ScandAsia South East Asia - April 2013

APR 2013

Malaysia Indonesia Philippines

Choosing Your School

Kimi Räikkönen

Life after Dam Norway’s contribution to Laos’ hydropower

in Malaysia

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Opinion

Growing Up Purple

I

am 23 but I always tell my friends that I have been around for only 6 years. My life, as I see it, started when I was 17 – on one rainy evening and I just arrived home from school. I was on the phone talking to my best (girl) friend about what we found most interesting – love, and she asked me for whom I had an eye for. The breeze and stormy clouds set the scene so perfectly; lonely and yet intriguing, that I felt it was a time to tell the truth. I confronted to her that ‘I am gay.’

Your FREE ScandAsia Magazine ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish residents in South East Asia.

We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in China, Thailand, and Singapore.

Please sign up for your own FREE copy: www.scandasia.com Publisher : 211 Soi Prasert Manukitch 29 Prasert Manukitch Road Chorakae Bua, Lad Prao Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8, Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: news@scandasia.com Editor-in-Chief : Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Assistant Editor: Wachiraporn Janrut wachiraporn@scandmedia.com Advertising : Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Piyanan Kalikanon piyanan@scandmedia.com

It wasn’t a big surprise for her though, since she had long hinted at my habits and my love for Mariah Carey and musical theatre, to know that I was different than the other guys. At that very moment, I felt like the great walls which I’ve caged myself into had finally tumbled down.

For the first time, I found a home.

Born into a middle-class family in a quiet provincial town in the South of Thailand, I have a loving mother and a gentleman father who both love me dearly. But for a long time, I wasn’t happy being around them. In fact, I was insecure being around, almost, anyone at all.

Remember when you were growing up, your family, schools and society kept feeding you with certain kind of cultural contexts – the bad/black and the good/white – that you had to follow and admire and to distaste and dismiss. Oftentimes, they left out the gray area.

I grew up not knowing that I was different. But the painted picture of the manly young country boys who were into sports and liked to play in the rice fields caused me much headache because I didn’t fit into any of those frames. I was too young to understand the mental complications that I had at the time, so I chose an easy way out by trying to be normal, well, straight.

I played like the boys. I acted and talked like one. People, including my family, saw me like one.

However, I always had an admiration for the fluttering boys with confident characters. The Thai society called them tood or kathoey – boys who love to act like girls. The words are negatively used, casting them as funny and overtly unnatural. But I didn’t want to be like girls so I tried to get away from that stereotype as much as possible.

I hid my real confusing ‘self’ and sought escapism through many kinds of harmless entertainment: films, radio and TV. (It was a time when the Internet was pretty much irrelevant.) I became quieter, and didn’t want to share my stories with my family anymore. I felt so wrong all the time and life was but a series of repressive acts.

At times, I blamed the place I lived in. Nothing satisfied me there. But as I got older, I learned that my condition was rather simple: I wasn’t being myself. And when you’re not yourself, there’s no chance that a healthy state of mind can be attained.

That missing gray or gay area seems so little but can create a huge impact on one’s identity, especially during the adolescent years. It took a broader view of life, a help from the right people and immense courage to finally break the barriers down and be free.

But society can play a role to help educate the young who feel a little bit different like I was and let them create the best version of themselves, regardless of genders or race.

We need to bear in mind the gender choices in which children might – mentally – be inherited to in order to avoid leaving them suffered from not being who they are.

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Daily news and features here: www.scandasia.com

Sippachai Kunnuwong is a graduate from Thammasat University in Journalism. Before joining ScandAsia as a journalist, he was trained at the Bangkok Post and BBC World News in London.

News Brief

Konecranes wins deal to deliver EUR 100 million order to Indonesia

Konecranes’ chief executive Pekka Lundmark (right) at the signing in Indonesia

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innish crane manufacturing company, Konecranes, in March has signed an agreement to deliver container handling equipment to Indonesian state-owned terminal operator Pelindo III. The order comprises 10 Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes, 20 Automated Stacking Cranes (ASC) and 5 Straddle Carriers (SC). Delivery is scheduled for 2014 and 2016. The value of the order is not disclosed, but is more than EUR 100 million.

The government of Indonesia has introduced a nationwide freight transport program to improve the movement of goods through the country’s vast waterways. As part of this program, Pelindo III will construct a new terminal called Lamong Bay Terminal in Surabaya, East Java, with a planned inauguration in 2014.

Konecranes has positioned itself to tap growth in Indonesia and the Asia-Pacific.

“Asia is not only India and China, this is a misconception.

That’s why we have selected Indonesia as one of our key targets,” says the company’s chief executive Pekka Lundmark.

Currently, Konecranes operates seven branches across Indonesia and plans to add three more in the next three years. Its products can be seen in major ports including Belawan in Medan and Tanjung Perak in Surabaya.

Philippe Richard, Konecranes Country Manager for Indonesia, says the company is keenly interested in port infrastructure.

“We want to be a major partner in port development in Indonesia,” Richard says, highlighting that Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago, thus port infrastructure is of vital importance.

The company also focuses on expanding its services network in the country.

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April 2013 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

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News Brief

Norwegian Statoil stays focused on Indonesia despite lack of results

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orwegian state oil and gas company Statoil is still focusing on Indonesia despite several petroleum giants relinquishing their blocks after years of unprofitable exploration, an official has said.

Statoil’s spokesman for Indonesia, Mochamad Tommy Hersyaputera, told The Jakarta Post in March that it was still keen to explore the deep waters in the eastern regions of Indonesia.

“We are seeking new opportunities to tap into new deep-water projects in Indonesia. We still believe the country has new hydrocarbon reserves,” he said in a telephone interview.

Statoil previously allocated US$212 million to develop the offshore block for which they won licensing in 2007. They drilled three wells and spent $174.1 million only to conclude that the basin was “uneconomic”.

“We realize that this is a high-risk business so we do not see it as a loss,” he said.

Earlier this year, US-based ExxonMobil, US-based Marathon, US-based Hess and Netherlands-based Tately NV all decided to return their blocks in the Makassar Strait after deeming the basins uneconomic.

Norway – Asia Business Summit 2013

O

rganised by Indonesia Norway Business Council (INBC) in collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Embassy and Innovation Norway, Norway – Asia Business Summit 2013 will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia on 26-27 April 2013. The summit will offer a platform for representatives from the Norwegian business communities in Asia and Norway to connect with each other, as well as to share and accumulate experience during the meetings and networking events.

The topics to be discussed at the summit include: Changing Asia – Protectionism, New opportunities and changing trade patterns; Are Norwegian companies competitive in Asia?; Responsible business practices; Norway Inc – Where are we today and what’s our strategy?

For more details on speakers, venue and registration, contact the INBC Secretariat, attention of Ms. Bente Toxopeus-Ekdahi at nabs@inbc.web.id

Terje Borge leaves as CFO of DiGi.com Mr. Terje Borge

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iGi.com Berhad – the Malaysian mobile phone operator owned by Norwegian Telenor – will by 15 May change Chief Financial Officer. New CFO is Mr. Karl Erik Broten. He is today CFO in Telenor’s company in Pakistan. Karl Erik Broten – in Norwegian spelled Brøten – came to Telenor Pakistan as Chief Financial Officer in 2009.

In Pakistan, he will be replaced by Mr. Gabor Kocsis.

He has 17 years of financial management experience and been associated with Telenor since 1993, working in Hungary, Serbia and Norway.

Current CFO of DiGi.com, Mr. Rolf Terje Borge has resigned to take up a new not yet announced position 6 ScandAsia.South East Asia • April 2013

Mr. Karl Erik Broten

within the Telenor Group. Mr. Terje Borge came to DiGi. com in 2010 to take over the financial department after the previous CFO Mr. Stefan Carlsson. At that time he had since 2007 been Chief Financial Officer of DTAC, the Thai mobile phone operator of the Telenor group.

Mr. Borge previously worked for Telenor Asia in Singapore and Bangkok as Director of Business Development. From 2001 to 2005, he held the position of Senior Vice President in Telenor International Mobile, Norway, where he worked as project manager for various Merger & Acquisition projects and participated in the development of the expansion strategy for Telenor Mobile.

News Brief

Swedish firms keen to invest in the Philippines

S

wedish firms are interested in investing in manufacturing in the Philippines after a business delegation was in the country last month, the Trade department said in a statement.

A total of 12 companies from Sweden had a briefing with the Trade department to discuss investment opportunities in the Philippines.

“I believe that there is great potential for an increased bilateral dialogue between the Philippines and Sweden as well as strengthened business and industrial relationships,” said Head of Delegation Eva Walder who is also the director-general for Trade of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the statement.

Companies represented in the delegation were Atlas Copco Group, Celemi Systems AB, Clean Motion, Comex International, AB Electrolux, Telefonaktiebolaget L.M. Ericsson, Svenska Handelsbanken AB, Ikano Group, SEK, Tetra Pak, Volvo Car Corp. and the Swedish Foreign Trade Association.

“What is encouraging for us is the heightened interest of foreign investors in the Philippines. There is a solid stream of business missions coming and we believe this as a vote of confidence in our government’s capacity to effect significant long-term structural and policy reforms,” said Trade Undersecretary Adrian S. Cristobal, Jr. He added that “strategic investments in these high-potential growth sectors, especially in manufacturing, generate employment opportunities and stimulate more development in the rural areas.”

Danish robots a success in Malaysia

U

niversal Robots, a Danish developer of industrial robots, has experienced great success in Malaysia for providing its robotic technology. The company is hoping to establish its presence in the Malaysian market, due to the increasing demand of industrial robots in the country.

According to The Star news website, there is an increasing demand for robot technology in the Malaysian market as SMEs are starting to realise the benefits of automating their production lines.

The number of industrial robots in Malaysia has more than doubled from 2009 to 2010, from 209 units to 677, thus, creating great potential for Universal Robots to expand their business into the Malaysian market. Since its establishment of a display centre in China in 2011, the company signed on two distributors in Malaysia to expand its business here, and is now keen to help companies remain costcompetitive by introducing robotic technology.

Larger industries have automated production systems while SMEs struggle to afford the investment. However, Universal Robots aims to reach these companies by increasing robotics availability and affordability.

Universal Robots last year introduced two industrial robots aiming above all at SMEs which cannot invest into a fully automated production.

Danish Vestas expected to receive large order in the Philippines

D

anish windmill giant Vestas has been chosen as the preferred supplier for a large windmill project in Burgos in the Northern Philippines. The project is set to finish in 2014.

Energy Development appointed Vestas after comprehensive invitations to tender. The Danish company, according to the Filipinos, had the technical and commercial abilities to meet the high demands.

Vestas has to deliver 29 of its V90-3.0 MW windmills for the project and stands to make DKK 1.7 billion.

With ongoing negotiations, however, the deal is not yet finalised. Vestas says that the company will announce the deal to the stock exchange once the terms are agreed.

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7

Date of Birth: 17 October 1979 Place of Birth: Espoo, Finland Nationality: Finnish Official Website: http://kimiraikkonen.com/ Official Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/kimiraikkonen Grands Prix Contested: 177 World Championships: 1 Race Wins: 19 Podiums: 69 Pole Positions: 16 Fastest Laps: 37

Kimi Räikkönen in Malaysia Finnish Kimi Räikkönen was back in Malaysia in March, racing in the Formula 1 Grand Prix race on the Sepang International Circuit where he won his first Grand Prix victory back in 2003.

By Gregers Moller

8 ScandAsia.South East Asia • April 2013

F

innish motorsports fans could not have been given a better start of the F1 Grand Prix this year than Kimi Räikkönen’s superior victory in the Melbourne Formula 1 race only one week before the F1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix on the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia 22 - 24 March 2013.

During the practice on the Malaysia track in the week ahead of the final race in Sunday 24th he proved to be the fastest driver, showing clearly that his impressive win in Australia the week before was not just a freak streak of luck.

Eventually, however, he ended seventh in the race mostly due to starting place and difficult weather conditions in the beginning of the race.

Consequently, after seven laps he was around thirty seconds from the front. His progress thereafter was actually quite respectable, but not enough to place him at the top.

Although another driver, Sebastian Vettel, ended up as the winner of the race, Kimi kept up his run of consecutive points and therefore he

only fell to second place in the Drivers’ Championship. The Lotus team maintained second position in the Contructors’ Championship, with third placed Ferrari on an equal 40 points.

“It was a tough race and I lost part of my front wing at the start which didn’t help, but at least we scored a few points which is better than coming away with nothing,” Kimi commented on the race.

“Since Saturday morning, the car has not been behaving as we expected for some reason, especially in the wet where we really struggled for grip. If we can get the car back to how it was in Australia then I’m sure we’ll be at the front again,” he added.

Malaysia is special Kimi Räikkönen has special feelings for the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia where he celebrated his first victory as the winner of the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2003.

The young Räikkönen had at that time entered Formula One only two years earlier as a

regular driver for Sauber-Petronas. Having previously only raced in very junior open-wheel categories, he was given his Super Licence from the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) after a performance delivery promise by his team boss, Peter Sauber.

He joined McLaren Mercedes in 2002, and became a title contender by finishing runner-up in the 2003 and 2005 championships to Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, respectively.

Räikkönen switched to Ferrari in 2007, becoming the highest paid driver in motor sport with an estimated wage of $51 million per year.

In turn his move to Ferrari saw him secure his first Formula One World Drivers’ Championship, beating McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso by one point, as well as becoming one of the very few drivers to win in their first season at Ferrari.

In 2008, he equalled the record for fastest laps in a season for the second time. After one more year in the sport, he left the Ferrari F1 team to drive a Citroën C4 WRC for the Citroën Ju-

nior Team in the World Rally Championship for 2010. Along with rallying, Räikkönen has turned his attention towards NASCAR, and made his debut for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series.

In 2008, Räikkönen was among the two Formula One drivers who made it into the Forbes magazine’s The Celebrity 100 list, the other being Fernando Alonso. He is 36th on Forbes magazine’s The Celebrity 100 list of 2008, and 41st on the previous year.[4] On the same list, as of 2008, he is listed as the 26th highest paid celebrity overall and the 5th highest paid sportsman behind Tiger Woods, David Beckham, Michael Jordan and Phil Mickelson. In 2009, Räikkönen was listed as the equal 2nd highest paid athlete in the world, behind Woods.

In 2012, Räikkönen reentered motorsports’ elite category F1 on a two year contract for Lotus. Despite spending two years away from the F1 race, the Finn instantly demonstrated the skill and technique which has seen him rated as one of the most natural talents of a generation.

April 2013 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

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Life after Dam

Norway’s contribution to Laos’ hydropower Long before a USD 650 million hydropower project in Laos began operating in January, thousands of low-land Lao and ethnic minorities had to relocate their homes to new given villages. But can they attain a sustainable future after the change of location?

By Sippachai Kunnuwong

10 ScandAsia.South East Asia • April 2013

(C)THPC/Jim Holmes

Moving out On January 19, 2013, the USD 650 million ThuenHinboun Expansion Project was inaugurated in Borikhamxay and Khammuan provinces, 5 hours south of Vientiane, the Lao capital. The ceremony was marked by the company’s shareholders – energy key players from Laos, Thailand and Norway – along with Lao prominent politicians.

The new hydropower plant was the second mega project the Thuen-Hinboun Power Company (THPC) has carried out in Laos and an expansion of the first-ever cooperation between its government and foreign investors since the cold war.

Just days after the launch, an activist group International Rivers published a report painting an intriguing back side of the event that had not garnered a similar attention from the media.

“The project has displaced over 7,500 people and will affect the livelihoods of tens of thousands more people living downstream,” says Tania Lee, International Rivers’ Lao coordinator in a report from her visit to the affected area in Laos over the past year.

The new project has twice the capacity of the first plant and will, according to Lee, “double the amount of water being diverted into the Hai and Hinboun Rivers, causing extensive flooding and other impacts.”

Its biggest footprint went directly to the people. 4358 persons from 760 households had to move out of their old homes to resettlement villages, provided by the company. They were, however, provided with full compensation of housing, money, electricity, community facilities and necessary goods. A further 4436 persons living along the downstream of the power station who faced extensive flood water were relocated and given compensated budget and other needs.

Also, approximately 4500 persons downstream will be relocated in the next four years. The overall number of resettled and relocated persons is a little over 13,000 when all is completed.

“THPC – which is partly-owned by the Norwegian state-owned company Statkraft – is profiting at the expense of some of Southeast Asia’s poorest people,” Lee said in an interview with a local Thai newspaper.

Laos’ economic tipping point To really examine the costs and benefits of such a project that has run for over a decade, what impact it has created, it helps to go back in time.

From the 1970s to mid-90s, Laos’ economy had remained silent and struggling.

“Back then, the country was so poor and isolated. Only 5 percent of its people had access to electricity,” says Aiden Glendinning, THPC’s communication advisor.

“The only money the government received from abroad was the fees from the airline companies when their aircrafts flew across its territory.”

The Thuen-Hinboun Power Plant, THPC’s first project, operated since 1998, was the first major industrial project in Laos in 30 years. The project was deemed as a tipping point for Lao economy as ninety-five percent of its produced power are being exported to Thailand under a long-term contract, ten percent sold to Laos.

(C)THPC

C

olourfully dressed women of all ages rush around the compound like they are preparing a feast of sorts.

The crinkling sound of plates and forks tells of a meal being prepared.

One lady serves papaya salad on a table full of mouth-watering delicacies – all Lao favorites.

A middle-aged lady from Vientiane is there this afternoon to teach the female villagers - who all come from different tribes - how to process Som Pa, or smelly sour/pickled fish. The women recently formed the Women’s Union and Som Pa is a way to add product-value to the growing number of fish caught near the village, as well as to preserve them.

“You wanna try?,” the trainer asks one villager.

She nods. They swop places and an amateur fish cutting session begins.

This would be unthinkable only two years ago: In one kitchen various ethnic minorities joined together with low-land Lao - the mainstream culture - in a communal environment. The mountaineers used to live in isolation, uphill or along the river and relied on wild food and husbandry. There were little need for money, no access to electricity, and almost no connection to the outside world.

All this changed with the mega hydropower project that washed away their traditional livelihoods. Everything, for better or worse.

The Thuen-Hinboun Expansion Project in full operation since January 2013 “We bring hard currency to Laos. We pay profit taxes, dividends, royalties and the Lao shareholder is sixty percent. 98-99 percent of our staff are Lao nationals,” says Robert Allen, THPC’s general manager.

So far the company, shared by state-owned Electricite du Laos, Statkraft of Norway and Thailand’s GMS Power has contributed more than USD 300 million to the country’s state finance. And with the operation of a new dam, the production capacity will double from 220 MW to 500 MW: an estimation of USD 35 million is expected to be injected into Lao, annually.

Statkraft in Laos Not only an iconic facelift for Lao economy, the first dam was also a boon for a foreign company like Statkraft whose part of business strategy is “to develop, build, and operate hydropower in emerging markets.” Lars Magnus Guther, the company’s corporate communication advisor, indicates that Laos was such a market with a growing energy demand and huge untapped potential for hydropower.

Guther says Statkraft and Swedish Vattenfall were approached by the Lao government and Asian Development Bank (ADB) back in the early90s after Statkraft’s “100 years of hydropower competency” caught their attention. The two companies established a joint venture under Nordic Hydropower and took a 20% stake in THPC. Later, in 2001, Statkraft bought Vattenfall’s share and took over the company.

The Norwegian counterpart provided THPC with technical support, equipment and Operation and Maintenance managers posted at both project camp grounds.

Is it really “Green”?

“Sustainability” and “green economy” are among the banners THPC and Statkraft have been promoting over the years, thanks to their hydropower production that leaves zero waste and is renewable and a long list of supporting schemes aimed at helping the villagers create a long-lasting future.

But a Canadian-born activist Lee says she is rather skeptical about such offerings being at all viable. From her visits to resettlement and relocation sites, Lee states that some of the plans to restore the people’s livelihoods are proved difficult. For example, at one village, there was an attempt to develop fish ponds in the rice fields. Villagers were provided with compensated land and development equipment and training but it ended up a failure as “the valley doesn’t have good soil for dry-season rice farming.”

The loss of fishery is another alarming concern for the villagers who have not been relocated to the new villages. Lee says that stronger water flow wipes away aqua-plants along the river tributaries – what used to be the breeding place for fish – which causes frustration to the villagers who still rely on fishery as THPC’s support hasn’t yet arrived.

“That kind of situation where you have a total loss of food security and the future of people there.

I would challenge how to call that part of the green economy, really.”

Long road to sustainability During a meeting I had with Robert Allen, THPC’s general manager, at the company’s Headquarters in Vientiane, the veteran investment consultant admits he understands that changes come with consequences.

“We don’t deny that we have to move them but the new livelihoods does take an effort in time,” says Allen, adding that new paddy rice field takes 3-4 years to develop into full production. “So along the way we keep supporting the villagers until they achieve it.” The achievement is the income target April 2013 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

11

Students of the relocation village Phoumakneng studying in a Lao language class.

per household of USD 1800 for resettled villagers, USD 1450 for relocated persons - 25-40% above the income levels surveyed at the beginning of the project - by diverse livelihoods.

A whole range of activities, from cash crops planting, commercial fisheries to the development of various types of fish ponds, are being introduced to the villagers by Livelihoods staff, part of Social and Environmental Division (SED), a compartment within THPC, which Allen states “report directly to me.” These projects were born to find suitable career choices for each household in a mix of schools, clinics and community infrastructures – “which didn’t exist before” – as well as the village organisation, another crucial task.

“It’s easy to put in an irrigation scheme you see in Thailand and elsewhere. But if you don’t teach the villagers how to manage it, it can be a waste.

So we’re spending a lot of time doing that too,” says Allen.

One example of the managerial buildup that is prevailing and has created quite an income for the villagers can be seen at Ban Keosenkham, located on the valley heading to the reservoir gate, where the Village Fishery Group was established. The villagers, under a supervision of THPC’s Fishery staff and district administration, regulated their own fishing rules.

Destructive fishing equipment is prohibited and fishing licensing has been set up. They also set a selling price with the merchants who travel daily to the village to buy the just-caught products.

“We are now looking into finding a suitable breeding zone for fish in the reservoir so that the number of fish will last for generations to come,” says Xiangkhan, head of the Village Fishery Group.

Allen says these approaches were taken from other community projects that had been successful in the past, in the likes of the United Nations’, World Bank’s, ADB’s and whatnot. “Are we going to have some failures? Yes, but we have to adapt. That’s the attitude we have: we change when things don’t work.”

development that has taken place means many things to many families. A new Hyundai van that is parked in front of one house displays the success of hard work that has been put into developing their first potatoes farming. Mushroom farming is also a hit here: three families even split their roles in cultivating them.

The all-weather roads have led many traders from the city coming in to pick up cash crops to sell. “It has become the main livelihood component for villagers here,” says a local truck driver whose deliveries are for the factories in the city and in Vietnam. He comes to the village during the harvesting seasons and, in a good day, would collect almost two tons of sliced potatoes.

“These villagers are from different tribes. In the beginning, some didn’t want to work because it’s not in their nature, but when they saw the neighbours profiting from the farming, it has encouraged them to do the same,” he says.

The access to electricity is a stark development

The future

One of the Livelihoods staff showing an example of a good cut.

At the resettlement site of Nong Xong, the 12 ScandAsia.South East Asia • April 2013

too. They were given free installation of electricity but are responsible for paying their own electricity bills. Irrigation scheme electricity bills are paid by the company or subsidised for varying periods of time.

However critics have doubted how much benefits the project can provide to Laos as a whole, when majority of THPC’s production is being exported to Thailand and the Laotians are buying it back at a higher rate.

“The problem with electricity [in Laos] is that it’s very difficult to transport,” explains Glendenning, suggesting that the country full of natural richness is so vast when compared to its 6 million population. “To build transmission to the north of the country for only a handful hundreds is too expensive.”

On my way back from the project-inspection trip, I visited a middle school at Phoumakneng, the relocation village, a properly built building located on a higher land overlooking the entire village. But a high school across the yard is not of the same standards.

“We got compensated for what we had before. It was our traditional methods of building: to use woods and natural materials,” says the school principal Waan Phrakhunthong.

“I think we’re better off this way. Students from different villages don’t have to walk a long distance to get education anymore. We’re right here.”

Eager to hear what other villagers think of the future that will hold for all of them, I went to talk to the village head Phoumy Phetbounthong.

“Do you think you will be able to live here for a long time?” I asked.

“Oh yes. I will live here. My children, grandchildren will live here. We are stable here,” says Phetbounthong.

Those assuring words do not necessarily guarantee what will come next, but there’s one thing the general manager Allen holds dear in mind.

“Is every villager 100% happy yet? No and that’s going to be a challenge for long-term but the approach is going very well. There are also summaries of what we need to work on – improving soil and livelihoods. But we have to stay until we achieve.”

Tax Free biludlejning i Danmark Hent din bil i alle danske lufthavne og større byer.

Vi har biler i alle størrelser.

Ring og hør hvor lidt det koster eller book online på:

bookcar.dk

Tlf +45 62 22 80 80 reservations@bookcar.dk ScanAsia_april_singaporesoutheastasia.indd 1

20/03/13 April 2013 • ScandAsia.South East Asia 13.16 13

Choosing Your School To decide on something as important as your child’s education and well-being might be the toughest part about moving to another country.

By Gregers Moller

14 ScandAsia.South East Asia • April 2013

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.

Most parents probably start out by asking other parents of their own nationality which school they have chosen and why. Then you find out they have chosen different schools and for different reasons and you are back to square one.

There is probably no way around making your own inquiry into each available option.

Local vs International 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 take this into consideration. 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.

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. 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.

A few suggestions So now you have the table filled with brochures of different schools and wonder what to look for.

Here are a few suggestions to help you make up your mind: First: How far away is the school from your home?

Before spending time looking through school courses, you need to make sure the school is not

too far away. Bear in mind that in most big cities, it is the traveling time between your home and the school that matters. How long will it take for your child to get to school and home afterwards?

How will your child be going there?

Especially in cities like Bangkok, you will be challenged by some of the heaviest rush hour traffic in the world.

Second: What reputation does the school have?

Talk to people as much as possible. This is where your first intuition comes handy. Don’t listen to opinions expressed by people who have no children at the school themselves - parents are 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.

Third: How are the courses at the school?

The school’s courses and programs will most likely be listed in the school’s information packages. They will talk about British Curriculum and American Curriculum and - what most Scandinavians these days go for - the IB curriculum.

This is important as you will most likely have to relocate again in a few years.

Find out if the native language and culture of your child is 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.

Fourth: What other activities can the school offer your child?

Besides the fundamental course works, what kind of arts, sports, community service does the school offer? Are there proper facilities to support those activities?

It seems that schools almost compete with each other when it comes to sports, thus many schools will have gymnasiums and sport complexes, which are either new or remodeled. But maybe your child is more into other activities computer programming, performing arts?

Most schools offer after-school/weekend programs as well as field trips and community services. You should be able to freely pick the activities that best suit your child.

Fifth: Does the school have qualified personnel?

This is not as obvious as you may think. The school is most likely private and qualifications for employment are not as strict as for schools back home. What educational degree do they hold?

How long have they been teaching at the school?

What kind of teaching methods do they prefer?

Are they involved in planning and evaluating the curriculum? Will they be giving special attention to each child’s problems or personal needs?

Sixth: What do the current students think of the school?

If it’s possible, talk to some of the existing students. 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? Most schools have established student organizations to provide service to students at a personal level. Here, students can get help about studying, working, individual needs and so on.

Seventh: 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 at 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!

April 2013 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

15

The impacts of multilingualism

By Frazer Cairns, Head of UWCSEA Dover Campus

Author biography

Frazer Cairns started his career as a management consultant and journalist after graduating from the University of York in the UK. He retrained as a science teacher and subsequently taught in the UK, Indonesia and Switzerland. He is currently the Head of UWCSEA Dover Campus.

Gajo, L., (2007) Linguistic Knowledge and Subject Knowledge: How Does Bilingualism Contribute to Subject Development? The International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 10(5) pp 563 – 581

D

espite multilingual education dating back to the ancient world in a variety of different cultures, multilingualism was seenuntil relatively recently by many education researchers as an exceptional, even hazardous, phenomenon. Trying to learn through a language other than the language spoken at home (for example learning science in English rather than Danish) was cited as the root of a number of difficulties: cognitive overload, semi-lingualism and language confusion to name but three. Learning through more than one language was, essentially, bad for you.

This point of view obviously has profound implications for international schools, where a potentially large proportion of the community is learning through a language other than their home language. It is not at all unusual for parents sending their children to a school where English is the working language to worry that speaking their home language with their children will at best impede their progress in English and at worst confuse them so that they end up speaking no first language.

Thankfully, modern educational research now sees multilingualism as a potential asset that provides learners with a strategic (and significant) advantage rather than as a cause for concern. As one might perhaps expect, speakers of multiple languages learn further languages more easily—they seem to have a higher metalinguistic awareness (in other words, they show a better understanding of the nature of linguistic structures) and a more analytical approach towards the social and pragmatic functions of language. However, more interestingly, research has suggested that a ‘uniqueness’ exists in the development of multilingual students when compared to their monolingual peers.

Empirical research has shown that multilinguals ‘know things’ that transcend the purely linguistic level according to Laurent Gajo1, a professor at the University of Geneva. In Gajo’s view of learning, the different languages interact and combine to generate, not the simple addition of distinct competences (i.e., not just two monolingual halves welded together), but rather an original, individual, complex competence on which the user may draw. Speaking multiple languages, it seems, makes you better not just at other languages, but also potentially more creative and better at mathematics, science or history.

It is important to say that learning through a language other than your home language is not an easy option or one that will yield instant results. Though

16 ScandAsia.South East Asia • April 2013

many children attain basic communicative competence in a language relatively quickly, the more specific language demanded in an educational setting takes longer to acquire; most students will, in fact, initially see a drop in their overall performance as they try to adjust. Much will also depend on personal factors such as motivation, the child’s communicative needs and levels of anxiety. However, in the medium term, the drop is usually compensated for and a multilingual child usually regains their age-appropriate progress. Often times they surpass their monolingual peers.

Going back to the worried parent, should you, then, speak to your child in English at home if it is not their mother language? The research is clear - no. For a child learning in a second language it is vital to maintain their mother tongue. Skills acquired in the first language can be transferred to the second language so, for example, if your child has developed good reading skills in French or Korean, she is likely to be able to apply these skills when reading English. (One useful transferable reading skill is the ability to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words from context.) Similarly, the skills of being able to plan out a piece of writing or develop an argument in a persuasive essay can be applied in the second language once they have been learned in the first.

Many children in international schools plan to return to their home country at some point to continue their education. Students who neglect their mother tongue can often suffer from problems of identity loss or distance from their parents, and from other family members in their home country. Both of these are strong reasons to make sure they do not have gaps in their mother tongue.

Educational research has generated its fair share of false conclusions—playing Bach to your children and having potted plants in the classroom does not necessarily make them better at maths despite the claims made in some studies. It is important to recognise that the range of factors that go together to generate the positive consequences of multilingualism are not as yet fully understood, and that much will depend on the personal factors mentioned above. The choices of the institution (for instance, its language curricula and its teaching methodology) will also have a critical influence on a learner’s willingness, or reluctance, to transfer resources from one context into another. However, what is clear is the importance of the strategic and transferable skills that multilingualism can bring to children as they face a complex and rapidly changing world.

LEARNING THROUGH THE ARTS The arts are not mere diversions from the important business of education; they are essential resources.

Elliot W Eisner, “The Role of the Arts in Cognition and Curriculum” (2001)

M

usic, visual arts, dance, drama- as Elliot W Eisner says, the arts form an essential part of a well balanced education. At KIS International School, the arts are valued as a means of communication and self-expression, and as a way for students to develop an understanding of the world around them.

But art isn’t just a way to become a better student. Studying art can be a pathway to a successful career. Design and creativity are fast growing industries, with more new employees in these fields than other fields. A degree in the Arts provides a broad foundation for many career choices. KIS students have been accepted with scholarships into prestigious art universities such as San Francisco Art Institute, Savannah Collect of Art and Design and School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

There are more reasons for doing the arts. In a digital age, art is valuable in offering students the opportunity for fine motor skills development, keen observation and an alternative means of communication. A student fluent in the arts will have more success at making connections and also develop intra-personal understanding. The arts also provide an outlet for students whose strength is in using their hands or bodies to express ideas more ably than in written form. It’s a different way to be successful.

Throughout their journey at KIS, each child participates in many art activities.

There is a special “Artigras” week, there are plays and performances, art exhibitions and competitions, a film festival, visiting artists, busking day, talent shows and more.

There are ways for children to express themselves which go beyond writing essays. Each child should be given the opportunity to try various forms of expression, and to engage with the arts to become well-rounded, creative, international citizens. KIS allows each student, through their particular talents and thoughts, to be a star and shine.

Linda Belonje, BA Eng, MA Comms Director of Marketing and Development KIS International School, Bangkok linda@kis.ac.th www.kis.ac.th Tel. +66(0) 2274 3444 18 ScandAsia.South East Asia • April 2013

ISS International School was founded in 1981 to serve the expatriate community in Singapore

ISS

is an authorised International Baccalaureate (IB) World School with a multicultural environment for students from more than 50 countries with no dominant group. It is the ONLY IB World School in Singapore specialising solely in the IB, incorporating IB Primary Years, IB Middle Years and the IB Diploma Program. It is also the first to offer a one-to-one Apple Macbook program. ISS has a high percentage of IBO workshop leaders, moderators and examiners among its staff, one of the highest in Asia.

ISS International School is:

Academic Program

• An established PYP, MYP and DP authorized IB World School, with years of experience offering each program.

• A truly international school with a multicultural environment, comprising of students from over 50 countries with no dominant culture.

• A school with outstanding student support, including ESL, counselling and university advising.

• The first international school in Singapore with an Apple MacBook program.

• Known for student activities, including an established CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) program with an extensive list of activities, field trips and the adventurous activity week held each year.

• ISS is an authorized IB World School offering PYP (Kindergarten 1 – Grade 5), MYP (Grade 6 – 10) and DP (Grade 11– 12). The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accreditation enables ISS to offer a High School Diploma to their IB Diploma and IB Diploma course graduates.

• ISS offers pre-IB Diploma skills and IB Diploma subject preparation courses during the summer.

• Academic Year – August to June (Semester 1: August to December, Semester 2: January to June).

Faculty • Teachers from 18 countries.

• Predominantly trained in United States, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

Many faculty members are IBO moderators, examiners and workshop leaders.

Student Information • Students from over 50 countries.

• Class sizes – elementary school: 15-20 students, middle school: 20-24 students, high school: 15-20 students.

Admissions • Admissions staff are available year round to meet with potential families regarding admission for all three schools.

• Applications are accepted year round, subject to places being available.

• Please refer to the following link for the admission procedures: http://www.iss.edu.sg/ admission_procedures.php • Students must pass the English language proficiency test to be eligible for admission.

ISS International School Elementary and Middle School campus 25, Paterson Road, Singapore 238510 Tel: (65) 6235 5844 High School campus 21, Preston Road, Singapore 109355 Tel: (65) 6475 4188 www.iss.edu.sg Email: admissions@iss.edu.sg April 2013 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

19

Sustainability across borders Talent development and internationalization through an exchange project with a partner school in Singapore • Talent and exchange project with the Millenia Institute in Singapore • Common theme is sustainability • Participation in the project is a reward for students across year groups and classes at Nyborg Gymnasium • Students visit each other and stay in private homes • Project is part of the internationalization, which is on the agenda of Nyborg Gymnasium

B a g s væ r d k o s t s k o l e gymnasium tid til talent

Bagsværd kostskole & gymnasium (Bk) er en udviklingsorienteret og traditionsrig skole grundlagt i 1908. elever, der vælger en uddannelse hos os, siger ja til fællesskab, faglighed, seriøsitet og individuel talentudvikling. det vi på Bagsværd kostskole & gymnasium kalder for: tid til talent. vi tilbyder: • • • • • • •

dansk uddannelse med et internationalt præg grundskole, 10. kl., studentereksamen (stX) danmarks første femårig Biotek-uddannelse 8.kl.-3.g sport- og talentklasse fra 7. kl. mulighed for morgentræning tirsdage og torsdage aktiv brug af it og internet i undervisningen enkeltværelser til kostelever, lektiehjælp hver dag

scan Qr koden og besøg vores hjemmeside www.bagkost.dk aldershvilevej 138 • dk-2880 • Bagsværd • telefon: +45 44980065 • e-mail: bk@bagkost.dk

20 ScandAsia.South East Asia • April 2013

I

nternationalization opens the world and brings us closer together across language, culture, education etc. A good example is the common talent and exchange project between the Millennia Institute in Singapore and Nyborg Gymnasium. The common focal point of collaboration is the theme sustainability.

Singapore like Denmark lacks natural resources. Why not inspire each other in ways to solve our challenges? That is what the partner schools, the Millennia Institute in Singapore and Nyborg Gymnasium from Denmark, do.

The theme of cooperation is sustainability- cultural and enhanced talents are side benefits.

• The Millennia Institute is a business school, but we have chosen science as our approach to cooperation. Therefore, it is exciting for both parties to work with sustainability from an environmental, scientific and economic perspective, says Helene Bendorff Kristensen, IB Coordinator at Nyborg Gymnasium.

• Our students receive not only an international horizon, but they will also be able to use their subjects and their English on a professional basis. It provides a vision of a different culture, where you do things in a different way.

International reward for talent • Participation in the project is an academic and cultural reward to those students given the chance thereto. They really learn about other cultures, broaden their horizons, says Helene Bendorff Kristensen: • It is also extremely instructive when students live privately with local students from our Asian partner school. And from a subject content view it is rewarding to deal with the common theme sustainability.

Bagsværd Kostskole og Gymnasium

B

agsværd Kostskole and Gymnasium is a Danish school steeped in traditions and yet in constant development. The school was founded in 1908 on the brink of Bagsvaerd Lake 14 km north of Copenhagen.

Education starts in the Danish kindergarten school and ends with the Danish Gymnasium.

Boarding school students are taken in from the Danish 7th grade, but the greater part of the students joins during the last years of Grade school or in the gymnasium. The boarding house, Haraldsgave, offers 60 fully furnished single rooms where the students are helped daily on a daily basis with their homework by well educated staff who listen to the students.

Bagsvaerd has recently started Denmark’s first five year A-level for students who want to specialize in biotechnology on a higher level.

Bagsværd Kostskole og Gynmasium Aldershvilevej 138, 2880 Bagsværd +45 44 98 00 65 Email: bk@bagkost.dk Website: www.bagkost.dk

Nyborg Gymnasium has stx, hf, IB and boarding school

A

Danish upper-secondary school environment with an international agenda.

Nyborg Gymnasium addresses the growing internationalisation with programmes, study streams and a boarding school, which makes the ‘international’ the order of the day.

The students at Nyborg Gymnasium have an eye open onto the world, and they are fully capable of exploring this in school. This happens, for example, if they are students in the study stream Going Global, stay at the boarding school with other young people from all over the world, or if they are students in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, where all subjects are taught in English.

Over recent years Nyborg Gymnasium has expanded and rebuilt school facilities to ensure that the framework for the tuition is updated and inspiring. The latest addition to the school is a new building for the sciences, and a special ‘language’ zone. At the boarding school the students have their own rooms, a strong community, and a kitchen, with focus on organic cooking, providing the meals of the day.

Nyborg Gymnasium ….en route to the world

Bergen International School

T

he educational programme of the International School of Bergen (ISB) has been developed to help prepare its students for a successful future, whether that future is in the Hordaland region or outside the borders of Norway. Parents also choose ISB for the English language learning environment, the small class sizes and the challenge of the International Baccalaureate programmes. Our mission is to provide an internationally accredited education which serves the Bergen and business communities.

An education at ISB is recognized as quality far and wide. The school is accredited by the Council of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and is authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization to offer their Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes.

ISB is committed to the ethos of continual school improvement and strategic planning which are essential features of accredited schools.

Our students and staff ISB provides educational programmes in English to children between the ages of 3 and 18. The students represent more than thirty different nationalities. The teachers all hold university degrees and appropriate teaching qualifications. Class sizes are small with normally 16 – 18 students.

Bergen International School Wilhelm Bjerknesvei 15, 5081 Bergen Phone +47 55 30 63 30 Fax +47 55 30 63 31 Website: www.isob.no E-mail: post@isob.no

International Baccalaureate

- an alternative to the Danish ‘Studentereksamen’ • internationally recognized • gives admission to universities all over the world • taught in English You can stay at Nyborg Gymnasium’s boarding school.

Contact us for more information about the programme and the boarding school.

Deadline for applications: 15th of March

Nyborg Gymnasium & Kostskole Skolebakken 13, DK-5800 Nyborg, tlf +45 65 31 02 17 post@nyborg-gym.dk, www.nyborg-gym.dk

EngElskspråklig privatskolE for barn og ungdom mEllom 3 og 18 • • • • • • •

Få elever i hver klasse Trygt læringsmiljø med god individuell oppfølging God kontakt med foreldre Internasjonalt godkjente og utfordrende læreplaner Utmerkede resultater i internasjonale og norske nasjonalprøver Sentral beliggenhet med bybanestopp rett utenfor døren Nyhet– Internasjonal Videregående med godkjenning fra Lånekassen Contact us for more information: Tel 55 30 63 30 eller post@isob.no

April 2013 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

21

Medium

Danish Ham with Beer

By Anders Holm Nielsen

A

terrific meal when serving a large number of guests. This recipe from Denmark combines the Danish love of pork with the fact that Danish beer is world renowned.

Evil

Serves 10 people Ingredients • 1 ham -- tenderized • ½ teaspoon • dry mustard • 4 tablespoons water • 1 cup brown sugar • 10 bay leaves • 1 liter of beer

Preparation • Remove all but a thin layer of fat from the ham.

• Score the top. Place in a roasting pan.

• Mix mustard, water and sugar to the consistency of prepared mustard.

• Cover the ham with this mixture.

• Stick cloves in the ham surface.

• Fasten the bay leaves to the ham with small skewers or toothpicks broken in half.

• Pour the beer over the ham and bake, uncovered, 30 minutes to the pound in an oven preheated to 220 ºC • Use the liquid in the pan as a sauce for the ham.

Danish Scalloped Potatoes (Creamed Potatoes) Potatoes are a very important ingredient in traditional Danish cooking.

Try this recipe for Danish scalloped potatoes. The potatoes go well with any type of steak or roast (beef, pork, lamb, veal).

Are you done?

Preparation

W

hen you have completed the above puzzles, please send your solution by fax to +66 2 943 7169 or scan and email to puzzles@ scandasia.com. We will make a lucky draw among the correct answers. Five lucky winners will receive a ScandAsia polo shirt.

Name:

___________________________________________________

Age: ________________________

Mobile:

___________________

Address:

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

Email:

__________________________________________________

Deadline for submitting your solution is 15 May 2013 22 ScandAsia.South East Asia • April 2013

Ingredients • 5-6 pounds potatoes • 6 large onions – finely chopped • 4 crushed garlic gloves • Salt • Pepper • Mornay sauce (Béchamel sauce with shredded or grated cheese) • Cream (or milk if you are on a diet)

• Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices.

• Chop the onions • Mix mornay sauce and cream. ¼ of mornay sauce and ¾ of cream • Mix potatoes with onions and place it in an ovenproof dish • Add mix of cream and Mornay sauce so it nearly covers the potatoes.

• Add garlic, salt and pepper and stir lightly.

• Place in preheated oven at 180 degrees.

Strong bilateral developments between Indonesia and Denmark Partnerships between Indonesia and Denmark have been strengthened after the ministers’ visits in March.

(c)The Jakarta Post Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa (left) welcomes Danish Minister for Trade and investment Pia Olsen Dyhr to the ministry in Jakarta on 4 March.

Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Mari Elka Pangestu, has recently visited Copenhagen and met Danish Minister for Trade and Investment, Pia Olsen Dyhr.

Danish Minister for Trade and investment, Pia Olsen Dyhr, visits Indonesia

Denmark grants DKK 285 million for energy project in Indonesia

On 3-5 March 2013, Danish Minister for Trade and investment Pia Olsen Dyhr led a Danish business delegation to Indonesia to support, promote and advance collaboration between Indonesia and Denmark “There seems to be an excellent match between what Indonesia seeks, and what Danish companies can offer. Whether it is assistance on infrastructure, green energy solutions or consumer items, Denmark and Indonesia present an unfulfilled potential to mutual benefit,” says Pia Olsen Dyhr.

During her visit, the Danish Minister opened an Indonesian-Danish business seminar with participation of leading Danish companies and institutions in a range of key sectors.

The minister also met with key decision makers in the Indonesian government and business community. On the agenda is the potential for mutual cooperation as well as dialogue on how the two governments can better support and promote these partnerships between Indonesian and Danish businesses and institutions.

Indonesia and Denmark also face many of the same challenges – such as the need to adapt to climate change, increased flooding and rising sea levels – where the two countries can share experiences, solutions and explore win-win opportunities. The minister also visited a pumping station where Danish technology and Indonesian engineering have come together to help alleviate the burden of flooding on Jakarta’s citizens.

Pia Olsen Dyhr will also launch a new strategy for Danish engagement with Indonesia. This is testimony to the Danish government’s commitment to prioritize the relationship with Indonesia in the years to come.

“The goal is to double exports to Indonesia in 2016. It’s an ambitious goal but with persistence and strong cooperation between the public sector and private businesses it’s possible,” says Pia Olsen Dyhr.

The Danish government has granted DKK 285 million to the Indonesian government for the development of renewable energy.

Indonesian State Minister for National Development Planning Armida Alisjahbana says the grant was given for cooperation on renewable energy projects between 2013 and 2018.

Denmark is one of the countries that has implemented renewable energy since 1980. The country’s energy usage is efficient by utilizing wind, biomass and waste, says Armida, after meeting Pia Olsen Dyhr at the National Development Planning Board office in Jakarta on 4 March.

Minister Dyhr says there are many Danish companies that are interested in investing in Indonesia, mostly in the energy sector.

“In Denmark, we have natural resources in the North Sea, which include oil and gas; just like in Indonesia,” says the minister.

Indonesian Minister visits Copenhagen Following the visit of a Danish delegation to Indonesia, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia, Dr. Mari Elka Pangestu, visited Copenhagen, Denmark on 18 March 2013 and met with Minister for Trade and Investment of Denmark, Pia Olsen Dyhr.

They discussed bilateral developments between Indonesia and Denmark.

Both agreed on the importance of keeping the trading system open and ensuring confidence in the multilateral trading system. They discussed the need to be realistic and pragmatic in achieving progress with the multilateral trade negotiation. Both agreed regarding the importance of a successful outcome to ensure momentum and confidence to the multilateral trading system.

In the meeting, Minister Pangestu and Minister Dyhr also briefly discussed the Danish Emerging Market Strategy for Indonesia, especially regarding cooperation in creative industries, which are part of both ministers’ portfolio.

April 2013 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

23

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