Hooked On Asia

Work-Life balance in Vietnam

In Ho Chi Minh city, children from rural Vietnam are taught free of charge by volunteers at the Lien Hoa pagoda. These children from the ‘immigration village’ at Nhi Thien Duong bridge pier have neither cash nor “ho khau” a permanent residential book enabling them to go to local schools.

The children study for the morning or afternoon and spend the rest of the day helping their families earn a living.

Read: The poor children being taught by Buddhists

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Rain is Good News for Borneo

A heavy storm lasting some 30 minutes has “finally doused the forest fires and peat fires that have destroyed more than 3,000 hectares of land near the Sarawak-Brunei border.

The storm unleashed a heavy downpour at about 1am early Saturday and put out the fires that had been raging out of control for almost one month in the Kuala Baram district some 35kms north of Miri city.

Read Sudden storm souses Sarawak fires (The Star Online)

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El Nino Grip Tightens

The phrases “El Nino” and “bad news” appear to be inextricably entwined. In Sarawak East Malaysia the weather phenomenon has caused drought conditions in some areas and deep in the interior “primary schoolchildren wash cups, plates, spoons and themselves in dirty streams, which resemble drains” (The Star).

And if that were not bad enough, the number of open fires is increasing thereby contributing to a worsening ‘Haze’. Reportedly four areas in Sarawak – Bintulu, Miri, Samarahan, Sibu – recorded unhealthy API readings of between 110 and 153 while Port Klang on Peninsula Malaysia became the first area there with an unhealthy 113 reading.

My contact in Kuching, the State capital of Sarawak, tells me that at the moment the situation there is bearable.

With this situation potentially lasting through until September or October the region needs rain urgently.

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Ten Komodo Dragons On The Move To Bali Zoo

According to this week’s Bali Discovery the Indonesian Department of Forestry is planning to move 10 rare Komodo Dragons from their natural habitat at the Komodo National Park to the Bali Safari Park. This is apparently on the grounds of preservation.

This is causing consternation in West Flores, the natural home of this prehistoric creature and I can understand why: it is the islands’ key tourist draw card. I am wondering whether there might be a better solution: balancing conservation with the needs of the local population. Surely there is scope here for a sustainable tourism project.

Read Komodo Dragons as Stay-at-Home Celebrities

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