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Thailand’s First Halal Hotel Hopes To Help Boost Muslim Arrivals

Predominately Buddhist Thailand has opened its first halal hotel as hopes to attract more Muslim visitors and boost one of the few bright spots in its economy.

Nearly 30 million foreign tourists came to Thailand last year but only about 658,000 were from the Middle East, according to industry data.

The four-star Al Meroz hotel in Bangkok, which opened in November 2015, hopes to play its part in changing that, and to cash in.

“There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. It’s a huge market,” said the hotel’s general manager, Sanya Saengboon.

“Just one percent of that market is enough for us to thrive.”

The Al Meroz, which boasts mosque-like architecture, has two prayer rooms and three halal dining halls.

Rooms cost from 4,000 baht all the way up to 50,000 baht (US$116 to US$1,445) a night, said Sanya.

A guest at the hotel, Aamir Fazal, 28, a security officer from Australia, said access to a halal hotel was a comfort to Muslim travelers in Thailand where halal food can be hard to find.

“It’s a really nice experience. It’s the first halal hotel here and I find that amazing,” said Fazal.

Eager to tap into a growing Muslim tourist market, Thailand launched a mobile application last year which helps tourists search for halal eateries and Muslim-friendly attractions.

Parts of Thailand’s south, near the border with Muslim Malaysia, are majority Muslim.

Many Malaysians pop over the border for short visits but a low-level separatist insurgency in the far south, that has included bomb attacks in border towns frequented by Malaysian tourists, has dented business there.

A series of bomb attacks in more mainstream tourist towns south of Bangkok this month, in which four people were killed and dozens wounded, has led to fears the insurgency is spreading.

Thailand saw a 10 percent increase in arrivals from the Middle East in 2015 compared with 2014, data from the Department of Tourism showed.

Source: ChannelNewsAsia

September 1, 2016
Maris Stella Pupil, 11, Dies In School Bus

The school bus driver thought the 11-year-old boy had fallen asleep in his seat.

But when he tried to wake the boy upon reaching Maris Stella Primary School yesterday morning, the Primary 5 pupil did not respond.

He was later pronounced dead at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH).

The New Paper understands the boy was on his way to school when he became unresponsive.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) received a call at about 6.55am yesterday and sent an ambulance to the school.

Police received a call around the same time yesterday asking for help “at 80, Bartley Road”.

UNCONSCIOUS

They found an 11-year-old boy unconscious when they arrived and he was taken to KKH, “where he was subsequently pronounced dead at about 8.46am,” their spokesman said.

The family told media that the parents were in Singapore at the time of the incident.

An SMS that was circulated around Maris Stella Primary yesterday informed all of the incident and asked them to pray for the boy and his family.

One parent, who declined to be named, said the boy had a fever on Mondayand was sent home early.

He said: “The school principal spoke to his class and told them about the news. We heard he was an only child and his parents are currently out of the country.”

Mrs Woo Soo Min, principal of Maris Stella Primary, said in an e-mail to TNP that the school was “saddened by the passing of one of our students”.

“We are in touch with the family and are providing assistance and support to them during this difficult time. We are also providing emotional support to affected staff and students. As the police is investigating this case, we are unable to comment further,” she said.

Police are investigating the unnatural death.

Source: The New Paper

September 1, 2016
177 Bakal Jemaah Haji Indonesia Terkandas Di Filipina, Jadi Mangsa Penipuan Sindiket

Gara-gara terpengaruh dengan tawaran satu sindiket untuk menunaikan ibadah haji menggunakan kuota haji Filipina, seramai 177 rakyat Indonesia kini ditahan di Depot Tahanan Imigresen negara itu.

Media-media tempatan melaporkan kesemua warga Indonesia itu terpedaya dengan sindiket ejen haji sebuah syarikat tempatan yang ‘menawarkan’ khidmat membawa jemaah negara itu menerusi penerbangan dari Manila, Filipina.

Sindiket itu dikatakan mengenakan bayaran sehingga AS$10,000 (S$14,000) bagi setiap bakal jemaah haji dan mereka berlepas dari Sulawesi Selatan ke Manila pada 19 Ogos lalu.

Naib Presiden Indonesia Jusuf Kalla ketika mengulas kejadian itu berkata sebanyak 177 bakal jemaah haji itu ditahan pihak berkuasa Filipina kerana kesalahan menggunakan pasport Filipina.

Beliau berkata kerajaan Indonesia sedang berusaha membantu mereka supaya tidak dikenakan hukuman.

Menurutnya mereka adalah mangsa penipuan dan pemerintah Indonesia meminta supaya kesemua mangsa sindiket itu dibebaskan pihak berkuasa Filipina.

Sementara itu, media-media online memetik jurucakap Kedutaan Indonesia di Filipina sebagai berkata bahawa mangsa sindiket haji itu secara berperingkat ditempatkan di Kedutaan Besar Indonesia di Filipina.

“Walaupun dipindahkan ke kedutaan itu, mereka masih tidak dibenarkan pulang ke tanah air kerana perlu membantu siasatan.

“Kedutaan telah memaklumkan kepada pihak berkuasa Filipina bahawa mereka adalah mangsa dan tidak mengetahui mengenai modus operandi ejen terbabit,” kata jurucakap itu.

Kesemua mangsa ditahan di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Manila ketika hendak berlepas ke Jeddah setelah pihak berkuasa mendapati pasport mereka mencurigakan dan mereka tidak boleh berbahasa Tagalog iaitu bahasa kebangsaan Filipina.

Setelah disiasat, kesemua 177 jemaah haji itu didapati bukan warga Filipina dan mereka memasuki negara itu sebagai pelancong sebelum diberikan pasport Filipina bagi tujuan menunaikan haji.

Kuota Haji Filipina dikatakan tidak dipenuhi umat Islamnya setiap tahun. Sementara itu, Kerajaan Arab Saudi menetapkan kuota 168,000 jemaah haji dari Indonesia tahun ini.

Bagaimanapun, waktu menunggu giliran haji di Indonesia kini adalah lebih 20 tahun ekoran jumlah yang mendaftar untuk menunaikan ibadah itu semakin meningkat setiap tahun.

Source: Berita MediaCorp

September 1, 2016
Mosquito Control Operations To Begin At Potential Zika Cluster At Bedok North Ave 3

The National Environment Agency (NEA) will begin mosquito control operations at a potential new Zika cluster at Bedok North Avenue 3, it announced at a joint briefing with the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Wednesday (Aug 31). There are 115 confirmed locally transmitted Zika infections in Singapore, including the first pregnant woman to be diagnosed with the virus.

The agency noted that vector control remains the mainstay in reducing the spread of Zika in Singapore. In a media statement, NEA said: “Our efforts will extend to other parts of Singapore. The National Environment Agency will be stepping up its vector control efforts to wider areas.”

The potential new cluster at Bedok North Avenue 3 was identified after three cases were reported on Tuesday. One case has a link to Kallang Way, which is in the existing cluster, but the other two have no known links to the Sims Drive/Aljunied Crescent cluster, which suggests a possible new cluster, said authorities.

The cluster comprises more than 6,000 premises, according to NEA. It called for residents to cooperate fully with NEA and allow its officers to inspect their premises for mosquito breeding and to spray insecticide to kill any mosquitoes.

NEA added that to ensure any breeding habitats are destroyed quickly, it may need use force to enter premises inaccessible to its officers after serving notice on the owners.

OPERATIONS TO CONTINUE AT SIMS/ALJUNIED CLUSTER

It added that it is continuing with vector control operations in the Sims Drive/Aljunied Crescent cluster, which now covers about 7,000 premises in Aljunied Crescent, Sims Drive, Paya Lebar Way and Kallang Way.

It added that NEA officers have inspected about 5,500 premises in the cluster. 45 breeding spots – comprising 26 in homes and 19 in common areas and other premises – have been found and destroyed.

NEA said it has also served notices on more than 500 premises that were inaccessible to its officers. Owners of these premises are required to contact NEA to arrange for an inspection, failing which NEA will proceed with forced entry.

The agency added that between Aug 27 and 30, it has deployed more than 300 personnel per day to the cluster to carry out vector control operations and outreach efforts. These comprise NEA officers, contractors and volunteers.

NEA officers and grassroots volunteers have completed two rounds of outreach efforts to distribute Zika information leaflets in the cluster, it added. They have also commenced outreach in the expanded cluster areas in Paya Lebar Way and Kallang Way.

“We will continue with outreach to raise general awareness of Zika, reiterate the need for source reduction to prevent mosquito breeding and advise residents to apply repellent as a precaution,” said NEA in a media statement.

NEA added that it has activated partner agencies of the Inter-Agency Dengue Task Force to step up localised search and destroy efforts in their respective areas to help reduce the risk of the virus spreading further.

“In NEA’s approach to tackling Zika cases, besides conducting checks for mosquito breeding habitats based on Zika cases, we also take a preventive and risk-based approach through pre-emptive checks in areas assessed to be at higher risk, even in the absence of Zika cases. Residents should also do their part to prevent mosquito breeding in their homes,” it said.

Source: ChannelNewsAsia

September 1, 2016
Sarong Fighting For Life, Wicked Aura Asks For Prayers

Jaffar Sariban aka Sarong is a giant among men. Artistic, courageous, witty, spiritual, infectious personality, and a big beautiful heart to boot.

Give a little thought and save a little prayer for my Wicked brother who’s now fighting for his life in the hospital.

He never liked the attention but I’m breaking my silence about the cancer that’s been eating him for the last year.

Thoughts and prayers for my brother.

Source: Idham Budiman

August 31, 2016