NEWS FROM AROUND ASEAN : APRIL 6

SINGAPORE: OWNERS WILL GET UP TO S$3,500 FOR DEREGISTERING OLDER MOTORCYCLES SINGAPORE: To improve air quality, the National Environment Agency (NEA) is offering an incentive of up to $3,500 for owners of older and more pollutive motorcycles to deregister their vehicles over the next five years, The Straits Times reported. In a media release on Friday, NEA said all owners of motorcycles registered before July 1, 2003, are eligible for the incentive if their vehicles have a valid 10-year certificate of entitlement (COE) as of April 6 this year, and are deregistered on or before April 5, 2023. About 27,000 motorcycles are eligible, said the agency. NEA said these incentives were introduced to decrease the amount of carbon monoxide and ozone released into the air, as they are known to impair respiratory functions. Carbon monoxide is also known to be toxic in high concentrations. While motorcycles make up just 15 per cent of vehicles in Singapore, they contribute to more than 53 per cent of carbon monoxide emissions from vehicles. Older motorcycles registered before 2003, when stricter emission standards kicked in, make up around 20 per cent of the motorcycle population here but contribute to about 40 per cent of carbon monoxide emissions by all motorcycles, NEA said. CAMBODIA: WATERWAY TAXI SERVICE LAUNCHED PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Public Works and Transport launched Friday the Prek Phnov-Takhmao Taxi Boat Service, the first ever passenger waterway transport in Phnom Penh, Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP) reported. The launching ceremony was presided over by Senior Minister of Public Works and Transport, Sun Chanthol. The waterway service linking Prek Phnov in the northern part of Phnom Penh to Takhmao town of Kandal province has been created to provide more convenience for citizens and reduce traffic congestion on bridges and roads. As an introductory offer, passengers will have free of charge access to this boat-based service from April 6 to Aug. 1. For the first stage, three boats will be used for the 25 kilometres' Prek Pnov-Takhmao route with an average duration of 34 minutes and five stations between them: Prek Pnov, new Freedom Park, Night Market, Koh Pich and Takhmao. INDONESIA: PERTAMINA MAKES HEADWAY IN CLEANING BALIKPAPAN SPILL BALIKPAPAN: On the fifth day after Saturday's oil spill in Balikpapan Bay, the pollution has begun to clear, the waters off East Kalimantan's Semayang Port returning to a deep green with no visible oil slicks, The Jakarta Post reported. “We dispatched no less than 1,000 people to clean the oil spill. We also had the support of volunteers from various civil society groups, students, community members and environmental activists,” Yudi Nugrahastate, Kalimantan regional manager of social responsibility and communications at state oil and gas company Pertamina, said on Thursday. Yudi added that Pertamina had also deployed 15 vessels to tackle the polluted area in four predetermined zones. The first zone stretches from Pertamina's Jetty 1 to Kampung Baru. The second zone covers the waters off Semayang Port, while the third covers Monpera Beach, and the fourth covers Balikpapan Bay. He said Pertamina had utilised a variety of techniques and equipment for cleaning the oil spill, from vacuum trucks, to oil booms and to oil spill dispersant (OSD). “To clean the waters of the beach, we used oil skimmers and tug boats,” Yudi added. PHILIPPINES: PHILIPPINES TO IMPORT 250,000 TONNES OF RICE FROM VIETNAM, THAILAND MANILA: The country’s state-run grains agency will now proceed with the importation of rice to augment the supply of subsidised rice in the market after being delayed by its policy-making body, Inquirer.net reported. Administrator Jason Aquino has ordered the importation of 250,000 metric tonnes (MT) of rice under the government-to-government (G to G) scheme, according to an official of the National Food Authority (NFA). The NFA Council has originally planned to import rice through the open tender scheme, wherein the government will be transacting with private rice traders. While the G to G scheme is said to be more prone to corruption and less transparent since the base price for bidding will not be disclosed, its process of procurement is much shorter. The agency will purchase rice from the governments of Vietnam and Thailand where the country has an existing memorandum of understanding (MoU). LAOS: LUANG PRABANG’S COLOURFUL EVENTS DRAWING THE CROWDS LUANG PRABANG: Luang Prabang has prepared a multitude of colourful activities to promote and develop the province’s tourism as well as boost domestic and international visitor arrivals, Vientianne Times online portal reported citing a local official. Head of the Luang Prabang provincial Information, Culture and Tourism Department, Soulithip Norkhunphonh, said authorities have prepared seven main activities for 2018 with some already held. The seven activities include the festivities for Lao New Year amid celebrations for Visit Laos Year 2018 which will take place from April 11-30. “Visitors will enjoy interesting activities during Pi Mai Lao such as the Miss Lao New Year (Nang Sangkhan) parade, a handicraft fair, and a Lao food festival,” he said. In addition, visitors can go to villages inhabited by ethnic groups, see cultural performances, enjoy the traditional washing of Buddha images, and watch the beautiful evening Naga and lantern parades. -- BERNAMA