Christmas Service in Bangkok

Christa Lund Herum and Jyrki Markkanen during a prayer.

The Christmas service at the Christ Church of Bangkok was, for the first time, only a Danish and Finnish sermon. The service was led by the pastor at the Danish church in Thailand, Christa Lund Herum, and the Finnish pastor at The Finnish Seamen´s Mission Jyrki Markkanen. The service was orchestrated so that the pastors in shifts would read from the bible in English, Danish and Finnish. The psalms were in addition song in English and in a Finish/Danish hybrid. A format that worked quite well.

The sermon, which naturally was about the birth of baby Jesus, were put in perspective with women’s rights worldwide as well as the Covid-crisis influence on our social life.

After the service the congregation were invited for “Gløgg” and “æbleskiver” sponsored by the Scandinavian Society Siam. This was a very nice and cozy opportunity for old and new members of the Scandinavian society in Thailand to meet and wish each other a merry Christmas. The blod and body of Christ was replaced with gløgg and æbleskiver.

Irene and Hasse Franzén, Kent and Eva Tell and almost 200 other Swedes had Christmas dinner at Karlsson’s restaurant in Patong, Phuket. Photo: Leo Pettersson

Some might wonder if it's possible to get the Nordic Christmas atmosphere on a tropical island in Thailand? The answer is, according to about 200 Swedes, yes!

True to tradition, the Swedish restaurant, Karlsson's restaurant in Phuket hosted their annual Swedish Christmas on 24 December and despite the pandemic, the place was full, Expressen writes.

Kent Holmgren who runs the restaurant was very happy with the outcome.

“It's absolutely incredible. We have a full house. Something we didn't expect just a few months ago when there were no tourists in Thailand,” he said to Expressen.

According to Kent, the event had about 200 participants with the vast majority being Swedes and some of them had traveled all the way to Thailand to meet up.

Good friends, Irene and Frasse Franzén and Kent and Eva Tell, were part of the participants and they have known each other for years although they always meet in Thailand and not back home in Sweden.

“It may be a bit silly to go to Thailand to have a Swedish Christmas dinner, but it is actually very charming to be here. You meet so many people over the years here. We have known each other for many years but we always meet here and not in Sweden,” Irene Franzén said. To her, it is not difficult to get into the Christmas spirit and there are also great benefits of celebrating Christmas in Phuket, she added. “It is not cold here but warm and nice. We can sunbathe and swim as much as we want.”

For Mikael Björklund, who has traveled to Thailand for the past 15 years, it's a little harder to get into the true Swedish Christmas spirit.

“It's a little too hot for a true Swedish Christmas,” he said. But the tropical climate is actually what he enjoys most about Thailand.

Although the pandemic has brought much fewer tourists to Phuket over the past two years, some things never change. According to Kent Tell, the pandemic has brought a great change in Phuket but the people are just as happy and friendly.

“And they need every penny we can contribute. We have also joined programs to support Thailand from home. Among other things, it is possible to donate food to people who do not have a job,” Frasse Fransén added. Moreover, Frasse Fransén feels safer in Thailand than in Sweden regarding the spread of covid-19.

“People really keep their distance, in almost every place you go you have to take the temperature, people wear masks and you know that most of those who are here are vaccinated,” he said.

Jorn Andersen is Hong Kong’s new coach, with his first task next year’s AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Photo: HKFA

The Norwegian football manager and former player Jörn Andersen was recently named as the new manager of Hong Kong’s national football team in a statement by Hong Kong Football Association.

Jörn Andersen is taking over the position from Finnish Mixu Paatelainen and his first task will be to prepare the team for June’s qualifiers for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in China.

Other teams, apart from Hong Kong, looking to qualify are Philippines, Jordan, Bahrain, Palestine, India, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Turkmenistan, Maldives, Nepal, Singapore, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia and Indonesia.

Jörn Andersen has played professional football in Norway and Switzerland and as a striker for Bundesliga teams Eintracht Frankfurt and Hamburg. He has extensive experience as a coach as well and before coming to Hong Kong he led the North Korean national team.

Hong Kong Football Association is happy to welcome the 58-year-old Norwegian.

“We extend a warm welcome to Jörn,” HKFA chief executive Joaquin Tam said.

“With his football background in Europe and practical experience in Asia, we are confident that he would be able to inject new elements, help our players fully achieve their potentials, as well as improve our quality and performance.

“His experience in scouting and grooming young players also aligns with our vision to train up young talents for the future development of Hong Kong football,” Joaquin Tam added.

Swedish Ambassador to the Philippines Annika Thunborg. Sweden is a big funder of the peacekeeping process in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Swedish Ambassador to the Philippines Annika Thunborg said in a virtual roundtable with The Manila Times that Sweden is actively involved in promoting women’s empowerment and the strengthening of communities in the region.

“We want the women to take part in the peacekeeping. All actors have to be involved in peacebuilding and women are usually victims more than combatants,” the Ambassador said.

The establishment of the BARMM in 2019 was the culmination of several years of peace talks between the Philippine government and several autonomist groups. Later that year the Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC) was inaugurated by the Government of Sweden together with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Developed with the support of UNDP and other UN agencies, the BWC launched the Bangsamoro Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (RAP-WPS) 2020-2022 in October 2020, which seeks to enhance the role of Bangsamoro women in the implementation of the peace agreement and the protection of their human rights in conflict and post-conflict transformation.

“We are to a large extent a part of the European assistance committed to assisting in peace-building in BARMM. Making sure the government can function as a government and the rule of law,” Ambassador Annika Thunborg said. Women play major roles during natural disasters, conflicts, and pandemics, the Ambassador added.

“Capacity building and the actual transfer of knowledge is important in making sure that people can take charge of their future development through assistance, security, and humanitarian assistance,” she said.

The European Union calls for the release of Vietnamese journalist and blogger Ms. Pham Doan Trang, who has been sentenced to nine years of prison at the Hanoi’s People Court on 14 December on the vague charge of alleged “anti-state propaganda”.

The actions taken against Ms. Pham Doan Trang on the basis of her extensive and peaceful journalistic work defending civil and political rights are in violation of Vietnam’s international human rights obligations, notably the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Vietnam has been a party since 1982, the EU statement says.

The Embassy of Denmark in Singapore welcomes the new Head of Public Diplomacy & Partnerships, Annette Oestergaard Joergensen who recently joined the Embassy in the city-state.

In her role, Annette Oestergaard Joergensen is responsible for public diplomacy activities and communication, as well as existing and future partnerships between government entities, research institutions, and other organizations in Singapore and Denmark, the Embassy says.

Before joining the Embassy in Singapore, Annette Oestergaard Joergensen worked as Chief Advisor and Team Leader in the Danish Business Authority, Ministry of Business Affairs in Denmark. From her prior roles, Annette knows all the ins and outs of the Danish business policy system and she has extensive experience within International Trade, EU affairs, Digital and Business Policy.

Moreover, the Embassy shares that Annette Oestergaard Joergensen holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Copenhagen and has lived and studied in the US, Australia, Bangladesh, and the Netherlands.

Vaccine certificates from five new countries including Thailand and Taiwan will be recognized and accepted throughout the European Union from January 2022.

Deputy Chief of Mission of the 27 member bloc in Thailand, Mr. Giuseppe Busini, confirms that EU has approved the equivalency of vaccine certificates issued by Thailand and Taiwan together with Montenegro, Tunisia, and Uruguay.

For Thailand, this means that from January 2022, Thai vaccines and COVID-19 certification on the Mor Prom app will be valid and accepted across the European Union which includes Denmark, Sweden, and Finland.

In addition, Thailand will also recognize the EU’s Digital Covid Certificate for citizens of any of the 27 European Union member states when they arrive in the country.

The students from Aabenraa Friskole have collected 52 kg. of can tabs Photo: Private photo

Danish students from grade three to five at “Aabenraa Friskole” in Aabenraa have together with members from the Innerwheel NGO collected 52 kg. beer and soft drink can tabs that they have handed over to Pastor Emeritus in Kollund, Niels Refskov, who will see to that the aluminum tabs gets sent to Thailand, JydskeVestkysten writes.

In Thailand the aluminum from the tabs will be remolded into bolts and screws used in leg prostheses for Thai citizens who have lost the leg often to snake bid infections or from stepping on mines, Aabenraa Innerwheel explains in a press release.

Anette Hørup Jensen who is responsible for the Aabenraa Innerwheel’s international charity work visited the Aabenraa Friskole to thank the students for their effort.

“They said that they had help from neighbors, family members, and their parents’ workplaces. They had collected tabs at confirmation parties and wedding anniversaries, so they have been busy,” the press release reads.