AEC Feed

The Tourism Ministry plans to develop West Sumatra as a halal tourist destination to attract more tourists from Organisation of Islamic Cooperation ( OIC ) countries, such as Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Minister Arief Yahya said recently at a coordination meeting with 19 regents and mayors in Padang, West Sumatra that the province had many advantages in the tourism sector, including being home to the most delicious dish in the world, rendang ( beef simmered in coconut milk and spices ), according to a poll held by CNN International years ago.
Marine tourism in Mandeh in West Sumatra, is among the potential destinations to be developed in the region.
The ministry also plans to open more direct flight routes from airports in neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore to Padang.
The government aims to attract 5 million Muslim tourists from the Middle East and other parts of the world in the next three years, more than double the 2 million expected this year, Arief said previously. – The Jakarta Post
 KL is the gateway to region, Najib tells investors
  British investors should come to Malaysia to not only capitalise on the business opportunities within the country, but use the country as a gateway to Asia Pacific and global markets.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, in his keynote address at the Malaysia-UK Investor Showcase, also said they should deepen bilateral ties with Malaysia, especially in new growth areas. Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said that at the end of last year, British investments in Asia amounted to $3.4 billion. About half of the investments were in the chemicals and petroleum products industries while another 14 per cent are in electrical and electronics.|– The Star
 Laos and Vietnam extend cooperation
  The Lao and Vietnamese prime ministers have agreed to further the implementation of a joint agreement reached by the Lao and Vietnamese politburos and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed at the 38th meeting of the Joint-Governmental Commissions on Bilateral Cooperation (JC).
Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the agreement in Hanoi on Sunday during a visit by the head of the Lao government to |Vietnam.
According to the Lao News Agency, the two countries intend to tighten cooperation between their border provinces with the aim of preventing subversive and undesirable conduct, and enhance cooperation in education, cultural-social matters, and foreign affairs.|– Vientiane Times
 SK to resume accepting Vietnamese labourers
  South Korea will resume accepting Vietnamese labourers on job visas under the Employment Permit System next year. The South Korean Ministry of Employment and Labour (MoEL) said on Monday it will re-sign a standard Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on this during its minister Lee Ki-kweon’s visit to Vietnam tomorrow.
The MoU will be signed by Lee Ki-kweon and Vietnamese Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the MoEL said.
The MoEL suspended the MoU in 2012 due to the high rate of illegal Vietnamese workers in South Korea. |The ministry then signed a one-year MoU allowing the recruitment of a limited number of labourers.
The Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has announced illegal Vietnamese workers in South Korea who voluntarily return home from May 1 to September 30 this year will not have to pay any administrative penalties.
The MoEL also reported that some 10,000 South Korean employees are working at 3,300 South Korean enterprises in Vietnam. – Viet Nam News