BANGKOK Chaos is part of Bangkok's charm. But the savvy traveler quickly learns how to navigate Bangkok's legendary traffic jams and discover its soul, a mix of urban jungle and Buddhist serenity where shopping and eating are national pastimes.

Despite the weak dollar, Bangkok remains one of the best deals in Asia. Some of the world's tastiest street food sells for as little as 25 baht (80 cents) a plate. Beat traffic by zipping down side streets in a tuk-tuk or cruising up the Chao Phraya on public express boats for stunning views of the city's premier attractions both for about a dollar. Other favorite outings are free:

LUMPINI PARK: An oasis of tropical gardens and paved jogging paths in the middle of the city. Beat the heat by avoiding the park in midday. There are early-morning tai chi classes and after-work aerobics classes. You can rent paddle boats, take the kids to one of Bangkok's best outdoor playgrounds or marvel at the massive monitor lizards in the lake.

CHATUCHAK MARKET: Browsing is free at the largest outdoor market in Thailand, and it's a sight to see whether or not you take something home. Chatuchak's thousands of stalls are divided into sections that include antiques, home dcor, clothing and food. You can find everything from Buddha statues and Thai handicrafts to handmade jewelry and the occasional endangered species in the live animal section. For upscale, air-conditioned window shopping, head to shopping malls Siam Paragon, Emporium or Central World.

TEMPLE HOPPING: Catch some karma at Bangkok's many Buddhist temples, known in Thai as "wats." Some of the most popular, Wat Po and Wat Arun, ask foreigners to pay a minimal entrance fee but hundreds of others are free, including the impressive Temple of the Golden Mount, also known as Wat Saket. A temple compound's shaded walkways and quiet corners are a perfect place to escape the sensory overload on Bangkok's busy streets.

FLOWER MARKET: Bangkok's largest flower market, Pak Klong Talat, is open 24 hours but it's busiest just after 2 a.m. when traders unload their fresh-cut blossoms in bulk. It's a kaleidoscope of colors with an incredible selection of orchids at jaw-droppingly cheap prices. The market is just south of Wat Pho and not far from the Grand Palace in the historical section of old Bangkok.

PATPONG: For a walk on Bangkok's wild side, take an evening stroll along Patpong Road. It offers the incongruous mix of go-go bars and evening shopping. A thriving night market selling T-shirts, pirated DVDs and other souvenirs runs through the red-light district and spills onto the adjacent Silom Road, which is packed with street food vendors, restaurants and bars.

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Tips for exploring Bangkok for free

BANGKOK Chaos is part of Bangkok's charm. But the savvy traveler quickly learns how to navigate Bangkok's legendary traffic jams and discover its soul, a mix of urban jungle and Buddhist serenity where shopping and eating are national pastimes.

Despite the weak dollar, Bangkok remains one of the best deals in Asia. Some of the world's tastiest street food sells for as little as 25 baht (80 cents) a plate. Beat traffic by zipping down side streets in a tuk-tuk or cruising up the Chao Praya on public express boats for stunning views of the city's premier attractions both for about a dollar. Other favorite outings are free:

LUMPINI PARK: An oasis of tropical gardens and paved jogging paths in the middle of the city. Beat the heat by avoiding the park in midday. There are early morning tai chi classes and after work aerobics classes. You can rent paddle boats, take the kids to one of Bangkok's best outdoor playgrounds or marvel at the massive monitor lizards in the lake.

CHATUCHAK MARKET: Browsing is free at the largest outdoor market in Thailand, and it's a sight to see whether or not you take something home. Chatuchak's thousands of stalls are divided into sections that include antiques, home dcor, clothing and food. You can find everything from Buddha statues and Thai handicrafts to handmade jewelry and the occasional endangered species in the live animal section. For upscale, air-conditioned window shopping, head to shopping malls Siam Paragon, Emporium or Central World.

TEMPLE HOPPING: Catch some karma at Bangkok's many Buddhist temples, known in Thai as "wats." Some of the most popular, Wat Po and Wat Arun, ask foreigners to pay a minimal entrance fee but hundreds of others are free, including the impressive Temple of the Golden Mount, also known as Wat Saket. A temple compound's shaded walkways and quiet corners are a perfect place to escape the sensory overload on Bangkok's busy streets.

FLOWER MARKET: Bangkok's largest flower market, Pak Klong Talat, is open 24 hours but it's busiest just after 2 a.m. when traders unload their fresh-cut blossoms in bulk. It's a kaleidoscope of colors with an incredible selection of orchids at jaw-droppingly cheap prices. The market is just south of Wat Pho and not far from the Grand Palace in the historical section of old Bangkok.

PATPONG: For a walk on Bangkok's wild side, take an evening stroll along Patpong Road. It offers the incongruous mix of go-go bars and evening shopping. A thriving night market selling T-shirts, pirated DVDs and other souvenirs runs through the red-light district and spills onto the adjacent Silom Road, which is packed with street food vendors, restaurants and bars.

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Bangkok: 5 free things to do

BANGKOK Chaos is part of Bangkok's charm. But the savvy traveler quickly learns how to navigate Bangkok's legendary traffic jams and discover its soul, a mix of urban jungle and Buddhist serenity where shopping and eating are national pastimes.

Despite the weak dollar, Bangkok remains one of the best deals in Asia. Some of the world's tastiest street food sells for as little as 25 baht (80 cents) a plate. Beat traffic by zipping down side streets in a tuk-tuk or cruising up the Chao Praya on public express boats for stunning views of the city's premier attractions — both for about a dollar. Other favorite outings are free:

LUMPINI PARK: An oasis of tropical gardens and paved jogging paths in the middle of the city. Beat the heat by avoiding the park in midday. There are early morning tai chi classes and after work aerobics classes. You can rent paddle boats, take the kids to one of Bangkok's best outdoor playgrounds or marvel at the massive monitor lizards in the lake.

CHATUCHAK MARKET: Browsing is free at the largest outdoor market in Thailand, and it's a sight to see whether or not you take something home. Chatuchak's thousands of stalls are divided into sections that include antiques, home decor, clothing and food. You can find everything from Buddha statues and Thai handicrafts to handmade jewelry and the occasional endangered species in the live animal section. For upscale, air-conditioned window shopping, head to shopping malls Siam Paragon, Emporium or Central World.

TEMPLE HOPPING: Catch some karma at Bangkok's many Buddhist temples, known in Thai as "wats." Some of the most popular, Wat Po and Wat Arun, ask foreigners to pay a minimal entrance fee but hundreds of others are free, including the impressive Temple of the Golden Mount, also known as Wat Saket. A temple compound's shaded walkways and quiet corners are a perfect place to escape the sensory overload on Bangkok's busy streets.

FLOWER MARKET: Bangkok's largest flower market, Pak Klong Talat, is open 24 hours but it's busiest just after 2 a.m. when traders unload their fresh-cut blossoms in bulk. It's a kaleidoscope of colors with an incredible selection of orchids at jaw-droppingly cheap prices. The market is just south of Wat Pho and not far from the Grand Palace in the historical section of old Bangkok.

PATPONG: For a walk on Bangkok's wild side, take an evening stroll along Patpong Road. It offers the incongruous mix of go-go bars and evening shopping. A thriving night market selling T-shirts, pirated DVDs and other souvenirs runs through the red-light district and spills onto the adjacent Silom Road, which is packed with street food vendors, restaurants and bars.

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Bangkok: 5 free things for visitors to do

Published : Tuesday, May 22, 2012 00:00 Article Views : 3,764

HANOI: Sixty-six Vietnamese from various backgrounds and fields, supported the Philippines claim on the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal and called on China to abandon its absurd marital claim on the area.

The group, which include well-known intellectuals and academicians in Vietnam and overseas, sent a letter to Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Jerril Galban Santos to express their support for the Philippines in the standoff with China.

Among the signatories are a former Vietnamese ambassador to China, several heads of tertiary institutions, poets and social scientists.

We fully support the sovereign rights of the Philippines in the Panatag Shoal area and the Philippiness actions to defend her sovereign rights, they said in their letter.

We resolutely oppose Chinas attempts to use its nine-dashed line, which is completely without historical or legal basis, to encroach on the Exclusive Economic Zones and continental shelves of the Philippines, Vietnam and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) countries. We strongly oppose Chinas illegal actions and threats of force in the Panatag Shoal dispute, they added.

The group also backed the Philippine governments proposal to submit the dispute to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Itlos).

We call on the governments and citizens of all Asean countries to take concrete actions to show solidarity with the Philippines, to assist her in the defense of her sovereign rights in the Panatag Shoal area, and to defend the sovereign rights of each and every Asean country as affirmed in United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (Unclos), they said.

We solemnly declare that Chinas illegal nine-dashed line constitutes a threat to peaceful cooperation and sustainable development in Southeast Asia. To re-establish stability and ensure freedom of navigation in the West Philippines Sea/East Sea, we demand that China gives up its absurd maritime claims in these waters. The just cause of the government and people of the Philippines will prevail, they added.

Those who signed the letter were Major-General Nguyen Trong Vinh, Former Ambassador of The Socialist Republic of Vietnam to PR China, Prof. Nguyen Minh Thuyet, PhD, Former Vice-President, The Committee for Culture, Education and Youth, National Assembly, Nguyen Ngoc, Writer, Bui Ngoc Tan, Writer, Thanh Thao, Poet, Prof. Pham Duy Hien, PhD, Former Director, Da Lat Institute of Atom, Prof. Nguyen Hue Chi, Former President of Scientific Committee, Institute of Vietnamese Literature, Pham Toan, Educator, Prof. Nguyen The Hung, PhD, University of Da Nang, Vice President, Vietnamese Association of Hydromechanics, Prof. Chu Hao, Director, Tri Thuc Publisher, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Nguyen, PhD, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, Australia. Association Prof. Hoang Dung, PhD, Ho Chi Minh City University of Pedagogy, Pham Xuan Nguyen, President, Association of Ha Noi Writers, Nguyen Ba Dung, Engineer, Pham Hoang Quan, Independent Researcher, Hoang Hung, Poet, Prof. Tuong Lai, Former President, The Institute of Sociology of Vietnam, Nguyen Quang A, PhD, Former President, The Institute of Development Studies, Nguyen Ngoc Giao, Former Lecturer, Freelance Writer, Paris, France, Thai Van Cau, Space Science Specialist, USA, Nguyen Xuan Dien, PhD, Institute of Han-Nom, Dinh Kim Phuc, Researcher on the East Sea and Vietnamese Islands, Le Dang Doanh, PhD, Former Director, Central Institute of Economic Management (CIEM), Prof. Hoang Tuy, PhD, Former President, Scientific Committee of Vietnam Institute of Mathematics, Prof. Emeritus Nguyen Dang Hung, PhD, University of Liege, Belgium, To Van Truong, PhD, Specialist of Vietnamese Natural Resources and Environment, Ha Si Phu, PhD, 4E Bui Thi Xuan Str., Dang Thi Thanh Bien, Phan Dac Lu, Poet, Mac Lam, Journalist, Mai Thai Linh, Former Teacher, Researcher, Huynh Nhat Hai, retired Official, Huynh Nhat Tan, Ha Dinh Nguyen, 76, Tran Thanh Van, Association Prof. Dang Ngoc Le, PhD, President, Association of Linguistics of Ho Chi Minh City, Tran Thi Khanh, Editor, Nguyen Thi Tu Huy, PhD, lawyer Tran Quoc Thuan, Former Permanent Vice Chairman, Office of National Assembly of the SR of Vietnam, Kha Luong Ngai, Former Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Sai Gon Giai Phong News, Cao Lap, Former Political Prisoner in Con Dao, Tran Minh Thao, Writer, Dang Thi Hao, PhD, Former Vice Head, Section of Ancient and Mediveal Literature, Institute of Literature, Ha Noi, Vu Quang Viet, Specialist of Economics for UN, USA, Prof. Nguyen Dinh Cong, PhD, Former Chair of the Construction Department, University of Construction, Ha Noi, Nguyen Duc Hiep, Specialist of the Atmosphere, Office of Environment and Heritages, NSW, Australia.

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Vietnamese intellectuals back PH Panatag claim

The Intergeneration Deaf Education Outreach Project - IDEO JSDF TF 099058

TERMS OF REFERENCE Facilitator/Trainer for Baseline Survey

Project: Intergeneration Deaf Education Outreach Title: Facilitator/Trainer for Baseline Survey Report to: Project Manager

BACKGROUND:

The Intergenerational Deaf Education Outreach Project IDEO is implemented by World Concern Development Organization (WCDO) in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) through four years (2011 2015) in four provinces of Hanoi, Thai Nguyen, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City. The Project is funded by the Japanese Social Development Fund, entrusted to the management of the World Bank.

Project Goal: To assist young deaf children to integrate into mainstream society, by piloting an innovative joint family and institution-based delivery system comprising screening, family support, and preschool services.

Main Objectives/Components:

Component 1: Demonstrating joint family-institution pre-school education for deaf children and developing essential knowledge base The component aims to create affordable ways of helping families with a deaf child via a 5-fulltime-person Family Support Team (comprising of two deaf "Family Mentors", one sign language teacher, one hearing teacher of the deaf children, and one hearing communication facilitator/interpreter) placed in each of the six centers/schools countrywide. In each selected center/school a model classroom will be established and resourced for use during training and to try out checklists and procedures, etc. The program will provide deaf children with early opportunities to acquire sign language in parallel with the ongoing opportunities to learn to speak through speech therapy and build up their parents knowledge and confidence about their children's capacity to communicate, learn and engage with a wider community.

An essential knowledge base will be established to support training, monitor the efficacy of educational approaches for young deaf children, conduct demonstration of program mechanisms and outcomes, and devise assessment tools for language development of the child. This knowledge base will provide information on preschool deaf education from local and global sources within Vietnam, and also support the use of research-based knowledge during decision-making processes about educational placement and communication for deaf children.

Component 2: Developing professional human resources for pre-school deaf education This component aims to train deaf adults to become family educators, hearing signing people to facilitate communication between hearing and deaf people in family and school settings, and hearing teachers of deaf children to assess and accommodate student language needs so that together they can provide effective preschool readiness services for deaf children and their families. This component will support the demonstration model in Component 1 to form Family Support Teams (FST). There will be the involvement from various international and national experts in training and supervising the activities.

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Facilitator/Trainer for Baseline Survey

Lee Jen Ton (left) and Tsen Chi Shen enter the Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday. Photograph: Vireak Mai/Phnom Penh Post

Kor Vandy, presiding judge at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, said Tsen Chi Shen and Lee Jen Ton had been arrested after a package containing 347 grams of the powder was intercepted in August last year.

Tsen told the court in April he had entered Cambodia a year earlier as a door and window seller, but had turned to smuggling drugs after falling into gambling-related debt.

I sent packs of drugs to Taiwan three times, and each time I received commission of $1,000, he said, adding that he sent the heroin via the Veng Tai Veng company, which was sub-sent through Cambodia Express.

Lee, however, continued to protest his innocence.

He admitted having stayed in the same Phnom Penh guesthouse as Tsen, but said he had not been aware Tsen had been packing and sending the powder to Taiwan.

Yeng Bunna, chief of the Interior Ministrys anti-drug department, said the drug powder had been discovered after Veng Thai Veng reported a suspicious package. Police arrested Lee before raiding a room at the guesthouse.

Tsen had been arrested in October, police said.

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Drug pushers get 27 years | National news | The Phnom Penh Post - Cambodia's Newspaper of Record

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) A crowded overnight bus plunged off a bridge into a river in central Vietnam, killing 34 passengers and injuring 21 others in one of the country's deadliest road accidents.

The 50-seat coach lost control and ripped through the bridge's guardrails Thursday night, diving about 18 meters (60 feet) and landing on its top, partially submerged in the Serepok River, said local official Tran Bao Que.

"When the accident happened, everyone in the bus was sleeping," survivor Nguyen Van Khanh told online news site Dan Tri. "I vaguely heard a noise like a gun fire and then people were screaming when the bus was overturned. I managed to escape through a window which was smashed opened by others."

Que said it took rescuers four hours to pull the bodies from the bus, which was traveling on a regular 350-kilometer (217-mile) route from the central highland province of Dak Lak to the southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City.

Rescuers used axes to try to free trapped passengers. Photos showed a body hanging limply out the side of the ripped-open vehicle, which was hoisted out of the river by crane early Friday morning.

Y Bliu Arul, deputy director of the General Hospital in Dak Lak, says the bus's two drivers were among the 32 people who died at the scene. Two others died at the hospital. Of the 21 injured, 16 were in serious condition.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash. Vietnam has one of the world's highest traffic fatality rates, with more than 11,000 people killed each year.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Bus plunges into Vietnam river bank; 34 killed

A crowded overnight bus plunged off a bridge into a river in central Vietnam, killing 34 people and injuring 21 others in one of the country's deadliest road accidents.

The 50-seat coach lost control and ripped through the bridge's guardrails Thursday night, diving about 18 metres and landing on its top, partially submerged in the Serepok River, said local official Tran Bao Que.

"When the accident happened, everyone in the bus was sleeping," survivor Nguyen Van Khanh told news website Dan Tri. "I vaguely heard a noise like gunfire and then people were screaming when the bus was overturned. ... I managed to escape through a window that was smashed opened by others."

Survivor Trinh Van Mui, 34, said he was dozing on the back seat holding his 3-year-old daughter on their way to visit his father in a nearby province.

"I just heard a big boom and was knocked unconscious. I later found out that I was in the hospital with pain over all my body," he told The Associated Press by telephone from the hospital, saying he remembered nothing else from the crash. "We were very lucky to survive."

He suffered only minor cuts and bruises, but his daughter was transferred to a hospital in the southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City with internal injuries and broken limbs.

Que said it took rescuers four hours to pull the bodies from the bus, which was traveling on a regular 350-kilometer route from the central highland province of Dak Lak to Ho Chi Minh City.

Rescuers used axes to try to free trapped passengers. Photos showed a body hanging limply out the side of the ripped-open vehicle, which was hoisted out of the river by crane early Friday morning.

Y Bliu Arul, deputy director of the General Hospital in Dak Lak, said the bus' two drivers were among the 32 people who died at the scene. Two others died at the hospital. Of the 21 injured, 16 were in serious condition.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash. Vietnam has one of the world's highest traffic fatality rates, with more than 11,000 people killed each year.

Excerpt from:
Vietnam bus crash kills 34

NEW YORK, May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Global Flat Panel Displays (FPDs) Industry

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0862285/Global-Flat-Panel-Displays-FPDs-Industry.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Audio_and

This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Flat Panel Displays (FPDs) in US$ Million by the following Product Segments: Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) (Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays (AMLCDs), Passive Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays (PMLCDs), and Segmented LCDs), Plasma Display Panels (PDPs), Electroluminescent Displays (EL Displays), Organic Light Emitting Displays (OLEDs), Light Emitting Diode (LED) Displays, VFDs (Vacuum Fluorescent Displays), FEDs (Field Emission Displays), and Others. The Major End-Use Segments analyzed are Information Systems, Personal Computers, Telecomm. Equipment, Instrumentation, Consumer Appliances, Transportation equipment, Medical devices, and Others. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2009 through 2017. Also, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. The report profiles 249 companies including many key and niche players such as AU Optronics Corp., Clover Display Limited, Chimei Innolux Corporation, Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd., Densitron Technologies PLC, Emerging Display Technologies Corp., Hantronix, Inc., HannStar Display Corp., Hitachi Displays Ltd., Kopin Corporation, LG Display Co., Ltd., Microtips Technology, Inc., NLT Technologies, Ltd., Okaya Electric Industries Co., Ltd., Optrex America, Inc., Powertip Technology Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Toshiba Mobile Display Co., Ltd., Universal Display Corporation, and Viewsonic Corporation. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are primarily based upon search engine sources in the public domain.

I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & PRODUCT DEFINITIONS

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Global Flat Panel Displays (FPDs) Industry

PETALING JAYA: AirAsias Free Seats promotion is back with some 250,000 to give away.

The free seats are available to all destinations in the airlines route network, including for all flights operated by its affiliates Thai AirAsia, AirAsia Indonesia, AirAsia Philippines and AirAsia X.

Customers only need to pay for fuel surcharge and airport tax to destinations such as Penang, Langkawi, Singapore, Jakarta, Semarang, Surabaya and Ho Chi Minh City.

Flights within Malaysia start from RM21 one-way (only fuel surcharge and airport tax) while international flights are from RM47.

The promotion, which ends on May 20, is for the travel period between Jan 4 and May 22 next year.

AirAsia X will be offering one way all-in fares, including from RM200 to Japan and South Korea, and from as low as RM250 to Australia. The promotional fares will be available for online booking from Wednesday to Sunday.

Regional commercial head Kathleen Tan said AirAsia was offering the promotion again to celebrate its new corporate identity, which was announced recently.

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4. 250,000 free seats up for grabs on AirAsia