FEB 2013
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Opinion
Global Economy in 2013 The global economy does not look good. Sorry but that is the truth.
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or many years the industrialized countries (US, Europe, and Japan) ran completely irresponsible economic policies. With high growth common sense tells to save for rainy days, but they borrowed to spend even more. It was fantastic as long as it lasted, but in 2007/2008 the bubble burst. A financial crisis plunged well known global financial institutions into bankruptcy forcing governments to step in and print money; they had no choice. If financial institutions were left to fall the economy would have crashed. Neither governments nor banks had savings so print money they did overheating the printing machine! None the less it spilled over into a government debt crisis for ultimately to produce a recession. Remember Stan and Olly from the 1930s ‘another fine mess you got us into!’ For those reading the global financial press it may come as a surprise that the Euro Zone is doing better than the U.S. Euro Zone Government debt is stabilizing close to 90 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and government deficits are brought down from close to 7 per cent of GDP to around 3 per cent forecasts to fall further in 2013 and 2014. The Euro Zone is taking the pain now bringing their house in order through austerity – it hurt, but it works. The U.S. has chosen to ignore the debt and deficit speeding down the road full throttle despite bends and roadblocks ahead. The debt ratio to GDP is about 100 per cent and rising. The deficit stubbornly stays around 7 per cent of GDP. The US hopes that something will show up to solve the debt crisis. Nothing of that sort will happen with the gloomy prospect of a U.S. default on its public debt a likely scenario before 2020 when net interest payments will account for almost 20 per cent of the federal budget– an impossible situation.
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This takes place at the same time as the world moves from 200 year with easy access to resources available at low prices to an era steered by increasing scarcities. We read about rare earth and similar raw materials, but it is the tip of the iceberg. The global food situation is dominated by rising prices and under-nourishment in 40 countries, commodity prices are up even if during a recession they should fall, energy is scarce and expensive despite shale gas, water scarcity cast a shadow over half of the global population, and clean environment is starting to be a luxury only the well-off can afford.
IndoChina Publisher Indius Pedersen indius@jutlandpress.com
To sort these problems out we need leadership – global leadership. Look around to see where we find it?
Editor-in-Chief : Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Assistant Editor: Wachiraporn Janrut wachiraporn@scandmedia.com Advertising : Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer : Supphathada Numamnuay supphathada@scandmedia.com Printing : CONG TY TNHH TM - DV PHAM TRAN Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Daily news and features here: www.scandasia.com
Joergen Oerstroem Moeller Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore. Adjunct Professor Singapore Management University & Copenhagen Business School. Author of: • HOW ASIA CAN SHAPE THE WORLD, from the era of plenty to the era of scarcities, 2011 • Political Economy in a Globalized World, 2009.
News Brief
Finnish Minister visits Central Vietnam
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inister for International Development Heidi Hautala flew to Danang in central Vietnam on 26 January 2013 to examine the city’s investment environment, reported Vietnam Net. Hautala, who was accompanied by a number of Finnish businesses, visited Vietnam following the invitation of the Ministry of Planning and Investment. At a meeting with Danang Vice Mayor Phung Tan Viet, Hautala said Finnish businesses are experienced in development projects, especially in poverty reduction and water supply, and they hope to seek more opportunities for investment in Danang and other localities in Vietnam. Viet welcomed Hautala’s visit and briefed his guest on the outcome of cooperation between Danang and Finland’s Salo city since both cities signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation relations in November 2011. A cooperation project on business innovations between Danang and Salo has been implemented effectively in the city, Viet said. He expressed belief that Hautala’s visit will foster business links between the two cities and two countries. The same day, the Finnish Minister inspected a project to help people with disability access information technology and increase community integration. The project is financed by Fida International Ry, a non-governmental organisation of Finland. At a January 25 meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Hanoi, Hautala confirmed that Vietnam is a traditional partner in Finland’s development cooperation policy, and hoped that the Vietnamese government will facilitate Finnish operations in the country. 1. 2.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (R) welcomed Minister Heidi Hautala in Hanoi on January 25 (Photo:VGP) Vice Chairman of Da Nang city People’s Committee Phung Tan Viet presented a gift to Finnish Minister for International Development Heidi Hautala (Photo: baodanang.vn)
Vietnam’s General Minister of Public Security welcomes new Swedish Ambassador
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enior Lieutenant General Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang, on 22 January 2013, warmly welcomed Ambassador Mellander to Vietnam and congratulated her as the first Ambassador stationed in Hanoi after the decision of retaining the embassy was made in 2011. Senior Lieutenant General Minister Quang could foresee the busy agenda from Ambassador Mellander and shared Ambassador Mellander’s utmost tasks during her term to strengthen further the relationship between the two countries. Ambassador Mellander pointed out that Sweden and Vietnam have a longstanding relationship over 43 years and the Embassy will be working hard to make the relationship even stronger. Trade promotion is one of the important areas. As Sweden is good at green technologies and ICT, Sweden is glad to exchange knowledge with Vietnam in these fields. Senior Lieutenant General Minister Quang thanked Sweden for the continuous support over decades to Vietnam and looked forward to cooperating with Sweden in preventing and combating organized crime. Senior Lieutenant General Minister Quang also took the chance to wish Ambassador Mellander a successful term in Vietnam. 6 ScandAsia.Indo China • February 2013
News Brief
Åge Aleksandersen performing in Singapore Tickets can be purchased at SGD 125. If you are interested, please contact Norwegian Business Association (Singapore) Tel: +65 6622 9100 Fax: +65 6224 7079 E-mail: admin@nbas.org.sg Contact persons: Kjersti Thorvildsen and Mona M.Brisbane
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ongwriter and performer, Åge Aleksandersen and his lead-guitarist over 30 years, Gunnar Pedersen, the man behind the guitar solo on “Lys og Varme”, will perform at The Tanglin Club on 15 March 2013. Åge is one of the main initiators and creators of the so called “Trønderrock” movement, a rock-’n’-roll style emerged out of Trøndelag, a region in the central part of Norway, anchored in Anglo-American folk-rock traditions, but with strong elements of local culture and traditions. He is the most celebrated and profiled rock-musician in Norway with a significant Scandinavian fan-base. With his band “Sambandet” he has toured Scandinavia for more than 40 years. This year he has parked “Sambandet” and is holding a concert series together with Pedersen performing and explaining how his songs have originated and developed. The inspiration and history of the songs are told through a dialogue between Åge, Pedersen, and the audience, delivered in a sordined musical landscape. The concerts have received fantastic reviews in Norwegian newspapers and all concert dates since the start of the tour have been sold out. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to experience Åge and Pedersen in this one-off live performance in Singapore.
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February 2013 • ScandAsia.Indo China
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News Brief
Norwegiansupported hydropower dam’s expansion upsets NGO By Sippachai Kunnuwong
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n international environmental group on 21 January 2013 voiced concerns over the impact of the expanded hydropower dam project in central Laos on the livelihoods of people living in the area. International Rivers, an NGO working to halt destructive river infrastructure projects, warned that the new dam - known as The Theun-Hinboun Expansion Project - which is partly-owned by Norwegian stateowned company Statkraft, will dislocate tens of thousands of people in the next five years due to projectinduced flooding. The project, located on the Nam Ngouang River, central Laos has already displaced over 7,500 people since its opening in 1998, said International Rivers’ Lao programme coordinator Tania Lee. Lee also criticised the project’s failure to compensate villagers affected by the first phase of the project, and raised concerns about the compensation allocated for its expansion. “The plans to restore livelihoods are woefully in-
The first project ‘Theun-Hinboun Dam’ was completed more than 10 years ago; its expansion project was officially launched on 11 January 2013. (Photo: Bocai.wordpress.com) adequate,” Lee said. “The Theun-Hinboun Power Company is profiting at the expense of some of South-East Asia’s poorest people.” A letter from Statkraft In response to ScandAsia’s questions regarding the allegations, Statkraft’s Communications advisor Lars Magnus Günther stated that most NGOs, except International Rivers, deem the project to be a best-practice hydro project due to its commitment to sustainability and social and environmental development. “We strongly believe that the Expansion Project will bring long-term benefits both to the Lao PDR as a whole, and to the people in the surrounding area, using increased incomes as a basis for provision of better public services, greater market access and improved health and educational opportunities,” Gunther wrote. As for the compensated budget, Gunther cited that 10 percent of the total USD 650m investment has been spent on the Social and Environmental Development program. So far, he wrote, 11 villages from the reservoir were moved to four resettlement sites - in total 4,358 persons in 760 households and the relocation as of end of 2012 consisted of moving in total 4,226 persons from about 700 households.
A further 4450 persons, he stated, will be relocated along the Nam Hinboun (downstream the power station) over the next four years. The total number of resettled and relocation persons is a little over 13,000 when all is completed, that is 4,358 resettled and approximately 8,650 relocated (mostly within existing village areas). “Due to higher risks of flooding downstream, people are relocated and provided with new rice fields with irrigation systems, making it possible to even grow rice in the dry season,” he added.
New projects launched Theun Hinboun Power Company, where Statkraft owns 20 percent, on 18 January 2013 announced the opening of two new power plants, a new dam ‘The Theun-Hinboun Expansion Project’ and a new power line with a total cost of about USD 650 million. According to Statkraft, the expansion will double the production of renewable energy to 3 TWh annually. Power from the dams will be exported to countries like Thailand and Vietnam as a means to generate economic growth in Laos.
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8 ScandAsia.Indo China • February 2013
Vietnam’s Minister of Justice welcomes new Swedish Ambassador
News Brief
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wedish Ambassador to Vietnam Camilla Mellander had an official meeting with Vietnam’s Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong on 15 January 2013 as her new post in the country has started. The Swedish Ambassador expressed that Sweden highly appreciated the longstanding relationship with Vietnam and pointed out that the cooperation in the legal sector played an important part of the relationship. Ambassador Mellander underlined that the relationship with Vietnam entered into a new phase and cooperation in the areas of green technologies, environmental management, media, culture and research will continue to grow also without the support of ODA-funding. Minister Cuong welcomed Ambassador Mellander to Vietnam and thanked Sweden for the long-lasting relationship with Vietnam, particularly with the Ministry. Minister Cuong also emphasized that with Swedish support over the last 20 years in the legal sector, many positive results have been seen in the legal education, legal aids and judicial reform. Both sides also shared views on law enforcement, judicial reform, legal perfection, Constitution amendment and child adoption. Minister Cuong wished Ambassador Mellander to have a successful term in Vietnam and expected more partnerships in the legal sector between Sweden and Vietnam in coming years.
Danish sales firm LevelK to fire up The Rocket
B a g s væ r d k o s t s k o l e gymnasium tid til talent
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anish sales firm LevelK has picked up international sales duties on “The Rocket,” an Australian-made film set in Laos. It is set for its world premiere in the Generations section of the Berlin Film Festival in February 2013, reports Film Business Asia. The plot revolves around a boy who fears he is cursed because his tribe is convinced twins bring bad luck. To try to disprove that belief, the boy leads his family across war-torn Laos and sets out to build a giant rocket to compete in the lucrative but dangerous Rocket Festival. Filmed in Laos and Thailand, The Rocket brings to light Laos’ troubled past, with references to the US bombardment during the Vietnam conflict and the continuing effect those bombs still have on the lives of the Lao people. It was written and directed by first time feature film director Kim Mordaunt, and produced by Sylvia Wilczynski for Red Lamp Films Australia in collaboration with Lao associate producer Pauline Phayvanh Phoumindr. Financing of The Rocket was supported by Screen Australia, Screen New South Wales and Curious Film, which will handle Australian distribution.
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February 2013 • ScandAsia.Indo China
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News Brief
Norwegian Ambassador breaks ground for the One UN House
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sudden sunlight on the winter afternoon brought hope for success of the sixth pillar of the One UN Reform in Vietnam. The Green One UN House will assist the UN agencies in better coordination, cost effectiveness, and environmentally-friendly development. The One UN House is a joint endeavor between the Government of Vietnam, donors and the UN Country Team. Together with Australia, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland and the UK, Norway has been one of major donors to the One UN in general and the Green One UN House in particular. From Norwegian side, H E the Ambassador of Norway to Vietnam, Ståle Risa, and Counselor Ragnhild Dybdahl attended the ceremony. The Green House will represent a model for Vietnam and other countries, setting a benchmark in the region for green office design, by demonstrating the viability of innovative, sustainable buildings Vietnam is one of eight pilot countries for the “Delivering as One” initiative, and is among the first countries globally to pursue programmatic synergies through co-location and functional clustering of UN staff. The six pillars of «Delivering as One» reform in Vietnam include One Plan, One Budget, One Leader, One Set of Management Practices, One Voice and the Green One UN House.
Cambodia, Thailand launch single visa for Nordic visitors
‘Fashion Mobs’ in Denmark and Norway press for living wage in Cambodia
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uring the Christmas shopping period in December 2012, ‘Fashion mobs’ took place in shopping centers around Europe to raise awareness of poverty wages of Cambodian garment workers. The campaigns were aimed at pressuring H&M, Inditex (Zara), Levi’s and Gap to introduce a living wage in Cambodia. The ‘fashion mobs’ took place in at least 10 countries all over Europe including Switzerland, Denmark, The Netherlands, Poland and Norway. In addition, the worker’s right network spreads their message through a European-wide social media campaign to ask retailers to improve the appalling wage conditions in the Asian country. “The very low wages are one of the main challenges for garment workers in Cambodia. They see themselves being forced to work very long hours and they do not earn sufficiently to buy enough nutritious food and are unable to satisfy the needs of their families. The bottom line is that the workers are paid poverty wages,” says Jeroen Merk of the International Clean Clothes Campaign. The campaign aims to draw attention to the fact that whereas the minimum wage for garment workers is USD 61 a month this amounts to less than 25% of a living wage in Cambodia The mobs are part of CCC’s campaign, ‘No More Excuses,’ in cooperation with the Cambodian trade union, demanding that the H&M and the other retailers/brands take a proactive role in paying a wage that allows its workers to live with dignity.
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ambodia and Thailand on 27 December 2012 commenced implementing a single visa scheme in a move to encourage more foreign tourists and business people to the countries, according to a press release from Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The visa costs USD 20 for a single entry and is valid for 90 days from the date of issuance. The single visa scheme is under the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya- Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) framework, initiated in 2003 by five ASEAN countries, namely Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. The Thai-Cambodian single visa is viewed as a pilot project of the ACMECS member states. The press release said the ACMECS single visa is available at diplomatic and consular missions of Cambodia and Thailand. “With the issuance of the ACMECS single visa by one country, either Cambodia or Thailand, the holders of this visa are authorized to enter both Cambodia and Thailand,” it said. It added that 35 countries and regions are eligible to apply for the visa including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bahrain, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, China’s Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, India, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait,Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. The launching of the single visa was made after the 8th Thai- Cambodian Joint Committee meeting in Bangkok on December 26, which was co-chaired by Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong. 10 ScandAsia.Indo China • February 2013
Previous campaign: Human rights activists are staging flash “faint-ins” at high-street retailers across Europe to illustrate the high incidence of mass fainting in Cambodia’s apparel factories. (Photo: Ecouterre.com)
February 2013 • ScandAsia.Indo China
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12 ScandAsia.Indo China • February 2013
Charity calls for partners Little Rose Shelter provides a safe shelter, counselling and education to young girls who survived all kinds of abuse.
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hi was 12 years old Vietnamese girl when her uncle started to abuse her. Having lost her mother to illness and father to drugs, Thi lived with her relatives hoping for a safe family. “The abuse was finally discovered, and the local authorities took Thi to our Little Rose Warm Shelter where she is still living and studying today,” says Frederikke Lindholm, a Dane who manages the Shelter Collection, a foundation that supports shelters for disadvantaged youth in Vietnam.
Little Rose Shelter In the last 20 years, Little Rose Warm Shelter has helped more than 800 young girls like Thi who are survivors of abuse of any kinds. The shelter provides counselling, life skills and
education. And the girls support each other along their paths of establishing independent lives. Frederikke Lindholm, 29, moved to Vietnam in 2008 and quickly became aware of the high risk of exploitation that poverty-stricken girls face daily. Having worked with human rights projects since she left Denmark in 2002, she specialised in women’s development at London School of Economics and is now working for the Shelter Collection to help young people escape exploitation, traumatisation and poverty. She is calling for others – compassionate individuals, CSR-oriented corporations and long-term volunteers - to get involved as soon as possible. The Shelter Collection has previously been supported by DANIDA, the Danish International Develop-
ment Agency, but the funding is running out soon. “There are so many girls in hopeless, desperate situations and it is extremely important that we can continue to offer a safe place to develop – closing the shelter is simply not an option,” she says.
Who are we? The Shelter Collection is an initiative by the Danish Vietnamese Friendship Association (http://www.davifo.dk/ shelterindsamling), aiming to free children from poverty and exploitation in Vietnam.
What we do? We can never make the girls forget but we do our utmost to give them access to education, rehabilitation, and safe and independent lives.
How to help us? Our much urgent need is funding for food, education, rehabilitation and housing. We want to establish personal and corporate partnerships to ensure the shelter continues to run and develop.
What we need? Our most urgent need in 2013 is the Little Warm Rose Shelter for young girls aged 8-18 who are survivors of sexual abuse, incest or trafficking in South-Vietnam.
If you can help, contact Frederikke Lindholm, Country Manager, on +84 (0)123 815 7508 or frederikke.lindholm@gmail.com
February 2013 • ScandAsia.Indo China
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Prince Henrik of Denmark visits Vietnam E
arly February, His Royal Highness, the Prince Consort of Denmark visited Vietnam. The occasion was the filming of a documentary about his life. The film will be broadcasted in celebration of the Prince Consort’s 80th birthday on June 11, 2014. Prince Henrik, as he is affectionately known, will travel to Ho Chi Minh City after the filming of the documentary in Northern Vietnam. During his stay, His Royal Highness was happy to participate in the celebration of the 10th anniversary of Orana Vietnam, which produces a series of juice and jam under the brand name Østerberg. The products are increasing in sales in Vietnam. During the visit, His Royal Highness also introduced his red wine, Chateau de Caix. The wine is produced at the castle in France, owned by the Danish Royal Family. The wine will be promoted in Vietnam by Ly Club.
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Ms. Lene Christensen, Orana, presents the products Owner of Orana, Mr. Chung and Mr. Niels Sterberg do the welcome speech for HRH Prince Consort of Vietnam Prince Henrik making his speech The presentation of the wine Chateau de Caix in Ly Club, HCMC
14 ScandAsia.Indo China • February 2013
35 E innovative, Englishspeaking students seek internships
ver wish you had an extra employee to take on all those tasks that no one has the time or resources to do? Wish no more. 135 English speaking Vietnamese students with a Bachelor in Financial Management and Services seek trainee positions over the next two years. Facilitated through a unique partnership between the Foreign Trade University of Hanoi and Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College in Denmark, the first 35 English-speaking students are ready to work in international and Vietnamese companies from midAugust 2013. During their 5 months internships, students do not receive a salary. A Bachelor in Financial Management and Services educates young people to become future advisors and administrators in financial enterprises. The unique educational program is based on the Scandinavian way of learning. Students, who are exclusively taught in English, learn how to solve problems, perform tasks and complete projects by innovatively combining their acquired theories and practical skills. The result is a group of dedicated gradu-
ates, who will contribute potentially valuable expertise to Vietnamese as well as international companies. Your company can profit from an intern in several ways: • You benefit from the intern’s new knowledge. An intern is educated in standard and cutting edge business theories and practices and can perform valuable work tasks that your company might not get done due to lack of resources. • Your intern could potentially become a valued future employee or a great ambassador for your company.
If you are interested in welcoming an intern into your company please contact Dean, Dr. Ho Thuy Ngoc, tel. +84.4 3259 5158 (ext. 248), mobile +84 904 164 363, e-mail: ngochq@yahoo.com, ngocht@ftu.edu.vn, kdtqt@ftu.edu.vn ; or Programme Director Jorgen Dalhoff, tel +45 33419438, mobile +45 23214549, e-mail: jda@brock.dk
February 2013 • ScandAsia.Indo China
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Vietnamese Basic language course for beginners and individuals
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orwegians, Danes, Swedes and Finns now have the opportunity to learn Vietnamese in an easy and simple method. Subject advisor Dennis Hahn is supervisor for the course, which applies to managers and families who have plans to stay on in Vietnam for a longer period or permanent. Being able to speak the language in the country where you are living is the best tool for progress in business and understanding in mind and manner in the country where we are guest. “The course starts with learning alphabets which is basic and the way for foreigners to make themselves understandable in the future. The Vietnamese grammar is quite simple. Vietnamese people speak in simple present and when they speak in other tenses they just put other words in front or after simple present, to show another tense. This seems to make communication easier than some other languages such as Danish,� say Dennis Hahn. Vietnamese A B C is developed in co-operation between Vietnamese teachers and foreign students. It uses qualified Vietnamese teachers. Students can learn in their environments such as at their homes or offices. All teachers speak qualified and understandable English. Students decide the number of teaching hours, but must order at least 4 hours of teaching at a time. You can always cancel teaching, if you do it 24 hours before teaching takes place.
Payment
Payment is divided up in minimum 4 and maximum 8 hours of teaching at a time, which means that students have to order at least 4 hours of teaching, but never more than 8 hours at a time.
Price per hour
Price per hour for individual and personal teaching is 8 USD from Monday to Saturday, and 10 USD on Sunday. In other words, students buy time of Vietnamese A B C and only pay for the lessons they order and maximum 8 hours of teaching at a time.
Only payment for ordered lessons
The way of teaching and payment allows students to pay only for the lessons they will be taught.
Teaching can be stopped and reopened
After students have finished an ordered period of teaching, the course can be stopped and reopened, if a student in a period not is able to use time for teaching. This will not affect the teaching or the understanding of the language. For more information contact: Dennis Hahn T: 0939 732 886 E: dhnymark52@gmail.com
16 ScandAsia.Indo China • February 2013
Together for Charity
English class at the English School of Mui Ne in Vietnam
A group of seven professional Swedish women in Singapore initiated the charity organization “Together for Charity” to make a difference for the needy children in the region. By Ika Forssell
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hile realizing that their situation in affluent Singapore is extremely privileged compared to that of most people in the neighboring countries, the ladies – whom most refer to as ‘expat wives’ - have decided to make good use of their professional knowledge in different areas to make a difference where they can. ScandAsia talks to two of the organization’s founders; Stina Hotine and Elisabeth Lewenhaupt who share the stories with passion and energy. “This is quite a bubbly place,” says Stina as she refers to the impression of sitting inside a protected bubble in a sea of poverty, but fittingly enough also describing the constant flow of champagne that is commonplace in certain circles. Everything about the organization is beautifully and respectfully thought through and executed. The group is inviting people to think twice before spending money on the usual things, and offer easy opportunities to do and feel good while at the same time presenting thoughtful gifts to a dinner host or a jubilee. “People want to know what their donations do and how effective they
are,” says Elisabeth while showing the ‘printed gift card’ where the donor can specify what the amount they donate will achieve for the needy children. At the moment, the organization focuses on the two projects: ‘Deak Kum Pa’ Orphanage in Luang Prabang, Laos, and ‘The English School of Mui Ne’ in Vietnam.
The two main projects Deak Kum Pa Orphanage is run by the Laos government, and to a great extent managed by Australian Andrew Brown. Andrew relies on donations and makes sure that every penny donated to the children is put to the best use. He keeps an
eye on the premises to see what needs to be done or purchased for the orphanage to function smoothly. Children are rescued from the streets and a life in severe poverty. They are given a chance to go to school and live their lives in a safe and relatively comfortable way. The English School of Mui Ne in Vietnam is a step further in the development. They are inviting children among the poorest in the village to learn English in order to be able to make a living in the future in the growing tourism industry. As they expect these children to be able to support their poor families in the future, they carefully choose the
The Swedish ladies and the children at Deak Kum Pa Orphanage in Laung Prabang, Laos
neediest candidates to admit – and always just one sibling from each family. At the school, which is in addition to the regular school during the weeks, the kids are not only taught English, but also valuable lessons of friendship and sharing as well as computer skills. Through internet, many students have discovered possibilities for themselves for the future and have dreams that they never imagined before. Five former students of the school have recently posted a video on Youtube speaking in English about the opportunities that have opened up for them. Interested readers can see the video on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DztbebGzqus&f eature=youtu.be The school is also on Facebook sharing events, activities and giving updates to its donors and interested people. Elisabeth and Stina emphasize that Together for Charity is a lifelong project that they have taken on. They keep it very simple and personal, focusing on only two projects at the moment. They keep close contact with the two entities and aim to offer them 100% of the funds they collect. For more information, visit www. togetherforcharity.com
February 2013 • ScandAsia.Indo China
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Medium
Fish sandwich (Stjerneskud) By Anders Holm Nielsen
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ith “Stjerneskud” the Danes combine their love for the traditional open sandwich also known as “Smoerrebrøed” and the easy access fresh fish via the large Danish coastline. There are many different variations of the dish but the most common is toast with fried plaice, shrimp, boiled cod, salad, asparagus and the essential red dressing. Translated, “Stjerneskud” means shooting star because how the dish resembles a star when it is put together in the old fashioned manner. The fresh seafood is key to creating the classic meal, and ordering the dish in a dodgy place can be a risky move, but if made right, the fish sandwich makes for both a fine lunch and dinner.
Evil
Ingredients: (Serves one)
Are you done?
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hen you have completed the above puzzles, please send your solution by fax to +66 2 943 7169 or scan and email to puzzles@ scandasia.com. We will make a lucky draw among the correct answers. Five lucky winners will receive a ScandAsia polo shirt. Name:
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Deadline for submitting your solution is 15 March 2013
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2 pieces of fried plaice in a breadcrumb coating (or other sorts of flatfish) 100 ml flour 100 ml egg whites 100 ml crumbled bread 1 piece of boiled cod 75 g. shrimp 75 g. asparagus 1 slice of toast Butter – salt – pepper 200 ml white wine. 1 lemon Sliced cucumber 2 tbsp. crème fraîche 2 tbsp. ketchup Lettuce of various sorts Dill 1 half, sliced tomato
Directions Take the fresh fillets of plaice and turn them in flour, then egg whites and finally the crumbled bread. Fry them on a pan with oil at a steady heat. Put the cod in a pot, ad white wine, lemon juice, a dash of salt and pepper and steam it slowly on the stove. Mix crème fraîche and ketchup and try your way by adding dill, paprika, salt, pepper and lemon juice a bit at the time. Scrape you toast with the red dressing and put the lettuce on. Place the fried and steamed fish on top. Add the rest of the red dressing and the asparagus and shrimp on top of the fish and finally top it off with sliced lemon, cucumber, tomato and dill. Enjoy!
February 2013 • ScandAsia.Indo China
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