At A Glance

Professor Dr Ruangpueng Sutatane, acting deputy director for research at Mahidol University, recently presented awards for the winners of MU Design Thinking Workshop, organised by the Creative Economy Centre and the Institute for Technology and Innovation Management (INNOTECH), Mahidol University. It was funded by National Science Technology and Innovation Policy Office (STI), Ministry of Science and Technology, to foster startup entrepreneurs in line with the government’s Thailand 4.0 policy. It also aimed to promote the university’s activities as part of its advance towards becoming an entrepreneurial university. 
To determine the winners of this event, Assistant Professor Dr Surapong Lertsithichai, Director of Mahidol University Creative Economy Centre, together with the committee of experts from different fields, selected the four most innovative ideas out of 12 submissions.

Vero wins SE Asia PR honours for the year 

Vero, a public relations, social, digital, and creative agency headquartered in Thailand, has brought home the Southeast Asia PR Consultancies of the year award from the 2017 Asia-Pacific PR Consultancies of the Year Awards , recently held in Hong Kong. 
The Asia-Pacific PR Consultancies of the Year Awards is the largest PR awards programme in Asia-Pacific region, operated by The Holmes Report. The awards recognise the best that public relations has to offer and celebrate the most outstanding work and remarkable achievements produced by public relations firms and professionals.
Vero won the award based on strong performance in 2017 in Thailand and across the Asean |region. Vero also posted strong growth in its digital business, and has cemented its position as one of the most technologically-focused PR agencies in the region. Last year, the agency grew by 20 per cent and is on pace for another year of growth at the same pace.
“It is an honour to be recognised for our work this year,” said Pattanee Jeeriphab, Executive Vice President, Asean. “This award not only shows our competence, effort, and creativity that our amazing team put into work, but also proves our credibility as we maintain a great relationship with our long-time clients and partners.”

‘3 Clean’ principles draw shrimp farmers 

More members of Kung Kraben Fisheries Cooperative in Chanthaburi province are enlarging their shrimp farms to boost output and income, confident that Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF)'s "3 Clean" shrimp farming principles will help them clear debts accumulated in the past five years when their operations were badly hit by the Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS). 
The number of members participating in the Pracha Rath initiative has increased from 3 to 11 and more than 90 per cent have witnessed satisfactory results from the "3 Clean" principles and expanded their farming areas. Earlier, farmers were reluctant to adjust their farming areas as advised. 
CPF invented the "3 Clean" techniques to enhance farming productivity and management as well as to tackle EMS which caused damage to half of Thailand's shrimp farms from 2012 to last year. The techniques' focal points are clean floors, clean water and contamination-free baby shrimps. The techniques, derived from years of experience at CPF, was transferred to farmers. They can be applied with low investment, enhance productivity, reduce operational cost and prevent the disease.
DVM Sujint Thammasart, chief operating officer /Aquaculture Business of CPF, says EMS is now no longer an issue as the "3 Clean" techniques and proper management have minimised the risks. CPF has a policy to continuously share this knowledge with farmers and particular focus is placed on building the model shrimp farmers, so that they could transfer the techniques to others. 
"The "3 Clean" techniques start with clear (sediment-free) water. If farmers truly understand and actively follow through the instructions, they will definitely be able to fight the diseases. 

Carrier offers low-fare deals in year-end sales

AirAsia Bhd is offering low-fare deals from as low as 39 ringgit for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Penang, Sihanoukville, Luang Prabang, Pattaya, Shantou, Kalibo (Boracay) and Visakhapatnam.
The budget carrier said in a statement that travellers from Kuching to Langkawi and Pontianak can also enjoy the low fares starting from 79 ringgit, and from as low as 69 ringgit for flights from Johor Baru to Macau and Kolkata.
Guests travelling on AirAsia X flights from Kuala Lumpur to Perth, Taipei, Shanghai and 120 more destinations in Asia, New Zealand, the Middle East and the United States, can enjoy fares starting from 279 ringgit.
The airline said the promotion also included the AirAsia X Premium Flatbed seats, with fares starting from 699 ringgit for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Perth, Taipei and several other destinations.
The year-end grand sale promotion runs from Monday to Oct 15 for immediate travels up to March 31, 2018, available online at www.airasia.com and AirAsia mobile application. – Bernama