Best of our wild blogs: 25 Aug 2017

Terumbu Semakau with large fish traps
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STB and EDB launch new brand to market Singapore abroad

Dewi Fabbri Channel NewsAsia 24 Aug 17;

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) jointly launched a brand to market Singapore internationally on Thursday (Aug 24).

Passion Made Possible is the first joint brand by the agencies, and aims to attract tourism and business by showcasing Singapore’s attitude and mindset as well as serving as a platform for Singaporeans to market themselves globally, the agencies said in a joint press release.

As part of the brand's development, the agencies said they conducted research involving close to 4,500 respondents in Singapore and across 10 countries - Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, India, Australia, US, UK, Germany and Belgium - on what Singapore stands for.

The respondents shared that themes of "passion" and "possibilities" best reflected Singapore’s spirit: "While ‘possibilities’ was strongly associated with Singapore as a destination, the ‘passion’ to strive was what drove these possibilities."

According to the agencies, the brand takes on a different approach from previous campaign such as STB’s YourSingapore and EDB’s Future Ready Singapore by presenting Singapore’s attributes beyond tourism and business.

A series of films and visuals featuring nearly 100 Singaporeans, residents and notable personalities will be broadcast on various media channels, social media platforms website VisitSingapore.com.

STB chief executive Lionel Yeo said the brand articulates what Singapore stands for as a country and "supports the telling of many stories about this destination and its people”.

It will "appeal to the more sophisticated tourists who are seeking more aspirational value propositions in their travel”, Mr Yeo added.

EDB chairman Beh Swan Gin added that with Singapore “making the shift from being primarily an investment-driven economy to one that will be led by innovation”, the brand sends “a strong and clear signal” to local and international companies seeking to create new products, services and solutions that they can do so “successfully from Singapore and turn possibilities into reality”.

The unified brand also features a logo coined the “SG Mark” - a circle with the letters "SG" within it - as part of a brand identity developed by TSLA Design, the branding and design practice of Singapore creative shop The Secret Little Agency (TSLA).

The design of the SG Mark plays on Singapore’s “little red dot” nickname and is an evolution of the SG50 logo created for Singapore’s golden jubilee in 2015, TSLA said.

"The SG Mark expresses Singapore’s coming of age with a quiet confidence, true to the nation’s personality. This is seen in the use of the country abbreviation ‘SG’ as well as a custom typeface," the design agency said in a fact sheet.

The logo will be used across Passion Made Possible's campaigns and will behave as a "trust mark", applied to key visual icons of Singapore or text headlines with a "distinctly Singapore perspective" in a similar way to a trademark logo.

The SG Mark will also be used in visual-led campaigns or on brand collaterals as a "trust stamp", in a way modelled after official seals to endorse materials, TSLA said. (Image: STB)
The brand will also be adopted by other statutory boards and agencies under the Trade and Industry Ministry, such as in their marketing campaigns and trade shows when reaching out to international audiences, the agencies said.

Passion Made Possible will start its global tour in Japan on Aug 25, making its debut at the Singapore: Inside Out Tokyo creative art showcase. It will also be rolled out across Asia Pacific, Europe and the US from September, they added.

Move over, ‘YourSingapore’, it’s now ‘Passion Made Possible’
RUMI HARDASMALANI Today Online 24 Aug 17;

SINGAPORE — The Republic will now be marketed overseas to potential investors and visitors as “Passion Made Possible”, under the “first unified brand” for the country launched on Thursday (Aug 24) by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Economic Development Board (EDB).

The brand was the result of “qualitative and quantitative research with close to 4,500 respondents on what Singapore stands for”, involving residents, industry stakeholders and international audiences in Singapore and across 10 countries, the agencies said in a press release.

According to STB and EDB, the respondents felt the themes of “passion” and “possibilities” best reflected the Singapore spirit. “While ‘possibilities’ was strongly associated with Singapore as a destination, the ‘passion’ to strive was what drove these possibilities,” they said.

“Passion Made Possible was thus derived to capture the spirit of the nation in a way that builds affinity, affiliation and top-of-mind recall for choosing Singapore as a destination to visit and invest in.”

Reiterating that the brand is the “embodiment of the country’s track record and tenacity to fulfil passions and continually create new possibilities”, STB and EDB said: “By capturing the spirit of the nation, the brand will speak to Singaporeans and residents alike to build affinity and affiliation. For potential visitors and businesses, it will also help entrench stronger top-of-mind recall for choosing Singapore as a destination to visit and invest in.”

The push to refresh the nation’s brand positioning — beyond its strong reputation as a safe and stable global business and tourism hub supported by top-notch infrastructure — comes amid intense global competition to attract tourists and investments and a much more complex media landscape, STB and EDB said.

Speaking at the launch, Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) (MTI) S Iswaran said the new slogan “epitomises what Singapore stands for”.

“It can be used to describe the journey over the last 50 years. It is also about the attribute that makes Singapore what it is today. It is also about what Singapore wants to be and what Singapore offers to the rest of the world,” he said.

The economic agencies and the MTI are looking at how they can adapt the slogan for their use. The Ministry of Communications and Information is also exploring how it can be used in the “larger government messaging”, said Mr Iswaran, who added that the logo was simple and “very adaptable”.

The tourism authorities’ first branding exercise was launched in 1984 under the tagline “Surprising Singapore”. Other past slogans included “New Asia Singapore” and “Uniquely Singapore”. The most recent brand, “YourSingapore”, which was launched in 2010, underpinned “Singapore’s strengths as a destination; that is, an experience which can be easily personalised”.

Latest figures from the STB showed that between January and March, international arrivals to Singapore increased 4 per cent compared with the same period last year to reach 4.3 million, while tourism receipts grew 15 per cent to S$6.4 billion.

STB and EDB noted that visitors have become more discerning in their travel choices, “seeking to immerse themselves in cultures and build deeper connections with destinations”. International businesses, on the other hand, “want to create new solutions that make a difference”.

The unified brand is aimed at helping Singapore stand out on the international stage, the agencies added.

As part of the brand, a new logo was also unveiled. It features the “SG Mark” from the Republic’s “SG50” golden jubilee logo which was widely used in 2015. The logo is “an emblem of Singapore’s attributes as a place that is always trusted to deliver, and can be applied as a trust mark or a trust stamp to connote quality and trust”, STB and EDB said.

STB chief executive Lionel Yeo said the unified brand supports the telling of many stories about Singapore and its people.

“With Passion Made Possible, STB is presenting a brand that can tell a fuller Singapore story beyond just tourism ... it will appeal to the more sophisticated tourists, who are seeking more aspirational value propositions in their travel,” he added.

EDB chairman Beh Swan Gin described the launch of the unified brand as a well-timed move, given Singapore’s shift in strategy from being an investment-driven economy to one that will be led by innovation.

“Local and international companies are seeking to create new products, services and solutions that will have a stronger impact in Asia,” he said. “It is timely to send a strong and clear signal that companies can do this successfully from Singapore and turn possibilities into reality.”

The Passion Made Possible global campaign will be unveiled across cities around the world through consumer launches, trade events, industry partnerships and marketing initiatives featuring visuals and films that showcase individuals and groups pursuing their passions in various fields.

The campaign will kick off in Japan on Friday with Singapore: Inside Out Tokyo, which brings Singaporean and Japanese contemporary creative talents together. It will be rolled out across Asia-Pacific and longer-haul markets such as Europe and the United States from next month.

The unified brand will also be adopted by other statutory boards and agencies under the MTI.

FILM SERIES PART OF GLOBAL MARKETING PUSH

A key feature of the Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) global marketing campaign is a series of films that “share how Singapore is Passion Made Possible”.

Featuring almost 100 Singaporeans, residents and prominent personalities, the films will be broadcast on various media channels, social media platforms, and on VisitSingapore.com.

STB has also worked with tour operators to refresh and come up with new trips, such as a hawker food trail and a journey through Joo Chiat on a Vespa sidecar. STB said on Thursday that there more than 20 tours to “enable visitors to discover Singapore based on their lifestyles and interests”.

The tours are curated around the theme of “Passion Tribes” to incorporate deeper storytelling elements, in line with the new unified brand launched by STB and the Economic Development Board.

Apart from the hawker food trail and Joo Chiat tour, the other new tours are visits to Kampong Glam and trips to trace the history of Singapore, among other things.

STB said the films aim to appeal to the aspirations of visitors by “showcasing the depth of offerings and how Singapore ignites these passions”. They feature Singaporeans and residents who have “persevered and achieved their dreams, constantly striving for progress amidst challenges, whom potential visitors might be able to personally identify with”.

For a start, STB has unveiled three personality-driven films, on Candlenut head chef and owner Malcolm Lee, designer Mark Ong and wildlife consultant Subaraj Rajathurai.

STB is also partnering hotels to enhance visitors’ stay in Singapore, Some of these hotels include Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa, Parkroyal on Pickering and the various Village Hotels at Changi, Katong, Bugis and Albert Court.

Parkroyal on Pickering, for example, plans to offer a curated architectural and eco-tour via an augmented reality app, to “showcase how they pioneered the concept of green hospitality in Singapore”, STB said.


A fresh branding emerges from deep dive into Singapore spirit
Passion Made Possible motto goes beyond tourists and businesses to showcase nation's attitude and mindset
JUDITH TAN Business Times 25 Aug 17;

IT'S no longer just about drawing tourists or businesses. Singapore's latest branding exercise aims to capture the nation's essence in its entirety.

Called Passion Made Possible, the first joint branding effort by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Economic Development Board (EDB), was launched by Trade and Industry Minister S Iswaran on Thursday evening.

It aims to showcase Singapore's attitude and mindset - a passionate, never-settling spirit of determination and enterprise that constantly pursues possibilities and reinvention - through storytelling.

The campaign adopts an inside-out approach of what Singapore stands for by using local personalities, from entrepreneurs and restaurateurs to sports stars and celebrities, to share their different passions.

An example was a 4½-minute video of wildlife consultant Subaraj Rajathurai, who spoke about his love of nature as he explored Pulau Ubin and the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. This and other clips will be showcased on sites such as CNN, BBC and National Geographic.

The new brand provides the opportunity and platform for Singaporeans and residents to showcase their enterprising and persevering spirit to the world, its assistant chief executive for marketing group Lynette Pang said.

Coming on the back of stiffer competition for tourism dollars from other countries, STB decided to take a different approach from previous brands such as STB's YourSingapore and EDB's Future Ready Singapore.

Singapore's tourism numbers have grown in recent years after a 7.6 per cent dip in receipts in 2015 to S$21.8 billion.

Last year, the number of visitors rose by 7.7 per cent to 16.4 million, while tourism receipts increased by 13 per cent to S$24.6 billion and in the first quarter of this year, there were 4.3 million visitors who spent S$6.4 billion, a 15 per cent increase in tourism receipts over the same period of 2016.

Chief executive of STB Lionel Yeo said: "Today, Singapore's iconic attractions such as Orchard Road, Marina Bay and Sentosa are well known in our major source markets, and we are also well known for our attributes of security and efficiency. We will build on this by telling stories of passion made possible to develop an even more positive affinity between our target audience and Singapore."

The revamped brand, which came seven years after YourSingapore was introduced, took about a year to be conceptualised, starting with qualitative and quantitative research on what Singapore stands for. The research involved close to 4,500 respondents, who comprised residents, industry stakeholders and international audiences in Singapore and across 10 countries and most of whom thought "passion" and "possibilities" best reflected Singapore's spirit.

"With Passion Made Possible, STB is presenting a brand that can tell a fuller Singapore story beyond just tourism... This brand is in line with quality tourism as it will appeal to the more sophisticated tourists who are seeking more aspirational value propositions in their travel," Mr Yeo said.

EDB chairman Beh Swan Gin said Singapore is making the shift from being primarily an investment-driven economy to one that is led by innovation, particularly "seeking to create new products, services and solutions that will have stronger impact in Asia".

"It is timely to send a strong and clear signal that companies can do this successfully from Singapore and turn possibilities into reality," he said.

Other statutory boards and agencies under the Ministry of Trade and Industry will also adopt this branding when reaching out to international audiences.

This would be STB's fifth brand since "Instant Asia", its first brand in 1966.

Not everyone The Business Times spoke to sees merit in regular rebranding exercises.

Associate professor of Marketing at Nanyang Business School and a fellow of the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight Sharon Ng said building a strong perception and brand takes time and constant re-branding of a product "confuses the target audience".

"We want people to have a clear image of what the brand stands for. It is hard to achieve that if a brand constantly changes its positioning and image. Brands need to re-brand when their target audience changes or when society evolves making their existing brand image look obsolete. But these should be done judiciously," she said. But associate professor Ang Swee Hoon from the Department of Marketing at the NUS Business School said the re-branding exercises that STB has undertaken span between six and 11 years.

"By which time, other countries may have developed different stories about themselves to attract tourists. Singapore needs to refresh itself to compete more effectively for the tourism market not only for first time visitors but repeat visitors as well," she said, adding that re-branding is necessary "to rejuvenate the brand so that it does not look tired and not progressing".

"Companies, especially those very much in the public's eye, do that all the time."

Having said that, Prof Ang added that re-branding "should be well thought out because it is a strategic move".

"It is called for when there's a change in the competitive environment and/or customers. The re-branding should speak to how the brand addresses customer needs amid the changing competitive landscape. Competition and customers do not change overnight. As such, re-branding exercises do not occur frequently," she said.

Both STB and EDB did not give the exact cost for the revamp and would only say that marketing the campaign would be where the investments would go into.

"We have an annual budget for marketing, so it's not as if suddenly there is a big change in the marketing budget (this year). It's just the way we deploy that budget (which) will be in support of this 'one brand one campaign' approach so that over time it will gain traction," Mr Yeo said.

STB's previous spending includes S$200 million in Singapore Roars! to attract more travellers in the post-Sars period of 2003, S$90 million for its Boost (Building On Opportunities to Strengthen Tourism) initiative of 2009, and its S$20 million global marketing campaign in 2015, targeted at tourists from seven countries.

On the Passion Made Possible campaign, Prof Ng said: "We can't put a magic figure to this. It depends on how they want to execute this. A global campaign with ads in every country and both online and offline channels will be very expensive. If it is simply changing the slogan and reflecting that on the website and brochure, it will be cheap. It is hard to give a figure until we know the ambition of the rebranding team."

Noting that STB and EDB are having a joint branding for the first time, Prof Ang said it is a noble, but challenging move.

"While few countries have done this, for example, New Zealand, STB and EDB have distinct audiences who have different priorities. It would be challenging to express the same theme in different meaningful ways to appeal to their separate audiences, and not be a source of confusion," she said.

Following its debut, Passion Made Possible will be unveiled in various cities worldwide, beginning with STB's travelling showcase Singapore: Inside Out in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday. It will be rolled out across the Asia-Pacific and longer-haul markets, Europe and the United States, from next month.


Singapore's new international brand by STB and EDB: Passion Made Possible
Kok Xing Hui and Annabeth Leow Straits Times 24 Aug 17;

SINGAPORE - From New Asia Singapore to Uniquely Singapore and YourSingapore, and now - Passion Made Possible.

Passion Made Possible is Singapore's new brand and was unveiled on Thursday (Aug 24) after a year of planning.

For the first time, the branding will go beyond targeting tourists and will also be used to woo businesses.

While previous brand campaigns were Singapore Tourism Board (STB) efforts, this one is a partnership between STB and the Economic Development Board (EDB).

The idea is to have a "unified" brand that can be used across all campaigns to market Singapore - whether to tourists or businesses.

The new tagline, the agencies said, puts forth Singapore's attitude and mindset: "A passionate, never-settling spirit of determination and enterprise that constantly pursues possibilities and reinvention."

Other statutory boards and agencies under the Ministry of Trade and Industry will also adopt this branding when reaching out to international audiences.

A key feature of the new campaign is a shift towards storytelling.

Instead of talking about the different things a tourist can do in Singapore, STB will use local personalities and share stories about their passion.

For example, a 4½-minute video has been made of wildlife consultant Subaraj Rajathurai talking about his love of nature as he walked through Pulau Ubin and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

To showcase such videos, the agencies intend to partner sites such as CNN, BBC and National Geographic, as well as digital platforms such as Mafengwo and WeChat.

The new branding was launched at Infinite Studios, near Ayer Rajah, by Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S. Iswaran.

Mr Lionel Yeo, chief executive of STB, said: “Today, Singapore’s iconic attractions such as Orchard Road, Marina Bay and Sentosa are well known in our major source markets, and we are also well known for our attributes of security and efficiency. We will build on this by telling stories of passion made possible to develop an even more positive affinity between our target audience and Singapore.”

The logo that accompanies the Passion Made Possible tagline features the letters SG inside a circle.

Said Mr Yeo: "It draws on the widely recognised SG50 logo. We are calling it the SG Mark, and this can be applied to visuals or text to immediately connote the Singapore stamp of quality and trust, which underpins our spirit of passion made possible."

The revamp comes on the back of stiffer competition for tourism dollars from other countries.

For example, Britain has the "GREAT Britain" tourism campaign, while New Zealand has billed itself as "100% Pure". There are also the "Malaysia, Truly Asia" and "Amazing Thailand" campaigns.

To come up with the new brand, STB and EDB surveyed close to 4,500 respondents in Singapore and 10 other countries on what the Republic stands for.

They said respondents thought "passion" and "possibilities" best reflected Singapore's spirit.

"While 'possibilities' was strongly associated with Singapore as a destination, the 'passion' to strive was what drove these possibilities," said STB and EDB.

Ngee Ann Polytechnic tourism senior lecturer Michael Chiam thought it was interesting that this new tagline makes no mention of Singapore, unlike previous campaigns such as Uniquely Singapore and YourSingapore.

He added that Passion Made Possible is flexible enough for business and tourism purposes.

"For the tourism sector, the new tagline invites tourists who are passionate about something to explore different possibilities relating to their passion when they are in Singapore. For the business person, he can explore what drives Singaporeans, which can open up business possibilities," he said.

Singapore's tourism numbers have grown in recent years after a 7.6 per cent dip in tourism receipts in 2015 to $21.8 billion.

The number of visitors grew by 7.7 per cent to 16.4 million last year, while tourism receipts rose by 13 per cent to $24.6 billion.

In the first quarter of this year, there were 4.3 million visitors who spent $6.4 billion - a 15 per cent increase in tourism receipts over the same period last year.

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Visiting pair of hornbills thrill condo residents

Shayna Toh Straits Times 25 Aug 17;

A pair of oriental pied hornbills have been spotted at Country Park Condominium in Bedok, creating quite a stir among residents.

First seen there in January, the birds are now known to frequent the condo in the late afternoon when the weather is cooler, to forage for fruit from the estate's palm trees, say residents.

Oriental pied hornbills can be identified easily due to their size, distinctive yellow horn-topped beaks, and black and white plumage.

While the natural habitats of hornbills are moist lowland forests, "it is not unusual to see them in built-up areas", said Dr Lena Chan, group director of the National Biodiversity Centre of the National Parks Board (NParks).

These native Singapore birds, once thought to be extinct here, can now be seen all over the island.

In fact, there are around 100 oriental pied hornbills in Singapore today, cementing the bird's position as a poster child for species rehabilitation here.

FROM SURPRISE TO EXCITEMENT

While we were surprised to see the hornbills in the beginning, we are now excited whenever they are around.

MS PRISCILLA TI, resident of Country Park Condominium, on sighting the hornbills.
The birds were thought to have disappeared for good here for over 100 years, until a pair reappeared in Pulau Ubin in 1994.

Since then, there has been an ongoing effort to ensure the continued survival and proliferation of this striking bird species.

In 2004, NParks worked with partners, including the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Jurong Bird Park, on the Singapore Hornbill Project. This project studied the breeding and nesting patterns of the birds to find out how this species could be repopulated. Part of the effort included designing nest boxes for breeding pairs.

Following the success of the project, a hornbill breeding programme was conducted in the Istana in 2008 by NParks, Jurong Bird Park, researcher Marc Cremades and Professor Ng Soon Chye.

While their numbers may be relatively small, the hornbill population in a place the size of Singapore is "not insignificant", said NParks, and it demonstrates what can be done to encourage the fairly rapid population increase of a large bird species in an urban setting.

But if you do see the hornbills, do not get too close and definitely do not feed them, say the experts. Dr Chan stressed that people should observe them from a distance and not feed them as there are sufficient food sources in the wild.

Keeping a natural diet is important for the hornbills as they help disperse seeds from the wild fruit they consume. "By not feeding them, we can ensure they continue to disperse seeds and help with forest regeneration," she said.

As the birds continue to thrive and explore new territory here, more people are experiencing the thrill of spotting them.

Said Country Park Condominium resident Priscilla Ti, 40, who is self-employed: "While we were surprised to see the hornbills in the beginning, we are now excited whenever they are around."

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Malaysia: Scent of decline hangs heavy

Ahmad Fairuz Othman New Straits Times 24 Aug 17;

TWO issues affecting forestry and wildlife in Johor were recently exposed and seriously need looking into.

The first is poaching of the valuable agarwood resin, which is only found in the wild. This illicit activity is being carried out by foreign poachers, who would spend several weeks in jungles such as the Endau-Rompin National Park.

A case early this year involved five Cambodian men and a 55-year-old Malaysian woman of Cambodian descent, who was their getaway driver.

They were caught while driving out of the jungle in a Toyota Hilux four-wheel drive with seven gunnysacks of agarwood worth RM20,000 and totalling 25kg.

Their illicit activity deep in the jungles of central Johor were sniffed out by the state Forestry Department and Wildlife and National Park Department (Perhilitan) in a joint operation with the army and police under a National Blue Ocean Strategy initiative.

The officers stopped the group as they ended their three-week “jungle expedition” in Jalan Kahang-Peta, Kluang, at 6.25pm on March 11.

The five Cambodian men were also in possession of the liver of a monitor lizard, which is a protected species under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010.

The men were jailed five months after pleading guilty at the Kluang Sessions Court to the possession of agarwood. They were also charged separately for possession of entrails of a monitor lizard.

The woman, however, pleaded not guilty to the same charges and is awaiting trial.

Rosli Zakaria, my colleague in Terengganu, once wrote an exclusive story in the New Straits Times about agarwood and how it was regarded as the green gold of the rainforest.

This highly-prized resin is becoming rare due to illegal felling.

Rosli explained how there were two agarwood species in the country, the Aquilaria malaccensis (gaharu) and Aquilaria hirta (chandan).

The value of the resin is astounding as Grade A agarwood resin could fetch RM25,000 per kg while Grade C could easily cost RM2,500 per kg.

If not stopped, this lucrative but illegal trade could spell disaster for our rainforests.

There needs to be more effort to drive home the message that such activities will be dealt with under the law. Enforcement needs to be stepped up under the 1Malaysia Biodiversity Enforcement Operation Network, a partnership between the military and Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to control poaching of wildlife and preserve biodiversity in national parks.

Perhilitan revealed last year that Malaysia lost RM123.17 million worth of forest produce, such as gaharu and wildlife, between 2002 and 2013 because of encroachment on national parks.

Francis Cheong, who is with a non-governmental organisation focusing on conserving wildlife in Johor, said illegal harvesting of agarwood was mostly done by Cambodian, Thai or Vietnamese poachers in recent years.

“Most of the poachers come from these countries. Some people regard Cambodians as experts in agarwood harvesting.

“Due to the depletion of agarwood in their home countries, they come to Malaysia.”

Cheong said agarwood, or aloeswood, was in high demand in the Middle East as it was a vital ingredient in perfumes.

“The Chinese also use it to make incense and that’s why it is highly sought-after in Hong Kong.”

The second issue concerns elephants encroaching on human settlements in Johor.

Though such occurrences are a norm for residents in Mawai near Tanjung Sedili, Kota Tinggi, and Kahang in Kluang, the people are concerned about their frequency in the past three years.

A 33-year-old Indonesian plantation worker was believed to have been trampled to death by elephants in Ladang Tunjuk Laut, Tanjung Sedili, on June 21 this year. Since then, there were claimed sightings of the mammals along the Kota Tinggi-Mersing trunk road and six elephant encounters by residents in Kampung Lukut, Kota Tinggi.

Mawai resident Badrul Zaman Abu Samah, 51, said people were living in fear and worried about the safety of their loved ones, especially their children.

“I have been seeing elephants in my village since my childhood. But, those encounters in the past were few and far between.

“Back then, elephants would roam into our banana plantations or smalholdings twice a year. But, this month alone, I have seen herds of elephants near the village several times.”

Malaysian Nature Society vice-chairman Vincent Chow said elephants would venture out of their natural habitat if that habitat was disturbed.

“The areas around Mawai and Sungai Panti are part of the migratory routes and feeding ground for elephants. Any disruption will make elephants seek food and water elsewhere.”

Badrul and Chow have high hopes for an elephant sanctuary that will be developed this year in Panti.

One of the priority projects under the 11th Malaysia Plan, a 100ha sanctuary will comprise two development phases under a RM39 million allocation from the Federal Government.

Johor Health, Environment, Education and Information Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat had said that the second phase could involve the state government roping in the private sector to invest RM30 million to provide chalets and other tourism infrastructure at the sanctuary.

The sanctuary will have up to 75 elephants. Hopefully, this would help to preserve the 140-to-150 elephant population in Johor.

The writer is NST Johor bureau chief. When not working, he loves driving along the coastal highway and trunk roads of Johor. A lover
of food, music and theatre, he
recommends everyone to try Johor’s version of ‘ais kacang’ which is drenched in chocolate sauce.

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Thailand: Thais, Chinese arrested for removing marine life from Phuket coral reefs

Eakkapop Thongtub The Phuket News 24 Aug 17;

PHUKET: The Phuket office of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) has reported the arrests of two Thais and a Chinese tourist for fishing and removing marine life from a protected coral reef in two separate incidents yesterday (Aug 23).

Chinese national Dong Jinliang, 45, was arrested after he was caught using a rock to break a giant clam off the rocks at Ao Teu beach.

Nares Chuphueng fisheries specialist together with officials from the DMCR Phuket office arrested Jamrus Somboon and Passawat Ngernhorm, both from Phuket, off the southern tip of Cape Panwa, off Phuket’s east coast, at 3:40pm.

Officials seized the speedboat ‘Ussama Travel’, two fishing lines, five kilograms of live fish and squid.

The two men were taken to Wichit Police Station to face charges of illegally removing marine life from near a coral reef.

At 5pm at Racha Yai Island, about 25 kilometres south of Phuket, DMCR officials arrested Chinese national Dong Jinliang, 45, from Zhejiang, after he was caught using a rock to break a giant clam off the rocks at Ao Teu beach.

Dong was taken to Chalong Police Station and charged with removing marine life near a coral reef.

In January, Suchat Rattanarueangsri, Director of the Phuket-based office of the DMCR, together with other officials posted notices at Racha Island’s Batok, Siam and Teu bays warning tourists and locals of tough new penalties for breaking marine conservation laws.

The signs posted are in three languages – Thai, Chinese and English – and clearly state that “Marine life (including corals and carcasses) are not allow to taken and marine animals are not to be fed.”

“If any person breaks these regulations they will face legal action and be punished with not more than one year in jail and fined not more than B100,000,” Mr Suchat said. (See story here.)

Those warnings were put to the test when Chinese tourist Huang Yongjia, 35, was charged and fined B100,000 after he was caught with two baby Parrotfish in a plastic bottle at Racha Yai. (See story here.)

Officials tried the same with 53-year-old Russian tourist Olga Smirnova, but as she did not have the B100,000, she spent two nights in police lockup while awaiting trial for feeding bread to fish at Racha Yai Island. (See story here.)

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