ScandAsia Singapore - November 2014

NOV 2014

Young and determined couple

in Singapore ScandAsia.dk

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Coming Events

Fir-tree green, gingerbread and jingle bells - Christmas Bazaar at GESS and Youngouple c d e in determ pore

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

We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in China, Thailand, and the rest of South East Asia.

Date: Saturday 29 November 2014 Where: GESS Junior School Campus

Get your own FREE copy: scandasia.com

The most wonderful time of the year is just around the corner, and with it the annual Christmas Bazaar at the German European School Singapore. Once again you can stroll through the bazaar offering handmade advent decorations, traditional German Christmas sweets and mulled wine or listen to the Christmas songs sung by the school’s children choir.

Publisher : ScandAsia Publishing Co., Ltd. 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 Editor-in-Chief : Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com

Norwegian Seamen’s Church Christmas Bazar Date: 15 and 16 November, 11:00 – 16:00 Venue: At the church, 300 Pasir Panjang Rd.

Assistant Editor: Thana Poopat thana@scandmedia.com

Danish Seamen’s Church Christmas Bazar

Advertising : Frank Leong frank@scandmedia.com Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer : Peerapol Meesuwan Peerapol@scandmedia.com Distribution : Wanvisa Rattanaburi wanvisa@scandmedia.com Printing : Advanced Printing Services Co., Ltd.

All are welcome to the bazaar and the subsequent barbecue. This year the Christmas Bazaar will take place on Saturday, November 29, from 4 pm to 9 pm at the GESS Junior School Campus, located at 300 Jalan Jurong Kechil. For more information go to www.gess.sg.

Date: 22 and 23 November, 11:00 – 16:00 Venue: At the church, 10 Pender Rd The yearly Christmas bazar is one of the Norwegian Seamen’s Church most important events.

Last year no less than 700 people visited to get in the Christmas mood, buy homemade decorations, Christmas cakes and – food. This year Sunday will feature events that are children and family oriented, with different workshops and a childrens play.

For more information contact Sjomannskirken, www. sjomannskirken.no/singapore

The Christmas bazar at the Danish Seamen’s Church is not only a gathering point for Danish expats and a place to find homely Christmas decorations, but also the place where you can secure all the ingredients you need for a traditional Danish Christmas meal, everything from roast pork to cherry sauce is sold at the bazar.

For more information contact Danish Seamen’s Church, www.dkchurch.com

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New Scandinavian Fair in Singapore

targets expat women

With a new Scandinavian Fair the Danish Seamen’s Church in Singapore targets expatriate women. The hope is to host two yearly fairs at the Church’s premises on Mount Faber.

by Lasse Henriksen

I

n the lush garden and partly inside the mansion sized villa that houses the Danish Seamen’s Church in Singapore a small fair consisting of 34 vendors, selling everything from homemade jewelry to Danish furniture, was held this Tuesday the 30th of September.

While this was not the first Scandinavian Fair at the Seamen’s Church in Singapore, it was the first to specifically target female expatriates. As Signe Kühl, one of the organizers of the Scandinavian Fair and a volunteer at the Seamen’s Church, said.

“In 2012 we had a Scandinavian Fair as well, but that was more of a family event hosted in the weekend. Now we are trying a new concept, that we hope to host both fall and spring.The new fair is open on a weekday between 10am and 14pm, to fit the schedule of a woman who has gone to Singapore with a working husband.”

6 ScandAsia.Singapore • November 2014

More than just Scandinavian products While the fair mainly targets Scandinavian expatriates, the Seamen’s Church opened up for non-Scandinavian vendors as well. Signe Kühl explains that there were not enough Scandinavian vendors.

“We opened for other applicants and since most of the organizers of this event, including me, falls into the group we target as customers we simply considered if the applicants’ products were something we would be interested in buying.”

Among the non-Scandinavian products were a lot of small designer brand clothing, accessories and quality creams and soaps.

Apart from vendors the church allowed charity organizations to put up stalls at the fair as well.

The original intention was to let two charitable organizations participate, but when contacted by two more, the church did not feel they could turn them down.

A chance to meet new customers Louise Werling Jasper is a maker, importer and designer of jewelry and clothes. She is standing next to her jewelry stall in her self-designed dress.

Photo: Lasse Henriksen Louise Werling Jasper, a Danish expatriate and jewelry maker, -importer and clothes designer, had a small stand at the fair representing her company Jasper Living. Her company is just two years old and she is attending the market to sell jewelry, clothes and meet new customers.

“I moved down here because my husband got a job, and I started my company because I needed something to do. I have a always been fascinated by fashion and design, and since I used to be a buyer for a major fashion company in Denmark I already had a lot of contacts,” Louise says and adds that even though her customers are mostly Scandinavians, thanks to Scandinavian designs strong brand in Japan her jewelry and clothes is popular with the Japanese as well.

Cozy fundraising Even though the Seamen’s Church hoped for around 400 visitors and only 200 shoved up, Signe Kühl still considers the event a success. The foreign vendors even got a taste of traditional danish “hygge”, a Danish word and concept meaning comfortable and homely coziness.

“The feedback from the vendors was really good, this event was very different from the more busy fairs that they are used to. Even though we

only had 200 visitors, the vendors sold a lot, and most of the visitors stayed for several hours to chat with the vendors and have coffee and homemade Danish pastry,” Signe Kuhl said, adding that it was a pleasant surprise that more than half of the guests stayed for the traditional Danish lunch.

Especially the lunch is an important part of making the event a financial success.The Danish Seamen’s Church uses the fair as a way to raise funds, and according to Signe Kühl about a third

of the Church’s budget is covered by fundraising events like the fair.

Luckily the word about the lunch had spread and a significant number of Scandinavian businessmen used their lunch break to come by to enjoy the traditional meal consisting of classics like pickled herring, rolled sausage, liver-paste, Danish cheeses, red cabbage made the Danish way and of course homemade rye-bread.

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14/08/2014 12:03 7 November 2014 • ScandAsia.Singapore

News Brief

EU, Singapore conclude investment talks

T

Finnair stops planned outsourcing of cabin crew

M

onths after the official negotiations between Finnair and their cabin personnel’s union had ended without results a new deal has been made. This means that Finnair’s plan to replace their Finnish cabin crew with cheaper labor from Asia has been scrapped.

Finnair and the Finnish Cabin Crew Union(SLSY) have reached an agreement that will protect the cabin personnel from outsourcing the next four years. The exception will be the Finnair routes to Singapore and Hong Kong, where Finnair have already signed a contract with OSM Aviation to provide them with personnel for cabin services.

Chairwoman of SLSY, Thelma Åkers, tells the national Finnish Broadcaster YLE, that the cabin crews wages will be cut by less than 10 percent, while flight attendants and stewards will have to work 15 hours extra every month.

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he European Union (EU) and Singapore have concluded the negotiations of the investment part of the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA). This marks the successful conclusion of the negotiations of the entire EUSFTA, following the initialling of the other parts of the agreement in September 2013.

‘The conclusion of this chapter marks a very important step in our par tnership with Singapore, strengthening our investment relations’, said EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht. ‘Now, we have a comprehensive agreement which is a gateway to this important region in Asia. It will help boost economic growth, investment and job creation in the EU. It will help opening the door for Europe to the ASEAN market with 600 million consumers.’

The Investment Protection Chapter in the EUSFTA will strengthen investment relations between the EU and Singapore. The chapter commits both the EU and Singapore to ensuring a stable and fair regime for foreign investors while preserving the right of the parties to regulate in the public’s interest.

Next steps Negotiations on investment protection had started later based on a new EU competence under the Lisbon Treaty and have only now been completed.

The Investment Protection Chapter will now undergo legal scrubbing before both sides will formally finalize the negotiations. After the agreement has been translated into all official EU languages the agreement will be signed and ratified by both parties.

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este Oil Singapore signed a deal on September 26 with Singaporebased National Oxygen (NOX) to install a new carbon dioxide (CO2) recovery and liquefaction plant at its renewable diesel refinery in Singapore.

The value of the contract and the cost of the project were not disclosed.

NOX is a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan’s Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation.

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News Brief

Danish water tech showroom opens doors in Singapore

R

iding on the success of the Royal Danish Embassy’s push for Danish water technologies showcase at the Singapore International Water Week in June 2014, and the signing of MOU between the Danish and Singapore Ministry of Environment, the Danish Water Technology House (DWTH) is finally officially opened in Singapore.

Present at the press conference are Royal Danish Embassy, Danish Ambassador to Singapore, HE Berit Basse, The Fresh Water Centre, Danish Water Technology House Singapore, The Danish Industry Foundation, Aquaporin and Singapore water agency, Public Utilities Board (PUB). The group was also given a tour at Public Utilities Board’s WaterHub, with houses state-of-the-art water testing facilities and equipment.

DWTH comprises of a group of Danish companies with expertise in various aspects of water technology. Danish Water Technology House (DWTH) is a non-profit representative organisation of Danish water companies based in Singapore. DWTH brings together Danish water technology for the mutual benefit of clients and local partners, serving as a technology partner and a centre of information, marketing and sales of Danish water technology & know-how for Southeast Asia.

Water has always been a hot topic. In Singapore, this is even more so as it seeks to find new ways to harness water for the future generation.

The Singapore government has put together a strategic partnership and

Photo: Embassy of Denmark in Singapore

infrastructure which allows for water technology companies to tap into the skilled work force, education and research as well as research funding.

Denmark has been identified as an important benchmark and case study for Public Utilities Board, the water agency in Singapore.

Danish companies which expertise in water technology can certainly consider riding on the MOU that both countries have established, to tap into Singapore’s strategic growth as a hydrohub for the Asia region.

REC showcases solar energy solutions

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EC, a leading global provider of solar energy solutions, is exhibiting at the RE@SIEW Expo where clean technology and renewable companies profile their services and products during the annual week-long Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW). rec solar At the two-day exhibition, REC will be presenting its unique and long-term peace of mind approach through its cooperation with Sika and Centroplan. In addition, visitors can look forward to the Asian debut of REC’s TwinPeak Series right here in Singapore.

Following the successful launch of its cooperation with Sika and Centroplan for the European market in June, the partnership is now extended to Singapore for the first time. With Singapore as a launch-pad in Asia Pacific, this marks a second milestone and another step forward for the three parties involved.

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November 2014 • ScandAsia.Singapore 9

What to consider

before opening a business in

Singapore

ScandAsia interviewed Norwegian business consultant Claus Gaasvig to hear why Singapore is a good place to setup a company and to get a few tips on how to get the most out of it.

By Lasse Henriksen

C Claus Gaasvig, NorBiz Asia

laus Gaasvig has been living in Southeast Asia for seventeen years, first studying in Thailand for 4 years and then working for Innovation Norway counseling businesses for twelve, until last year where he decided to take the step and start his own company. It is called NorBiz Asia and though his work is still centered around counseling small and medium sized Scandinavian companies he now has an opportunity to provide more types of services. He facilitates everything from market research, company registrations, recruitment and direct representation of companies.

All in all, Claus believes that Singapore offers the full package. The city state is a nice and easy place to bring family and spouses. Even though Singapore is pricier than its neighbors, depending on your type of business, Claus Gaasvig believes the money you save on wages and low rent in other Southeast Asian countries can be earned back through Singaporean efficiency.The language barrier is small, bureaucracy low, arranging meetings with officials or other businesses are easy and last but not least Singapore is the most important regional hub. It is also very convenient to use Singapore as your companies regional head office, as many Scandinavian Companies are already doing. Claus Gaasvig has five main areas that are important to take into consideration if you want to get the most out of Singapore.

• To succeed you need a regional perspective.

Do not just come to Singapore to do business in Singapore. Look at Singapore as a place to

10 ScandAsia.Singapore • November 2014

start up and then expand in the region. You don’t have to open up an office in all Southeast Asian countries, you can go to Singapore and then find distributers, agents and partners that already have operations in the countries you have an interest in.

• Don’t forget you are in Asia. Although Singapore seems modern regarding culture and the way you do business, if you scratch a little deeper you will still find traditional thinking.

• One of the most common mistakes is a lack of planning. If you want to start a company you have to plan for the long term. Even though Singapore is very efficient, you are not going land a contract first day here. But then again things can go really fast with prober planning.

• Employment passes have become harder to get. Currently, if you are going to hire a foreigner you have to advertise the job in the Singaporean governmental job bank first. But even though it was easier a few years ago, it is still easier than most of the neighbouring countries.

If you are an entrepreneur and plan to hire yourself it is not possible to apply for your own employment pass, this means you need to do it through a consultancy or public accountancy.

• If the rent is an important factor, try to search for an office in a business complex outside the central businessdistrict (CBD). The rent is considerable lower even on the fringe of the CBD, and only minutes away from the fancy Skyscrapers. NorBiz Asia forexample is located in modern offices only 5 minutes away from CBD and the Norwegian Embassy.

Young and determined couple Andreas Hoffmann and Christine Bruun feel they have matured several years in the process of moving to Singapore. Their life as expats has strengthened their relationship and gotten them married a lot earlier than they planned to.

by Lasse Henriksen

O

n one seemingly ordinar y Wednesday Andreas Hoffmann Kristensen called his girlfriend Christine Bruun with a short but significant message. “I took a job in Singapore, are you ready to move?”

Even though Christine’s first thought was “I’m not ready for this,” the phone call was the culmination of years of hard work and personal sacrifices, so she knew they had to find a way to make it work.

22 year old Christine, 23 year old Andreas grew up in Naestved and Holme-Olstrup, a small town 10 kilometers outside of Naestved. The two have known each other since they were kids, where Christine and her friends would hang out near the football field where Andreas and the boys were playing.

Years later, when they were both attending Zealand Business College in Naestved and taking their driver’s license at the same place, Andreas decided to make a move. At a driving lesson while he was driving down the highway with Christine in the backseat he winked at her in the rearview 12 ScandAsia.Singapore • November 2014

mirror. Christine found the wink charming and they started dating.

From the very beginning of their relationship Andreas told Christine that he wanted to live and work outside of Denmark and that he was going to dedicate a lot of his time to achieve this goal.

At first Christine was perfectly happy just living in southern Zealand, but Andreas’ visions inspired her, and as time passed she got more and more excited about moving abroad.

Eyes on the prize Andreas has basically wanted to work in a foreign country as long as he can remember. At the business school he took a 3 year course in Chinese and after school at the age of 19 he went to China for half a year putting his Chinese skills to work as an intermediary between foreign teachers and the school board.

A few days after returning from China, Andreas started working as shipping trainee in Koge about 40 kilometers from Naestved. At that time Christine was working to become a lingerie stylist.

After Andreas came back the couple moved into

an apartment together, but they already knew that they were not going to stay there for long.

As a trainee Andreas worked long hours aiming for the goal – to leave Denmark.

“It came to a point where we did not even hammer nails into the wall to hang pictures, because we knew it was just going to be a stopover.

The one and a half year I lived there the walls were blank and we did not even paint. It has been hard at times,” Christine says before Andreas cuts in, “Yes, in order to make it possible to leave Denmark at such a young age, we had to do without one another a lot of the time, but I think we had our eyes on the prize the entire time. Every time it has been hard, we knew it was going to be better when we could go away together.”

The couple lived together in the apartment for 7 months when Andreas got a job as a marine fuel trader in Fredericia, a good two hour train journey from Naestved. In order to avoid wasting time on commuting back and forth, Andreas found a small place in Fredericia, where he could stay during the weekdays. After working half a year as a bunker fuel trader in Fredericia, Andreas

in Singapore

The couple showing a picture from their wedding. The wedding itself was planned in no time and was only attended

by Andreas’ boss and the curch’s chef, since the couple plan to renew their vows and celebrate their marriage with friends and family in Denmark.

was offered the job in Singapore. Even though the couple had been telling friends and family that they were going to move out of the country, a lot of people were startled when the couple revealed that they were actually going to do it.

“My family was not as calm as Andreas’, they were wondering where I was going, why I was quitting my job and if Andreas would even want to support me financially down here,” Christine says before Andreas cuts in “But they never really knew me that well neither. I have always been the guy who was working, instead of going to the family gatherings” , Christine continues ”At that time a lot of my family members still believed that I had some sort of imaginary boyfriend, they had never met Andreas.”

6 months with a bed, a chair and an X-box as the only furniture The first half year Andreas went to Singapore and lived by himself. Christine was working as a lingerie stylist in a store, and neither Christine nor the shop-manager was ready for Christine to move to Singapore at a few months’ notice. She

made an agreement with her boss, that she would train the girl replacing her. Then Andreas could do the practical things like finding and furnish an apartment, setting up the internet connection before she arrived.

Spending the first months in Singapore alone suited Andreas well. He could get familiar to his new job, working 13 hours a day without worrying about giving Christine the attention she deserves. Also Andreas did not mind living in an apartment with nothing but a bed and an X-box for half a year while saving money for proper furniture. Andreas’ boss who is also a Dane helped him find the apartment and walk him through the do’s and don’ts in Singapore. But no matter how much good advice you get, you can’t be prepared for everything. ”After finding the apartment the next hurdle was to make it look like a home, the first night when I moved in, I went to IKEA to buy a madras, but they couldn’t deliver it on the same day, so I had to sleep on a blanket in the empty bed frame.

When I moved in, there was no furniture and the rooms were brown and pink,” Andreas says

adding that painting the walls white really helped making the apartment feel more like a home.

Are we really doing this?

When it was finally time for Christine to fly down to Singapore and move in with Andreas, they were going to live together again for the first time in 9 months, in a country completely unknown to her and more than 14.000 kilometers away from Naestved.

“I had to call Andreas from the airport, to make sure this was not some kind of weird joke.

I called him and said ‘are you sure that you want me, we haven’t lived together for a long time, and we haven’t even seen each other for months’,” Christine says.

The couple had joked around, kidding that Andreas might be too busy to pick up Christine at the airport in Singapore, but they both felt the significance of what they were about to do, so of course Andreas was at the airport.

On the taxi-ride from Changi Airport to their new home, Christine’s eyes were glued to Andreas, no matter how much he tried to make her November 2014 • ScandAsia.Singapore 13

look out of the window and see the city she was going to live in, she could not stop staring at him.

Thoughts were jolting around her head. She felt that somehow she had to make sure that it actually was Andreas who picked her up in the airport.

Somewhere between housewives and party people The experience of moving to Singapore have made Christine feel like she has grown a few years, her interests have shifted and even her style of clothes has changed. Living a life that is suddenly very different from what she used to, is making it harder to stay close with the friends at home.

“Whether you want it or not, you can’t keep from sliding apart. There are happening so many things in my life and in their lives. It just takes too long to catch up all the time. So now, when it comes to all the small stupid things that I would usually discuss with my close friends, I now have to discuss with Andreas. We have always been each other’s best friends, but now he can’t have peace from me,” Christine says.

From the start Christine has actively been using the Scandinavian community to find friends and acquaintances she can share stories and pieces of advice with. With Andreas working long hours Christine arranges social events like dinner with other couples. Sometimes she can’t help but feel like a PR-agent for Andreas, especially when the stay-at-home spouses often talk what their working partner do and discuss how they might be able to do business together.

Many expatriates come and go in Singapore.

Christine finds it nice but also frustrating. The expiration date on the friendships forces her to put an effort into getting to know people in a short period of time, but then again she has to say goodbye to the people she just got to know.

“It can easily turn superficial, when you just sit around and talk about why people are here and the same standard questions. But it can be nice too, we are all in the same boat, and I get to talk with a lot of people I would never had talked to in Denmark,” Christine says.

As one of the youngest couples in the Scandinavian community, it can be hard to find friends that share their experiences. Andreas and Christine falls between two chairs, and some of the expat wives Christine talks with introduce her to their children.

“I never really know what person I am supposed to be in what setting. When I’m with the other wives they talk about washing powder and how they have taught their maid to make Danish meatballs. When I’m with my younger friends they talk about which bars to go to, and then suddenly I am the one laughing about accidentally washing a pale blue shirt with the black laundry,” Christine says.

According to Christine it is easy to make friends in Singapore, but harder to get close friends. She will not tell her friends in Singapore if she and Andreas have been fighting. In this way Andreas has become Christine’s only really close friend in Singapore, and even though this sounds like potential trouble, it has actually made them grow stronger as a couple.

“Our ability to communicate with each other has improved while living in Singapore. When we 14 ScandAsia.Singapore • November 2014

had a fight in Denmark we would go to friends and family and talk with them about our problems, here we have to confront our problems and talk it out,” Andreas says No matter how much the couple enjoy each other’s company they do need some time apart.

While Christine has some time alone every day when Andreas is at work, he does not have any moment alone. So to meet their needs for solitude and socializing, the couple have one or two weekly days were Christine organizes a ladies night while Andreas stays at home where he can enjoy his alone time by watching the TV-series Suits or just do whatever he pleases.

Marriage was a smaller step than moving Before moving abroad, the idea of getting married was not alien to the couple, but it was more a thing they expected to happen somewhere down the road. In Singapore though, making their love and relationship official was very convenient since Christine wants to get a job. The marriage means that the couple does not have to worry about visas and that it becomes easier for Christine to obtain a work permit.The decision of getting married was made rather swiftly while the two were brushing their teeth one evening.

“I spat out the toothpaste and said, ‘the ladies in the Seamen’s Church said it would be really

smart to get married,’ then Andreas spat and said ‘yeah, if it makes it easier’, and that’s how we agreed to do it,” Christine says.

Even though it can seem a bit hasty to decide on getting married in a matter of minutes, the couple felt that this was a minor choice compared to the ones they had already taken.

“For me it was a bigger decision to move to Asia, to live together with me as the only provider far away from the support of friends and family, than to just simply saying yes in a white house,” Andreas says, and Christine agrees, “That’s what I always say when people ask if we were ready to get married. I mean we live on the other side of the planet, god-dammit, so yes we are quite confident that we are going to stay together.”

It is important for Christine and Andreas to make it clear that they will renew their vows and have a wedding for friends and family later on, but that this was just a more convenient time to get married.

“We have never doubted that we were going to stay together, have children and get married somewhere down the road. We meant it when we promised each other to stay together in illness, poverty and all the things you say at the altar,” Christine says.

White dress but no flower bouquet Since the couple knew that they were going to

For me it was a bigger decision to move to Asia, to live together with me as the only provider far away from the support of friends and family, than to just simply saying yes in a white house

Andreas and Christine use the strong Scandinavian network in Singapore to meet new people and get help and advice from experienced expats. Here the couple is attending a Danish football tournament in Singapore. Since Andreas work most of the day, it has become Christine’s responsibility to socialize and find events that Andreas wouldn’t have known about if it wasn’t for her.

have a new ceremony and celebration later on, they did not want to make a big fuss about the wedding. Andreas invited his boss as a witness and the couple literary pulled the church’s chef and caretaker out of the kitchen to act as a second witness.

Christine originally intended to wear a dark blue dress but just felt uncomfortable in it in the morning, so she changed to a white dress with a better fit, since she was really nervous and wanted to feel comfortable in the church. After the wedding the couple went out to celebrate by themselves with good wine and food.

Christine have not told her friends about the wedding yet, and she has chosen only to tell family members if she have had time to explain why they got married in secrecy. When Andreas casually told his grandparents that Christine was now his wife, they laughed and did not believe him until he showed them the wedding pictures on his smartphone. Andreas’ grandparents were not the only ones who would not believe the couple had married.

“I was discussing the Danish tradition of covering bachelors with cinnamon on their 25th birthday with my friends, when I told them that they could forget about spraying me with cinnamon since I was now legally married to Christine.

First they wouldn’t believe it and when I finally convinced them, they insisted that they would

cover me in cinnamon anyway, since they did not get to take me on a bachelor party,” Andreas says.

More than you see on Instagram Christine started blogging in Singapore with the intention to make it easier for friends and family to follow her life in Singapore. Her blog has become a way to show the people at home who think she lives the perfect life, dining on the top of skyscrapers and living with her own walk-incloset, that the often solitary life of an expatriate housewife is not just a bed of roses.

“The pictures I post on Facebook or Instagram are from the rooftop of Marina Bay Sands or when I have cooked a delicious meal, but it can be tragic to be home alone all day, I don’t post when I’m just lying in my bed. A lot of people think that my life is one big party, but the ones who read the blog can understand that this is just a tiny fraction of my life in Singapore,” Christine says.

Friends at home, even the ones that she has not kept in touch with for a long time, respond to her blog posts. Most of them in a very positive way, they appreciate that Christine writes about the not so flashy parts of the expat life. Christine blogs in Danish at www.bhsingapore.blogspot.sg.

In Asia for good Even though Andreas works for a Danish company, he is working on a Singaporean contract. It

was important for him not just to get a temporary contract that would send him to Asia for a limited period of time. At the moment he is happy working in Singapore, and when he starts speaking about the future he talks opportunities in Asia, not Denmark.

“When you have already moved out of the country, it does not matter too much if the city you live in is called Singapore or Ho Chi Minh, cause you have already taken the big step and when it comes to friends, the ones we have here are always moving around anyway,” Andreas says and adds that if they moved to Shanghai they would already know people there because of the constant mobility and strong Scandinavian network.

Christine hopes that she and Andreas can move to China in the future.The two have always had a weak spot for the country, and it would most likely be easier for her to get a job in a shop helping customers in China. To improve her future chances of getting her dream job in China, Christine has started to learn Chinese.

“On my visit to Denmark this summer I realized that we are doing the right thing. I understood that the family and friends are still at home even though I’m living in a foreign country. When I left Denmark I was happy to fly home to Andreas, Singapore is our adventure,” Christine says.

November 2014 • ScandAsia.Singapore 15

Kjetil Paulsen Compassionate & business-like diplomat

O

Norwegian Ambassador to Thailand Kjetil Paulsen looks forward to engaging Thai society in dialogue on democracy while seeking to enhance bilateral trade and investment

By Thana Poopat Photos Disraporn Yatprom

16 ScandAsia.Singapore • November 2014

ne of the first outings that Norwegian Ambassador to Thailand Kjetil Paulsen went on was a visit to Klong Toey slum community, Thailand’s single biggest shanty town right in the middle of Bangkok. There, a Norwegian non-governmental organization helps maintain a daycare center and kindergarten for children from underprivileged families. As someone from one of the world’s most egalitarian societies, the ambassador’s reaction was uncharacteristic in the sense that he was neither shocked nor judgmental about what he saw.

That must have a lot to do with his 31-year diplomatic career, with strong emphasis on humanitarian and human rights affairs. Ambassador Paulsen has seen the whole range of human miseries caused by wars, natural disasters or epidemic outbreaks, in many international hotspots spanning continents. So perhaps it’s only natural that he immediately switched to pragmatic problemsolving mode.

“It’s a problem that I hope can be solved,” the envoy said matter-of-factly in a recent interview with ScandAsia. “Let’s hope that there will be some kind of conscience that - in any society, not just Thailand - if you are doing okay, you got good education, are making good money and have risen up in the society, then it’s important that you don’t pull up the ladder thus preventing struggling people from developing, pulling themselves up.”

He said Bangkok may be the wealthiest city in Thailand, but there are still hundreds of thousands of people living in poverty. “I went there [to Klong Toey] because I wanted to see how people are living - not only those who live in fancy high-rises but also people who live under the expressway, in slums in very poor conditions.”

Inequality: a breeding ground for conflicts The ambassador said reduction of poverty and inequality is important in any country and that if such related issues as lack of access to education, poor sanitation, unemployment and social injustice, are left unattended to, then there will always be a source of conflicts. He pointed out that any

social and economic development model that ignores inequality will not be sustainable.

“People cannot forever accept that situation.

Wise politicians should be aware of this. It should be one of their highest priorities.”

In line with the position taken by most western democracies on what happened to Thailand’s democracy, the ambassador said Norway regrets the ouster of a democratically-elected civilian government by the military, trying of civilians in military courts and restrictions on civil liberties.

He hopes that Thailand will return to genuine democratic rule as soon as possible.

Continuing dialog despite setback to democracy Meanwhile, Norway wants to continue to engage in dialogue the [current] government along with the civil society and stakeholders in Thailand’s political, social and economic life. “So we are not running away. And as ambassador I have no restriction whatsoever in interacting with the Thai government,” Paulsen stressed.

He said military governments used to be common among developing countries in 1970s and 1980s. Then gradually democracy has grown stronger in Latin America, Africa and Asia. And for a while in the past several years there were only a handful of military governments in world. Against that background, it’s hard for Thailand not to be seen in negative light, Paulsen said.

Norway has always had strong commercial interest in Thailand.The ambassador is keen to meet with the Commerce Ministry and ICT Ministry to discuss issues related to foreign businesses and the country’s telecom policy.

Transparent business environment sought With Telenor/dtac on the verge of implementing a strategy to make additional huge investment to make internet available to every person in Thailand. “We want to see good framework for businesses that has strategic goal for Thailand.That investment if go through will be a big step forward for both Thailand and Norwegian businesses.”

For many years now, Thailand has not re-

ceived any traditional foreign aid from Norway or other countries. Most of Norway’s ongoing cooperation programmes in Thailand are about natural resource management, fisheries and climate and related issues on the transboundary development framework in Southeast Asia, he said.

Growing people-to-people exchange About 150,000 Norwegians visit Thailand each year. 7,000-8,000 residents live in Pattaya, Phuket, Hua Hin and Chiang Mai. According to Thai Embassy in Oslo, there are about 14,000 Thais, most of them married to a Norwegian, living in Norway. The Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok issued almost 10,000 visas for Thais to travel to Norway every year.

Another key responsibility of the Norwegian Embassy is to assist nor Norwegian citizens who need help. “Norwegian pensioners are getting older and sicker. We have to make sure we can assist them in proper way. We will need help and are exploring possibility of cooperation with Thai authorities and maybe to also get Thai businesses involved.”

The Embassy has 15 people working on assistance to Norwegian citizens.

According to the Norwegian Embassy, it is estimated that the approximate 8,000 Norwegian retirees who live in Thailand full-time or most time of the year, collectively spend about 500 million krone, or the equivalent of THB2.5 billion baht, drawn from their pensions, including medical expenses.

A down-to-earth diplomat Acknowledging that Thailand is far from a “hardship post”, Paulsen said Bangkok has everything that a diplomat with busy schedules like himself needs to lead an active professional and pursue leisure activities. The Norwegian Embassy is only one BTS Skytrain train station, or a few minutes’ ride, away.

“I normally use Skytrain if weather permits,” the ambassador said, adding that for convenience’s sake he regular plays tennis at a neighbourhood club, at a walking distance from his residence in Sukhumvit area. Paulsen shares the spacious residence with 17-year-old son Trym, who has just finished high

school in Oslo and is now taking the time off to contemplate his options and to keep his company.

The ambassador’s wife, Pia, who is assistant to the State Secretary in charge of European affairs, lives in Oslo with their other son, 19, who attends university in Norway. “She is happy for my posting in Thailand. But I hope she misses me,” the ambassador said.

As for his impression of Thai people in general, Paulsen said: “Thai people are very sympathetic, cautious, pleasant and a bit subtle.”

Diplomatic career • 1983 Start of career in the foreign service.

• 1985-88 First posting as second secretary at the Norwegian Mission at the United Nations, New York City.

• 1988-90 First Secretary, Embassy of Norway, Lagos, Nigeria (political and economic affairs).

• 1990-91 First Secretary, Embassy of Norway, Bucharest, Romania (political and economic affairs).

• 1991-94 Charge d’Affaires, Embassy of Norway, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. Acted as well as the Resident Permanent Representative of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).

• 1994-2000 Head of Division, Political Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo (humanitarian and human rights affairs).

• 2000-2002 Deputy Director General, Department for Development Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo.

• 2002-2006 Minister and Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Norway, Geneva (United Nations and the Conference on Disarmament).

• 2006-2009 Senior adviser, Depar tment for Security Policy and the High North, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• 2009-2012 Ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia.

• 2012-2014 Project manager and senior adviser, Department for Competence and Human resources, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• From August 28, 2014 Ambassador to Thailand and Cambodia November 2014 • ScandAsia.Singapore 17

Scandinavian

architecture

has large potential

in ASEAN “WAF wanted to include Denmark because of the country’s relative strength when it comes to architecture and design. Denmark has interesting stories to tell about urban development,” Berit Basse says.

Scandinavian ideas are compatible with Southeast Asia

Danish Ambassador Berit Basse

There was a heavy Scandinavian presence at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore in October. The Scandinavian approach of including citizens in urban development and construction of both private and public buildings was awarded and discussed.

by Lasse Henriksen

I

n Asia, Danish architecture firms experience positive feedback on their sustainable buildings that takes the public’s needs serious. But one thing is talk, selling projects to governmental institutions or companies, where they have to integrate pedestrians and plants in or around buildings that would usually be shielded from public is a larger challenge.

At the top floor of the famous Marina Bays Sand’s Hotel conference center the annual World Architecture Festival (WAF) was hosted between 1st and 3rd October. The Scandinavian presence was immense, not only because the Danish Embassy, organized the only country specific promotional platform at the festival, but also 18 ScandAsia.Singapore • November 2014

because several Scandinavian architecture firms were nominated for awards, four of which could return as winners in their respective categories.

In an effort to promote Danish architecture and design the Danish Embassy in Singapore arranged a showroom and hosted a 3 hour session with Danish architecture firms focusing on sustainable solutions and involving the public in urban development.

According to the Danish Ambassador to Singapore Berit Basse, one of the reasons WAF approved of the Embassy’s plan to educate on and promote Danish architecture and design is because there actually is a great interest in Scandinavian architecture in general.

Under the headline “Great Green Living” six representatives from Danish architecture and engineering companies presented examples of their projects to show their perception of what a common Danish approach to architecture might be. While sustainability and energy efficiency was almost taken for granted, the discussion quickly turned to the Danish tradition of involving citizens in shaping the projects and focus on the needs of the people that are going to use the finished projects.

According to several of the architects this “putting people first approach”, where you as an architect have more focus on the architectural process of involving rather than the finished building itself is relatively new in Asia. But even though the concept isn’t implemented around Asia yet Anna Kerr, the head of business development at Schmidt Hammer Lassen’s Asia Pacific department, thinks the idea is received in a positive manner.

“In general the attitude of thinking people first in architecture is very well received in Asia.

Equally by the public realm and by the governments we work with, whether it is in China, Indonesia or Singapore. I think the implementation is a more difficult task, because the people and government are further apart in Asia than in Denmark,” Anna Kerr says.

Change is on the way Two Indonesian architects were among the guests at the Danish session at WAF. Both of them believed in the approach where you involve the people that live around and use the buildings they design. But according to them the demand is modest in Indonesia at the moment. The population is too uneducated know they should demand to be involved and large companies tend to think about their own needs before the needs of the public.

“In Indonesia it is a huge challenge to implement these ideas, and it is not just the technical aspects, the real challenge is to put these ideas into practice, it is a challenge to make the

ture in the ASEAN countries. She believes that the recognition Danish architecture gets at events like WAF shows there is a demand for the Danish approach to architecture in terms of environmental-, social- and economic sustainability.

“The ASEAN countries as a region will within a foreseeable future be among the world’s largest economies, you only have to look out the window to realize that there is an enormous growth here.

The middleclass is growing and they want more livability and a greater focus on sustainability, so there is a large potential,” Berit Basse says.

New policy more mobility

people and politicians understand that this is important,”Soehardi Hartono, director of Hartono Architects says.

Tiyok Prasetyoadi, managing director of PDW architects, agrees but adds that a few private developers have become increasingly concerned about the quality of their real-estate products and that few city mayors around Indonesia has begun to think more about their citizens when they plan urban development.

Great potential It is not only the Indonesian Architects that are experiencing an increased interest and a new

openness. Danish architecture firm AG5 and PDW’s office tower project Grand Rubina are currently being built in Jakarta. When AG5’s proposed to open up the space between the towers to the public, to make it function as a short cut connecting a bus stop to a mall, the proposition was accepted.

While this might sound like a minor detail, it is an important one. Many places in Southeast Asia office buildings are shielded from the public making the life of pedestrians dreadful and this detail shows a will to be considerate towards the public.

Danish Ambassador to Singapore, Berit Basse, sees a great potential for Danish architec-

By 2015 the ASEAN countries will begin integrating the ASEAN Economic Community with the long term goal of making the ASEAN countries function as one single market and production base.

According to Danish Ambassador to Singapore Berit Basse, this will mean higher mobility for Scandinavian companies operating in the region. For instance it will be quicker for a firm that is already registered in Singapore to get an approval in another ASEAN country or vice versa.

While she is positive about the new initiative, she stresses that change takes time.

“It is important to remember that this is not an internal marked as in EU, it is not going to be fully integrated in 2015, but this is a very important milestone,” Berit Basse says.

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November 2014 • ScandAsia.Singapore 19

Danish football

tournament in Singapore

The yearly Danish futsal tournament is a social event for Danish companies and Danes living in Singapore. Even though it is a family oriented event with focus coziness the teams are not just playing for the fun of it.

by Lasse Henriksen

O

n the rainy morning of Saturday the 4th of October around 300 people gathered at the caged, artificially grassed futsal fields that are located under the Thomson Flyover to fight for the trophy and come home as winners of the yearly Danish futsal tournament. The major difference between futsal and football is the size of the field you play on, futsal is basically football on a smaller and often indoor field.

The event is not all about the football though.

A lot of the players were brought their children and spouses. An entire futsal field was reserved for small children. The larger kids were practicing on the fields in between games and following their fathers’ matches when the fields were occupied.

Even though the young boys were mostly bragging about their dads, a lot of the teams had women playing as well. According to one of the organizers Michael Jorgensen, there were actually two teams entirely made up of women last year, but this year the women seems to have been distributed more equally among the teams.

Selling pork nails for a good cause Not only the teams, but also the food at the event was Danish. The Danish Seamen’s Church was 20 ScandAsia.Singapore • November 2014

serving traditional hot dogs and the Danish style hot dogs were popular with both nostalgic Danes and curious Singaporeans. The Church managed to sell out, even though they brought ingredients for 600 hot dogs.

There is an entire subculture of slang around the traditional Danish hotdog stands, while it might be easy to guess what a pork nail in an open coffin is. It is not unusual to overhear people ordering more obscure things like a ‘dead Indian in a canoe with war paint and water lilies’, which is a hot dog with a red sausage, mustard, ketchup, remoulade and slices of pickled cucumber.

The tournament is an important fundraising event for the Danish Seamen’s Church in Singapore, with its yearly contribution of around 15.000 SGD. The church’s priest Kirsten Eistrup strongly appreciate the effort of the two main organizers of the event Michael Jorgensen and Martin Just, who are not usually involved in the church’s work.

Around noon the rain stopped. Even though this was a very cozy and laid back event, a few of the 16 teams had their eyes on the prize – a blatant trophy in purple and gold – and fought hard, only just avoiding serious injuries, to get it.

In the end BBC Chartering beat Dynamic Oil in the final and could celebrate the victory with cold Carlsberg.

Denmark, Singapore mulls elderly care cooperation

I

n Singapore elderly citizens will triple to 900,000 by 2030. This was one of the main topics discussed during the visit of 4 Danish companies in collaboration with the Confederation of Danish Industries in late October.

With Denmark experiencing the same issues of an ageing population, the companies were well equipped to share their experiences and learning points. Danish companies, with its knowhow in elderly care, has already entered into agreement with Chinese operators of retirement home in Shanghai to build some 400 homes specially designed for the elderly by the end of 2014, according to Danish media Kristeligt Folkeblad. Over the years, Denmark has built a social structure with skilled personnel who are neither nurses nor doctors but trained specialists to help elderly citizens.

November 2014 • ScandAsia.Singapore 21

22 ScandAsia.Singapore • November 2014

November 2014 • ScandAsia.Singapore 23

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