creating home-made recipes using advanced production techniques.
Retort pouch technology and sterilisation via a water spray retort system ensure high standards of sanitation, freshness and flavour.
Rozsiam's first three products - instant phad thai noodles, sweet fish sauce and chili sauce - were targeted at "new lifestyle" consumers unaccustomed to using them in cooking.
More items including a variety of cooked curry pastes were soon added with an eye to export markets.
"Participating in several food exhibitions offered good opportunities to expand internationally," said marketing director Sarawuth Singhararach.
With purchase orders from abroad rising, Rozsiam soon increased its capital to 3 million baht from an initial one million.
Customers today include food service operators, especially Thai food restaurants, that use cooked curry paste to cut down on food preparation time.
Lacking this item means cooks must waste time making raw paste from scratch, having to prepare all of the fresh ingredients themselves - chili paste, red onions, galangal, Chinese ginger, kaffir lime leaves, garlic and coriander root.
Pounding all of this with a mortar and pestle is the traditional way to prepare curry paste, whose varieties include green, red and massaman.
The raw paste must be cooked well before adding coconut milk.
"Using cooked curry paste helps you bypass this time-consuming process. You simply add coconut milk or fresh milk and meat to get a ready-to-eat curry," said Mr Prakasit.
As well, Rozsiam's sterilisation process makes for better hygiene than for raw pastes sold in wet markets.
The company also offers ready-to-eat meals such as chicken stew, tom yum, green chicken curry and Penang curry.
Mr Sarawuth said the growing popularity of massaman curry, ranked No. 1 on a recent list of the world's 50 tastiest foods by CNNGo.com, is helping the company's export outlook.
The curry, of Persian origin, is rich in flavour with a thick broth that contains beef or chicken and - especially in the South - potatoes.
International sales account for 60% of Rozsiam's annual revenue of less than 10 million baht.
Hong Kong, China, Japan, Europe and Canada are the company's main markets.
Products are sold under the Rozsiam label as well as other brands in accordance with original-equipment manufacture contracts.Foreigners are big customers, as the flavour can be adjusted to meet their tastes, said Mr Prakasit.
"Our factory is still small, so it's easy to change the ingredients to make the food less spicy without hurting the taste," he said.
More importantly, the selling price of 19-20 baht for enough cooked paste to make four servings of curry is very competitive, as is the 49-55 baht that a pack of ready-to-eat food products goes for, said Mr Prakasit.
National Food Institute data show Thailand's exports of seasoning products including cooked curry paste has increased in line with the growing popularity of Thai restaurants abroad.
A total of 221,594 tonnes of seasoning products valued at 13.8 billion baht were exported to 146 countries in 2009, up by 9% and 18%, respectively, from 2008.
Of the segment, curry paste has shown substantial growth, fetching more than 1.2 billion baht in export revenue.
Chili sauce and fish sauce are two main seasoning products that enjoy especially strong demand from Thai food operators abroad, each one generating more than a billion baht in export revenue.
6:36 PM | 0
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King endorses Yingluck as PM
National reconciliation tops new govt's agenda
His Majesty the King yesterday endorsed Yingluck Shinawatra as the country's first female prime minister.
In her first address to the nation after receiving the royal command formalising her premiership, Ms Yingluck vowed her allegiance to the monarchy and pledged to foster national reconciliation.
Her cabinet line-up is expected to be submitted for royal endorsement today.
6:27 PM | 0
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Stocks tank, ignoring Obama plea of 'always AAA'
President Barack Obama vowed on Monday that America would always be a "triple-A country," fiercely defending US credit after a historic debt downgrade and saying the economy could be fixed with political will.
Investors ignored him, as anxiety triumphed on the first trading day after the Standard & Poor's downgrade of American debt.
6:15 PM | 0
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Japan revives rice futures trade
Written By My First Web Blog on Sunday, August 7, 2011 | 5:37 PM
: When the Tokyo Grain Exchange, operator of Japan’s largest agricultural bourse, bet its future on rice trading, it didn’t expect radiation fallout would be part of investor decisions and volatility.
The exchange will list rice contracts for the first time since the start of World War II to boost flagging volumes and profit.
The resumption comes amid concern that fallout from the stricken Fukushima Dai-Ichi power plant may spread to crops after it was found cattle had been fed cesium- tainted rice straw.
“The nuclear disaster adds to factors that could influence prices,” said Takaki Shigemoto, a commodity analyst at research company JSC in Tokyo. “Rice futures may attract speculative money.”
Trading may be volatile as investors weigh the impact of possible suspension of shipments from growing areas and lower consumption on health fears, Shigemoto said. The bourse aims to boost overall volume on the exchange to 40,000 lots a day on average...
5:37 PM | 0
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Recession 2011: Asia, Europe to stick it out with US debt after S&P cut
TOKYO/SINGAPORE: Asian states are likely to retain their US Treasury holdings for now and European governments expressed confidence in the world's largest economy after Standard & Poor's cut the US's sovereign credit rating to AA+.
Russia said the one-step cut "can be ignored" and France joined the U.S. in questioning S&P's reasoning. South Korea affirmed its "faith" in Treasuries after an emergency meeting of officials today in Gwacheon, south of Seoul.
China's official Xinhua news service said in a commentary that the U.S. must cure its "addiction" to borrowing. For all the angst, policy makers across Asia are lured to Treasuries as a result of efforts to stem gains in their currencies against the dollar, which would impair export competitiveness. China has accumulated $1.16 trillion of the debt and is the largest individual foreign holder. Japan's efforts to weaken the yen boost that country's demand, and Vice Finance Minister Fumihiko Igarashi said today that the government is ready to intervene again after selling the currency on Aug. 4.
Read more stories
Despite S&P credit downgrade, US still the safest place to invest: Former Obama aide
S&P's Beers says risks on downside for future US rating
"They won't be happy about it, but Asian central banks will just have to hold on and stick it out," said Sean Callow, a senior currency strategist at Westpac Banking Corp. in Sydney. "There is pressure on them to hold on to liquid assets and there is nothing more liquid than the Treasury market. At least Treasuries have been doing well and they aren't holding on to distressed assets."
Asia accounts for about half of foreign-owned U.S. debt, Treasury data show. Speaking on Japan's NHK television, Igarashi said the government may intervene again if its sees speculative trading. Last week, the government may have sold a record 4.5 trillion yen ($57 billion), according to Totan Research Co., a Tokyo money-market brokerage. "Our faith in U.S. Treasuries has not changed," Yim Jong Yong, South Korea's vice finance minister, told reporters today after meeting with counterparts from the central bank and financial regulators. The nation will step up monitoring of capital flows and currency movements because of the U.S. downgrade and Europe's debt crisis, he said.
Investors in Treasuries earned 3.12 percent in the three months ending July 31, based on Bank of America Merrill Lynch data. Treasuries have rallied in recent weeks even after S&P warned it might lower the rating from AAA, as investors sought a haven amid deepening concerns that the global economic rebound may fade. Yields on benchmark 10-year notes closed at 2.56 percent Aug. 5, before the S&P announcement of the cut to AA+, down from 3.12 percent a month ago.
Japan, the second-largest international investor in American government debt, sees no problem with trust in the securities, a Japanese government official said on condition of anonymity.
5:36 PM | 0
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Japan may sell yen again
TOKYO - A Japanese Finance Ministry official said the government may sell yen again after last week's move if it sees speculative trades that drive the currency higher.
Further intervention would "maintain the effect and warn those who make unusual moves" in the currency market, Vice-Finance Minister Fumihiko Igarashi said on public broadcaster NHK television yesterday.
Japan sold yen in the foreign-exchange market last week for the second time this year to secure an economic recovery following the March earthquake and tsunami.
Investors have been buying the currency as a haven from sovereign debt concerns in Europe and the United States, which had its credit rating cut for the first time by Standard & Poor's.
Japan acted alone in selling the yen last week, in contrast with a previous intervention in March that was coordinated among Group of Seven nations. The Bank of Japan added 10 trillion yen of monetary stimulus measures on Aug 4, hours after the Finance Ministry's move.
"There is a good chance speculators will build up yen-buying positions again, depending on future developments, given that the present intervention is unilateral," Goldman Sachs Group economists Naohiko Baba and Chiwoong Lee wrote in a note published on Saturday. "The impact will not be as large or as sustainable as a coordinated intervention."
The Goldman Sachs economists said that Japan has been buying US Treasuries when it sells yen, leaving it with more than ¥30 trillion (S$465 billion) in unrealised losses that will test the government's "true determination" to combat the currency's rise.
Japan maintains its trust in the ability of the US to pay its debts and expects Treasuries to remain an attractive investment, a Japanese government official said yesterday on condition of anonymity. Japan is the second-largest international investor in Treasuries, behind China. BLOOMBERG
Further intervention would "maintain the effect and warn those who make unusual moves" in the currency market, Vice-Finance Minister Fumihiko Igarashi said on public broadcaster NHK television yesterday.
Japan sold yen in the foreign-exchange market last week for the second time this year to secure an economic recovery following the March earthquake and tsunami.
Investors have been buying the currency as a haven from sovereign debt concerns in Europe and the United States, which had its credit rating cut for the first time by Standard & Poor's.
Japan acted alone in selling the yen last week, in contrast with a previous intervention in March that was coordinated among Group of Seven nations. The Bank of Japan added 10 trillion yen of monetary stimulus measures on Aug 4, hours after the Finance Ministry's move.
"There is a good chance speculators will build up yen-buying positions again, depending on future developments, given that the present intervention is unilateral," Goldman Sachs Group economists Naohiko Baba and Chiwoong Lee wrote in a note published on Saturday. "The impact will not be as large or as sustainable as a coordinated intervention."
The Goldman Sachs economists said that Japan has been buying US Treasuries when it sells yen, leaving it with more than ¥30 trillion (S$465 billion) in unrealised losses that will test the government's "true determination" to combat the currency's rise.
Japan maintains its trust in the ability of the US to pay its debts and expects Treasuries to remain an attractive investment, a Japanese government official said yesterday on condition of anonymity. Japan is the second-largest international investor in Treasuries, behind China. BLOOMBERG
5:35 PM | 0
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“อภิสิทธิ์” แนะเพื่อไทยแจงขั้นตอนโปรดเกล้าฯ
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โรงแรมมิราเคิล แกรนด์ 6 ส.ค.- นายอภิสิทธิ์ เวชชาชีวะ นายกรัฐมนตรี และว่าที่หัวหน้าพรรคประชาธิปัตย์ กล่าวถึงกรณีที่ยังไม่มีพระบรมราชโองการโปรดเกล้าฯ แต่งตั้งให้ น.ส.ยิ่งลักษณ์ ชินวัตร เป็นนายกรัฐมนตรี เมื่อวานนี้ (5 ส.ค.) หลังจากที่ประชุมสภาผู้แทนราษฎรโหวตเลือกในวันเดียวกันว่า ขั้นตอนต่างๆ ประธานสภาผู้แทนราษฎรเป็นผู้รับสนองพระบรมราชโองการจะต้องไปดำเนินการ สมัยที่ตนได้รับเลือกจากสภาฯ ให้เป็นนายกรัฐมนตรี ไม่ได้พระบรมราชโองการโปรดเกล้าฯ ในวันเดียวกันแต่อย่างใด
"อยากให้รัฐบาลและเพื่อไทยชี้แจงกับผู้สนับสนุนว่าไม่ควรปล่อยข่าวอะไรที่สร้างความเข้าใจผิดในหมู่ประชาชน ผมยังเคยคาดการณ์ว่ารัฐบาลใหม่น่าจะถวายสัตย์ได้ก่อนวันที่ 10 สิงหาคม หากกระบวนการต่างๆ ล่าช้า น่าจะเกิดขึ้นในขั้นตอนการทูลเกล้าฯ โผรายชื่อคณะรัฐมนตรี จึงไม่ควรมาโทษรัฐบาลเก่า" นายอภิสิทธิ์ กล่าว.-สำนักข่าวไทย
5:13 AM | 0
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Yingluck poised to lead
Written By My First Web Blog on Saturday, August 6, 2011 | 9:38 AM
ANALYSIS: Vote for Thailand's first woman premier goes smoothly, but strife awaits
Yingluck Shinawatra sailed smoothly through a House of Representatives vote to become Thailand's 28th and first woman prime minister, pending royal endorsement, but several threats to her power loom large.
The House of Representatives yesterday voted 296:3 to select Ms Yingluck as prime minister with 197 abstentions.
She was nominated by Pheu Thai MP Sanoh Thienthong for the job without contest. Three MPs voted against her, all of them Democrats: Boonyod Sukthinthai, Watchara Phetthong and Atthaporn Polabutr.
Still, Ms Yingluck did not receive the royal command endorsing her election as prime minister last night. Pheu Thai had decked out its head office in preparation for the acceptance of the royal command which the party had anticipated would arrive last evening.
Politicians from Pheu Thai and its coalition partners donned full white formal attire for the occasion, but were seen leaving the party head office late last night having failed to witness their leader being endorsed for the job.
- See also: Thirachai likely for finance
Earlier in the day, Pheu Thai list MP Plodprasop Suraswadi told reporters that the royal command was likely to be received between 5pm-8pm yesterday.
House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont said he forwarded the name of Ms Yingluck as prime minister-elect to the Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary yesterday afternoon.
The office will set an appointment for him to receive the royal endorsement of Ms Yingluck later.
Being the country's first woman to hold the premiership will not extend her any favours during her honeymoon period. In fact, her government should not expect any leniency from opposition parties and it faces a number of significant threats.
Once her government assumes office next week, it will be forced to reckon with problems that need to be solved immediately, including the rising cost of living, and inflation.
In July inflation rose 4% from a year earlier, driven by climbing food and energy costs. It was the fourth month in a row with inflation at 4% or more.
Rising pork prices, which have reached 170-180 baht a kilogramme in some areas of the country, have prompted butchers in Songkhla's Hat Yai district and Betong in Yala to stop working in protest.
This could affect the government's popularity, just as the Democrat party experienced when it failed to rein in cooking oil prices amid a shortage early this year.
The second threat concerns implementation of the policies which Pheu Thai promised during its campaign.
Although Ms Yingluck has confirmed her party will carry out its promises, the question is how, and to what extent.
Two of the most controversial policies _ raising the daily minimum wage to 300 baht and paying new university graduates 15,000 a month _ will be difficult to implement. It will also have to deal with its promise to develop a new city by reclaiming land from the sea.
The third threat relates to the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck's elder brother, is known to have good relations with Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen who said the election outcome marked the start of "a new era of cooperation" and that differences between the countries would be resolved peacefully.
The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has accused Thaksin of a conflict of interest over his relationship with Cambodia. As a result, any move by the Yingluck government on the border dispute will be closely watched. Any move that puts Thailand at a disadvantage, or even compromising its position, could raise questions about what Thaksin and his sister stand to gain.
Mr Hun Sen yesterday sent a letter congratulating Ms Yingluck on her election as prime minister.
"I am optimistic that with a joint commitment, Your Excellency and I will be able to restore our traditional friendship, and fruitful cooperation between our two countries' peoples," he wrote. The new government will have a tough time handling the troop withdrawal from the border following the International Court of Justice's ruling on July 18 that both countries remove their troops from disputed areas.
This ruling stands, pending the court's final decision on Cambodia's request that the court interpret its own 1962 ruling on the Preah Vihear temple.
Meanwhile, leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), who undeniably were responsible for part of Pheu Thai's landslide election victory will probably be passed over for seats in the new cabinet.
This could be the fourth risk factor facing the Yingluck government.
"If the UDD leaders do not get any ministerial seats in the first-round cabinet, they should get some in a reshuffle after six months," said a UDD source.
UDD leaders, some of whom face charges of terrorism stemming from the protests in April and May of last year, are reportedly bargaining for ministerial seats for themselves and Pheu Thai MPs sympathetic to their cause, such as Apiwan Wiriyachai and Chakkarin Pattanadamrongchit.
The red shirts' political ideology has raised concerns in some quarters, particularly their tendency to touch on the monarchy. This could lead to opposition against the Pheu Thai government. "Red-shirt leaders hope to get a seat in the Education Ministry so that they can insert their democracy ideology into the national curriculum," the source said.
The proposed political amnesty is the last threat, but not the least important. The policy, if executed, could hamstring the Pheu Thai-led government. If an amnesty were implemented it would benefit Thaksin who was sentenced by the Supreme Court to two years in jail for helping his ex-wife Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra buy state land in the Ratchadapisek area in 2003 while he was prime minister. Ms Yingluck has said that Pheu Thai has no policy to give Thaksin in particular an amnesty. But if her party's amnesty were to be granted and if it favoured her brother, she has acknowledged that it could lead to renewed street protests and political unrest.
9:38 AM | 0
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Looking back to move forward
Written By My First Web Blog on Thursday, August 4, 2011 | 11:04 AM
Teaching the history of the Khmer Rouge regime has gained fresh momentum with the introduction of new resources into higher education institutions throughout the Kingdom.
The move has raised hopes that education can foster an understanding of Cambodia’s tragic past, reconciliation and a commitment to human rights in a new generation.
With the blessing of the Ministry of Education, the Documentation Centre of Cambodia has compiled an ambitious syllabus on the Khmer Rouge to assist history lecturers at 94 universities and institutes.
“We think that without a proper understanding of history… [students] may fail to learn how to address the history properly and understand how the principle of human rights was violated years ago,” said DC-Cam’s director Youk Chhang.
The new course seeks to bring about a deeper understanding of Cambodia’s darkest chapter, the teaching of which has been neglected for decades due to political instability and the sensitivity of the material.
Instead of in-depth courses meant to help Cambodians understand how and why as many as two million of their compatriots died in fewer than four years of Khmer Rouge rule, university students have been left with just a couple hours for the subject in their Cambodian history classes.
Eng Somalin, who has been teaching Cambodian history for six years at the National Institute of Business in Phnom Penh, said last week at a three-day training for university lecturers organised by DC-Cam that she spends only about three hours of class time on the Khmer Rouge during a semester-long course. “We need to teach a lot,” she said. “In 48 hours, we need to teach all of Cambodian history.”
Last year, a new textbook – A History of Democratic Kampuchea 1975-1979 by Dy Khamboly – became required reading for high school students, who must pass an exam on Khmer Rouge history. But study of the period at most higher education institutions was still “very limited”, said Phala Chea, who helped create the syllabus.
“There’s no course on Khmer Rouge history. So if you want to learn that, you have to sit and wait for maybe a day of introduction into the Khmer Rouge culture. Just one day,” she said.
Eng Somalin said students are interested in the subject, despite the lack of classroom attention devoted to it. “They used to hear from their families talking about Khmer Rouge, and they hear something that the Khmer Rouge killed a lot of people in Cambodia, and they worked hard during this regime and sometimes they have a relative that died,” she said.
Historian David Chandler said in an interview in Phnom Penh last week that teaching history has been a “very low priority” for the members of the current regime, who view the subject as risky, especially for the former Khmer Rouge cadre in their ranks.
“If people start writing the book, you don’t know what side they’re on, what opens up, what doors swing open,” he said.
While the Khmer Rouge sought to erase history and all its “contaminating” effects on the idealised Khmer peasant-farmer, Cambodia’s “year zero” may have awakened a new sense of narrative for Cambodians who began to tell their own stories.
Chandler said that Cambodians have generally viewed history as something written by their rulers, but that surviving and coming to terms with the Pol Pot regime has pushed them to take more ownership over their past.
“History was never an important subject in the schools... I think they started thinking historically in the Khmer Rouge period when they started giving these biographies and things and a new sort of conscious came up – that everybody’s life had a narrative shape,” he said.
Youk Chhang wants teachers to engage students on a personal level. “When it comes to the Khmer Rouge, it’s so recent – because their parents were either victim or perpetrators… that they have to accept or rebel to it. And that generates the debate,” he said. “I hope that it will have some impact on their morality, their behaviour.”
While there is a range of teaching methods practiced in Cambodia’s higher education institutions, Youk Chhang said most rely predominantly on a lecture format that presumes “one question, one answer”, making new teaching methods perhaps nearly as controversial as the subject matter.
About 150 lecturers were asked to challenge that format during training at the Institute of Technology of Cambodia in Phnom Penh last week.
During one exercise at the training, after learning about mass atrocities carried out under the Khmer Rouge regime, the lecturers were split into groups and tasked with becoming experts on mass atrocities in different countries, such as Germany and Iraq. Each group then discussed the similarities and differences to the crimes of Democratic Kampuchea.
Chris Dearing, who helped lead the training, said the point of the exercise was to “show how students can actually teach each other in groups with very little teacher interaction”.
Though the course is built around A History of Democratic Kampuchea, the new syllabus goes well beyond the textbook by including materials that debate the definition of genocide, contemplate the meaning of “evil”, and examine specific aspects of Khmer Rouge rule – such as its effects on Buddhism or the Cham, or its policies in Ta Mok’s infamous Southwest Zone.
Vong Sotheara, deputy head of the Royal University of Phnom Penh’s history department, said the teaching methods would be as much of a challenge as the content of Khmer Rouge history. “We have to update our technique of teaching methodology,” he said.
Eng Somalin, the National Institute of Business lecturer, said she would use the new teaching methods and content, but will still only have three hours each semester for Khmer Rouge history. Vong Sotheara may have more leeway, with 10 to 12 hours of class time devoted to the subject.
But DC-Cam hopes that universities and higher education institutes will aim high and eventually create entire courses on the period.
“Cambodians are very proud of history,” Youk Chhang said. “It’s restoring the freedom of expression, a sense of ownership that Cambodians want.”
The move has raised hopes that education can foster an understanding of Cambodia’s tragic past, reconciliation and a commitment to human rights in a new generation.
With the blessing of the Ministry of Education, the Documentation Centre of Cambodia has compiled an ambitious syllabus on the Khmer Rouge to assist history lecturers at 94 universities and institutes.
“We think that without a proper understanding of history… [students] may fail to learn how to address the history properly and understand how the principle of human rights was violated years ago,” said DC-Cam’s director Youk Chhang.
The new course seeks to bring about a deeper understanding of Cambodia’s darkest chapter, the teaching of which has been neglected for decades due to political instability and the sensitivity of the material.
Instead of in-depth courses meant to help Cambodians understand how and why as many as two million of their compatriots died in fewer than four years of Khmer Rouge rule, university students have been left with just a couple hours for the subject in their Cambodian history classes.
Eng Somalin, who has been teaching Cambodian history for six years at the National Institute of Business in Phnom Penh, said last week at a three-day training for university lecturers organised by DC-Cam that she spends only about three hours of class time on the Khmer Rouge during a semester-long course. “We need to teach a lot,” she said. “In 48 hours, we need to teach all of Cambodian history.”
Last year, a new textbook – A History of Democratic Kampuchea 1975-1979 by Dy Khamboly – became required reading for high school students, who must pass an exam on Khmer Rouge history. But study of the period at most higher education institutions was still “very limited”, said Phala Chea, who helped create the syllabus.
“There’s no course on Khmer Rouge history. So if you want to learn that, you have to sit and wait for maybe a day of introduction into the Khmer Rouge culture. Just one day,” she said.
Eng Somalin said students are interested in the subject, despite the lack of classroom attention devoted to it. “They used to hear from their families talking about Khmer Rouge, and they hear something that the Khmer Rouge killed a lot of people in Cambodia, and they worked hard during this regime and sometimes they have a relative that died,” she said.
Historian David Chandler said in an interview in Phnom Penh last week that teaching history has been a “very low priority” for the members of the current regime, who view the subject as risky, especially for the former Khmer Rouge cadre in their ranks.
“If people start writing the book, you don’t know what side they’re on, what opens up, what doors swing open,” he said.
While the Khmer Rouge sought to erase history and all its “contaminating” effects on the idealised Khmer peasant-farmer, Cambodia’s “year zero” may have awakened a new sense of narrative for Cambodians who began to tell their own stories.
Chandler said that Cambodians have generally viewed history as something written by their rulers, but that surviving and coming to terms with the Pol Pot regime has pushed them to take more ownership over their past.
“History was never an important subject in the schools... I think they started thinking historically in the Khmer Rouge period when they started giving these biographies and things and a new sort of conscious came up – that everybody’s life had a narrative shape,” he said.
Youk Chhang wants teachers to engage students on a personal level. “When it comes to the Khmer Rouge, it’s so recent – because their parents were either victim or perpetrators… that they have to accept or rebel to it. And that generates the debate,” he said. “I hope that it will have some impact on their morality, their behaviour.”
While there is a range of teaching methods practiced in Cambodia’s higher education institutions, Youk Chhang said most rely predominantly on a lecture format that presumes “one question, one answer”, making new teaching methods perhaps nearly as controversial as the subject matter.
About 150 lecturers were asked to challenge that format during training at the Institute of Technology of Cambodia in Phnom Penh last week.
During one exercise at the training, after learning about mass atrocities carried out under the Khmer Rouge regime, the lecturers were split into groups and tasked with becoming experts on mass atrocities in different countries, such as Germany and Iraq. Each group then discussed the similarities and differences to the crimes of Democratic Kampuchea.
Chris Dearing, who helped lead the training, said the point of the exercise was to “show how students can actually teach each other in groups with very little teacher interaction”.
Though the course is built around A History of Democratic Kampuchea, the new syllabus goes well beyond the textbook by including materials that debate the definition of genocide, contemplate the meaning of “evil”, and examine specific aspects of Khmer Rouge rule – such as its effects on Buddhism or the Cham, or its policies in Ta Mok’s infamous Southwest Zone.
Vong Sotheara, deputy head of the Royal University of Phnom Penh’s history department, said the teaching methods would be as much of a challenge as the content of Khmer Rouge history. “We have to update our technique of teaching methodology,” he said.
Eng Somalin, the National Institute of Business lecturer, said she would use the new teaching methods and content, but will still only have three hours each semester for Khmer Rouge history. Vong Sotheara may have more leeway, with 10 to 12 hours of class time devoted to the subject.
But DC-Cam hopes that universities and higher education institutes will aim high and eventually create entire courses on the period.
“Cambodians are very proud of history,” Youk Chhang said. “It’s restoring the freedom of expression, a sense of ownership that Cambodians want.”
11:04 AM | 0
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Flashy compacts
Written By My First Web Blog on Wednesday, August 3, 2011 | 5:44 AM
Flashy compacts
The Chevrolet Cruze and Mazda 3 stand out in their class with all-new packages for 2011, distinct styling and lavish specs. So which is the way to go?
- Published: 1/08/2011 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section:
One million baht C-segment family cars in the Toyota Corolla class are just like traditional home-cooked food, not the staple for the masses.
And for those still caught up in the SUV fad, a six-figure cheque can get you a Honda CR-V or, better even, a tax-privy Mitsubishi Pajero Sport with loads of metal and seven seats.
However, if you find big cars old-fashioned, then downsizing to C-segment saloons _ with generous spec and performance as those 2.0s are offering _ may sound a reasonable option.
But how can one be different in a Mazda 3 or Chevrolet Cruze with traditional saloon body and petrol power?
That sounds like a small market which car companies won't necessarily deny, but the hard fact is that there are buyers in Thailand who still have traditional palates even when the 3 has a hatch option and Cruze a diesel alternative to choose from.
That's why Life has summoned the 3 and Cruze together on these pages this week. They are the freshest arrivals at the moment. Being all-new this year also means a lot to buyers who may want to deflect from the Honda and Toyota crowd.
It may also be coincidence that the 3 and Cruze both happen to have very distinctively styled exterior and interior designs. The Mazda sticks with its fluid and wavy theme, while the Optra-replacing Cruze goes bold with a prominent nose and chunky rear end.
The Cruze’s fascia is flashier, but there’s no faulting the Mazda’s.But being meeker in appearance doesn't necessarily mean that there are no upsides. In fact, if you take usability into consideration, the Mazda's interior strikes a better balance between form and function.
And when it comes to perceived quality, the 3 takes the upperhand with its higher grade plastics _ at least from what you see or can feel with your fingers.
Since we're talking about range-toppers here, the amount of gadgets thrown into the cars help make them almost "complete" for a Thai C-segment saloon.
It's only the details that separate the two. While the 3 highlights sunroof, steering-mounted paddle-shifters and multi-function display, the Cruze goes for cruise control and side airbags for the front occupants instead.
The packages of both cars are relatively the same, if you don't delve into the exact specifications on paper.
Those backrests at the rear in both cars can also fold to accommodate larger things in the boot, but the Cruze seems capable of swallowing larger items with more ease.
The driving position in the Cruze is also airier than in the 3, which suffers from a too-protruding left footwell.
Even so, the feeling behind the wheel of the 3 exudes sportiness in a tidy manner; the Cruze tries a bit too hard to look distinctive with whacky lines and colours.
To traditionalists, comparing cars with different engine sizes may not seem fair outright. But the Cruze is only 66,000 baht cheaper and its engine is nearly as big and powerful as the 3 (apparently explaining the 3's loftier positioning in the segment).
This obviously means that the Cruze is a very average performer in this segment. Against the 3, the Cruze's 141hp 1.8-litre motor feels lazier, lacks breath in the mid-ranges and wants to move the gear up rather than the tacho needle.
And despite having a six-speed automatic to its advantage over the 3's five-speeder, the Cruze isn't any economical. The difference in the manufacturers' claims seems to be credible enough after a spin with the two cars from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi (our figures were basically a notch lower than the claims).
By having better performance and economy at the same time, it could be said that the 3 has a better engineered drivetrain.
More differences emerge when you take the chassis into consideration. Although both cars have a tendency to highlight handling over ride comfort, the Cruze's steering and suspension appear more relaxed.
They are very similar to sit in the back.But one letdown in the 3 is the low-profile tyres rimming the 17-inch wheels which make the ride noisy and harsh. Surprisingly, the Cruze also rides on the same running gear but doesn't seem to suffer its rival's ailments.
You could easily conclude the Cruze is for those needing comfort, or some virtues of D-segment cars when downsizing in the process. The 3, meanwhile, would attract sporty minds needing to stand out in a market filled with uninspiring cars to drive.
To put it in another way, the Chevy is more mature with its more restrained performance and relaxed driving manners, while the Mazda offers the more responsive drive for the younger set of buyers.
It would be very difficult for us to pick a winner, not because they are so similar to each other but for the fact that their execution is quite different.
Mazda has harsher ride.
5:44 AM | 0
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HM the King appoints
HM the King appoints House speaker
- Published: 3/08/2011 at 10:41 AM
- Online news:
His Majesty the King on Tuesday signed a royal command appointing Pheu Thai Party's MP for Khon Kaen province Somsak Kiatsuranont to the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Pheu Thai Party's MP for Khon Kaen province Somsak Kiatsuranant (Photo by Pattanapong Hirunard)Their appointments became effective immediately with the issuing of the royal command.
The House speaker is also an ex-officio president of the parliament.
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alter Bau fight still on, says Abhisit
alter Bau fight still on, says Abhisit
Published: 3/08/2011 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
The government has vowed to continue fighting the commercial dispute with Walter Bau AG to save His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn the trouble of paying the surety for the release of his private jet impounded in Germany.
Outgoing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva made the statement yesterday after an audience with the Crown Prince.
He said the Crown Prince had not yet made any payment to secure the release of his private jet because the government had asked to press ahead with the case.
"The government will try to resolve the problem in a manner that will not cause the Crown Prince any trouble," Mr Abhisit said.
He said the government will ensure the dispute does not hurt bilateral ties between the two countries and does not affect the royal institution, according to the wishes of the Crown Prince.
Mr Abhisit said a Thai legal team will travel to Berlin today and will try to ensure the dispute is resolved this month.
He stressed that the government will not pay the surety for the release of the jet and at the same time will take steps to prevent any adverse repercussions stemming from the issue.
A highly-placed source at Government House said the government has decided to further pursue the matter because it wanted to save the Crown Prince the trouble of paying for the return of his jet.
A statement released by the Office of HRH the Crown Prince's private secretary said the Crown Prince wanted to ensure the dispute does not affect bilateral relations between Thailand and Germany and that the dispute is resolved quickly.
The Crown Prince has offered to pay from his own pocket to secure the release of his private jet impounded in Germany as a result of a commercial dispute between the Thai government and German contractor Walter Bau.
A German court ruled on July 20 that the jet could be released upon payment of a 20 million euro (846 million baht) deposit. The Thai government rejected this deal, maintaining the jet is not its property but that of the Crown Prince.
Published: 3/08/2011 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
The government has vowed to continue fighting the commercial dispute with Walter Bau AG to save His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn the trouble of paying the surety for the release of his private jet impounded in Germany.
Outgoing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva made the statement yesterday after an audience with the Crown Prince.
He said the Crown Prince had not yet made any payment to secure the release of his private jet because the government had asked to press ahead with the case.
"The government will try to resolve the problem in a manner that will not cause the Crown Prince any trouble," Mr Abhisit said.
He said the government will ensure the dispute does not hurt bilateral ties between the two countries and does not affect the royal institution, according to the wishes of the Crown Prince.
Mr Abhisit said a Thai legal team will travel to Berlin today and will try to ensure the dispute is resolved this month.
He stressed that the government will not pay the surety for the release of the jet and at the same time will take steps to prevent any adverse repercussions stemming from the issue.
A highly-placed source at Government House said the government has decided to further pursue the matter because it wanted to save the Crown Prince the trouble of paying for the return of his jet.
A statement released by the Office of HRH the Crown Prince's private secretary said the Crown Prince wanted to ensure the dispute does not affect bilateral relations between Thailand and Germany and that the dispute is resolved quickly.
The Crown Prince has offered to pay from his own pocket to secure the release of his private jet impounded in Germany as a result of a commercial dispute between the Thai government and German contractor Walter Bau.
A German court ruled on July 20 that the jet could be released upon payment of a 20 million euro (846 million baht) deposit. The Thai government rejected this deal, maintaining the jet is not its property but that of the Crown Prince.
1:39 AM | 0
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House expected to pick
House expected to pick next PM on Friday
Published: 3/08/2011 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
The next House meeting to choose the new prime minister is expected to take place on Friday following the selection of Pheu Thai MP for Khon Kaen Somsak Kiatsuranont as House speaker.
Published: 3/08/2011 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
The next House meeting to choose the new prime minister is expected to take place on Friday following the selection of Pheu Thai MP for Khon Kaen Somsak Kiatsuranont as House speaker.
1:09 AM | 0
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