Nearly 2,000 bodies have been recovered from Indonesia's disaster-ravaged Palu city, an official said Monday, as the search for victims ended at a hotel destroyed in the powerful earthquake and tsunami. The death toll from the twin disaster on Sulawesi island that erased whole suburbs in Palu has reached 1,944 The death toll from the twin disaster on Sulawesi island that erased whole suburbs in Palu has reached 1,944, said local military spokesman M. Thohir. "That number is expected to rise, because we have not received orders to halt the search for bodies," Thohir, who is also a member of the government's official Palu quake taskforce, told AFP. Authorities have said as many as 5,000 are believed missing in two hard-hit areas since the September 28 disaster -- indicating far more may have perished than the current toll. Hopes of finding anyone alive have faded and the search for survivors amid the wreckage has turned to gathering and accounting for the dead. The disaster … [Read more...] about More bodies found as death toll from Indonesia quake nears 2,000
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No major breakthrough at meeting on Asian boat people crisis
A regional conference called to address the swelling tide of boat people in Southeast Asia ended with no major breakthroughs, with Myanmar deflecting blame for fueling the crisis and warning that "finger pointing" would not help. A helicopter takes off from HTMS Angthonga helipad But delegates agreed on one thing at least— the need to keep talking. The U.S. also prepared to begin surveillance flights in Thai airspace to help search for migrants who might be still stranded, after Thailand gave its permission. In Myanmar, state television said the navy had seized a boat with 727 migrants off the coast of the Irrawaddy Delta region, the latest vessel found in the last few weeks. The report identified those on board as "Bengalis" — a reference to Bangladeshis — and said they were taken to a nearby island. Forty-five of them were children. Friday's meeting in Bangkok was attended by representatives of 17 countries, along with the United States and Japan and … [Read more...] about No major breakthrough at meeting on Asian boat people crisis
Lombok quake sends shudders through tourist industry
Two deadly tremors a week apart -- accompanied by dozens of aftershocks -- wrought widespread damage on homes and livelihoods, striking during the crucial tourism season, when hotels, local businesses and seasonal workers earn the bulk of their annual revenue. In the Gili Islands, a popular backpacker and diving destination just off Lombok's northern coast, thousands of terrified tourists jostled on powder-white beaches for departing boats. Lombok's airport was briefly crammed with holidaymakers rushing to get flights out, while the main tourist drag of Senggigi has been left deserted. Alfan Hasandi depended on peak season tourists to see his family through the rest of the year. He and his brothers ran a now shuttered business on one of the islands, Gili Air, offering boat tickets, snorkeling, trekking and vehicle rentals, usually earning five million rupiah ($350) a day during peak season. "We hope we can rebuild... but it's impossible because people are still traumatised," the … [Read more...] about Lombok quake sends shudders through tourist industry
BUSINESS IN BRIEF 14/6
Wood furniture firms advised to optimise domestic materials The world’s wooden interior décor market is predicted to grow 3.5 percent in 2018 and continue expanding, bringing chances for Vietnamese businesses to raise exports of the products. If Vietnamese businesses optimise the material sources they have and make the best use of trade promotion activities, their export earnings can surpass 8 billion USD. According to Huynh Van Hanh, Vice President of the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City, in the past 15 years, the wood industry has maintained the growth rate of 8-15 percent a year despite world economic fluctuation. The biggest issue of the wood processing enterprises in Vietnam is they are focusing on a market section with low added value, mostly concentrating on outsourcing for foreign clients. To further develop the domestic wood sector, the businesses should pay attention to a higher target of selling abroad the whole space of high-end … [Read more...] about BUSINESS IN BRIEF 14/6
Dirty business: The hidden workers who deal with waste in Vietnam’s capital
Minh has lived in Hanoi for ten years, but still doesn't speak fluent Vietnamese. He comes from an ethnic minority group based in the north of the country, but moved down to the capital to earn a living as a waste disposal worker in a residential building. Minh does not get the chance to practice his Vietnamese very much because concrete walls separate him from the rest of society, and the only connection he has with other people is a waste pipe. Minh does not know exactly how old his two sons are. All he knows is that they quit school early to follow him in the waste business. Minh's wife and older son clean up the bunker of garbage under a residential building in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Do Manh Cuong Leaving his home in the mountainous province of Ha Giang, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Hanoi, Minh now works in a hot and suffocating basement collecting waste to sell for recycling as a source of income for his family. Nhu, Minh’s wife, and their older son also … [Read more...] about Dirty business: The hidden workers who deal with waste in Vietnam’s capital