In The News

Foreign Makes Top Brands List

Choosak Jirasakulthai January 27, 2004
Thais prefer foreign brands to domestic ones, a recent survey shows. Japan's manufacturers appear to be the most favored with Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Sanyo all receiving top marks. But Korea's LG, Taiwan's Acer, and Finland's Nokia also performed well. Thais did well in real estate, but that is to be expected, as national law prevents foreign ownership. While Japan still seems...

Year of the Monkey Has Not Yet Brought Tourism Money

AFP January 23, 2004
Hong Kong’s tourist chiefs had hoped the island’s 1997 handover from British to Chinese rule would allow them to tap into the expanding mainland Chinese tourism market. But last year’s SARS outbreak affected both the island and the mainland and shattered Hong Kong’s travel industry. And despite the disease’s decline and China’s recent economic growth, this year’s Chinese New Year celebration has...

Headscarf Ban and Multi-Secularisms

Muhamad Ali January 20, 2004
In Jakarta, Muslim women protested France's headscarf ban at state schools in front of the French Embassy. To these Indonesian women, France's prohibition of religious symbols, including large crosses and Jewish skullcaps, violates the rights of French citizens. Headscarves, they maintain, are a religious obligation, not a cultural expression, and outlawing them interferes with a...

U.S. Urged to Monitor Global Labor Policies

David Brown January 16, 2004
More can be done by government to encourage global best practices, say leaders of both multinational corporations and academic institutions. In fact, a study group comprised of businessmen and academics recently sent the US government 18 recommendations on social responsibility, such as requiring US companies to be liable for overseas actions, encouraging socially responsible purchasing by...

Australia Tips in with Bt250m to Help with People Trafficking in ASEAN

Jim Pollard December 18, 2003
Trafficking in humans brings thousands of people against their will from Southeast Asia to Australia each year to serve as sex workers or virtual slaves. To help prevent such gross human rights abuses at the source, Australia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Thailand and other countries in the region and promised to devote 8.5 million Australian dollars to an anti-trafficking...

Foreign Adoptions Tricky, Tough

Ashley Fantz December 17, 2003
American and European childless couples often make the choice to adopt from another country, assuming that the process will be quicker and easier. Instead, couples often find difficult hurdles to overcome, such as domestic and foreign laws, illegal kidnapping, greedy middlemen, visa trouble, and agencies that do not properly determine if the child was legitimately taken from the birth mother....

Tailored Study Abroad Programs Boom

Choe Yong-shik December 17, 2003
With thousands of South Koreans studying abroad each year at all levels of education, the market to arrange such overseas ventures is formidable and competitive. Some Korean agencies provide guardian-like services for younger children studying in countries like New Zealand and Australia, or even combination English and golf instruction for aspiring professional athletes. More attractive,...