April 2019
International School Theme OPINION
Expats income hurt by the strong Thai Baht
COMMUNITY
China’s two pandas visiting Denmark
INTERVIEW
Henrik Yde Andersen: Cooking up success
LIFESTYLE
Cool Kuala Lumpur
April 2019
ScandAsia Stories
20
12 Creating Carro 16 King of Drones 44 Bringing the environment to the table in Myanmar 58 SWEA celebrates 40th anniversary
How to choose the right school
6 Expats income hurt by the strong Thai Baht
12
52 Henrik Yde Andersen Cooking up success
16
11 China’s two pandas coming to Denmark in April
44 56 Swedish-made app for LGBTQ travelers
58
Dear Reader,
T
his issue of ScandAsia includes a special theme on education. How to find the best international school? Nordic parents bring with them a dilemma from back home. In all the Nordic countries, we fundamentally believe in the principle, that parents’ lack of economic resources should not prevent children from getting education of good quality. Education is offered free of charge from primary to tertiary level. Nordic school children have access to free healthcare, special education for those in need of such support, career counselling and school transport. It is all based on the principle that all children should have access to equal quality education. We believe in the principle of equality and the benefit of children of various socioeconomic backgrounds mixing and making friendships regardless of these differences. Free schools are for all. They are not allowed to select students on the basis of tests or grades, and they are prohibited from excluding, for example, pupils with special needs. In recent years, this policy has indirectly become an incentive for many parents to select one of the increasing number of private schools. They don't see why their child should potentially be held back by less bright children, or children with a different ethnic background. Sometimes they hope that in a private school their children would make lifelong friendships with students of their own background and income level.
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4 ScandAsia • April 2019
To water this down, the Nordic governments have passed laws to make these private schools fully or partially subsidized by the state to maintain the principle that ideally all should be able to make this choice. But of course there is a difference. The private schools are allowed to communicate their various differences in educational approach and otherwise. Competition and marketing has come into play. In 2015, for example, young people in the Stockholm area could choose between almost 100 upper secondary schools in Stockholm city, threefourths of which were free schools and more than 560 programs – a rather overwhelming smorgasbord. In the end, parents choose among the educational alternatives based on perceived future possibilities for their children and the resources they have available to invest in an active school choice, like the time it takes to transport their child across town to another part of the city. They find a way to live with their principled belief in the Nordic egalitarian society and equal opportunity for all, which is such a fundamental part of our national identities, but eventually end up deciding that with money they might give their children more and a better chance of fully realising their potential. Should we all go through the same channel because we are all equal - or is it OK to jump to a faster channel, since you can afford it?
This dilemma is lifted for expat Nordic parents while posted in South East Asia.The norm is here to select a private international school - in some countries this is your only option since local schools do not take in foreigners. And you are expected to choose based on the available information, which of the international schools in your city that you believe will be the best for your child. This issue of ScandAsia provides you with that. A good selection of schools have taken the opportunity to communicate to you, in which way they are the right choice. But in essence, each one of these schools will be the opposite of the free, public, socially equalizing school system, these parents are most likely themselves a product of. It is good to be clear on this. If you believe in the Nordic ideals of inclusive schools where all social levels are integrated, including students in need of special support in ordinary classrooms, etc. you could consider it your special mission during your posting in South East Asia to pass on this set of values to your child since this is not likely to be the idea of the private school, that you eventually will have to choose. Unless of course you come to the conclusion that you do not believe in this Nordic education model.
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Opinion
Expats income hurt by the strong Thai Baht By Flemming Kruhøffer, Asia Correspondent, Ritzaus Bureau
M
any a European expat living in Thailand has increasingly felt their income from abroad whether it is their pension, salary or return on capital investments – diminished or reduced to a point, where their former easygoing life in Thailand has become a bit rough. The money isn’t as good as it used to be, spending has been cut, and the extravaganzas buried in the backyard while waiting and longing for better times in anticipation of the return to the past economic glory. The Scandinavians – not to mention the Brits recently – are especially feeling the heat from the baht-appreciation and the simultaneously weakening of the Danish krone, the Swedish “Peseta” and the Norwegian “lire”. But why? What is the reasons for the economical strain that has hit the Scandinavian expat-community in “The Land of Smile”. Well, it’s a result of a number of reasons, that has developed over the last couple of years spanning from huge job creation in USA, and a newly found American attempt wind back globalization, to a mismatch between major central bank policies especially in the US and Europe, and on top, a shortsighted Thai military juntas attempt to “bring back happiness” to the people. But what has American job creation and central bank manipulation got to do with me? The answer is “everything”!
Euro versus dollar
While the Scandinavian currencies are related to mainly the euro,Thailand has a dollar based economy and everything is measured in the mighty US dollar, or the greenback nicknamed due to the colour of the physical banknotes. 6 ScandAsia • April 2019
And with a globally strengthening of the dollar over the last couple of years, the Thai baht has followed through as Sancho Panza did don Quixote.
Coup d’etat spurred baht weakness
In the aftermath of the 2014 coup d’etat the baht weakened to over 36.50 to the dollar, while the dollar meanwhile still was on the weak side against the euro with an exchange rate of 1.25 dollar to the single currency. Dollar hit as low as 1.60 dollar in the months after the financial crisis broke out in the wake of the fall of Lehman Brothers in 2008. And that bankruptcy spurred the biggest economic downturn since the great depression in 1929, sparking the Federal Reserve in Washington to launch the biggest monetar y experiment ever : lowering the US interest rate to a round zero. The measure was meant to pump out enormous amounts of liquidity to get the wheels rolling. And it worked. After year s of “free money” the American consumer again began spending, the confidence in the economy grew and the job creation picked up while the inflation due to the impact of globalization – read: the increasing switch to cheap manufacturing in China – kept a tight lid on price increases. And without inflation, the way was paved for a blooming American economy until the Federal Reserve – ever worried as central bankers tend to be – finally took to the first of a string of interest-rate increases in December 2015, to make sure, the now steaming hot economy did not run off track.
Trailing ECB
Following several years of watching the US monetary experiment, the European Central Bank (ECB) finally said “So ein Ding müssen wir auch haben” and reduced the interest in the Eurozone to zero. These events reversed the difference between the US and the EU interest rates and benefitted the now mighty dollar at the expense of the euro, and the common currency weakened to a pale 1.05 dollar. But the European effort came to late, as when the economy despite the ever eruptively elements of Greece, Italy and Spain finally began to move forward, “the Orange Wig” in Washington took to the trade war with China and disrupted the global trade, threatening the whole global economy.
From bad to worse
From the local point of view of an expat in Thailand, it’s even worse. The shortsighted – if any at all – economic policies of the military junta has opened the door for huge amounts of Chinese money. Allowing the Chinese special economic zones and the Road and Belt Initiative has resulted in a huge capital inflow. And the booming property-market makes it hard for the ever so foresighted Bank of Thailand to lower the interest, to keep the capital-inflow at bay. Result at the bottom line is, that while Thai baht has strengthened to the current level of 31.50 baht to the dollar, the Danish krone has depreciated 27 pct., the Swedish krona 35 pct. and the Norwegian krone 42 pct. against the Thai baht over the last five years. That hurts!
April 2019 • ScandAsia 7
News Brief
Cambodia’s internet service provider teams up with Nokia By Nilobon Bantoey
S
INET, Cambodia’s leading internet service provider, has chosen Nokia to provide faster speed per user as well as cut down 50% of operating costs. With Nokia’s high-speed broadband services that are the Nokia Gigabit-capable Passive Optical Network (GPON) and Mini Optical Line Terminal (OLT), SINET’s customers will be able to use high-speed and high-quality internet access to serve the future smar t-home services including video streaming and home-security systems. According to Nokia’s press release on 19 March 2019, SINET’s new service provided by Nokia will be operated “in major residential and gated communities, locally known as borey and housing apartments in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.” Meta Sy, CEO of SINET shared that the broadband servives in Cambodia
market were in low-quality because it used “many off-the-shelf access equipment” but did not consider the “long term quality and reliability” of the services. Therefore, SINET decided to choose Nokia to provide high-standard internet for the customers in borey and housing apartments. “We wanted a quality-based and future-proof offering that would set
us apart from the competitions. That means the service has to be on-par with international broadband standard in terms of speed, reliability, efficiency and ease of troubleshooting which are key criteria why we selected Nokia.” he said. Sebastien Laurent, head of Thailand and Cambodia at Nokia also emphasized the solutions that Nokia will offer to SINET. For instance, Mini OLT service will deliver high-speed broadband internet to low-density residential areas as well as helps save space and operational expenditure. “With Nokia GPON technology, the country’s first such deployment will address the growing customer demand for affordable ultra-broadband services at home.” Sebastien shared.
Meeting on Fishery: Norway’s Ambassador met Vietnam’s Minister By Nilobon Bantoey
G
rete Løchen, the Ambassador of Norway to Vietnam, had a meeting with Nguyen Xuan Cuong, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam on Tuesday, 19 March 2019. The Ambassador underlined effective bilateral relations between Vietnam and Norway over the past 30 years since it began in the early 1970s. She also affirmed that Norway’s government intended to continually promote bilateral relations with Vietnam especially in the field of fishery and marine resources. “Norway and the Norwegian companies are willing to share experiences, expertise and technologies with Viet8 ScandAsia • April 2019
nam to develop a marine aquaculture industry in a sustainable way” said the Ambassador. Agreeing with Grete Lochen, Nguyen Xuan Cuong said “Norway is a power in the marine aquaculture area, and Vietnam sees Norway as a strategic partner in the implementation of its National Marine Aquaculture Strategy.”
But there are a lot of works that need to do to enhance the strategy between two sides, he added. In near future, Norway and Vietnam will have another meeting to discuss and assure that Vietnam is ready to attend the Aqua Nor, Seafood Trade Fair, that will be held in Norway in August 2019.
News Brief
AAK to invest £25m in its facility in China By Nilobon Bantoey
A
AK, a Swedish-Danish company well-known as a leading provider of value-adding vegetable oils & fats, announced to inject £24.4m to expand its facility in China. After opened the first plant in Zhangjiagang, China in 2017, AAK decided to increase capacity and support volume growth especially in Special Nutrition and Bakery segments in China by filling an additional £24.4m. to AAK’s Zhangjiagang factory. Johan Westman, president and CEO at AAK said “China is a key growth market for AAK and the country will continue to present attractive opportunities for profitable and sustainable growth in the speciality and semi-speciality vegetable oils and fats market”. “AAK has established a solid presence in the Chinese market and with these new investments we are ver y
well positioned to continue to grow organically and capture market share.” he added. According to AAK’s press release on 11 March 2019, the £24.4m investment will provide AAK’s China an independent special nutrition processing plant focusing on infant nutrition production and bakery segment to suppor t the increasing demand for AAK’s high-end bakery solutions and special nutrition.
Fur thermore, Torben Friis Lange, President AAK Asia said “the processing plant for Special Nutrition will significantly strengthen the product and service offering for end customers” “Combined with the investment related to our high-end bakery solutions, we will support our long-term growth in the fast-growing and very important Chinese market.”
Maersk’s new office launched in Yangon, Myanmar By Nilobon Bantoey
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aer sk officially hosted the opening ceremony of its new central city office in Yangon on Thursday, 7 March 2019. The ribbon was cut as a mark of the commencement by John Nielson, Ambassador of Denmark to Myanmar, Mr. Bo Wegener, Managing Director of Sealand Asia, Mr. Marco Civardi, Area Managing Director of Maersk Vietnam, Cambodia & Myanmar, Ms. Flora Pintusoontorn, Managing Director, Maersk Myanmar, Ms. Tuyen Nguyen, District Managing Director of Damco Vietnam, Cambodia & Myanmar and Mr. Ni Aung, Managing Director of Myanmar Por t Authority. The new office located in Junction
City, the newest and world-class office tower in Yangon will serve as a work space for more than 80 employees from Maersk and its subsidiary companies consisting Sealand and Damco Freight Forwarding. Marco Civardi stated that the flexibility and multi-purpose space of Maersk’s Junction office will provide the employees an energetic work environment to “promotes collaboration, engagement and well-being” to give the customers a
better service from this new office. “Moving into this new modern office reflects our commitment to our employees and to the Myanmar business community now and for the future”, he said. Maersk is the Danish world’s largest shipping company that has been presented in Myanmar since 1991, and opened its first office in Yangon in May 2014. April 2019 • ScandAsia 9
News Brief
Singaporean politician visited Finland on educational summit By Nilobon Bantoey
I
ndranee Rajah, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and Education, attended the 9th International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) in Helsinki, Finland. Held from 14-15 March 2019, the ISTP intended to assemble ministers and authorities from countries and regions that have “high-performing or rapidly improving school systems” as measured by the results of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a global study aimed to evaluate educational systems by measuring scholastic performance on mathematics, science, and reading. Indranee Rajah arrived Finland on March 12th and on the next day, she visited the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Educational Sciences. During the University visit, the minister was informed about Finland’s study system by Professor Lasse Lipponen who gave a summary on university course for pre-school teachers and by Ms Riia Palmqvist, Counsellor of Education, Finnish National Agency for Educa10 ScandAsia • April 2019
tion on the policy supporting student with special needs. After that the minister and her delegation were off to the Merilahti comprehensive school. The visit highlighted on the school’s policies that suppor t students with special educational needs and harmonize multicultural students from immigrant backgrounds. On March14th, the first day of ISTP, Ministers and Teacher Union leaders discussed the following topics: Leading together focusing on how to develop school leaders and teacher leadership, building strong foundations through innovative pedagogy and the information exchange by counterparts from other countries.
On day two of ISTP, countries’ representatives were invited to set out three plans “Towards Sustainable Schools” for 2019. According to Indranee Rajah, she outlined three priorities for Singapore that are: “Recalibration of an education system” by reducing school-based assessments to increase free time for student so that the students can learn and experience the joy of learning by themselves, 2. “Sustaining a high-quality teaching force” by supporting teacher’s professional development and leveraging technology to ensure that the students can learn anytime, anywhere, at their convenience and 3. “Strengthen the quality of pre-school education” by setting up foundation, courses, frameworks and researches “to provide a strong foundation for early childhood learning.” “I would like to thank the Finnish government and their people for being such excellent hosts and also to congratulate them on a very successful conference.” Indranee wrote on her Facebook page.
News Brief
China’s two pandas coming to Denmark in April By Nilobon Bantoey
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hina scheduled its pair of giant pandas named Mao Er and Xing Er to land in Denmark in April, 4th 2019. The pandas will transfer from the Panda Base in Chengdu, China to its new home in Copenhagen Zoo, one of the oldest zoos in Europe and 4th most visited attraction in Denmark. The trip of the pandas will be accompanied by Carsten Damsgaard, the ambassador of Denmark to China, on a Scandinavian Airlines flight to ensure that the two Chinese travelers are safe and sound during the flight. “I am excited to be able to travel to Denmark together with our two new Chinese guests. They will be warmly welcomed in Denmark,” the ambassador said. An earnest preparation for new habitats China offered to lend its two pandas to Denmark when Queen Margrethe and Prince Consort Henrik of Denmark officially visited Beijing in 2014. After that, Denmark has been working on the preparation to welcome the gifts from China for almost 2 years. The new enclosed residence for the bamboo munchers has been designed by the renowned Danish architects, the Bjarke Ingels Group that designed the place to look like Yin-Yang symbol. Since 2010, the zoo’s staffs including keepers, zoologists, and veterinarians have visited the panda base in Chengdu many times to get more familiarize with their new VIP guests and to learn more about them by Chinese professionals. Jorgen Nielsen, the CEO of Copenhagen Zoo, defined the arrival of Mao Er and Xing Er as one of the biggest events in the 160-year history of Copenhagen Zoo. “The arrival of the two pandas is going to be a great event in ZOO, and we have set the bar high in terms of animal welfare, guest experiences, architecture and aesthetics.” he said.
Moreover, Denmark even built a new plantation of bamboo on the island of Zealand in the country’s south to reach the culinary need of two inhabitants. “To make sure the two new inhabitants at Copenhagen Zoo get their favorite food, a new farm in the southern part of Zealand will make sure that sprawling fresh bamboo is always in ample supply,” said Nielsen.
The opening day
The formal launching day will take place at the Copenhagen Zoo on April 10th, 2019 and it will also mark the official start of the Sino-Danish Giant Panda Joint Research Project. The zoo will be set to welcome the royal guests: Queen Margrethe and Crown Princess Mary as well as the honor guests including Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Denmark’s Prime Minister, Deng Ying, Chinese Ambassador to Denmark and senior officials from
China National Forestry and Grassland Administration. A black and white fluffy bear as a representative of China’s diplomacy Long time ago diplomacy used to be only about people but as the time passed animals took more roles in representing diplomatic relationship between countries. With the China’s panda diplomacy, it started way back in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) but became popular in the era of Mao Zedong. The highlight moment that was considered as the beginning of panda diplomacy was when China presented panda Ping Ping to Soviet Union in 1957. Between 1957 to 1982, China constantly used pandas to be a symbol of its cultural exchange by sending total 23 pandas to north Korea, the United
States, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Spain and Mexico. In the present, China no longer gives panda as a free gift to other countries because the pandas became one of global endangered animals so, China gave the panda as a loan instead. Some might say that Panda diplomacy represents a goodwill and friendship from China to other countries but some might see this as a symbol presenting a “seal of approval” of China, according to an Oxford University study in 2013. April 2019 • ScandAsia 11
Interview
Creating By Anita Surewicz
Carro
Swedish fashion designer and entrepreneur Caroline Wass finds the sunny, multi-cultural Kuala Lumpur to be the inspiration of her designs and the base for her family and business venture, Carro. 12 ScandAsia • April 2019
“T
he main benefit of running a business in Malaysia is the proximity to suppliers and manufacturers. It is also warm all year round, which makes the weather perfect for our active lifestyle apparel,” says Caroline Wass, referring to her clothing brand for men, Carro. Named after the nickname given to Caroline by her late grandmother, the colorful label combines fashion, function and style. The brand, which was launched at the Malaysia Fashion Week in October 2017, also embodies Caroline’s zest for life and love of the tropics, both traits that have served the Swedish fashion designer well in her life and career. Caroline fell in love with Kuala Lumpur in 1998 when she visited her father who was working in the Malaysian capital at the time. She officially moved to the city in 2000, and when her parents decided to move back to Sweden, she stayed on. The chaos of the bustling city stands in stark contrast to Caroline’s home town of Gistad in Sweden, around a two hours' drive from Stockholm, a tranquil settlement with a population of only around 300 people. “I am currently living in where we fondly call PJ - Petaling Jaya - which is pretty central, and that means I have all I need - shops, restaurants and cinemas - within an easy reach. Traffic in Kuala Lumpur can be crazy, especially during peak hours, so I have had to choose a strategic location to set up my home.” The vivacious entrepreneur embarked on her career after she moved to Kuala Lumpur, when she decided to study fashion design. She then started an internship at an international apparel company in 2003 before working as an apprentice for a French fashion designer. “I was lucky enough to be exposed to a wide scope of the apparel industry early in my career, from design to product development, sourcing to production and retail,” Caroline says. “After a few years, an opportunity arose to start a venture with my now partner in business and in life. For 12 years I designed stylish corporate attire for many Malaysian companies, from banks to Big Pharma.” Since Carro’s inception, Caroline has created three collec-
Achieving what you think is perfection takes up a lot of time. And very often you will probably end up not putting your work out anyway because you think it’s not good enough. Not trying to make everything perfect anymore has allowed me to enjoy my work without stress or pressure.
April 2019 • ScandAsia 13
Interview tions, with her latest offering previewed at the Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week in November 2018. The message behind the colorful line of polos, tees and singlets is “Believe.” Caroline says that positive values are an essential foundation of success, and she wants her clothes to inspire confidence in their wearers. “I design things that my husband and I would wear ourselves. I focus on designs that stand out and make you feel special,” she says, adding that while her main market is in Kuala Lumpur, since making her attire available online, she has also had clients from the United States, Singapore and Sweden. Finding inspiration in a city as diverse as Kuala Lumpur is not difficult. For Caroline, it can strike anywhere and at any time. She thinks of herself as a “collector of images,” ideas that she uses to create her storyboards prior to the design phase. “There is this special mood or feeling I get when I am ready to design. When I am in this zone, creating my designs is easy,” she says. “I always start with lines and see where they take me.
I love the weather, the sunshine and the diversity of cultures. I love spicy food. I definitely feel at home here.
The patterns just emerge from my scribbling. Once the base of the pattern is formed, I start to play around with colors.” Caroline says that her Swedish heritage has served her well on the road to success. Although, she is quick to admit that her penchant for perfection does not necessarily always play in her favor, she also says that over the years she has learnt how to let go. “I am able to think outside the box, but also have an incredible attention to detail and ability to follow guidelines. I have a no-shortcut, no-excuse attitude, which sometimes drives my suppliers and factories crazy,” she says, laughing. “Perfection means something different to each individual. Achieving what you think is perfection takes up a lot of time. And very often you will probably end up not putting your work out anyway because you think it’s not good enough. Not trying to make everything perfect anymore has allowed me to enjoy my work without stress or pressure.” Reflecting Caroline’s tendency to look at life through rose-colored glasses, Carro’s bright and bold designs are all about encouraging the wearer to do the things they love with family and friends, and living a healthier lifestyle. For Caroline, maintaining a positive outlook and staying connected with her community has been easy, and she attributes a large part of her sunny disposition to her second home - Kuala Lumpur. “Malaysia’s capital is a big city full of energy, plus people here are friendly and it is easy to make friends, with endless fabric stores, festivities all year round and a fascinating mix of cultures. I love the weather, the sunshine and the diversity of cultures. I love spicy food. I definitely feel at home here.” www.carro.fashion
14 ScandAsia • April 2019
Home away from home
Making your new abode overseas comfortable is one good way to settle in. But why stop at comfort when you can also have style? Here are four outlets in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur that offer Scandinavian made home furnishing as well as locally made items inspired by Nordic aesthetics. Cellini
By Manta Klangboonkrong
A stylish comfy bed is definitely worth the investment. This Singaporean home furnishing brand is known as the to-go place for beds, as well as dining sets and sofas. All designer furniture pieces are designed in-house with luxury and comfort in mind. Choose from L-shaped lounge sets to recliners and fabric sofas to suit your everyday lifestyle. Cellini has three outlets in Kuala Lumpur: Mid Valley Megamall, MyTOWN Shopping Centre and Viva Home.
Smuk Living
Surround yourself with the fine designs and meticulously made contemporary furniture, dining sets, carpet and draperies as well as small home décor items from most respected Scandinavian brands such as HAY, Cane-line, Normann Copenhagen, Muuto, Ferm Living, Bolia, Eilersen, Fredericia and many others. The multi-brand outlet is located in Solaris Dutamas on Jalan Dutamas.
Entrer Home Gallery
From furniture and accessories to textiles and homeware, Entrer Home Gallery is an inventory of beautiful objects
for everyday use from the Scandinavia and beyond. The gallery, in association with its award-winning Scandinavian partners, does an excellent job at handpicking aesthetically pleasing items from mainly Danish and Spanish brands. Make a house a home with beautiful and functional pieces from brands like Expormim and Nomon from Spain, Prostoria from Croatia, Linie and MENU from Denmark and Nordic-inspired JotterGoods from Singapore among other few. The outlet is on level 2 of MyTOWN Shopping Centre.
Commune Life
If you’d like you wooden furniture to be a little edgy, look no further than Commune Life, Singaporean furniture maker that offers Nordic-inspired items. Created with sustainable American walnut and oak wood, the appeal of the creations stems from a combination of modern sleek designs and warm wood tones, with a touch of timeworn brass – the go-to store for chic wooden furniture as statement pieces in the living space. The Commune Life is on Jalan Maarof in Bangsar. April 2019 • ScandAsia 15
Innovation
The
King of Drones By Teuvo Tuomi
Finnish aviation and IT wizard Jani Hirvinen started the drone revolution, and he’s now designing our future. 16 ScandAsia • April 2019
Technology is now available for everyone, revolutionizing and defining our lives. This new phase is going to change how humans are going to live in the future.
“E
very day is for learning new things. If not, the day is boring,” Jani Hirvinen grins, while constantly searching something from the endless piles of electronics and drone frames at his somewhat chaotic office. The Bangkok-based innovator is also current Vice Chairman of the World UAV Federation. “There are no stupid questions. There are only solutions.” It’s hard to believe that this is the man responsible for the drone revolution. He looks just like one of us. But there possibly isn’t a thing that Jani doesn’t know about drones. Or UVs (unmanned vehicles), as he politely corrects. “I hate the word drones. It doesn’t explain anything.” Jani is clearly into something much bigger than just building small flying objects. He is a specialist on underwater systems, above the water vehicles, ground vehicles, aerial vehicles, and even spacecraft. He is a specialist on a whole bunch of futuristic ideas that have been utilized by well-known organizations like NASA (The National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and SpaceX.
At First There Was ArduCopter
ArduCopter 1.0 started it all. The year was 2010, and Jani was already a leader of the newly established ArduPilot group and its developers. He had been working for a long time with AeroQuad and many other multicopters. That’s why the move to ArduPilot project was natural. “We were all too lazy to fly. That’s why we developed a device that would fly for us. Suddenly it became a popular product,” Jani smirks. “The idea was a
quick do-it-yourself solution that could be modified. Ardu was based on an open source system, and it was cheap.” One of his most impressive contributions was the hardware design for the official ArduCopter platform, and also motors, including the firmwares which he created almost single-handedly. The result was, apar t from some military applications, nothing less than the first commercial drone platform. The one that popularized the industry.
The Next Revolution
Jani says that for the industry and for us, this is just the beginning. “Technology is now available for everyone, revolutionizing and defining our lives. This new phase is going to change how humans are going to live in the future.” Unmanned technologies are quickly starting to get out of their closets, penetrating our everyday life. “It won’t take long until we see fully automated transportation systems and other unmanned systems on macro level.” Future urban societies will be designed to handle ever growing unmanned
systems as there are a lot of different needs to make locations accessible for unmanned devices.This starts from how we design our houses, buildings, road systems, underground infrastructure and all the way to the urban city designs.
Flying Cars Are Coming
The possibilities of UVs are endless. Militaries around the world have used drones for various purposes for a long time, but industrial applications are the ones where Jani sees the real potential. “There are interesting projects for example for local commuting. Flying cars are not utopian anymore. Transportation networks need a vertical dimension.” However, some challenges remain. One one the biggest is how to make drones operate longer than now. “The challenge is still the operating distance. The mainstream UVs need to be operating for a reasonable amount of time. And here the point is the battery technology and its limits.” Even this is just another challenge for Jani. And challenges make him tick. “We are entering to the Planet 5.0 era where whole humankind will be working differently in sense of logistics, transportation and how we all interact with each other. This will not be limited to our current planet but far beyond that.” Unmanned devices will soon help humankind to expand from our civilization to the multi-planetary one. Mars and Moon suddenly don’t seem that distant anymore. “We need to get used to advanced technologies, faster response times and shorter distances.” Currently there are already several April 2019 • ScandAsia 17
18 ScandAsia • April 2019
new urban cities under development that will follow new design rules that unmanned systems require. “We are all in for the ride of a lifetime,” Jani predicts.
China Leads the Field
This big change has already star ted, especially in Asia. Many of the Asian countries adapt new technologies a lot faster than most Western countries. Around here, countries can build whole new cities by orders from governments. One example is Shenzhen that a few decades ago was just a tiny fishing village. Now it’s a bustling electronics, robotics and UV hub of 10 million people. The Chinese have quickly become leaders in the field of UVs, not just drones. That’s why Jani’s peers are increasingly looking at China’s technology heaven Shenzhen. “China is the technology and innovation leader now, and Shenzhen is its drone capital.” Jani knows this better than anyone. He has recently joined forces with the Shenzhen-based World UAV Federation (WUAVF) that was established in June 2017. On top of all his other duties, he works as WUAVF’s Vice Chairman. He is also a board member of the Experts Committee of the Shenzhen UAV Industr y Association. In other words, Jani is already a member of a small elite, who is designing our future.
Aviation at Heart
Jani was born to a family of aviation, his father being a Finnair Captain and a flight instructor and his mother with all kinds of flight license that inspires us to
challenge ourselves. And when Jani was young he used to take off whenever his mother was free from her car racing. Jani’s journey in the world of aviation and technology started early. He began with electronics kits at the age of 4, got his first computer at 6, and started with hobby airplanes at 8. Sinclair ZX80 is one of the early computers that was launched in 1980 - way before any current brands were even on the drawing board. Jani received
Being an innovator at hear t, Jani star ted focusing on his passion and quickly became one of the early Finnish IT pioneers. In the early 1980s, he was already developing FIDONet and SiGNET bulletin board system (BBS) networks. Jani was also responsible of creating one of the first SMD assemblies for the Finnish Army back in 1987. He did all this when his friends were just trying to graduate from high school.
No Time to Rest
We need to get used to advanced technologies, faster response times and shorter distances.
his first Sinclair just a few weeks after its release in the UK. After graduating from High School, Hir vinen became one of the youngest in Finland to get involved in circuit board production, using the surface- mount device (SMD) technology.
Jani lives in Bangkok’s Prawet district, where he has his home, his drone companies and naturally also a drone assembly line. He is also still involved in ArduPilot and unmanned technology development and production in multiple countries. “My time goes for parts development, management, dealing with all our suppliers, looking for new and better parts and testing. And for crashing a lot of our products so our users don’t need to,” Jani laughs. For the last 20 years, Jani has also been helping global internet service providers, done IT training and consultation projects. He has also helped high tech technology transfers between Finland and Thailand. Jani lives with his young son, daughter and Thai wife in the Land of Smiles and, based on what his friends say, works like there’s no tomorrow. His hobbies include R/C heli flying, electronics, occasional paragliding, sailplane flying and, yes, ice skating. After all, he is still a Finn.
inbound@asiantigers-thailand.com, outbound@asiantigers-thailand.com Tel: +66 2687 7800
www.asiantigers-mobility.com/Thailand
asiantigersmobilitythailand April 2019 • ScandAsia 19
International schools
How to
choose right school the
By Gregers Moller
To decide on something as important as your child’s education and well-being might be the toughest part about moving to another country.
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A good start is to ask other parents of your own nationality which school they have chosen and why. You will find many associations and institutions for your nationality in your country on the website www. scandasia.com under “Contacts Directory”.
C
hoosing a new school when moving has become increasingly difficult for parents. There are more and more schools established all the time, and each institution has its own unique philosophy and attributes. Comparing what they offer with the needs of your child is no simple task. A good start is to ask other parents of your own nationality which school they have chosen and why. You will find many associations and institutions for your nationality in your country on the website www.scandasia.com under “Contacts Directory”. You will find that they have chosen different schools and for different reasons but if you ask why, you will find that they all can be analyzed in the triangle “child needs - family needs - school offerings.”
If you go for the International school, consider that international students grow up and evolve in a cultural environment that is vastly different to that of your own. Known as Third Culture Kids (TCKs), they often develop a very different attitude to many issues compared to their former friends back home and even you yourself. If you are uncomfortable with this prospect you may prefer to look into the option of choosing a local school or a boarding school back home. Once this is said, most expat families decide to go for the international school, at least through primary school up to grade 9, where other options may come into play. At this point, not only boarding schools in Scandinavia but also boarding school in Asia may be considered.
Local vs International
In the triangle “Family needs - child needs - school offerings” the situation of the family must necessarily come first - even when you always say “the child comes first”. These include your family’s financial constraints, your need for child care during non-school hours, transportation, coordination if you have several children under education, etc. Every family brings different capabilities and constraints to the table. Be honest with yourself about your family’s aspirations and requirements. You must start with a true and clear picture of your family needs, and trust yourself to balance these with your child’s needs and with your search for a good quality school.
First choice is if you are looking for a local school or an international school? In most countries in Asia, a local school is an option - although certainly a more challenging option for your child. If you child is mixed Scandinavian - Asian this may, however, not be so frightening a prospect. And mostly it will have an economic silver lining as local private schools are less costly compared to international schools. However, physical punishment has not been abolished in many Asian school systems, so talk to the school how they administer physical punishment and ask if they can make an exception for your child if you are not comfortable with this.
Family needs
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International schools Avoid schools that say, “Our grade level work is tough enough for all students” and schools where everyone makes grade level, but few kids score far above grade level. Both academically gifted children and motivated “typical” kids miss out in a school that is focusing on grade level only. Here are a few more suggestions to help you make up your mind: Talk to people as much as possible to learn about a certain schools reputation. If many say the same it is probably true. But don’t listen to opinions expressed by people who have no children at the school themselves - those parents are often quick to seek confirmation of their own choice by adopting opinions about the competing schools. The age of the school is no sure indication either. Nothing guarantees that the reputation of a hundred year old school is better than a one year old school.
Child needs
Now, your child’s needs must be considered. Ask yourself what strengths, challenges and other characteristics really stand out about your child. Consider (a) what your child likes or is able to do well, (b) what your child does not like or has difficulty doing, and (c) how your child works and interacts best with adults and other children. All children need a school that will appropriately challenge and nurture them to succeed in core academic subjects, but research shows you can significantly improve your child’s life and school performance by choosing and working with the right school, so you have plenty of reasons to give it your best effort. There is also the curriculum to consider - what your child should learn and achieve at school - and how it fits with the school system back home if you should ever go back to Scandinavia.
School offerings
School offerings is the third element in the triangle. Repeated, unbiased research shows that all truly outstanding schools adhere to certain principles. While all are important, the two most important factors are: 1.The school has high expectations for all students. It means all students are expected & helped to meet high minimum goals; goals are raised for individual students as soon as they are ready to learn beyond grade level Avoid schools that make excuses for kids who are behind academically. If your child struggles, they may make excuses rather than help your child, too. Also avoid schools that pretend none of their students struggle. All schools have more than a few students who face learning challenges at some point. You need to know in advance how the school will respond 2.The school monitors progress and adjusts teaching. It means the school assesses individual student progress often and changes teaching approaches to ensure that every child locks onto learning. 22 ScandAsia • April 2019
Is the native language and culture of your child taught as optional learning. It is important for your child to keep his or her ties to your cultural background. It is also important for you. Ask questions about the tests and exams which are offered and used as evaluation method. If your child is already a secondary school student, ask how well the graduating students do in getting accepted into major universities both in your current country, back home and elsewhere overseas. Talk to some of the existing students if possible. Are they happy there? Do they look motivated to learn? How will the school help your child get started? Do they assign so-called “buddies” (another student from the same country) for new students?
Top Ten Signs of a Great Fit Between Your Child and School 1. Your child is eager to go to school and energized and happy at the end of most school days 2. Your child regularly has to work hard to learn and perform in school work 3. Your child regularly experiences success learning and performing in school work 4. You see big progress in your child’s overall development – academic, social, emotional and physical 5. Your child is learning and performing academically at the level of which you think (s)he is capable 6. Your child’s teachers really understand and appreciate your child’s strengths 7. Your child talks about school positively, using words like “fun,” “interesting,” or “cool” 8. You and your child feel positive about your child’s health, behavior and personal well-being at school 9. Your child has friends and acquaintances who like, accept and treat your child kindly at school 10. School work and friends are important, but not allconsuming, parts of your child’s life
Top Ten Signs of a Bad Fit Between Your Child and School How is the relationship between the school and the parents? You will obviously not be able to monitor your child in school. The teacher will have to be your eyes and ears. You must be notified of your child's functionality regardless of grade, and regardless of whether it includes bad behavior or progress your child has made. Make sure that you can get informed as often as possible. You may join a parents' volunteer program if available. Some schools may offer activities for the whole family as well.
Watch your child!
Never mind how diligent you do your homework - and maybe the above list is a bit excessive - you will never be able to foresee if your child will thrive at the school. It is therefore important that you make a habit of spending more time than you used to be back home talking to your child about how school was today. What they did in class, and what they did outside. Let her or him tell about their new friends. Listen. All may initially sound fine and uncomplicated, but that may just be a honeymoon period. This is the most important step of them all. If your child develops in any way you find disturbing or even develops signs of discomfort with going to school, you should think twice before you tell your child that “this is life - it is not always pleasant!”. A change of school at the right time might be the single most important decision to make to put the future of your child on the right track!
1. Your child is hesitant to go to school or worn down and unhappy at the end of most school days 2. Your child has made little progress in the past year — academically, socially, emotionally or physically 3. Your child is not performing as well academically as you reasonably think (s)he can 4. Your child says “school is boring” or expresses little interest in what (s)he’s learning 5. Your child learns more in a core subject outside of school than in school 6. Your child’s teachers do not seem to understand your child or appreciate your child’s strengths 7. Your child doesn’t seem to have any close friends or friendly acquaintances at school 8. Your child regularly makes poor choices at school, such as befriending bullies, choosing work of little interest, focusing on weaknesses rather than strengths — and school staff does nothing to intervene 9. You or your child are worried about your child’s health, behavior or personal well-being at school 10. Your child shows symptoms of stress only when school’s in session (e.g., sleeplessness, fatigue, excessive clinginess and whining, new nervous habits, regressing to younger behaviors) Source: Picky Parent Guide: Choose Your Child’s School with Confidence, available as at PickyParent.com at $13.57
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International schools
Why Children Need to Sometimes Leave the Classroom By Sarah Gaughan, Leader of Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Bangkok Patana School Around the world, everyone from governments, business leaders and economists to parents, teachers and paediatricians are all asking the same question: What skills will our children need to succeed? Lets’ consider this. It has been estimated that two thirds of children today will work in jobs that currently don’t exist. Now what skills do we want them to have? In 2016, the World Economics Forum released a list that every parent, teacher and anyone else involved in children’s development needs. It is a list of the 21st Century Skills most valued in today’s complex, globalised and rapidly changing world. A third of these skills are the
hard skills such as reading, writing and mathematics, sometimes referred to as IQ skills. More notable however, are other two thirds, such as critical thinking, curiosity, creativity, communication, social intelligence and resilience that are gaining prominence in classrooms and board rooms across the world. Academic success is simply not enough. At Bangkok Patana School, we have been researching and working hard to raise the profile of these characteristics for our students in order to ensure that they can be successful now and beyond their school years. As teachers, we continually ask ourselves, “Are we preparing our students’ success now and in THEIR future?” Our Primary Residential program is an excellent example of one way in which we provide oppor tunities for students to put down their pencils and 26 ScandAsia • April 2019
spend some quality time developing these very important skills and characteristics. Students spend from two to five days exploring a location outside Bangkok. Parents and electronic devices are not invited, so children have to develop skills such as independence and social intelligence. Giving children opportunities to explore the world through ‘play’ is fundamental to their development as they use their imagination, communicate ideas, take risks, negotiate, make plans, build relationships and follow their own interests. The children were so excited to have quality time together to ‘play’ on the beaches and in Thailand’s beautiful national parks. The itineraries on our residential visits involve thinking critically, solving problems and being creative. This year children had opportunities to make kites, build boats and design
survival shelters and many more activities that had them working in teams to solve problems. An important element of our visits is to develop children’s motivation through risk taking, trying new things and using their senses to explore the natural world. It is wonderful to watch the children overcoming initial fears about getting wet and messy! With a little reassurance from their friends and teachers, the children found that taking risks led to fantastic experiences. Many children were very proud of meeting challenges and achieving new things! We saw so many examples of children demonstrating resilience, perseverance and being proud of what they accomplished. Wading through rivers, paddling alongside living fish, kayaking through the mangroves and learning to ride bikes are just some examples of how children challenged themselves throughout the trip.The staff on residential always return to school having seen a very different side of their students.They say how proud they are to watch the children becoming more experienced and growing in ways they rarely see in the classroom! Reference: Dr Laura Jana TED talk https:// w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = z _ 1 Z v _ ECy0g#action=share
International schools
7 Reasons Why the MYP is Great Preparation for the IB Diploma Many International Schools in Bangkok offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma programme to students in the last two years of high school. However KIS International School, which offers a full IB education, through the IB Primary Years Programme (for 3-12 year olds) and the IB Middle Years Programme, or MYP (11-16 year-olds) as a preparation for the IB Diploma, gives its students a head start on the IB Diploma. Here are 7 reasons why the MYP sets your child up for success in the IB Diploma. 1. MYP students are confident and independent in managing their learning The MYP incorporates Approaches to Learning, helping students to learn how to learn. MYP students become aware of their learning strengths and weaknesses and they improve their skills in areas such as time management, communication, self management, research, and thinking, as well as improving their social skills. Students in the MYP also engage in an extended “Personal Project” which teaches them to complete a project from a concept to a finished product, and to reflect on this process as well. All of this helps set them up for success in the IB Diploma where students are expected to be self-motivated and independent learners. 2. MYP students do better than non-IB students in higher order thinking skills such as analyzing and evaluating information Teachers ask students to explain their reasoning and to use their research to suppor t their opinion. Students continuously analyze the quality of their information and approach problems from different perspectives. They design their own experiments and challenge each other through discussions. These thinking skills are necessary for the IB Diploma subjects and are key when students start their Extended Essay and their Theory of Knowledge classes. 28 ScandAsia • April 2019
3. MYP students are better writers and researchers Students in the MYP conduct hands-on research based on real world information and situations. They are taught to evaluate their sources and how to apply the information they find. Many projects are documented through written reports, with correct citation and bibliographies, and students regularly write reflections about the learning process and outcomes. This is all excellent preparation for the IB Diploma extended essay and for life at university. 4. MYP students have better affective skills Throughout the MYP students work on developing their emotional intelligence.They learn how to manage stress, overcome challenges and how to be more resilient. These skills are valuable throughout a student’s life and they are particularly useful in managing the demands of the IB Diploma.
5. MYP students understand how to transfer what they have learned to new situations Students don’t just learn knowledge, but they also learn larger concepts. These concepts (such as identity, aesthetics, community, etc.) allow students to see the bigger picture of what they are learning and to use what they have learned in other situations. The MYP also provides so-called Global Contexts, which encourage students to approach their reasoning from different perspectives, such as Scientific and Technical Innovation, Fairness and Development, and Personal and Cultural Expression. Working with these tools helps students with their IB Internal Assessments, their Extended Essay and their Theory of Knowledge class, as well as helping them to understand their subjects in greater depth. 6. MYP students know how to engage in meaningful service CAS is an integral part of the IB Diplo-
ma. Students in the MYP often initiate projects or activities which can then form the basis for their Creativity, Action and Service in the Diploma. One benefit is that the experience they gain in organizing events, fundraising, joining sports teams or supporting their local communities ensures that they don’t have to reinvent the wheel in Grade 11 and 12. Moreover, on a deeper level, engaging in service helps students to think about and define their learning outcomes, while the process of planning and carrying out CAS activities
further promotes students’ leadership skills. 7. And last, but certainly not least, MYP students do better on IB Diploma exams Research shows that students who have completed the IB Middle Years Programme do better on the IB Diploma exams, in Theor y of Knowledge and on the Extended Essay. Students who completed the MYP understand the expectations of the IB and they are familiar with the IB language and approach.
They have higher levels of confidence, which positively affect exam results, and they have learned how to study well. Students with MYP experience know how to approach problems from different perspectives and using different disciplines (subjects), providing broader, deeper and more creative solutions to problems in general and for the IB Diploma requirements in particular. The chart below shows the pass rate and percentage of high scores of MYP students compared to all students who took the IB Diploma*.
* The IB Middle Years Programme at a Glance. The International Baccalaureate Organization, 2016. Iborganization. “MYP Studies.” International Baccalaureate®, 2017, www.ibo.org/research/outcomes-research/myp-studies/. Iborganization. “What Is the MYP?” International Baccalaureate®, www.ibo.org/programmes/middle-years-programme/what-is-the-myp/. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP): Comparing IB Diploma Programme Outcomes of Students Who Complete the MYP and Other Middle Years Courses of Study. ACER, 2015,
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International schools
Top International School offers a serious STEAM programme for everyone! The emphasis on STEAM these days is unparalleled. For the uninitiated, STEAM is an interdisciplinary teaching approach that stands for Science, Technology, Entrepreneurship or Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. At the Canadian International School in Singapore (CIS), the approach plays an integral part of their school curriculum. Starting from pre-kindergarten, students are repeatedly engaged in inspiring, hands-on activities focused on developing key 21st century skills that will be beneficial throughout their life regardless of where their interests lie. Why the strong emphasis on STEAM? STEAM focuses on teaching students how the disciplines of science, technology, entrepreneurship (or engineering), ar ts and mathematics are connected and aligned with what they will experience when they enter the workforce. Today, nearly all jobs, no matter what the profession, rely on people’s exper-
tise in these areas. The approach is also an effective way of developing students with key 21st century skills such as collaboration, research, problem solving and critical thinking. A hands-on programme for all ages and interests CIS’s STEAM approach has something to offer everyone. It is student-led, handson and focuses on integrating STEAM into activities where students have the opportunity to make connections and solve real-life, authentic problems. From Grade 1 onwards, students are exposed to STEAM experiences in stimulating 30 ScandAsia • April 2019
makerspaces filled with state-of-the-art equipment such as 3D printers, laser cutters and an electric kiln. STEAM in action Lots of of exciting and innovative projects are happening right across CIS. Currently their youngest learners are learning about early math skills through water measurement activities in their mud kitchen, while grade 3 students have just completed building toys that transform electrical energy into another usable form such as light and sound energy. “The students’ passion and enthusiasm for the programme is truly inspiring,” says CIS PYP STEAM teacher
Andrew Deir. “It’s great to obser ve them actively sharing their discoveries with their peers and initiating their own, individual projects (just recently a grade 6 student was inspired to develop his own aquaponics system after engaging in a separate classroom STEAM activity ). We always make sure our students are motivated and excited to learn more through practical, hands-on problem solving where they are encouraged to experiment, persevere and think critically.” For more information about CIS’ STEAM programme visit www.cis. edu.sg/steam or contact one of their Admissions Team members on +65 6734 8088.
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International schools
Why International Education is Unique and Why Great Teachers are Essential “But in the end, a classroom can only be as good as the teacher who leads it” The very idea of an international school evokes an image of inclusion, and building bridges across cultures. It suggests a special passion for education from a dedicated, global community. At International School Bangkok (ISB), we embody this globally-minded approach to education with an emphasis on educating the whole child and defining the essential attributes and values we want every child to take away from their time at our school. Combining these forward-thinking ideals with the extensive experience that our diverse group of teachers bring to each class and classroom setting – we create environments where students learn while they form bonds of empathy with people from different backgrounds. Our teachers strive to provide the best environment for students to develop, learn and grow. Through a variety of creative approaches to learning, teachers engage students through experiential-learning that inspires curiosity and determination, while teaching them to be self-managing, courageous and adaptable. Excellence in the classroom A well-designed system of education and support can help children engage more deeply with their studies. But in the end, a classroom can only be as good as the teacher who leads it.
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Our dedicated staff at ISB are actively involved in developing each student according to their strengths, so they can achieve their personal and academic potential. Our entire faculty is committed to helping students find their way forward in life as they grow into passionate, reflective and caring global citizens. Exceptional teachers love working with children, they see teaching as the highest calling and are dedicated to providing relevant learning opportunities for every student: • They are creative and innovative • They work hard to know their students as learners and people, they study their content and design intentional learning opportunities that motivate students while improving learning • They are true learners themselves, seeking oppor tunities to improve their craft and become even better at what they do for students • Their beliefs align with ISB’s vision, values, and focus on learning International education offers a unique setting where multiculturalism, world-wide experience and a passion for education can thrive – a community made up of teachers, staff and students from all around the globe.
Bringing you the best By selecting International School Bangkok (ISB) students benefit from the vast and diverse experiences of the very best teachers from around the world. Our teachers bring original ideas and viewpoints, unique cultural insights, and a variety of effective approaches to learning in order to spark academic curiosity and personal development. Finding the right teachers and developing them through the ISB system is therefore our highest priority. When we recruit new teachers, we carefully screen every candidate for experience, proven success, collaborative spirit, alignment to our mission and values, and an attitude of caring for students through compassionate practices. Through the interview process, we make sure that each of our teacher candidates embodies the core values of ISB. They must show care, responsibility, commitment, gratitude, courage, balance, respect, and integrity, not only in their approach to teaching and education, but in their personal lives as well. ISB is much more than a school; it is a lifestyle, and we want all of our teachers and students to feel this is a place where they truly belong – a place that they can call home.
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International schools
St.Andrews Sukhumvit 107:
Inclusive Education in an International School context - the S107 ASDAN programme St. Andrews International School Sukhumvit 107 (S107) was established in 1997 and has grown to its current size of around 500 students aged 2-18. As part of the Cognita global schools group and one of four campuses in Thailand (Sukhumvit 107, Green Valley, Sathorn and Dusit), our mission is to provide ‘an inspiring world of education’. St. Andrews S107 is now known as a school where ‘everyone succeeds in a community of care’ regardless of age, ability, background, interest and aptitude. What does it mean to offer ‘an inspiring world of education?’ What does it mean to offer truly ‘personalised learning’? What is it about being part of the Cognita schools group, and the St. Andrews group of schools in Thailand (S107, Dusit, Green Valley and Sathorn) that truly makes us distinctive? At the start of this academic year, the S107 Learning Support team launched the ASDAN course (ASDAN stands for ‘Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network’ a UK accreditation body) which “offers programmes and qualifications that explicitly grow skills for learning, skills for employment, and skills for life.” Whilst at S107 we are aiming for excellence in all areas, for some students our IGCSE and IB programmes are simply inaccessible and no amount of personalisation will make them relevant for young people who will need a different pathway into a life of independence, inspiration and fulfilment. With tailored support and careful modification, the IB and IGCSE work really well for 95% of children you might encounter at a typical international school. Yet if a school is to be truly inclusive we have to make sure our curriculum can inspire every student! We launched our S107 ASDAN course for a small exclusive group of students in Years 9 and 10 in August 2018 as an alternative to our traditional academic courses with a degree of trepidation. What has emerged has 34 ScandAsia • April 2019
been an unbridled joy with a great deal of the most experimental, entrepreneurial and exciting learning and teaching revolving around the new learning hub which houses our ASDAN team (2 full time learning support staff with the 4 students supplemented by specialists who are flexibly drafted in depending on the project). We have had many exciting events: ASDAN Christmas Coffee
Morning incorporating feedback to parents (something these students would never have had the confidence to do a year ago) with the students organising themselves including budgeting and shopping for supplies at the local Tesco, gardening projects which have been both profitable (especially given the innovative pricing policy that meant the Head of School had to pay double for a bag of kale) and led to some tasty recipes being created, exciting Science projects based on real life problems such as
measuring how much activity is required to expend the calorific intake of various foods, building furniture for the Student Support room as part of the Independent Living course, making links with a local vocational training centre, and finally, caring for two turtles - Bob and Pumpkin - named in an ASDAN run competition and announced at a whole school assembly by the students themselves ….and Bob and Pumpkin have been the surprise well-being hit of the year for S107! Although this program is small scale, given that most of our students excel on their academic IB and IGCSE courses, we believe in our own strategic goal: ‘Everyone Succeeds!’ not just those on a more well-trodden academic track and a genuine community of care makes sure the curriculum is appropriate for all its students. This program is making a genuine difference to these young people’s lives (and their parents lives, who see them fulfilled, challenged and being prepared for an exciting, rewarding future beyond school). If you would like to visit us at our green and friendly campus please call +66 (0) 2393 3883 or email admissionss107@standrews-schools.com to arrange a tour and come and see us in action at Team S107 where Everyone Succeeds in a Community of Care!
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International schools
School life is about the journey and not the destination At Varee Chiangmai International School (VCIS) we aim to help our students create a journey they wish to be on; one in which they are invested and that exceeds their expectations. Our participation in the Duke of Edinburgh International Award is part of that journey and has been completed by over 8 million 14-25 year olds worldwide since its inception in 1954. VCIS offer hiking, sailing and winter sports expeditions as part of this International Award. Throughout these expeditions our students have the opportunity to improve their physical strength, social and emotional development, and planning and critical thinking. Nowhere has this been more evident than in our recent sailing expedition to Krabi. In February, 16 VCIS students aged 13-17 headed south to undertake six days of intensive sailing instruction, adventurous training, passage planning and camping. Starting the week as absolute beginners, they divided into crews of four and quickly gained confidence and technical understanding in all elements of sailing a Platu 25 yacht. By the end of the second day they were independently tacking upwind and gybing downwind, passage planning, navigating and demonstrating a clear understanding of wind, weather
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and tide. They then undertook an independent sailing voyage across the open seas of Thailand’s Andaman coast. All crews successfully navigated their way westwards from Krabi, landing at an isolated beach before sunset. The following morning they broke camp and returned to Krabi in difficult sailing conditions, showing themselves to be extremely competent sailors and navigators. Needless to say, upon arrival at Krabi they were extremely proud of themselves and of their accomplishments on this Expedition. As a result of this fantastic experience, plans are well underway for our 2020 Expedition.
CREATIVE LEARNING, CREATIVE CHILD
INTEGRATES LITERACY AND NUMERACY THROUGH THE ARTS AND LANGUAGES Arts Kidz International's child-centred, enquirybased curriculum approach focuses on learning experiences that are responsive. With specially curated learning spaces designed for art, technology, science, music and more, children at Arts Kidz International Pre-schools are exposed to a variety of experiences to make meaningful discoveries, exciting explorations and learn through play. All planned experiences will integrate principles of collaboration and recognise the value of inquiry. Arts Kidz International adopts the IEYC (International Early Years Curriculum) with a focus on international-mindedness and development of personal goals such as respect and morality to enhance the development of the whole child. Specialist language programs offered include Mandarin, Korean and Japanese. An eclectic array of arts based specialists provide lessons in visual arts, Chinese Speech & Drama, Violin and Mindfulness for Kids. Children can opt for full days, half days or threeday weeks. There’s also an After School Club that offers fun activities such as speech and drama, soccer and cheerleading.
RAEBURN PARK CAMPUS 10 RAEBURN PARK, #02-33 SINGAPORE 088702 T : (65) 6456 8003 E: enquiry@artskidz.com.sg W: artskidz.com.sg
Finnish Kide Science Center expands to Singapore
F
ollowing the world's first Kide Science Center outside of Finland in Malaysia, the play-based learning science center now partners with Edufarm Learning Center to make impact in Singapore. Last August, Kide Science Center made its way from Finland to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to equip children aged 3-8 with inquisitive minds, awareness of nature and fundamental scientific knowledge through play-based and fun interactive learning.The center now taps into the cosmopolitan Singapore later last year in partnership with Singaporean Edufarm Learning Center. “The significant thing for us is that Singapore is one of the world’s top countries for education and yet they still want educational innovations from Finland,” said Kide Science CEO and co-founder Sari Hurme-Mehtälä. “The world around us is changing rapidly, and kids need to be prepared for whatever
40 ScandAsia • April 2019
the coming years might bring. If they learn to respect nature and understand its causes and effects, they’re likely to be interested in knowing how to protect the Earth and act accordingly.” The agreement between the Finnish and Singaporean learning centers was signed in October last year, with first students set to arrive at the start of
2019. This new deal follows the opening of the world’s first Kide Science Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in late August. Kide Science teaches science to children between the ages of three and eight through play. According to HurmeMehtälä, learning an inquiry-based approach helps to raise the problem-solvers of the future. The science academy states that its proven pedagogical methods are based on rigorous academic research conducted at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Their pedagogical approach is supervised by Jenni Vartiainen, who is a leading researcher in the field of play-based science education. Children get to explore the wonders of the world around them by exploring, experimenting and observing. It is described as “a thrilling science adventure that has long-lasting effects”. Finnish children’s science academy Kide Science is growing rapidly with more than 50 science clubs in Finland, and now also a two-storey science center in Malaysia. This collaboration agreement was reached with local partner Childhood enrichment, with the help of Finnish education exporter Polkuni. Kide Science is also part of the Education Finland program co-ordinated by the Finnish National Agency for Education, which supports Finnish education providers on the international markets.
Fight against corruption in Thailand by Nordic Chambers By Nilobon Bantoey
F
our Nordic Chambers of Commerce in Thailand co-hosted the seminar on anti-corruption titled “The next Big Thing in the Fight Against Corruption: CAC Cer tification and the Thai Anti-Corruption Initiative”, on Wednesday, 27th March 2019 at Spaces, Empire Tower Sathorn, Bangkok. The anti-corruption seminar was organized by the 4 Nordic chambers of commerce (TSCC, DTCC, TNCC, TFCC) together with the Thai Institute of Directors (IOD), a leading organization committing to improve director professionalism and corporate governance in Thailand, and the Collective Action Coalition (CAC), one of the most significant projects operated mainly by IOD. The purpose of the event was not about being compliant with the corruption, but it was about sending a signal to fight against the corruption at the company and industry levels. Eric Hallin, the president of TSCC, delivered an opening remark to welcome all the participants who interested in this seminar and thanks to the Nordic sponsors: Spaces (the venue sponsor), Securitas (the event sponsor) and also TSCC’s partners: ARITCO, Husqvarna, SAAB and Penn Investment “without them this seminar would not be possible to succeed.” he said. He also commented on how Nordic companies feel about corruption “corruption was not what we wanted to be involved with but it was what we wanted to eliminate it as much as we can.” The main point of the seminar was started by Kulvech Janvatanavit, CEO of Thai IOD and CAC Secretary who gave the attendees an introduction to what is CAC and why foreign companies need to tackle corruption in Thailand. Kulvech said that most people considered the corruption as something beyond their control and difficult to combat and that were the reasons CAC was established to create awareness
among companies so that they can learn the appropriate method to resist corruption here in Thailand. With the CAC’s policies and effective mechanisms, the companies joining CAC’s program would gain the ability to improve themselves in three different levels: self (uplift legal risk mitigation and international buyer expectation), sector (address sectorial corruption issue) and society (boost national competitiveness). Kulvech concluded his presentation by providing the reasons why it was necessary for foreign firms to join CAC. He said that the companies should join the program to send strong signals to Thai counterpar ts to underline that foreign business communities stand firm against corruption and to show that the collaboration within countries that have high integrity can also help improving local practices. ollow by the presentation from Pana Ratanabanangkoon, CAC Director, he raised the issues about the reasons why do companies pay bribes, and how companies of all sizes can be part of solutions. Pana highlighted that companies pay bribes due to three reasons: to speed up process, to fix the error and to secure business through different methods such as giving gifts or taking part as a sponsorship and business partner.
And to be a part of solutions, he noted that companies of all sizes had to involve relevant personals within the organization in order to have the same understanding of the corruption’s definition so that each company can form the policies covering all forms of bribery in their industries. The seminar was closed by Ratana Chobchai, Vice President, Ethics and Compliance Department, Total Access Communication PLC (DTAC), who shared a number of advantages that DTAC obtained from being a member of CAC. The benefits of joining CAC helped DTAC to realize which par t of the company should be improved and by completing all CAC’s processes, DTAC would gain the certification, an evidence indicating the adequacy of DATC’s anticorruption program. Not only that being the member of CAC can give achievements in company sector but also can bring society positive outcomes such as raising awareness and empowering society to fight against corruption. This seminar on anti-corruption made the audiences realized that corruption was not that difficult to combat and if the foreign companies work together, they can change the game of the corruption and shape the future they want. April 2019 • ScandAsia 41
Community
DCCC Beijing’s 2019 Annual General Meeting
O
n March 7th, The Danish Chamber of Commerce in China (North China Chapter) had its annual general meeting at the Danish Cultural Center in 798 Art District. Yearly achievements were evaluated and new goals were set. Presentations were given by Ambassador of Denmark to China His Excellency A. Carsten Damsgaard, Chairman of the DCCC Beijing Mathias Boyer, General Manager of DCCC Beijing Mads Vesterager Nielsen, Treasurer of the DCCC Beijing Klaus Petersen, and Director of the Danish Cultural Center, Eric Messerschmidt. Leading stake-
holders from the Danish community in Beijing had the opportunity to present themselves with speeches from representatives of Sino-Danish Center for Education dnd Research (Thomas Lykke),
Danish Young Professionals (Mads Lykke Nygaard), China – Denmark Alumni Network (Zhan Hu),The Danish School in Beijing (Tina Dige Kjaergaard) and Beijing Foreign Studies University (Catherine Wang). 12 members of the board were elected and the Danish Chamber of Commerce in China welcomed Xinwei Liu, Head of China and Vice President of Arla Foods, and Ying-Fang Catherine Yang, Regional Managing Director of Grundfos China, as the new members of the board of directors of DCCC Beijing.
DTCC’s 2019 Annual General Meeting
T
he Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce, or Dancham, held their 2019 annual general meeting on Thursday, 21 March 2019 at Two Pacific Place building on Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok, where seven candidates were elected to the board. Among seven candidates, there were two members that was re-elected to the board. I was also announced that in April 2019, the board will have another meeting where chairman and vice chairman of the board are to be selected to continue DTTC’s operation. The new member s selected to join the board of Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce include: Supareak Charlie Chomchan (P. Rich Group), Stiig Weaver (Weaver Group), Peter Waagensen (Bang & Olufsen), Frank D. Henriksen (DanThai Machiner y), Torben Zoffmann Wendelboe (ETK EMS Asia Production), Hans Jørgen Ibsen Nielsen (SHAW Group), Jakob Lykkegaard Pedersen (Lykke Studios), 42 ScandAsia • April 2019
From left to right are Michael Andersen, Torben Zoffmann Wendelboe, Supareak Charlie Chomchan, Frank D. Henriksen, Pimvimol Vipamaneerut, Claus Rasmussen, Stiig Weaver, Hans Jørgen Ibsen Nielsen, Nanna Liborius Sjoerup, Siriporn Wongurai, Peter Waagensen. Missing from the picture are Peter Sand and Jakob Lykkegaard Pedersen (Photo: DTCC’s website) Pimvimol Vipamaneer ut (Tilleke & Gibbins), Nanna Liborius Sjoer up (Novo Nordisk), Siriporn Wongurai (Falck Global Assistance Limited), Claus Rasmussen (Pandora Production) and Peter Sand (Embassy Representative).
According to DTCC’s official website, the board’s intention this year was to operate all the works under the transparency and good governance to merit Denmark’s reputation as it was recently reported the least corrupted country in the world.
Mads & Monopolet Show in Beijing
O
n March 2, more than 100 guests, including Danish expats from different parts of China, Sino-Danish Center For Education And Research (SDC) students, teachers and staff members made up the audience, when SDC hosted a special edition of the award-winning radio show, Mads & Monopolet live.The event was organised by the Danish Chamber of Commerce in China Beijing Chapter and SDC. The audience was given the opportunity to have their dilemmas discussed by a Danish panel that consisted of musician Søren Rasted, fashion expert Uffe Buchard and life style expert Mads Christensen. For SDC it was the first time to host an event that was pure entertainment. “The evening was a huge success. The panel was very energetic and everyone had a great night. It gave us the opportunity to make ourselves more known among Danish companies and organisations in China and show that
SDC is an obvious gathering point. We have already seen an effect, as some of our corporate guests have expressed
interest in organising events at SDC in the future”, says Thomas Lykke Pedersen, Event and Relations Coordinator at SDC. The evening was concluded with an after party in Beijing, where Mads & Monopolet got to mingle with the Danish community, before they continued their trip to Hong Kong. (Source: SDC website)
Singapore SwedCham 2019 Annual General Meeting
T
he Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, SwedCham, has quickly established itself as a go-to hub for Swedish-related business professionals seeking rewarding networking and skills accelerating opportunities. March 21, 2019, marked the date for SwedCham’s second annual general meeting at 1880 on Nanson Road. The annual general meeting was well-attended with over 50 participants, with the key note speaker being Sweden’s only astronaut, Christer Fuglesang. Following the annual general meeting, the SwedCham Board Committee elected new board committee members and new alternate board committee members.The new board committee presents a strong representation of the Swedish business community, with high level executives from a variety of sectors. The members of the board committee now are: Mr. Horst Wasel (Vice President of Holding SE-Asia Atlas Copco), Ms. Marie Helene Mansard (Strategy
and Business Development, Axis Communications), Ms. Angelica Lundman (Head of Large Corporates, SEB) and Mr. Enrique Patrickson (CFO Aisa Pacific, Africa and Middle East, Electrolux). Alternate and non-elected members
of the board committee include: Mr. Anders Liss (Regional Manager, Scania), Ms. Anneli Carlström (Founder CAPA HR Consulting), Ms Cecilia Håkansson (Head of Legal Affairs, Ikano), Mr Lars Bergström (Group Vice President Asia Pacific & India, GAC) and Mr. Robert Jessing (Senior Principal Strategy, Accenture). Non-elected members include H.E. Ambassador Niclas Kvarnström, Embassy of Sweden, and Trade Commissioner Emil Akander, Business Sweden. SwedCham’s new board committee assumed their responsibilities from April 1, 2019. April 2019 • ScandAsia 43
Interview
Bringing the environment to the table in Myanmar Swedish Hanna Helsingen works for World Wide Fund for Nature in Myanmar to make the environment a priority for the Myanmar government. Her life here is both challenging and enjoyable and she is only hesitantly getting ready to leave. By Lærke Weensgaard
U
nderneath the green leaves of the Dawna Tenasserim Landscape in Myanmar, Asian elephants, tigers and other wildlife still roam the forest. Hornbills and other birds still fly high and are heard singing in the mornings and evenings. But soon you will also hear the sound of something completely different: Cars. A multi-lane road, called the Dawei Road, is set to be built through the forest. One who works on convincing the Myanmar government to design the road in a way that interferes as little as possible with the wildlife is Swedish Hanna Helsingen. She works for 44 ScandAsia • April 2019
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the 30-year-old Swede moved to Myanmar in 2014 to be green economy programme manager. In her job she spends a lot of her time in meetings and correspondence with various departments of the Myanmar government and other international organisations. “I try to ensure that environment is constantly on the table when decisions are being made,” she says.
WWF in Myanmar
When Hanna Helsingen was 24-years old, she made a list of 10 countries
around the world where she could imagine herself work. The only Asian country to make it into her list was Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. Myanmar has been a British colony until it was granted independence after World War Two, but became a military dictatorship few years later.The military government was officially dissolved in 2010 following a general election. Myanmar has opened up to the outside world and attracts a growing number of tourists, all though one third of the country’s 50 million population still live in poverty. “I’ve always been intrigued by Myan-
mar’s history, but also the fact that it’s very rich in nature. I have also been very excited about being part of the opening up of a country, that was still fairly new to many,” Hanna Helsingen says. She star ted working in Myanmar before WWF officially had opened their first office in the country. Now, they have four offices around the country. WWF primarily focuses on conserving the forests, rivers and wildlife in Myanmar, especially the Dawna Tenasserim Landscape that is one of WWF’s five worldwide priority landscapes. “WWF is not saving nature just for nature itself but also for the people living here, because they are truly dependent on nature. We are trying to strike a balance where both people and nature can thrive at the same time,” Hanna Helsingen explains.
Life in Myanmar’s capital
As a kid, Hanna Helsingen picked mushrooms with her grandfather when the Swedish forests turned golden. Among the Swedish forests and lakes her interest in nature conservation started to grow. That lead her to pursue a bach-
I try to ensure that environment is constantly on the table when decisions are being made.
elor of political science in Uppsala and masters in public administration and environmental science and policy in New York. She has since lived in Switzerland and now Myanmar. She sits outside her home in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar, with a street dog on her lap. A very clean
street dog she underlines with a laugh. Along with three other street dogs, it decided to move in shortly after she moved here herself. When she first came to Myanmar from Switzerland, she struggled to get use to frequent power cuts and slow internet that made it hard to keep in touch with the family and friends she left behind in Europe. “Going from one of the most developed and organised countries in the world to one of least was a very big change,” she says. But the changing and challenging everyday was interesting. “I felt instantly more alive in Myanmar. Not a single day is the same here.” She lived in Yangon, the biggest city in Myanmar, until August 2018 where she decided to move to Naypyidaw in order to be closer to the government departments she works with. With her, she brought two cats, that has found the new life in Naypyidaw a bit strange with four dogs suddenly craving for their owner’s attention. Life here is strange for Hanna Helsingen as well, since Naypyidaw is a city unlike many others. April 2019 • ScandAsia 45
Interview In 2005, Yangon lost its status as capital in favour of Naypyidaw.The new capital was built to house a population that never moved there, and now Naypyidaw is known for its odd combination of large size and low population density. Few expats like Hanna Helsingen live here, and they have a WhatsApp group called Need some life in Naypyidaw! to help each other make the most of life in the quiet city. Unlike most other Asian capitals, Hanna Helsingen does not spent hours in traffic jam when she goes somewhere – there are not enough cars to cause traffic jam. The lack of city noise also makes room to the sound of birds. “I really like to be able to hear birds. You don’t get to do that in a lot of Asian cities.”
With that said, she still believes WWF has a lot of work ahead of them with the Dawei Road.
Different priorities
Hanna Helsingen has her office at the environmental conser vation depar tment and spends a lot of her time in meetings with government depar tments or other international organisations working towards the same goals as WWF. One of the underlying challenges in her work is the prioritization of the environment: “The problem with development of a countr y is that there are many different priorities like health, education or peace to take care of. Often, the environment is not one of the top priorities.” She also experiences, that there is an idea about only to care for the environment after the country has reached a cer tain standard. She believes that is a wrong approach. “Avoiding addressing environmental issues only makes it more expansive to fix later on and also adds more issues in the long run.” Despite the challenges, she is impressed with the parts of the government she works with. “They are in general very hard working and I feel there is a strong willingness to do things differently.” During her years in Myanmar, she has watched the staff in the environment conservation department grow from 50 to more than 600. 46 ScandAsia • April 2019
Avoiding addressing environmental issues only makes it more expensive to fix later on.
For the past 1,5 year she has been training the new staff in environmental policy issues and she finds it exciting to watch the new staff develop. In her work with the Dawei Road she has also experienced development among the staff. “I’m proud of how some of the government staff on this project have changed their mindset and actually understand that roads have a lot of impact on the surrounding nature.”
Next stop: Singapore
Hanna Helsingen’s life in Myanmar is slowly coming to an end. Last year she got married and she wants to live with her husband, who is based in Singapore. But she is not ready to leave Myanmar behind. “I became an adult in Myanmar and that’s one of the reasons why I haven’t left yet.” Even though she is going to leave the country, she will still keep her job with WWF and on a regular basis travel the more than 2000 kilometers between Singapore and Myanmar. It does not sound optimal, but the country that at first was ver y unfamiliar has grown on her. “Myanmar has a dark histor y, a complicated present and has many issues to deal with in the future. But it has remarkable people. I have experienced kindness in its true meaning in the sense that people, that being strangers, friends or colleagues, have done things for me without expecting anything in return,” she says. That is undoubtedly another reason why she is still in Myanmar. There is also a lot of work to be done on the Dawei Road yet, so Myanmar is not waving goodbye to her for a while.
EU donated EUR 221 million to education in Myanmar By Nilobon Bantoey Photo: Embassy of Denmark in Myanmar’s Facebook page
E
uropean Union supported education in Myanmar with EUR 221 million to provide equal acesses to better quality education for all Myanmar students. The donation ceremony was officially held on 21 March 2019 in the presence of State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, EU Ambassador Kristian Schmidt, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Planning and Finance U Tun Tun Naing and Ambassador of Denmark to Myanmar John Nielsen. The attendees also included Union Minister of Education Dr Myo Thein Gyi, Union Minister of Planning and Finance U Soe Win, and officials of their respective ministries and the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations. The speech at the ceremony was delivered by Dr Myo Thein Gyi, Union Minister of Education. He considered the donation from EU as an act presenting partnership and trust between
EU and Myanmar’s government and also a sign that EU suppor ted Government’s ambition on improving the education system in Myanmar. He continued that Myanmar government has been improving its education since 2016 by increasing budget allowance for the education sector every fiscal year. “So, the EU support will also supplement the Government’s investment in
education” said Dr. Myo. Moreover, Kristian Schmidt, EU Ambassador who was born in Denmark underlined the EU’s commitment to assist education reforms and the value of education as a gateway for a better life. “The EU is very proud to be Myanmar’s partner in reforming and improving education. We believe youth in Myanmar deserves better schools and training to free their potential.” said the EU Ambassador. With the contribution from EU, Myanmar will be able to strengthen the quality of education systems by developing the policies on education, teaching methods and assessment systems to assure that the students can have the better quality education in ethnic areas.
April 2019 • ScandAsia 47
Destination
new lifestyle Cool Kuala Lumpur’s
attractions
By Joakim Persson
Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur 48 ScandAsia • April 2019
Staircases, ceilings... every venue and design detail are attention-grabbers!
T
he Kuala Lumpur hotel and bar scene has turned really hot recently. Any doubts you may have about that will be gone after reading this! Many of the global five-star brands have arrived to significantly shake things up and, in the process, step up the sophistication and increase the luxury selection. The impressive line-up includes Banyan Tree, Four Seasons, St. Regis and W that have all debuted, turning the Malaysian capital into a really strong contender, with many more attentiongrabbing venues than were previously the case.
Sunway Putra Hotel
First out in this city update is however a local contender; the refurbished Sunway Putra Hotel (classified as five star). Sunway Putra is easily accessible via two nearby stations: a commuter railway as well as LRT and offers a shuttle to KLCC for guests. Some of the room categories will in par ticular appeal to guests from the Nordics, given their design with white, blonde wood and a blue-hued carpet. There are deluxe, family and club rooms and suites to choose from, all with ample size and comfor table lounge chairs. Club rooms come at affordable prices for club lounge access with its panorama view of the city and Petronas Towers in the distance.
and guests more into a classic feel. Reflecting the rich character of the neighbourhood Hotel Stripes comes with an extra front facade made of red brick wall and metal framework. Its décor draws on its traditional surrounds; for instance the red brick arcades in restaurant Brasserie 25, or the enlarged photographs from the neighbourhood of yester year, above the oversized rooms’ bed heads and bed lamps. Today’s surroundings offer a shopping center and cool cafes, bars and restaurants on a nearby street with Art Deco houses - Row Jalan Doraisamy. All room types are amazingly planned and designed into the last detail, with a sofa at the foot of the super comfy bed, on a brown-greenish leaf-patterned carpet. A frosted glass window separates the sandy marble clad en-suite bathroom.
Hotel Stripes Kuala Lumpur
Closer to KLCC we find another gem in the form of Hotel Stripes Kuala Lumpur (Autograph Collection by Marriott), which will appeal to both modern
Hotel Stripes Kuala Lumpur
The inviting Brasserie 25 (with semiprivate crescent sofas in mustard yellow) offers a refreshing and delectable French-style menu, with dishes such as Pan-roasted black cod fillet with ratatouille, or Stewed white bean with lamb sausage and duck confit. The brasserie serves excellent cocktails too, such as French Blonde or The Montparnasse. Also don’t miss the quintessential Le Goûter experience: Afternoon tea the French way, where exquisite pastries and savouries with a local twist are served to your table from trays.
Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Next up is Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, situated in a new shiny 65 stories skyscraper next to the twin towers, where no expense has been spared to surpass expectations and raise the bar. And this hotel’s probably most stunning venue – too many outlets to highlight here - is a swish, sophisticated cocktail bar with absolutely stunning interiors. Bar Trigona – in this sleek new cocktail bar, discover where creative cocktails collide with the most coveted masters of their craft. Named after the native trigona bee, this discerning venue boasts hand-crafted cocktails and curated spirits, where artisan bartender Ashish Sharma is at the helm. Try classic cocktails with a re-imagined twist while savouring the luxury design and skyline outside. Among the hotel’s extraordinar y culinary experiences, out to redefine the city’s epicurean scene, is cutting edge CurATE, where the international buffet menu is infused with an assortment of local and seasonal sustainable ingredients. April 2019 • ScandAsia 49
Destination
Sunway Putra Hotel
W Hotel Kuala Lumpur
The same is in focus at the next wow hotel, the most significant recent entry to the ranks, which is nearby W Hotel Kuala Lumpur. At its open kitchen allday Flock every bite from the appetisers to the entrées and desser ts are ethically and locally sourced, fresh and organically grown. The local roots and traditions that are maintained by the city while keen on always embracing what comes next is a perfect balance act that have been
After this you’ll feel just ready for wherever the journey takes you next. Cheers! ‘À votre santé! Skål!
fully embraced by the vibrantly designed W hotel. Kuala Lumpur as a jungle city - nature is juxtaposed against architecture with towering skyscrapers emerging from the canopy of green – is the theme for the Welcome area with its modern nods to the jungle (streaming LED lights mimic waterfalls, ceiling patterns depict an artistic interpretation of Kuala Lumpur's topography etc.). Staircases, ceilings... every venue and design detail are attention-grabbers! So are the rooms with their vibrant colours, mixing W signature beds and 50 ScandAsia • April 2019
Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur
St. Regis Kuala Lumpur
other essentials with traditional accents. The multifunctional WET Deck, the hotel’s swimming pool on level 12 overlooking KLCC, transcends into a club venue by nightfall showcasing cutting-edge DJ music mixing and cocktails. This is truly a welcome concept and vibe for Kuala Lumpur’s local discerning crowd and visitors. Nature also inspires the cocktail concoctions, using infused exotic local ingredients, including coconut, tuak, Tualang royal black honey, and more.
Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur
For more cocktails and city views we head to the opposite side of Petronas Towers where all-new Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur (managed by Swede Anders Dimblad) lies just near Paragon mall, and that literally takes the city’s sky bar scene to new heights. There, you are whisked to floor 59 via express elevators for a Banyan Tree signature experience and panorama views of the whole valley! The indoor/outdoor Vertigo sky bar comes with a menu to match the elevated setting. Some picks: ‘Sur Mesure’
St. Regis Kuala Lumpur cocktail with hazelnut, Kraken Spiced Rum, Gula Melaka (palm sugar), Frangelico, Monin coconut syrup and fresh Lime; white Pinot Grigio, “Placido” Banfi, Tuscany or red Pinot Noir, Wairau River, Marlborough; and for tapas Beef Tartare (hand cut Angus steak tartare, marinated Fresh Black Peppers, shallot, capers and Wakame seaweed), Turmeric spiced Atlantic salmon; or Spiced roasted steak skewer with spicy chimichurri Sauce, avocado guacamole and mini naan bread.
Visits to Kuala Lumpur usually start or ends via KL Sentral, which is increasingly growing into a city in the city, and where this report’s last stop is St. Regis Kuala Lumpur. If time permits stop by for relaxed happy hour drinks in really plush surroundings at its Astor Bar & Decanter. This is a setting where to celebrate any moment! Drink O’Clock takes place during three generous hours from 5 pm, including cocktails like Lychee Martini, Strawberry Margarita and Passion Daiquiri. St. Regis’ specialty cocktails must not be overlooked with titles like ‘Cuban Gentleman’ and ‘Phone Booth’ (Jose Cuervo Gold Tequila combined with passion fruit juice, yuzu vinegar, grenadine syrup, lime juice and peach liqueur topped with soda). After this you’ll feel just ready for wherever the journey takes you next. Cheers! 'À votre santé! Skål!
April 2019 • ScandAsia 51
Interview
Henrik Yde Andersen
By Manta Klangboonkrong
52 ScandAsia • April 2019
Bangkok and Copenhagen-based Chef Henrik Yde Andersen talks about how passion, perseverance and a bit of luck earned him culinary stardom and a refreshing worldview on life.
25
years ago, when young Henrik Yde Andersen, a classically train chef from Copenhagen, came to Thailand for a one- week vacation, he found a crucial turning point that later set him on a unique path of his own, as a chef, a restaurateur and a corporate businessman. “I ran away from the professional kitchen back home, which was at the time mainly managed by fear,” Henrik told us when he was in Bangkok recently to launch the summer menu. “I liked to cook, but I just couldn’t stand the environment. It’s not because these chefs want to scream and yell at each other, it’s the only tool they have a in the box. I don’t think it’s a way to drive forward the whole team, let along to motivate people under the supervision.” And right then and there on the beach of Krabi, a fiery hot Thai-style beef salad inspired him to learn more about Thai food. “I got tears streaming down my cheeks because it was so hot, and at the same time it was so delicious! There was a lot of sugar in the food, which I was not used to, and it surprisingly gave such great balance to the flavors. The next day, I went back and ask to train there. “One week became four years straight that I was travelling all over Thailand, learning about food. It was very hard for me because I don’t have that “Thai mother” like all the Thai chefs that give them references of what Thai food should be like.Thai food is fantastic. It has more flavors than anything else in the world. When you go Thai, you can’t go back. So imagine when I’m home having Nordic food!” Henrik went back to Copenhagen with a heart filled with hope to start a Thai restaurant business, and not many coins in his pocket. But luck was on his side. “Because we had no money, we could only afford rent in the then run down, drug-ridden working class area of Guldbergsgade,” the chef said. He was 36 at the time. “We found a corner building with cheap rent.The owner said
One week became four years straight that I was travelling all over Thailand, learning about food.
if ‘well, if you could get rid of the junkies, it’s all yours.’ We did, and the first Kiin Kiin (eat eat in Thai) was opened.” Henrik and co star ted small with a Thai takeaway setup at the back of the building. What ingredients he could not get in Denmark, he improvised and made things from scratch the way he was trained in Thailand, offering improvised-but-not-compromised Thai food that set Kiin Kiin apart from other Thai eateries at the time. The techniques and approaches later become his signature style, which he described as modern Thai cuisine. “Within a week I had 200 people waiting for me to open the door for our takeaway then we started decorating the restaurant when we got a bit more money,” the chef recalled. “By that time, the area became popular with hip shops, boutiques and cafes opening up. The first day we opened Kiin Kiin, Denmark’s biggest food critic came to dine. He gave us a good review and we have been full ever since. Seven months later, we got one Michelin star.” And the rest is history. Henrik’s culinary empire now covers 18 restaurants in Bangkok and Copenhagen. Among them are three Kiin Kiin fine dining restaurants, vegetarian restaurant Veve, 6-seat omakaze-style joint Kiin Kiin 71
April 2019 • ScandAsia 53
Interview
54 ScandAsia • April 2019
Focus on the guests, not your own ego.
and several others in different concepts. In Bangkok, Henrik teamed up with Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok nine years ago to open Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin – a Thai restaurant that immediately caused a big stir once it was launched. What’s on the menu? Frozen curries, pad kaprao moo (stir-fired basil and minced pork on rice) that is completely deconstructed beyond recognition, Thai-style mini sausages infused with “Bangkok’s street smog” and many others that diners initially either found “innovative and fun” or “over-the-top and disrespectful”. “I never say it is traditional Thai food,” the chef said, smiling. “It’s more like Thai food seen through Henrik’s eyes, so it is not bound by tradition. But I get it [the criticism]. If a Thai chef came to Denmark and cooked Danish food, I would be skeptical, too. That’s a normal reaction, and it was in fact expected. We’re all fighting for the same cause: getting people to love Thai food. We’re on the same side.” While Henrik shows us Thai how food can evolve, thrive and surprise with a bit of imagination and creativity, his experiences working in Thailand and local associates gave him a new perspective on life. “I found out that even after years in Thailand that I will always be a foreigner, and this helps me when I work with my own team because we also have a lot of foreigners from many different coun-
tries working with us. I understand the situation a lot more. 98% of our team of 200 are from other countries, so our company is very global,” Henrik said. “In Denmark you can say your opinion, whatever position you have in the company, and that never happens here. You have to go around a lot, before you can put in the knife (laughs). I had a friend from Denmark working here and he complained a lot about this. I said, ‘go home! If you can’t get it, go home, or you’ll end up being even more frustrated’. I think that when you’re in a new country, you’re the one that has to adapt. 60 million Thai people will not follow your way just because. Thais are
forgiving, which is great.They’re proud of their country and its legacy. People here still love and eat Thai food every day. I think it’s impressive.” Henrik juggles his time between Copenhagen and Bangkok, securing his diverse fan bases doing what he loves the most – cooking. “The day you stop being curious, stop cooking. If you don’t want to look for something new, don’t. It’s over. And when that day comes for me, I wish someone would tap me in the shoulder and tell me to stop. “People ask me a lot if I ever want more [Michelin] stars. I don’t. For me it’s like trying to become something I’m not. I’m comfortable cooking at this level. Perfection makes you sad, because you’ll never get there. When a restaurant is trying too hard, you can feel that as a guest. I think you should cook at your level and how you feel like, otherwise it just becomes fake.” If there’s any word of advice to chefs and restaurateurs out there, Henrik said, “Focus on the guests, not your own ego. I was lucky I started late, when I grew my palate and calmed down a little. We are very loyal to our guests, and we don’t mind to grow slowly but steady. In Copenhagen we have to stick to local clientele because we can’t really rely on tourists like Thailand and Bangkok. And they’re very loyal to us. I always say that if your business is successful in Denmark, you can be successful anywhere in the world.” April 2019 • ScandAsia 55
Innovation
Swedish-made app for LGBTQ travelers in SEA Travel, explore, make friends and even find a date - Swedish-made travel application Gayze makes navigating Southeast Asian cities like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta safe and fun for LGBTQ globetrotters. By Jonas Boje Andersen
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raveling abroad and being openly gay can sometimes be far from safe. With different laws, cultures and norms, gays risks persecution and worse. Two Swedish friends, Elin Wibell and Stelios Vasilantonakis, wanted to minimize the danger and developed Gayze – an app combining safety and travel advises, social network and dating for gays. While Vasilantonakis is located in Stockholm, Wibell is based in Kuala Lumpur – and before that Singapore – where she lives with her husband. Over a Skype conversation they explain what
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makes the app so special: “What’s unique about Gayze is that it is a travel app, but there is also a possibility of dating, finding friends, and learning about the LGBTQ situation in the region, and the safety and local advises on how to behave. So, it is pretty broad,” Wibell says. Stelios Vasilantonakis, who is working as an artist, came up with the idea for this app two and half years ago, as he saw the need for it in the insecure state of gay rights in many countries. Elin Wibell who has a background in corporate social responsibility helped
realise the idea as she too saw the potential. Living in Southeast Asia she has the insights and experience in the Southeast Asian culture. “For me being here is a perfect opportunity to meet a lot of gay people who can give me advices and potentially be local editors – It is very valuable to get to know the region to understand which markets are the most interesting,” Wibell explains.
Local editors
Wibell and Vasilantonakis are not building the app in any haste. They realise
We respect the way things are, but we believe we can be part of the change by normalising something that should be normal.
the responsibility to make this app a safe tool for gays traveling, and they carefully select their local insights – who are volunteer editors who knows the local customs. “For us it is very important to keep up the quality, that we have the right information, the cool places and the editors. Stelios is working pretty vigorously making sure the editors is up to standards and the places that they recommend are real, and that it is a local secret,” Wibell says. So far, they have 40 destinations in the app and around 25 local editors. The app has a map where you see yourself and places nearby that are gay friendly or exclusively gay. The Swedish duo is working on launching a second version that is more community friendly and with more places on the map. They are also looking for investment in and partnerships – mentioning Hotels.com and misterb&b as potential
partners. They have also been in contact with a Canadian company called Destination Pride, that in a ver y visual way are showing how gay-friendly countries are. Wibell and Vasilantonakis hope to be able to collaborate with them and using data from Destination Pride in their app to get an overall view of a country.
Changing perceptions and stereotypes
Even though the size and the knowledge about the app is limited, they have gotten a lot of positive response from their users. “We learned that many people in different parts of the world are very keen on helping because they want to spread knowledge and also try to get tourist to visit their country – in that way breaking barriers and normalise things,” Vasilantonakis explains. Wibell is very positive about the
prospects in Southeast Asia. In her words it is boiling a lot in Asia and a lot of changes are coming – she points out the pink dot-movement in Singapore – a local LGBT-community – as an exciting thing. Though In 2018, it sparked headlines worldwide when a sharia high court in Malaysia sentenced two women to caning for attempting to have lesbian sex.This was the first conviction for same-sex relations in Malaysia and a backlash for the Muslim country that has been known for being a moderate country. “So, it is a pretty tricky country and Indonesia is kind of similar as well, so in those places it is extremely important for us to have really good editors who can bring advises on which kind of precautions you should take,” Wibell says and continues: “We are not here to be political. We are not here to point fingers on how things should be. We respect the way things are, but we believe we can be part of the change by normalising something that should be normal.”
Elin Wibell and Stelios Vasilantonakis
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Community
SWEA celebrates 40th anniversary with a year-long celebration By Agneta Bekassy
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he Swedish Women Educational Association (SWEA) has recently celebrated its 40th anniversary in Bangkok with joyful gatherings, scholarship giving and an annual meeting. SWEA kicked of the year-long 40th anniversary celebration with a casual dinner party on March 29, at new member of SWEA Agneta de Bekassy’s Bangkok abode at Shiva Tower on Sukhumvit soi 15, where 17 members enjoyed Swedish dishes with Asian flairs. As dishes like smoked salmon, horse radish cream, dill and capers as well as yellow chicken curry with rice filled the dining table, the night was filled with lively fun. “When a bunch of women of different age, background and interests come together at an event like this, the conversations we had among us was so much fun,” Agneta, the host of the dinner, told us. “The evening went far too fast and we were all having the Saturday’s annual meeting on our minds, which made us finish before midnight.” 58 ScandAsia • April 2019
After such pleasant prelude to the big event, the annual meeting started precisely at 10am the next day on Saturday March 30 at Novotel Bangkok Ploenchit Sukhumvit. “The day before, all regional presidents, together with SWEA International’s current President Christina Hallmer t Rome, vice president, treasurer and secretar y, administrative
chef, and legal advisor had a whole day with preparing work and discussions. It’s more job than you might think to run such a huge organization with more than 7,000 members all over the world,” said Agneta. SWEA’s annual meeting is an impor tant meeting when all regional presidents meet with the International board to discuss matters of the organi-
zation’s operation, direction and implementation through president’s reports that cover the whole year’s activities and accomplishment. “From SWEA Bangkok, president Anna Frummerin and board member Mar tina Gehrman also attended together with Lena Olsson, member in SWEA Bangkok and myself, as new member of SWEA International’s Nominating Committee, representing Asia, Berit Radencrantz from SWEA Malmö and Pia Lassmann Mennit from Milan also participated,” explained Agneta. The highlight of the annual meeting was the announcement of “The Swedish Woman of the Year” (ÅSK) for 2019 – 16-year-old Greta Thunberg – that received the award for her role as political activist seeking to stop global warming and climate change. The annual meeting also included scholarship giving for 2019. The 2019 “Literature Scholarship” went to Maria Hansson-de Laage de Meux of Sorbonne University, whose works and thesis “Supernatural Element in
“There is something fantastic about SWEA. Wherever you go, if you meet SWEA members, they are always willing to help you out if you reach out to them.
Swedish, Female 1880s Literature as a Method for Social Critic” shed light on female authors’ way of working. Agneta & Gunnar Nilsson’s scholarship for “Intercultural Relations” went to Somita Sabeti, guest researcher at Migration Research Center at Koc University Research Center in Istanbul. And lastly, Sigrid Paskell’s scholarship for “Art on Stage” went to the young cellist Daniel Thorell. On the eve of the annual meeting, the ladies of SWEA met again at Asiatique, lifestyle and shopping complex on the bank of the Chao Phraya River, for a night of impressive dinner river cruise from Baan Khanitha restaurant. On board, a long dining table was set up for 23 members with four-course authentic Thai dinner on the menu. As the boat idly cruised along the curves of the river, stunning scenery of Bangkok at night warmed the heart while the fun conversation continued over exquisite Thai dinner. “This is the dinner that will stay in my mind,” Agneta gushed. “The food was great and the service was excellent. I do believe that it capped off our day perfectly. At the end of the night we bid farewell, and promised to stay in touch. There is something fantastic about SWEA. Wherever you go, if you meet SWEA members, they are always willing to help you out if you reach out to them, or if you simply want some company.” On May 10th, SWEA Bangkok will host its own celebration with a gala dinner at Pullman Bangkok Grande Sukhumvit. The glamorous and fun event promises live music, four-course dinner, free flow drinks, lucky draws with big prizes and so much more. Make sure to sign up, dress up in white and gold and come join the celebration. Later on this year, members can look forward to the SWEA World Meeting in Dubai in November and the traditional Swedish SWEA dinner that takes place ever y summer in Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmö or Västerås. This summer Stockholm is the host and it surely will be something extraordinary as SWEA celebrates 40 long years of success.
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