Good morning:Bitterness and sweetness come from the outside, strength comes from the inside, and comes from one's own efforts - Einstein

Today in history:On this day in 131, Filipino painter Fernando Amosolo was born. His works mainly depict rural landscapes and characters in the Philippines, making him the first painter in the Philippines to be awarded the "National Artist" medal and also known as the "Father of Filipino Art".

politics

01Thailand National Anti Corruption Commission for the first 6 months of fiscal year 2023Receiving casesStarting from 4099

The Secretary General of the National Anti Corruption Commission of Thailand, Niwachai, stated that during the first six months of the 2023 fiscal year, from October 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023, the Office of the National Anti Corruption Commission received a total of 4099 complaints, with 3489 cases closed and a closure rate of 85.05%. There were 613 cases in progress, accounting for 14.95%. However, according to the type of complaint classification, it was found that 50.3% of submissions were complaints, with a total of 2062 cases, followed by 22.7% being official complaints, with a total of 931 cases, And 20.3% were complaint letters, with a total of 832 cases. As for other complaints, they are online complaints and personal complaints at the office of the National Anti Corruption Commission. The Office of the National Anti Corruption Commission hopes that people can help closely monitor government corruption. If corrupt behavior of government officials is found, clues or complaints can be provided to the Office of the National Anti Corruption Commission through six channels, including online and offline channels.

In the past decade, Thailand's rating has fluctuated between 35 and 38 points, and there has been little improvement in corruption issues. According to the 2022 Corruption Perception Index of the International Transparency Organization, Thailand ranks 101st out of 180 countries, an increase of 9 places compared to 2021, and a transparency score increase of only 1 point. In the May Thai election, all political parties pledged in their campaign promises to eliminate these issues.

economic

01The import of durian exceeded 120000 tons in the first four months at the Friendship Customs Port in Nanning, China

Recently, data from Nanning Customs in China showed that the total import volume of durian at Friendship Customs in the first four months of this year exceeded 120000 tons, accounting for 39% of China's total import volume of durian. In April alone, the total monthly import of durian by Friendship Customs exceeded 60000 tons. Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines are the main importing countries of durian, and the three countries compete for the Chinese durian market. In addition, data from Shekou Customs in Shenzhen, China shows that in April, Shekou Port imported up to 3000 container containers of durian. It is expected that after Philippine durian is allowed to be imported into China, the quantity of durian imported into Shekou Port will increase, and the increase in durian inventory will inevitably lead to a decrease in its price.

Durian is considered the favorite fruit among Chinese consumers. In 2022 alone, China imported as much as 825000 tons of durian, with a total import amount of 4.03 billion US dollars (approximately 132.99 billion Thai baht), of which 780000 tons were imported from Thailand, accounting for 94.55% of all imported durians. The majority of durians were transported by land to the Friendship Customs port of Guangxi, China, which borders Vietnam.

02Cambodian Shoe Industry Chamber of Commerce holds annual dinner and inauguration ceremony

The Cambodian Shoe Industry Chamber of Commerce successfully held a grand annual dinner and inauguration ceremony on the 27th, with over 400 members and guests including business leaders, industry experts, and international partners attending to celebrate the inauguration of the new supervisor.

The Cambodian Shoe Industry Chamber of Commerce was established in 2019 to provide a platform for members to exchange, share best practices and experiences, and jointly solve challenges they face.

The clothing and footwear industry in Cambodia, along with tourism, construction, and agriculture, has become one of the pillars of the Cambodian economy. Since the 1990s, exports from the clothing, textiles, and footwear sectors have significantly increased, and in 2016, Cambodia ranked among the top 10 footwear producing countries for the first time in 2016. In 2018, the clothing and footwear industry accounted for 74% of Cambodia's export revenue. In 2021, the Cambodian footwear industry achieved export revenue of 1.3 billion US dollars, an increase of over 20% compared to the same period in 2020.

Clothing factories in Cambodia generally follow the cut make trim (CMT) model, where the raw materials, machinery, and design of clothing are imported from abroad, while the assembly of products is carried out in labor-intensive factories in Cambodia. Under this mechanism, well-known clothing and footwear brands choose to outsource production to Cambodia, such as Adidas, H&M, Zara, Puma, etc.

03Vietnam invested nearly $316.4 million in foreign investment in the first five months of this year

According to the Foreign Investment Bureau under the Vietnam Ministry of Planning and Investment, Vietnam invested nearly $316.4 million in foreign investment in the first five months of this year, equivalent to 93.5% of the same period last year. Among them, $142.7 million was invested in 47 new projects, accounting for 48.6% of the same period in 2022, while $173.7 million was added to 16 ongoing projects, a year-on-year increase of 3.9 times. The investment is mainly distributed in 13 industries, especially retail and wholesale, information and communication, finance, banking, agriculture, forestry, and fishery.

During the period from January to May, Vietnam invested in 20 countries and regions, led by Canada, with a new project and an expansion project worth over 150.2 million US dollars. Next are Singapore, Laos, and Cuba.

According to officials from the Foreign Investment Administration, as of May 20th, Vietnam has operated 1648 effective projects abroad with a total investment of nearly 22.1 billion US dollars, including 141 state-owned enterprises worth 11.67 billion US dollars, accounting for 52.8% of the total national investment. The main destinations for Vietnamese investors are Laos (24.4%), Cambodia (13.3%), and Venezuela (8.3%), mainly concentrated in the mining industry (31.5%) and agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (15.6%).

security

01Fraudulent Chinese tourists, Thailand destroys counterfeit drug factories

The Central Investigation Bureau of Thailand and the Food and Drug Administration of Thailand have jointly taken action to crack down on a factory that produces and sells counterfeit herbal medicines, demolishing four dens, and seizing a batch of products worth 4 million Thai baht (529100 Ringgit). The police arrested two Chinese suspects in two dens in the Glorious District of Bangkok, seized a large number of illegal herbs and various transaction documents, and arrested another Thai suspect in two dens in Baton Thani Province, seized a large number of illegal herbs, production materials, and production equipment.

According to media reports, the above-mentioned fake herbal medicines were invested by Chinese people, hired by Thai people for production, specifically sold to Chinese tourists, and falsely used 27 drug registration numbers, making people believe it is true. These counterfeit herbs are self added with various ingredients, packaged and sent to Chinese shops and other tourist attractions in the glorious district of Bangkok, where tour guides promote them to Chinese tourists.

In addition, to avoid censorship, these drugs will not be sold in regular stores. These drugs cost about 20 to 30 baht (2.65 to 3.97 ringgit) per unit, but their prices range from hundreds to thousands of baht, making them extremely profitable and have been on sale for about a year.

culture

01Vietnam's "Tam Tra Dieu Bao" Collection Set World Records

On May 28th, the "Tam Tra Dieu Bao" collection set a world record based on the "largest Yixing purple clay pot collection in history". The Vietnamese Records Organization (Vietkings), authorized by the World Records Alliance (WorldKings) and the World Records Association (WRA), announced this recognition at a ceremony held in Ho Chi Minh City.

The "Tam Tra Dieu Bao" collection is a collection of over 1000 Yixing teapots and cups, collected by Vietnamese tea master Ngo Thi Thanh Tam for nearly 30 years. It has a very beautiful and rich design, unique colors and patterns, made from several types of clay in the Yixing region, and made by famous craftsmen from Yixing Craft Village in Jiangsu Province, China, from the Qing Dynasty to today. In October last year, the "Tam Tra Dieu Bao" series was recognized by the "Asian World Records" (ABR) as the "most collectible Yixing teapot set in history" in Asia.

weather

The Thai Meteorological Bureau has issued Announcement No. 6 on heavy to extremely heavy rainfall and strong winds and waves in the Andaman Sea. Affected by the southwest monsoon, from May 28th to 30th, some areas in northern, northeastern, central (including the capital Bangkok and surrounding areas), eastern, and southern Thailand will experience heavy to extremely heavy rainfall. People in these areas need to take precautions against potential disasters such as flash floods caused by heavy rainfall in advance.